System, Method, and Device for Routing Calls Using a Distributed Mobile Architecture

• US 20100008369A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Inventors: Pan, Shaowei
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

Methods and devices for routing communications between distributed management architecture (DMA) servers using DMA gateways are disclosed. Communications information is received at a first DMA gateway for a communications network accessible by a second DMA gateway. The communications information indicates one or more devices that are accessible by one of a DMA server and a legacy communications network. The first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway participate in a DMA gateway communications network. The communications information is stored in a home DMA register of the first DMA gateway. A communication is received at the first DMA gateway for a target device indicated by the communications information to be served by the second DMA gateway. The communication is routed from the first DMA gateway to the target device by relaying the communication from the first DMA gateway to the second DMA gateway via the DMA gateway communications network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) gateway communications information for a communications network accessible by a second DMA gateway, the communications information indicating one or more devices accessible by one of a DMA server and a legacy communications network, wherein the first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway participate in a DMA gateway communications network;

storing the communications information in a home DMA register of the first DMA gateway;

receiving a communication at the first DMA gateway for a target device indicated by the communications information to be served by the second DMA gateway; and

routing the communication from the first DMA gateway to the target device by relaying the communication from the first DMA gateway to the second DMA gateway via the DMA gateway communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway includes a satellite-based DMA gateway; and

the DMA gateway communications network includes a satellite communications network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the DMA server includes one of the group including:

a ground-based DMA server;

or

a satellite-based DMA server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication includes at least one of the group including:

a voice communication;

or

a data communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy communications network includes one of the group including:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

a wireless communications network serviced by mobile switching center (MSC);

a public internet protocol (IP) network; and

an American National Standards Institute 41 (ANSI-41) network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first DMA gateway sending a notification to the second DMA gateway, the notification indicating that the communications information is stored at the first DMA gateway.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon receiving the communications information, the first DMA gateway automatically sending at least a portion of communications information to the second DMA gateway via the gateway communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a query from the second DMA gateway for the communications information, the first DMA gateway sending at least a portion of the communications information to the second DMA gateway via the gateway communications network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications information includes communications register data including at least one of the group including:

a portion of the community location register;

a portion of the home location register (HLR) data for the communications network; and

a portion of the visitor location register (VLR) for the communications network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the register data stored at the first DMA gateway indicates that the register data is for a DMA server temporarily registered in a visitor DMA register of the second DMA gateway.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first DMA gateway detecting the presence of the communications network in a communications range of the first DMA gateway.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the first DMA gateway sending communications network information to the second DMA gateway indicating that the communications network is within the communications range of the first DMA gateway.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the first DMA gateway sending communications network information to a central database indicating that the communications network is in the communications range of the first DMA gateway.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the first DMA gateway receiving additional communications network information from the second DMA gateway indicating that the second DMA gateway detects the presence of an additional communications network within a communications range of the second DMA gateway.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first DMA gateway receiving a second notification from a central database, the second notification indicating that second register data is stored at the central database.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the first DMA gateway detecting a second communications network in a service area of the first DMA gateway.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first DMA gateway detects a private Internet Protocol (IP) network access point in a communications range of the first DMA gateway and wherein the first DMA gateway is adapted to communicate with the second communications network via the private Internet protocol (IP) network.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first DMA gateway sends second communications information to the central database indicating that calls associated with the second communications network are accessible to the first DMA gateway.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first DMA gateway receives second register data from the central database.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first DMA gateway receives the communications information from the second DMA gateway.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first DMA gateway receives the communications information from a central database.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the legacy communications network includes one or more of the group including:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

a wireless network;

a public IP network; and

an American National Standards Institute 41 (ANSI-41) network.

