Wireless handover using anchor termination

• US 20040235477A1
• Filed: 05/22/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Argose, Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Picha, Marianne, Talmadge, Richard N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/439
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for implementing hard handover in wireless telecommunications network. The method includes connecting a call from user equipment in a first radio coverage area to a first media gateway in a mobile switching center via a first connection point in said first media gateway and further connecting the call from the first media gateway to another party via a second connection point in the first media gateway. Then, in response to the user equipment moving from the first radio coverage area to a second radio coverage area, connecting the call from the user equipment in the second radio coverage area to a second media gateway in the mobile switching center, linking the call from the second media gateway to the first media gateway via a third connection point in the first media gateway, and removing the first termination in said first media gateway. The system includes a radio network having a set of radio network subsystems, wherein each of the radio network subsystems includes a set of base stations and a radio network controller for controlling the base stations, a core network having a set of mobile switching centers, wherein each of the mobile switching centers includes a set of media gateways and a media gateway controller for controlling the media gateways, and a set of terminations within each media gateway for establishing a call path between a wireless subscriber and another party, wherein the terminations include at least one anchor termination in a first media gateway for connecting the call to the other party throughout the duration of the call.

Claims

1. A method for implementing hard handover in a wireless telecommunications network having a plurality of radio coverage areas and a plurality of mobile switching centers, comprising:

connecting a call from user equipment in a first radio coverage area to a first media gateway in a mobile switching center via a first connection point in said first media gateway;

connecting said call from said first media gateway to another party via a second connection point in said first media gateway;

responsive to said user equipment moving from said first radio coverage area to a second radio coverage area, connecting said call from said user equipment in said second radio coverage area to a second media gateway in said mobile switching center;

linking said call from said second media gateway to said first media gateway via a third connection point in said first media gateway; and

removing said first connection point in said first media gateway.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said radio coverage area comprises a radio network subsystem having a plurality of base stations and a radio network controller.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said call is connected from said user equipment in said second radio coverage area to said second media gateway via a fourth connection point.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said mobile switching center further includes a media gateway controller for controlling said media gateways.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said call is linked from said second media gateway to said first media gateway in the downlink direction only.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein said call is linked from said second media gateway to said first media gateway via said third connection point in said first media gateway and a fifth connection point in said second media gateway.

10. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:

responsive to said user equipment moving from said second radio coverage area to a third radio coverage area, connecting said call from said user equipment in said third radio coverage area to a third media gateway in said mobile switching center;

linking said call from said third media gateway to said first media gateway via a sixth connection point in said first media gateway; and

removing said third connection point in said first media gateway.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein said call is connected from said user equipment in said third radio coverage area to said third media gateway via a seventh connection point.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein said call is linked from said third media gateway to said first media gateway in the downlink direction only.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein said call is linked from said third media gateway to said first media gateway via said sixth connection point in said first media gateway and an eighth connection point in said third media gateway.

14. A system for implementing hard handover in a wireless telecommunications network, comprising:

a radio network having a plurality of radio network subsystems, each of said radio network subsystems comprising a plurality of base stations and a radio network controller for controlling said base stations;

a core network having a plurality of mobile switching centers, each of said mobile switching centers comprising a plurality of media gateways and a media gateway controller for controlling said media gateways; and

a plurality of terminations within each media gateway for establishing a call path between a wireless subscriber and another party, said plurality of terminations including at least one anchor termination in a first media gateway for routing said call to said other party throughout the duration of the call.

15. The system defined in claim 14 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

16. The system defined in claim 14 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

17. The system defined in claim 14 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system.

18. A system for implementing hard handover in a wireless telecommunications network having a plurality of radio coverage areas and a plurality of mobile switching centers, comprising:

first connecting means for connecting a call from user equipment in a first radio coverage area to a first media gateway in a mobile switching center via a first connection point in said first media gateway;

second connecting means for connecting said call from said first media gateway to another party via a second connection point in said first media gateway;

third connecting means for connecting said call from said user equipment in said second radio coverage area to a second media gateway in said mobile switching center where said user equipment moves from said first radio coverage area to a second radio coverage area;

first linking means for linking said call from said second media gateway to said first media gateway via a third connection point in said first media gateway; and

first removing means for removing said first connection point in said first media gateway.

19. The system defined in claim 18 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System.

20. The system defined in claim 18 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

21. The system defined in claim 18 wherein said wireless telecommunications network comprises a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system.

22. The system defined in claim 19 wherein said radio coverage area comprises a radio network subsystem having a plurality of base stations and a radio network controller.

23. The system defined in claim 22 wherein said call is connected from said user equipment in said second radio coverage area to said second media gateway via a fourth connection point.

24. The system defined in claim 23 wherein said mobile switching center further includes a media gateway controller for controlling said media gateways.

25. The system defined in claim 24 wherein said call is linked from said second media gateway to said first media gateway in the downlink direction only.

26. The system defined in claim 25 wherein said call is linked from said second media gateway to said first media gateway via said third connection point in said first media gateway and a fifth connection point in said second media gateway.

27. The system defined in claim 26 further comprising:

fourth connecting means for connecting said call from said user equipment in said third radio coverage area to a third media gateway in said mobile switching center where said user equipment moves from said second radio coverage area to a third radio coverage area;

second linking means for linking said call from said third media gateway to said first media gateway via a sixth connection point in said first media gateway; and

second removing means for removing said third connection point in said first media gateway.

28. The system defined in claim 27 wherein said call is connected from said user equipment in said third radio coverage area to said third media gateway via a seventh connection point.

29. The system defined in claim 28 wherein said call is linked from said third media gateway to said first media gateway in the downlink direction only.

30. The system defined in claim 29 wherein said call is linked from said third media gateway to said first media gateway via said sixth connection point in said first media gateway and an eighth connection point in said third media gateway.