Network initiated USSD in mixed networks

• US 20080090586A1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Engelhart, Robert Lee
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation
• 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 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate sending a network initiated USSD message via a mixed network to user equipment. An application server component can communicate to user equipment. A location component can aggregate location data associated with the user equipment, wherein the location component can utilize the last known location data to send a network initiated USSD message to the user equipment via a mixed network.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates communicating data in a mixed network, comprising:

an application server component that communicates to user equipment; and

a location component that aggregates location data associated with the user equipment, the location component utilizes the last known location data to send a network initiated unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message to the user equipment via a mixed network.

2. The system of claim 1, the user equipment is at least one of a mobile device, a mobile communication device, a communication device, a gaming device, a portable media player, a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a portable device, a laptop, a handheld, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable music player, a portable gaming device, a desktop device, a home media center, and a smartphone.

3. The system of claim 1, the location data relates to at least one of a last known location, a current location, an inferred location, a predicted location, a portion of data related to a location of user equipment, and previous activity data associated with user equipment.

4. The system of claim 1, the location component is integrated into the application server component.

5. The system of claim 1, the mixed network further comprises a global system for mobile communications (GSM) component and an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) component.

6. The system of claim 1, the application component further comprising a data store that stores a portion of location data associated with user equipment.

7. The system of claim 1, the location component transmits the network initiated USSD message directly to at least one of a last known visitor location register (VLR) of the user equipment as indicated by a previous user equipment initiated message;

and a last known servicing call server control function (S-CSCF) address of the user equipment as indicated by a previous user equipment initiated message.

8. The system of claim 1, the location component utilizes at least one of a last known VLR E.164 address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, an address that refers to a location of the system utilizing an identity appropriate for the type of network, and a last known S-CSCF E.164 address to determine a transmission technique.

9. The system of claim 8, the transmission technique is at least one of a transmission utilizing a normal GSM defined by 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a transmission utilizing S-CSCF using session initiated protocol (SIP) extensions to encapsulate the USSD message.

10. The system of claim 9, the transmission technique includes a network and a manner based on the address.

11. The system of claim 10, the network is at least one of a GSM and an IMS.

12. The system of claim 10, the manner is a mobile application part (MAP) message and an SIP message.

13. The system of claim 10, the address includes a format that can indicate which network the USSD message is to be sent over.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a range associated with the address that corresponds to a particular network type.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising at least one of a range that corresponds to a GSM, a range that corresponds to an IMS, a range that corresponds to a WiFi, and a range that corresponds to a WiMAX.

16. A method that facilitates communicating data in a mixed network, comprising:

collecting a portion of location data associated with a mobile communication device;

storing the portion of location data within an application server; and

utilizing last known location data to send a network initiated unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message to the mobile communication device within a mixed network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a manner to send a network initiated USSD message based on an address, and

transmitting the network initiated USSD message based at least in part upon such determination.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising utilizing the location data to lookup a network type to transmit the network initiated USSD message to the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 16, the mobile communication device is at least one of a mobile device, user equipment, a mobile communication device, a communication device, a gaming device, a portable media player, a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a portable device, a laptop, a handheld, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable music player, a portable gaming device, a desktop device, a home media center, and a smartphone.

20. A system that facilitates communicating data in a mixed network, comprising:

means for means for communicating to a mobile communication device utilizing an application server;

means for aggregating location data associated with the user equipment; and

means for utilizing the last known location data to send a network initiated unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message to the user equipment via a mixed network.