Map message processing system and method for interworking between heterogeneous networks

• US 20020183060A1
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG-Ericsson Company Limited (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Chun-Su, Ko, Hong-Gi
• Granted Patent: US 7,260,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A MAP message processing system for interworking between heterogeneous networks includes a protocol identifying unit which analyzes a TCAP message to identify a protocol type of a message originating network which transmitted a MAP message associated with the TCAP message; and a protocol distributing unit which distributes the MAP message to a corresponding MAP layer based on the protocol type identified by the protocol identifying unit. Identification of the protocol type of the message originating network may be accomplished by determining whether the TCAP message contains specific type of information. This information includes any one or more of a specific type of dialogue portion in the TCAP message, a specific type of operation code, and a certain MAP start tag value. The absence of this information may also provide an indication of the protocol type of the originating network. The system is especially well suited to providing interworking between ANSI-based and GSM-based mobile networks, although other types of networks are contemplated. The system and an associated method is particularly useful in providing global roaming services.

Claims

1. A MAP message processing system for interworking between heterogeneous networks, wherein

a protocol identifying unit which analyzes a TCAP message to identify a protocol type of a message originating network which transmitted a MAP message associated with the TCAP message;

and

a protocol distributing unit which distributes the MAP message to a corresponding MAP layer based on the protocol type identified by the protocol identifying unit.

2. A MAP message processing system for interworking between heterogeneous networks, including:

a protocol identifying unit which analyzes a TCAP message to identify a protocol type of an originating network which transmitted a MAP message associated with the TCAP message; and

a protocol distributing unit which distributes the MAP message to a corresponding MAP layer according to the protocol type identified by the protocol identifying unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the protocol identifying unit comprises:

a dialogue portion determining unit which identifies whether there is a dialogue portion in the TCAP message;

an operation code determining unit which identifies an operation code of the TCAP message; and

a MAP start tag value determining unit which identifies a parameter tag of a MAP start data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the protocol distributing unit comprises:

a MAP protocol information database which includes MAP information associated with the protocol type identified by the protocol identifying unit; and

a message distributing unit which searches the MAP protocol information database based on the identified protocol type to determine a MAP then distributes said MAP message to said corresponding MAP layer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the MAP information in the MAP protocol information database includes at least one of a MAP application process identifier, an identifier for an inter process communication (IPC), a MAP protocol identifier, a process-available operation code, and an application context name.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the MAP protocol information is collected by searching a file or a database at an initial stage of execution of the protocol distributing unit, or is constructed by collecting information transmitted from the MAP protocol when the MAP protocol is executed.

7. A MAP message processing system for interworking between heterogeneous networks, comprising:

a protocol identifying unit which determines a protocol type of a message originating network by identifying a dialogue portion, an operation code, and a MAP start tag value of a message transmitted from lower layer to TCAP;

a MAP protocol information database which includes information on a MAP of the system; and

a message distributing unit which searches the MAP protocol information database based on the protocol type identified by the protocol identifying unit to determine a MAP and then distributes a message to a corresponding MAP layer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said heterogeneous networks include a GSM-MAP based mobile communication network and an ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network, and wherein the dialogue portion is mandatory in the GSM-MAP based mobile communication network, while it is not used for the ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said heterogeneous networks include a GSM-MAP based mobile communication network and an ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network, and wherein the operation code includes operation family information separately defined for the ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network and the GSM-MAP based mobile communication network.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said heterogeneous networks include a GSM-MAP based mobile communication network and an ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network, and wherein the MAP start tag value includes specific tag value information separately defined for the ANSI-MAP based mobile communication network and the GSM-MAP based mobile communication network.

11. A MAP message processing method for interworking between heterogeneous networks which use different MAP standards, comprising:

analyzing a TCAP message to identify a protocol type of a message originating network which transmitted a MAP message associated with the TCAP message; and

distributing the MAP message to a corresponding MAP layer based on the protocol type identified in said analyzing step, wherein said heterogeneous networks include an ANSI-MAP based network and a GSM-MAP based network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying step comprises:

receiving a message from a lower layer;

