Method and apparatus for providing voice and data services in a mobile communication system with various overlapped access networks

• US 20050047399A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-Do, Shim, Jae-Jeong, Jung, Je-Hyun, Kim, Jin-Man, Lim, Geun-Hwi, Kim, Tae-Won, Chang, Hong-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

An apparatus and method for seamlessly providing voice and data services to a user through an access terminal in a mobile communication system including a heterogeneous service & mobility gateway (HSMG) for an interworking service between a circuit network and a packet network, and various access networks overlapping each other. The access terminal notifies the HSMG that a voice call is received, if the access terminal that accessed a packet network receives a voice call. The HSMG sends a direction request to a circuit network upon receiving the notification indicating that the voice call is received. The access terminal directs to the circuit network and registers a new location upon receiving the direction request. The HSMG sets up an incoming voice call to the access terminal after the registration of a new location.

Claims

1. A method for seamlessly providing voice and data services via an access terminal in a mobile communication system including a heterogeneous service &

mobility gateway (HSMG) for an interworking service between a circuit network and a packet network, and various access networks overlapping each other, the method comprising the steps of;

selecting an optimal access network for receiving the voice and data services and directing to the selected access network, when the access terminal that accessed a particular network receives a service request and/or moves out of the accessed network;

sending a registration request to the directed access network; and

receiving packet data after registration to the directed access network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directing step comprises the steps of:

receiving a paging message for voice and packet data calls from the circuit network if the particular network comprises the circuit network;

selecting an optimal access network among the various access networks when the access terminal receives the service request and moves out of the accessed network during the voice and data services; and

redirecting to the selected access network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of selecting an optimal access network among the various access networks upon receiving a redirection request from the packet network during the voice and data services.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

selecting an optimal access network among the various access networks and redirecting to the selected access network, when the access terminal moves out of the accessed network or receives a redirection request while receiving voice and packet data from the directed access network; and

sending a registration request to the redirected network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending a registration request to the directed access network comprises the step of sending a registration message to the HSMG, if the access terminal located in the directed access network originates a packet call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal access network is selected according to a service type, a service profile for a subscriber, required quality-of-service (QoS), and a wireless environment.

7. A method for seamlessly providing voice and data services through an access terminal in a mobile communication system including a heterogeneous service &

mobility gateway (HSMG) for an interworking service between a circuit network and a packet network, and various access networks overlapping each other, the method comprising the steps of;

notifying, by the access terminal, the HSMG that a voice call is received, if the access terminal that accessed a packet network receives a voice call;

sending a direction request to a circuit network by the HSMG upon receiving the notification indicating that the voice call is received;

redirecting to the circuit network and registering a new location via the access terminal upon receiving the direction request; and

setting up an incoming voice call to the access terminal via the HSMG after the registration of a new location.

8. A method for seamlessly providing voice and data services through an access terminal in a mobile communication system including a heterogeneous service &

mobility gateway (HSMG) for an interworking service between a circuit network and a packet network, and various access networks overlapping each other, the method comprising the steps of;

monitoring, by the access terminal, only a paging channel of the circuit network, and notifying the HSMG that a packet call is received, when the packet call is received;

sending a direction request to a packet network via the HSMG upon receiving the notification indicting that the packet call is received;

transitioning to a packet network and registering a new location via the access terminal upon receiving the direction request; and

setting up an incoming packet call to the access terminal via the HSMG after the registration of a new location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring, by the access terminal, only a paging channel of the packet network and notifying the HSMG that a voice call is received, if the voice call is received;

analyzing a location of the access terminal and sending a redirection request to the circuit network via the HSMG upon receiving the notification indicating that the voice call is received;

determining redirection to the circuit network and then registering a new location by the access terminal upon receiving the redirection request; and

setting up an incoming voice call to the access terminal by the HSMG after the registration of a new location.

10. A method for seamlessly providing voice and data services through an access terminal in a mobile communication system including a heterogeneous service &

mobility gateway (HSMG) for an interworking service between a circuit network and a packet network, and various access networks overlapping each other, the method comprising the steps of;

receiving, by the HSMG, an Internet protocol packet data service request and sending a redirection request to the packet network, when the access terminal holding a dormant session of the packet network monitors only a paging channel of the circuit network;

determining redirection to the packet network by the access terminal upon receiving the redirection request to the packet network; and

transitioning, by the access terminal, to an active state and sending a registration message to the HSMG.

11. An apparatus for seamlessly providing voice and data services through an access terminal by interworking a circuit network with a packet network in a mobile communication system with a plurality of access networks overlapping each other, the apparatus comprising:

a heterogeneous service &

mobility gateway (HSMG) for managing an access state of the access terminal through location registration requested by the access terminal, and changing a protocol for an interworking service between the circuit network and the packet network; and

a home location register connected to the HSMG, for storing a service profile related to reception of voice and data calls of the access terminal that accessed the circuit network, and determining whether the access terminal can interwork a plurality of the access networks.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server for performing authentication, authorization and accounting functions on the access terminal that accessed the circuit network and the packet network.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a packet data service node/access router (PDSN/AR) for sending a registration message to the HSMG each time the access terminal moves between the access networks, managing an access state of the access terminal upon receiving a notification from a home location register, and buffering packets while the access terminal accesses the access network.