System and method for providing protection from an overload condition within the home location register

• US 20030027571A1
• Filed: 08/03/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gustafsson, Niklas, Karlsson, Bernt
• Granted Patent: US 6,819,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for managing congestion in the Home Location Register (HLR). At regular intervals or in response to a registration message associated with a Mobile Station (MS) registration request, the HLR can transmit the current load conditions in the HLR to one or more Mobile Switching Centers (MSC'"'"'s) within the area served by the HLR. In response, the MSC'"'"'s can use this load information to reduce the registration intensity in order to protect the HLR from congestion. Each MSC can include one or more HLR load thresholds, and if the current load level in the HLR is above one of these thresholds, the MSC can reduce the number of registration messages sent to the HLR by a certain amount.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for managing congestion within a home location register within a cellular network, said telecommunication system comprising:

a central processor within said home location register, said central processor having a current load associated therewith;

at least one mobile switching center in communication with said home location register, said at least one mobile switching center being capable of receiving registration requests from mobile stations in wireless communication with said at least one mobile switching center and transmitting at least one registration message associated with each of said registration requests to said home location register;

at least one threshold associated with said at least one mobile switching center, said current load being compared with said at least one threshold;

a reduction algorithm associated with said at least one mobile switching center, said reduction algorithm being capable of determining a reduction amount when said current load exceeds said at least one threshold; and

an access restriction algorithm associated with said at least one mobile switching center, said access restriction algorithm being capable of receiving said reduction amount and reducing the number of said at least one registration message transmitted from said mobile switching center to said home location register by at least said reduction amount.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said at least one threshold, said reduction algorithm and said access restriction algorithm are within said mobile switching center.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one threshold, said reduction algorithm and said access restriction algorithm is within said home location register.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising:

a measurement algorithm within said home location register adapted to measure said load within said central processor.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising:

a timer within said home location register, said timer being initialized with a predetermined time period, said current load being measured at the expiration of said timer, said timer being reinitialized with said predetermined time period after said current load is measured.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 5, wherein said current load is compared with said at least one threshold at the beginning of each said predetermined time period.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said current load is a percentage of the capacity of said central processor currently in use.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said reduction amount is based upon said percentage.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said access restriction algorithm accepts only a certain number of registration requests within a predefined time period, said certain number being based upon said reduction amount.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein each of said mobile stations has one of a plurality of mobile classes associated therewith, said access restriction algorithm restricting said mobile stations associated with one or more of said mobile classes from transmitting registration requests to said mobile switching center based upon said reduction amount.

11. A method for managing congestion within a home location register within a cellular network, said home location register being in communication with at least one mobile switching center, said least one mobile switching center being capable of receiving registration requests from mobile stations in wireless communication with said at least one mobile switching center and transmitting at least one registration message associated with each of said registration requests to said home location register, said method comprising the steps of:

measuring a current load of a central processor within said home location register;

comparing said current load with at least one threshold associated with said at least one mobile switching center;

determining a reduction amount when said current load exceeds said at least one threshold; and

reducing the number of said at least one registration message transmitted from said at least one mobile switching center to said home location register by at least said reduction amount.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

transmitting said current load from said home location register to said at least one mobile switching center.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

transmitting said reduction amount from said home location register to said at least one mobile switching center.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of measuring further comprises the steps of:

initializing a timer within said home location register with a predetermined time period;

measuring said current load at the expiration of said timer; and

reinitializing said timer with said predetermined time period after said current load is measured.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of comparing further comprises the step of:

comparing said current load with said at least one threshold at the beginning of each said predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said current load is a percentage of the capacity of said central processor currently in use.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said reduction amount is based upon said percentage.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of reducing further comprises the step of:

accepting only a certain number of registration requests at said at least one mobile switching center within a predefined time period, said certain number being based upon said reduction amount.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein each of said mobile stations has one of a plurality of mobile classes associated therewith, and wherein said step of reducing further comprises the step of:

restricting said mobile stations associated with one or more of said mobile classes from transmitting registration requests to said mobile switching center based upon said reduction amount.

20. A telecommunications system for controlling the number of registration messages associated with registration requests transmitted within a cellular network, said telecommunications system comprising:

a home location register within said cellular network, said home location register being capable of measuring a current load of said home location register; and

at least one mobile switching center in communication with said home location register, said at least one mobile switching center having at least one threshold stored therein, said at least one mobile switching center being capable of receiving said current load from said home location register, comparing said current load with said at least one threshold and reducing the number of said registration messages transmitted from said at least one mobile switching center to said home location register when said current load exceeds said at least one threshold.

21. The telecommunications system of claim 20, wherein said at least one mobile switching center is further capable of determining a reduction amount used by said at least one mobile switching center in reducing the number of said registration messages transmitted to said home location register.

22. The telecommunications system of claim 21, wherein said at least one mobile switching center is further capable of accepting only a certain number of registration requests from mobile stations in wireless communication with said at least one mobile switching center within a predefined time period, said certain number being based upon said reduction amount.

23. The telecommunications system of claim 21, wherein said at least one mobile switching center is further capable of transmitting a message to mobile stations in wireless communication with said at least one mobile switching center restricting certain ones of said mobile stations from transmitting registration requests to said mobile switching center, said certain ones being determined based upon said reduction amount.

24. The telecommunications system of claim 20, wherein said home location register is further capable of measuring said current load at predefined time intervals.

25. The telecommunications system of claim 20, further comprising a registration request response message transmitted from said home location register to said mobile switching center, said current load being included within said registration request response message.

26. The telecommunications system of claim 20, further comprising a load message periodically transmitted from said home location register to said mobile switching center, said current load being included within said load message.