classifying the message received by the TCAP; and

analyzing the classified message and identifying the protocol type of the message originating network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the protocol type of the message originating network is identified according to whether a dialogue portion is included in the message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein if the dialogue portion is included in the message, the protocol type of the message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network, and wherein if the dialogue portion is not included in the message, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as an ANSI-MAP based network.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the protocol type of the message originating network is identified according to an operation code contained in the message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein if the operation code of the message contains a fist type of operation family information defined in the ANST-MAP standard specification, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as an ANSI-MAP based network, and wherein if the operation code of the message contains a second type of operation family information or if the operation code of the message does not contain operation family information, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the protocol type of the message originating network is identified by the MAP start tag value contained in a component portion of the message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein if the MAP start tag value contains a first type of MAP start tag value, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as an ANSI-MAP based network, and wherein if the MAP start tag value contains a second type of MAP start tag value, the protocol type of the message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

constructing a MAP protocol information database by searching information from a file or a database at an initial stage of executing of a protocol distribution function, or by receiving information on a MAP of a system when the MAP is executed.

12. A MAP message processing method for interworking between heterogeneous networks, comprising:

transmitting a message received from a remote node from a lower layer to TCAP;

processing the received message according to its message type;

identifying a protocol type of a message originating network which transmitted the message;

determining MAP protocol information based on the protocol type identified in said identifying step; and

distributing the message to a corresponding MAP layer.

21. A MAP message processing method for interworking between heterogeneous networks, comprising:

transmitting a message received from a remote node from a lower layer to TCAP;

processing the message received by the TCAP according to its message type;

analyzing a dialogue portion, an operation code, and a MAP start tag value of the processed message to identify a protocol type of a message originating network; and

searching MAP protocol information based on the protocol type identified for the originating network and distributing the message to a pertinent MAP layer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein if the dialogue portion is included in the message, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network, and wherein if the dialogue portion is not included in the message, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as an ANSI-MAP based network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein if the operation code of the message contains a first type of operation family information, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as an ANSI-MAP based network, and wherein if the operation code of the message contains a second type of operation family information or if the operation code of the message does not contain operation family information, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein if the MAP start tag value contains a first type of MAP start tag value, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as a ANSI-MAP based network, and wherein if the MAP start tag value contains a second type of MAP start tag value, the protocol type of message originating network is identified as a GSM-MAP based network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the message is a TCAP message.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said analyzing step includes:

determining whether the TCAP message contains or omits predetermined information; and

identifying the protocol of the first network based on the whether the TCAP message contains or omits said predetermined information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the TCAP message contains or omits predetermined information includes:

determining whether the TCAP message contains at least one of predetermined dialogue information, a predetermined operation code, and a predetermined parameter tag.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said identifying step includes:

searching a database of information which associates information indicative of the protocol of the first network with said predetermined information; and

identifying the protocol of the first network as one which corresponds to the protocol information associated with said predetermined information in the database.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said first network and said second network are selected from the group consisting of an ANSI-based mobile communications network and a GSM-based mobile communications network.

25. A method for managing the transfer of information between networks which operate using different mobile application part (MAP) standards, comprising:

receiving a message from a first network which operates according to a first MAP standard;

analyzing information in the message to identify a protocol of the fist network; and

determining a MAP layer associated with a second network which operates according to a second MAP standard, said determining step determining the MAP layer based on the protocol identified in said identifying step.

31. A system for managing the transfer of information between networks which operate using different mobile application part (MAP) standards, comprising:

an analyzing unit which analyzes a message from a first network, which operates according to a first MAP standard, to identify a protocol of the first network; and

a distribution unit which determines a MAP layer associated with a second network which operates according to a second MAP standard, said distribution unit determining the MAP layer based on the protocol identified by the analyzing unit.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the message is a TCAP message.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said analyzing it determines whether the TCAP message contains or omits predetermined information, and then identifies the protocol of the first network based on the whether the TCAP message contains or omits said predetermined information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the analyzing unit determines whether the TCAP message contains or omits predetermined information by determining whether the TCAP message contains at least one of predetermined dialogue information, a predetermined operation code, and a predetermined parameter tag.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein said analyzing unit searches a database of information which associates information indicative of the protocol of the first network with said predetermined information, and then identifies the protocol of the first network as one which corresponds to the protocol information associated with said predetermined information in the database.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein said first network and said second network are selected from the group consisting of an ANSI-based mobile communications network and a GSM-based mobile communications network.

37. In a communications system which includes a processing system for processing messages on a mobile network, the improvement comprising:

a MAP processing system which recognizes both ANSI and GSM MAP messages for conversion to third-generation networks.