Registration Of A Mobile Station In A Mobile Communications Network
First Claim
1. A method in a telecommunication network of registering a mobile station, the telecommunication network including a core network portion of a licensed mobile communication network and at least two mobile communication access networks, at least one of which is an unlicensed radio access network, the unlicensed radio access network including an access network controller adapted to communicate with the core network portion and that is connected to at least one access point, said access network controller being adapted to exchange messages with the mobile station via an unlicensed radio interface with said access point, said access network controller further being adapted to send a value of an access reselection timer to the mobile station, said timer being adapted to prevent the mobile station from registering to the mobile communication access network before said timer expires, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving by the access network controller a registration request message from the mobile station;
creating a mobile context;
setting a value of the access reselection timer;
sending the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message;
receiving a de-registration message from the mobile station;
setting a value of a context keep-alive timer where the value of said timer is greater than the value of the access reselection timer;
starting the context keep-alive timer;
receiving by the access network controller another registration request message from the mobile station;
noting that the mobile context already is created;
stopping the context keep-alive timer;
setting for a second time a value of the access reselection timer; and
sending for a second time the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The current invention relates to the registration of mobile stations in a mobile communications network. It has particular relevance to handovers and roaming between base stations of an unlicensed radio access network (110) and those of a conventional cellular network (120). As the cells in an unlicensed radio access network have a rather small size, it means that handover potentially can occur far more frequently than for a conventional cellular network. This can result in an undesired ‘ping-pong’ effect, i.e. that the mobile station is switching back and forth between two radio cells too frequently. The current invention reduces this effect by preventing the mobile station to register to the unlicensed radio access network during a modifiable period of time (306).
47 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method in a telecommunication network of registering a mobile station, the telecommunication network including a core network portion of a licensed mobile communication network and at least two mobile communication access networks, at least one of which is an unlicensed radio access network, the unlicensed radio access network including an access network controller adapted to communicate with the core network portion and that is connected to at least one access point, said access network controller being adapted to exchange messages with the mobile station via an unlicensed radio interface with said access point, said access network controller further being adapted to send a value of an access reselection timer to the mobile station, said timer being adapted to prevent the mobile station from registering to the mobile communication access network before said timer expires, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving by the access network controller a registration request message from the mobile station;
creating a mobile context;
setting a value of the access reselection timer;
sending the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message;
receiving a de-registration message from the mobile station;
setting a value of a context keep-alive timer where the value of said timer is greater than the value of the access reselection timer;
starting the context keep-alive timer;
receiving by the access network controller another registration request message from the mobile station;
noting that the mobile context already is created;
stopping the context keep-alive timer;
setting for a second time a value of the access reselection timer; and
sending for a second time the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11)
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2. (canceled)
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7. (canceled)
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8. An access network controller in an unlicensed radio access network said access network controller being adapted to communicate with a core network portion of a licensed mobile communication network and is connected to at least one access point, said access network controller being further adapted to exchange messages with mobile stations communicating via an unlicensed radio interface within said access points, said access network controller comprising:
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a processor;
a memory area arranged to be accessible by said processor, said memory area containing at least one scheme including values of an access reselection timer and a context keep-alive timer, the memory area further including at least one counter variable; and
means for;
the access network controller receiving a registration request message from a mobile station;
creating a mobile context;
setting a value of an access reselection timer;
sending the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message;
receiving a de-registration message from the mobile station;
setting a value of a context keep-alive timer where the value of said timer is greater than the value of the access reselection timer;
starting a context keep-alive timer;
receiving by the access network controller another registration request message from the mobile station;
noting that the mobile context already is created;
stopping the context keep-alive timer;
setting for a second time a value of the access reselection timer; and
sending for a second time the value of the access reselection timer to the mobile station in a registration accept message. - View Dependent Claims (10, 12)
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Specification