Arranging control signallings in telecommunication system

• US 20020086670A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Einola, Heikki, Rajaniemi, Jaakko
• Granted Patent: US 6,792,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/560
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Implementing control signallings in a telecommunication system comprising at least one terminal and one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network comprising at least one access network and one or more core networks. Within a certain time, the terminal determines the detected control signalling needs and transmits a request for maintaining a radio connection to the telecommunication network if several control signallings are to be carried out. The control signallings are carried out successively between the terminal and one or more core networks without releasing the radio connection between the terminal and the access network.

Claims

1. A method of implementing control signallings in a telecommunication system comprising at least one terminal and one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network including at least one access network and one or more core networks, wherein the access network is connected to the core networks so that the control signallings may be carried out between each core network and each terminal via the access network, the method comprising:

carrying out the control signallings between the terminal and at least one core network substantially successively without releasing the connection between the terminal and the access network between the control signallings in response to the fact that the terminal has detected a need for several control signallings.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time limit for detecting the need for several control signallings is determined in the terminal, and

said connection between the control signallings is maintained in response to the fact that the need for several control signallings is detected within said time limit.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telecommunication system is a mobile communication system, the terminal is a mobile station, and said connection is a radio connection.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal determines the core networks to which a need for control signalling is detected,

a request for maintaining said connection between the terminal and the access network is transmitted from the terminal to the telecommunication network,

control signalling between the terminal and a determined first core network is carried out,

the control signallings between the terminal and other determined core networks are carried out, and

said connection between the terminal and the access network is released when the control signallings have been carried out to all determined core networks.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, the method further comprising:

determining in the access network in parameters of said connections that said connection should be maintained in response to said request transmitted by the terminal.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein information about the number of necessary control signallings is transmitted in said request for maintaining the connection,

the access network counts the number of control signallings carried out by the terminal, and

said connection between the terminal and the access network is maintained until the number of control signallings announced by the terminal has been carried out.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein information about the core networks to which control signallings need to be carried out is transmitted in said request for maintaining the connection,

the access network monitors to which core networks the control signallings are carried out, and

said connection between the terminal and the access network is maintained until the control signallings to all core networks mentioned in said request have been carried out.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time limit is set for maintaining said connection, and

said connection between the terminal and the access network is released when said time limit for maintaining said connection has been exceeded even if all control signallings had not been carried out.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the control signallings to be carried out are location updates, and

the terminal determines the core networks that need location update on the basis of location information broadcast by the access network.

10. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the access network.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the access network in a setup request message of said connection.

12. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the core network to which control signalling is carried out first,

a request for maintaining said connection is transmitted from the core network to the access network after the control signalling, and

the control signallings are carried out between the terminal and other determined core networks without releasing said connection between the terminal and the access network.

14. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the terminal comprises means for determining a time limit for detecting the need for several control signallings,

the telecommunication network is configured to maintain said connection between the control signallings in response to the fact that the need for several control signallings is detected within said time limit.

15. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the telecommunication system is a mobile communication system, the terminal is a mobile station, and said connection is a radio connection.

16. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the terminal is configured to determine the core networks to which a need for control signalling is detected,

the terminal is configured to transmit a request for maintaining said connection between the terminal and the access network to the telecommunication network,

the terminal and a determined first core network are configured to carry out control signalling,

the terminal and other determined core networks are configured to carry out other necessary control signallings, and

the access network is configured to release said connection between the terminal and the access network when the control signallings have been carried out to the determined core networks.

17. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the access network is configured to determine in parameters of said connection that said connection should be maintained in response to said request transmitted by the terminal.

18. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit information about the number of necessary control signallings in said request for maintaining the connection,

the access network is configured to count the number of control signallings carried out by the terminal, and

the access network is configured to maintain said connection between the terminal and the access network until the number of control signallings announced by the terminal has been carried out.

19. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit information about the core networks to which control signallings need to be carried out,

the access network is configured to monitor to which core networks the control signallings are carried out, and

the access network is configured to maintain said connection between the terminal and the access network until the control signallings to all core networks mentioned in said request have been carried out.

20. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the access network is configured to set a time limit for maintaining said connection between the terminal and the access network, and

the access network is configured to release said connection when said time limit for maintaining said connection has been exceeded even if all control signallings had not been carried out.

21. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the control signallings to be carried out are location updates, and

the terminal is configured to determine the core networks that need location update on the basis of location information broadcast by the access network.

22. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit said request for maintaining the connection to the access network.

23. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the terminal is configured to transmit said request for maintaining the connection in a setup request message of said connection.

24. A telecommunication system as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit said request for maintaining the connection to the core network to which control signalling is carried out first,

the core network is configured to transmit a request for maintaining said connection to the access network after the control signalling, and

the access network is configured to maintain said connection between the terminal and the access network between the control signallings to other core networks.

26. A network element as claimed in claim 25, wherein the network element is a radio network controller of an access network in the mobile communication system.

13. A telecommunication system comprising at least one terminal and one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network including at least one access network and one or more core networks, the access network being connected to the core networks, wherein control signallings may be carried out between each core network and each terminal, and the access network is configured to maintain the connection between the terminal and the access network between the substantially successive control signallings between the terminal and at least one core network in response to the fact that the terminal has detected a need for several control signallings.

25. A network element of a telecommunication system, wherein

the network element is configured to provide a connection for a terminal,

the network element is configured to maintain the connection between the terminal and the network element between different, substantially successive control signallings in response to a request from the terminal.

27. A terminal comprising means for carrying out control signallings in a telecommunication system via an access network to one or more core networks, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit a request for maintaining the connection between the terminal and the access network to a telecommunication network in response to the fact that a need for several control signallings has been detected.