ANCHOR MSC INFORMATION RETRIEVAL FROM A SERVING MSC FOLLOWING A COMPLETED INTER-EXCHANGE HANDOFF

• US 20020042271A1
• Filed: 05/21/1999
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: SURDILA, SORIN, HOUDE, MICHEL, CHOI, FELIX
• Granted Patent: US 6,594,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node

Abstract

In the context of a completed inter-exchange handoff of a mobile station communication, an anchor exchange may request certain call related information from a currently serving exchange. This request is made through use of an inter-exchange information request message issued from the anchor exchange and sent (perhaps through one or more tandem exchanges) to the serving exchange. Responsive thereto, the serving exchange processes the request, obtains the requested call related information, and returns the requested information in an inter-exchange information request return result message. The information request message may comprise a newly defined ANSI-41 message, a vendor proprietary extension to the ANSI-41 message set, or an enhancement to an existing ANSI-41 message.

Claims

1. In connection with a completed inter-exchange hand-off of a mobile station cellular call from a first exchange to a second exchange, a method for supporting inter-exchange information requests, comprising the steps of:

signaling the second exchange from the first exchange with a request for call related information;

processing by the second exchange of the request to obtain the requested call related information; and

signaling the first exchange from the second exchange with a request return result including the obtained call related information.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the request comprises an ANSI-41 message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the request comprises a message which is a vendor specific proprietary extension to an ANSI-41 message set, the message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein the request comprises an ANSI-41 information forward (INFOFWD) message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information is an additional parameter to any standard information forward message parameters within the ANSI-41information forward message used to contain information to be pushed down to the second exchange.

6. The method as in claim 1 wherein the requested call related information comprises at least one of the following items:

information stored in the mobile station;

serving cell capabilities;

mobile station location;

or, mobile station position.

7. The method as in claim 1 wherein the step of processing comprises the step of initiating another transaction from the second exchange to request the information from a source other than the second exchange itself.

8. A cellular communications system, comprising:

a first exchange through which a mobile station cellular communication is initially being handled, and from which a request for call related information is issued following a completed inter-exchange handoff; and

a second exchange through which the mobile station cellular communication is currently being handled following the inter-exchange hand-off, the second exchange operating, in response to the request issued by the first exchange, to obtain the requested call related information and report the obtained call related information to the first exchange.

9. The system as in claim 8 wherein the request comprises an ANSI-41 message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

10. The system as in claim 8 wherein the request comprises a message which is a vendor specific proprietary extension to an ANSI-41 message set, the message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

11. The system as in claim 8 wherein the request comprises an ANSI-41 information forward (INFOFWD) message including at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein the at least one parameter identifying the requested call related information is an additional parameter to any standard information forward message parameters within the ANSI-41 information forward message used to contain information to be pushed down to the second exchange.

13. The system as in claim 8 wherein the requested call related information comprises at least one of the following items:

information stored in the mobile station;

serving cell capabilities;

mobile station location;

or, mobile station position.

14. The system as in claim 8, the second exchange further operating to initiate another transaction to request the information from a source other than the serving exchange itself.