22. A network communications system, comprising:

a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) gateway including;

a first interface adapted to communicate with a legacy communications network;

a second interface adapted to communicate with a private Internet Protocol (IP) network;

a third interface adapted to communicate with a DMA gateway communications network; and

a server having logic adapted to;

receive legacy network information from a second DMA gateway, the legacy network information indicating that the legacy communications network is in a communications range of the second DMA gateway; and

forward information associated with a communication received from a DMA server via the second interface to the second DMA gateway via the third interface;

wherein the call is placed to a destination device accessible via the legacy communications network.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway comprises a satellite-based DMA gateway.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway comprises a ground-based DMA gateway.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the DMA server includes one of the group including:

a ground-based DMA server;

or

a satellite-based DMA server.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the logic is adapted to receive DMA server register data from the DMA server indicating that a mobile communications device is accessible to the DMA server via a wireless transceiver coupled to the DMA server.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the first DMA gateway communicates with a central database via the third interface, the central database storing register data associated with the DMA server.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the first DMA gateway communicates with the central database via the second interface, the central database storing register data associated with the DMA server.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the first DMAG and the second DMAG communicate via C-Band, Ku-Band, Ka-Band, L-Band, or any combination thereof.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the gateway communications network at least one of an IP network and a microwave network.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the DMA server is one of a plurality of DMA servers communicating with the first DMAG via the second interface.

33. A method of routing calls via a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving first routing instructions at a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) server from a first DMA gateway when the first DMA server is in a first service area of the first DMA gateway, the first DMA gateway comprising a first orbiting satellite; and

sending a first call received at the first DMA server from a first mobile communications device via a wireless transceiver integrated with the first DMA server to the first DMA gateway via a private Internet Protocol (IP) network according to the first routing instructions;

wherein the first call placed to a destination device accessible via a legacy communications network, the legacy communications network accessible via the first DMA gateway.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server is adapted to send the first call while being transported from a first location to a second location.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server receives second routing instructions from a second DMAG when the first DMA server moves into a second service area of the second DMAG, the second service area comprising the second location and the second DMAG comprising an orbiting satellite.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server sends a second call received at the first DMA server from the first mobile communications device to the second DMA gateway via the private IP network according to the second routing instructions.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the second call is associated with a destination device accessible via the legacy communications network.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the second call is associated with a second mobile communications device accessible to a second DMA server, the second DMA server accessible to the second DMA gateway via the private IP network.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server receives the second routing instructions from the second DMAG during the first call.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server sends first DMA server register data to the second DMA gateway in response to receiving the second routing instructions.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein the first DMA server receives second routing instructions from a second DMA gateway when the first DMA server leaves the first service area and enters a second service area of the second DMA gateway due to orbital motion of the first DMA gateway and the second DMA gateway, the second DMA gateway comprising an orbiting satellite.

42. A network communications system, comprising:

a distributed mobile architecture (DMA) server coupled to a wireless transceiver,

the DMA server including;

a first interface adapted to communicate with a private Internet Protocol (IP) network;

a second interface adapted to communicate with a gateway communications network; and

a server having logic adapted to;

receive a call from a mobile communications device via the wireless transceiver; and

send call information related to the call to a DMA gateway, the DMA gateway;

wherein the call is placed to a destination device accessible via a legacy communications network, the legacy communications network accessible via the DMA gateway.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the logic is adapted to send the call information to the DMA gateway via the first interface according to routing instructions received at the DMA server from the DMA gateway.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the logic is adapted to send the call information to the DMA gateway via the second interface according to routing instructions received at the DMA server from the DMA gateway.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the logic is adapted to convert the call information to packet data when the call information is sent to the DMAG via the first interface.

46. An orbiting satellite, comprising:

a first interface adapted to communicate with a legacy communications network;

a second interface adapted to communicate with a private Internet Protocol (IP) network; and

a server having logic adapted to;

receive a call via the first interface, the call placed to a first mobile communications device accessible to a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) server; and

route the call to the first DMA server via the second interface,

wherein the first DMA server includes a wireless transceiver to communicate with the first mobile communications device.