SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR INDIRECT ROUTING OF MOBILE-ORIGINATED SMS MESSAGES FOR A MOBILE STATION ATTACHED WITH AN IP-FEMTOCELL SYSTEM

• US 20100041424A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AirWalk Communications, Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Osborn, Christopher Martin Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,661,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium that facilitate indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system are provided. A convergence server uses indirect routing for delivery of a short message. The MS may elect to use a traffic or paging channel for delivery of the short message. If the MS selects the traffic channel for delivery of the message and if there is no existing traffic channel, the MS may first attempt to establish a traffic channel. If an active traffic channel is already established between the mobile station and the femtocell system, the mobile station sends the message to the femtocell system which, in turn, forwards the message to the convergence server. If the MS elects to send the message over a paging channel, the MS sends the message along with authentication data to the femtocell system that first performs authentication and subsequently forwards the message to the convergence server which, in turn, forwards the short message to the home message center.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, comprising:

receiving, by a convergence server deployed in a core network, a service request message for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system;

engaging, by the convergence server, a mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station;

responsive to the authentication process, transmitting, by the convergence server, a global challenge response to the femtocell system;

receiving, by the convergence server, a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system; and

transmitting, by the convergence server, the short message to a home message center of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, the method further comprising establishing a traffic channel between the mobile station and the femtocell system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the convergence server, a global challenge response message including an authentication token to the femtocell system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising validating, by the convergence server, the authentication token received with the short message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions tangibly embodied thereon for execution by a processing system, the computer-executable instructions for facilitating indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system that, when executed, cause the processing system to:

receive, by a convergence server deployed in a core network, a service request message for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system;

engage, by the convergence server, a mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station;

transmit, by the convergence server, a global challenge response message including an authentication token to the femtocell system;

responsive to the authentication process, transmit, by the convergence server, a global challenge response to the femtocell system;

receive, by the convergence server, a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system; and

transmit, by the convergence server, the short message to a home message center of the mobile station.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, the computer-readable medium further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to establish a traffic channel between the mobile station and the femtocell system.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to validate, by the convergence server, the authentication token received with the short message.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.

16. A network system that facilitates indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, comprising:

a core network that includes a convergence server;

a mobile core network that includes an authentication center, a Home Location Register, and a message center; and

an Internet Protocol-based femtocell system that provides a radio access point for a mobile station, wherein the convergence server receives a service request message for the mobile station, engages the mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station, transmits a global challenge response message including an authentication token to the femtocell system, responsive to the authentication process, transmits a global challenge response to the femtocell system, receives a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system, and transmits the short message to the message center.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, and wherein a traffic channel is established between the mobile station and the femtocell system and the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station, and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token, and wherein the convergence server validates the authentication token received with the short message.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.