Method for use in a communication system

• US 20060019647A1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Molnar, Jozsef, Muhonen, Janne
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for use in a communications system comprising the steps of determining if user equipment is capable of supporting a first technology and obtaining from said user equipment information about said user equipment only if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology.

Claims

1. A method for use in a communications system, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if user equipment is capable of supporting a first technology; and

obtaining from said user equipment information about said user equipment only if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises determining if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology comprising a wireless access technology.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises determining if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology comprising at least one of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, release 99 of a 3GPP specification, and a version of the 3GPP specification.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises examining information received from said user equipment.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said determining step comprises examining said information comprising classmark information.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determining step comprises examining said information comprising said classmark information, wherein said classmark information is received in at least one of a Mobile Management (MM) location updating request and a classmark information message.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said determining step comprises examining said information comprising information indicating if said user equipment only supports a second technology.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said determining step comprises examining said information if said user equipment only supports said second technology comprising Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said obtaining step comprises obtaining said information about said user equipment comprising International Mobile Equipment Identity with Software Version (IMEISV) information.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said obtaining step is carried out in response to a location updating request message sent by said user equipment.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said obtaining step is carried out if a Location updating type is set to at least one of International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) attach, Normal Location Updating, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Attach, Combined GPRS and IMSI attach, and Routing Area Update.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said obtaining step comprises using a Mobile Management (MM) Identity Request procedure.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said obtaining step comprises requesting said information about said user equipment from said user equipment.

14. A communications system comprising an entity arranged to determine if user equipment is capable of supporting a first technology, said entity being arranged to only request information about said user equipment if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology.

15. A communication system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said entity comprises at least one of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and a Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN).

16. An entity for use in a communications system, said entity being arranged to determine if user equipment is capable of supporting a first technology and to obtain from said user equipment information about said user equipment only if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology.

17. A communications system, comprising:

determining means for determining if user equipment is capable of supporting a first technology; and

obtaining means for obtaining from said user equipment information about said user equipment only if said user equipment is capable of supporting said first technology.