Method and system for providing inbound traffic redirection solution

• US 20080108347A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobileum, Incorporated fka Roamware
• Original Assignee: Mobileum, Incorporated fka Roamware
• Inventors: Jiang, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for redirecting roaming traffic of a roamer associated with an HPMN and currently roaming in a first VPMN. The method includes detecting by a detection unit coupled to the first VPMN, a registration attempt of the roamer at a second VPMN, upon receipt of a first registration cancellation message of one or more registration cancellation messages, sent by the HPMN. Finally, the method includes causing the HPMN to send a registration response message to a VLR associated with the second VPMN, to thwart the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN, by sending one or more registration messages to the HPMN from a redirection unit coupled to the first VPMN. The redirection unit further facilitates the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication when the roamer'"'"'s handset gets stuck in the second VPMN.

Claims

1. A method for redirecting roaming traffic of a roamer having a handset, the roamer being associated with a Home Public Mobile Network (HPMN) and initially registered with a first Visited Public Mobile Network (VPMN), the first VPMN coupled to a redirection unit, the method comprising:

detecting, at the first VPMN, a registration attempt of the roamer at a second VPMN, upon receipt of a first of one or more registration cancellation messages sent by the HPMN;

sending one or more registration messages from the redirection unit to the HPMN; and

causing, based on the one or more registration messages, the HPMN to send a registration response message to a Visited Location Register (VLR) associated with the second VPMN to thwart the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN;

wherein the redirection unit facilitates the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication when the roamer'"'"'s handset is stuck in the second VPMN.

2. The method of claim 1, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the method further comprising:

authenticating the roamer with the HPMN by sending one or more authentication messages, prior to sending the one or more registration messages, from the redirection unit to the HLR.

3. The method of claim 1, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the method further comprising:

in response to the registration response message, sending the one or more registration messages successively to the HPMN, thereby causing the VLR to send an abort message to the HLR.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

blacklisting the HLR and the VLR to restrict the redirection unit from sending further registration messages to the HPMN within a pre-defined time interval, upon the occurrence of one selected from a group consisting of the VLR failing to send the abort message to the HLR, and the HLR failing to send the registration response message to the VLR.

5. The method of claim 1, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the method further comprising:

blacklisting the HPMN when the HLR fails to return a Visited Mobile Switching Center (VMSC) address in response to a routing information query from the redirection unit to the HLR, wherein the blacklisting is performed to restrict the redirection unit from sending a further routing information query to the HLR.

6. The method of claim 1, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR) and the redirection unit having an address, the method further comprising:

sending another one of the one or more registration messages using a VMSC address and a VLR address associated with the second VPMN, from the redirection unit to the HLR, for updating the address of the redirection unit with the VMSC address and the VLR address.

7. The method of claim 6, the roamer having a profile information at the VLR and an associated Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN), the method further comprising:

initiating a call setup request from the redirection unit to the MSISDN number of the roamer for restoring the roamer'"'"'s profile information at the VLR, thus facilitating the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication.

8. The method of claim 6, the roamer having a profile information at the VLR, the method further comprising:

sending a routing information query from the redirection unit to the HLR for restoring the roamer'"'"'s profile information at the VLR, thus facilitating the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication.

9. The method of claim 6, the roamer having a profile information at the VLR, the method further comprising:

sending a roaming number query from the redirection unit to the VLR for restoring the roamer'"'"'s profile information at the VLR, thus facilitating the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication.

10. The method of claim 1, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR) and the redirection unit having an address at the HLR, the method further comprising:

upon receipt of the address of the redirection unit in response to a routing information query sent from the redirection unit to the HLR, sending a registration location detached message to the HLR to remove the address of the redirection unit from the HLR, when thwarting the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN fails.

11. A system for redirecting roaming traffic of a roamer having a handset, the roamer being associated with a Home Public Mobile Network (HPMN) and initially registered with a first Visited Public Mobile Network (VPMN), the system comprising:

a detection unit coupled to a first VPMN for detecting a registration attempt of the roamer at a second VPMN, upon receipt of a first of one or more registration cancellation messages sent by the HPMN; and

a redirection unit coupled to the first VPMN for sending one or more registration messages to the HPMN to cause the HPMN to send a registration response message to a Visited Location Register (VLR) associated with the second VPMN for thwarting the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN;

wherein the redirection unit facilitates the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication when the roamer'"'"'s handset is stuck in the second VPMN.

12. The system of claim 11, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the system further comprising:

at the redirection unit, means for sending the one or more registration messages successively to the HPMN for causing the VLR to send an abort message to the HLR in response to the registration response message.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for blacklisting the HLR and the VLR to restrict the redirection unit from sending further registration messages to the HPMN within a pre-defined time interval, upon the occurrence of one selected from a group consisting of the VLR failing to send the abort message to the HLR, and the HLR failing to send the registration response message to the VLR.

14. The system of claim 11, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the system further comprising:

means for blacklisting the HPMN when the HLR fails to return a Visited Mobile Switching Center (VMSC) address in response to a routing information query from the redirection unit to the HLR, wherein the blacklisting is performed to restrict the redirection unit from sending a further routing information query to the HLR.

15. The system of claim 11, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR) and the redirection unit having an address, the system further comprising:

means for sending another one of the one or more registration messages using a VMSC address and a VLR address associated with the second VPMN, from the redirection unit to the HLR, for updating the address of the redirection unit with the VMSC address and the VLR address.

16. The system of claim 11, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR) and the redirection unit having an address at the HLR, the system further comprising:

means for sending a registration location detached message to the HLR to remove the address of the redirection unit from the HLR, upon receipt of the address of the redirection unit in response to a routing information query sent from the redirection unit to the HLR, when thwarting the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN fails.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer usable program code stored thereon for redirecting roaming traffic of a roamer having a handset, the roamer being associated with a Home Public Mobile Network (HPMN) and initially registered with a first Visited Public Mobile Network (VPMN), the first VPMN coupled to a redirection unit, the computer program product comprising:

first computer usable program code means for detecting, at the first VPMN, a registration attempt of the roamer at a second VPMN, upon receipt of a first of one or more registration cancellation messages sent by the HPMN;

second computer usable program code means for sending one or more registration messages from the redirection unit to the HPMN; and

third computer usable program code means for causing, based on the one or more registration messages, the HPMN to send a registration response message to a Visited Location Register (VLR) associated with the second VPMN to thwart the registration attempt of the roamer at the second VPMN;

wherein the redirection unit facilitates the roamer'"'"'s mobile communication when the roamer'"'"'s handset is stuck in the second VPMN.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the computer program product further comprising:

fourth computer usable program code means for authenticating the roamer with the HPMN by sending one or more authentication messages, prior to sending the one or more registration messages, from the redirection unit to the HLR.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, the HPMN having an associated Home Location Register (HLR), the computer program product further comprising:

fifth computer usable program code means for sending, in response to the registration response message, the one or more registration messages successively to the HPMN, thereby causing the VLR to send an abort message to the HLR.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

fifth computer usable program code means for blacklisting the HLR and the VLR to restrict the redirection unit from sending further registration messages to the HPMN within a pre-defined time interval, upon the occurrence of one selected from a group consisting of the VLR failing to send the abort message to the HLR, and the HLR failing to send the registration response message to the VLR.