System and method for virtual carrier addressing and routing for global short message service

• US 20050119017A1
• Filed: 12/01/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sybase 365 Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Sybase 365 Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lovell, Robert C. Jr., Wimmer, Eric Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/16 Interfaces between hierarchically similar devices

Abstract

Network system and methods for addressing and routing Short Message Service (SMS) messages from international callers to domestic callers using Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) Mobile Application Part (MAP) Send Routing Info for Short Message (SRI for SM). The systems and methods create a virtual Home Location Register (HLR) and a virtual Mobile Switching Center (MSC) so that an intermediary, which is not itself a carrier, can handle such messages. The systems and methods generate and return an identifier associated with the intermediary as the location for an HLR and a MSC such that the international caller routes the SMS message to the intermediary.

Claims

1. A method for routing a message from a first mobile station to a second mobile station, comprising:

receiving a routing request from a third party for routing a message from the first mobile station to the second mobile station, the routing request being received by an intermediary;

determining to which carrier the second mobile station subscribes;

creating an identifier based on the carrier to which the second mobile station subscribes; and

returning a routing response from the intermediary to the third party for routing the message from the first mobile station to the second mobile station, the routing response including the identifier and information identifying the intermediary, from the point of view of the third party, as a mobile switching center.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile switching center is a virtual mobile switching center.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining to which carrier the second mobile subscribes includes performing a lookup of the second mobile station against a database including a plurality of mobile stations associated with a plurality of carriers so that the intermediary functions as a virtual home location register.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second mobile station is a domestic mobile station, and the carrier to which the second mobile station subscribes and the intermediary are in geographic proximity.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first mobile station is an international mobile station and a carrier associated with the first mobile station is on a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mobile station is on a GSM network and the third party communicates with the intermediary via a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network.

7. A method for routing a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) Mobile Application Part (MAP) Send Routing Info for Short Message (SRI for SM) message from a third party in connection with sending a message from a first mobile station on a GSM network to a second mobile station, comprising:

receiving a routing request from the third party for routing a message from the first mobile station to the second mobile station, the routing request being received by an intermediary via a SS7 network;

determining to which carrier the second mobile station subscribes;

creating an identifier based on the carrier to which the second mobile station subscribes; and

returning a routing response from the intermediary to the third party for routing the message from the first mobile station to the second mobile station, the routing response including the identifier and information identifying the intermediary, from the point of view of the third party, as a mobile switching center.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mobile switching center is a virtual mobile switching center.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein determining to which carrier the second mobile subscribes includes performing a lookup of the second mobile station against a database including a plurality of mobile stations associated with a plurality of carriers, whereby the intermediary functions as a virtual home location register.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second mobile station is a domestic

11. An intermediary comprising:

a virtual network device configured to receive routing requests from third parties for routing a message from one mobile station to another mobile station and to return routing responses to the third parties;

a gateway interface device including a database storing a plurality of mobile station identifiers associated with a plurality of carriers, the gateway interface device being configured to perform a lookup to determine to which carrier the second mobile subscribes when provided a specific mobile station identifier and to return the carrier associated with the specific mobile station identifier, the gateway interface device being configured to create an identifier based on the associated carrier and to provide information to the virtual network device including the identifier based on the associate carrier and information identifying the intermediary, from the point of view of third parties, as a mobile switching center, and

wherein the virtual network device and the gateway interface device communicate such that, from the point of view of third parties, the intermediary appears to operate a HLR and a MSC.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the intermediary periodically uploads information including mobile station identifiers of carriers supported by the intermediary to the third parties.