Mobile Location Recovery for MSC Pooling

• US 20120129524A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Swanson, Robert, Stephens, Gary, Alam, Mahmud, Hebert, Mark, Mertz, Michael, Smith, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

An entity of a wireless telecommunications network having a pool of Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and a Home Location Register (HLR). The entity includes a network interface which sends pages to mobiles associated with a failed MSC of the pool of MSC'"'"'s and experiencing termination isolation and receives responses to the pages from at least some of the mobiles. The entity includes a processing unit which produces a registration having updated location information for each response received by the network interface, the registration sent from the network interface to the HLR to end each mobile'"'"'s termination isolation for which a response was received by the network interface. A method of an entity of a wireless telecommunications network having a pool of Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and a Home Location Register (HLR).

Claims

1. A method, of an entity in a wireless telecommunications network having a pool of Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and a Home Location Register (HLR), the method comprising the steps of:

sending pages from a network interface to mobiles associated with a failed MSC of the pool of MSC'"'"'s and experiencing termination isolation;

receiving responses to the pages at the network interface from at least some of the mobiles;

producing a registration having updated location information, with a processing unit, for each response received by the network interface; and

sending from the network interface the registration to the HLR to end each mobile'"'"'s termination isolation for which a response was received by the network interface.

2. The method as described in claim I wherein the sending step includes the step of using a paging list of mobiles, known to be assigned to the failed MSC, by the processing unit to produce the pages.

3. The method as described in claim 2 including the step of the processing unit removing each mobile from the paging list that leaves the pool of MSCs.

4. The method as described in claim 3 including the step of the processing unit waiting for at least a predetermined period of time for the failed MSC to recover prior to the network interface sending the pages.

5. The method as described in claim 4 including the step of the processing unit ceasing to send pages if the failed MSC recovers while some of the mobiles associated with the failed MSC have not been sent a page.

6. The method as described in claim 5 including the step of sending from the network interface a message to the failed MSC, upon the failed MSC'"'"'s recovery, that the failed MSC which has recovered is no longer responsible for servicing the mobiles which have been reassigned to another MSC or removed from the active database, wherein a reassignment trigger is based on page, or page response.

7. An entity in a wireless telecommunications network having a pool of Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and a Home Location Register (HLR) comprising:

a network interface for sending pages to mobiles associated with a failed MSC of the pool of MSC'"'"'s, the mobiles experiencing termination isolation and the interface receiving responses to the pages from at least some of the mobiles; and

a processing unit for producing a registration having updated location information for each response received by the network interface, the registration sent from the network interface to the HLR to end each mobile'"'"'s termination isolation for which a response was received by the network interface.

8. The entity as described in claim 7 wherein the processing unit uses a paging list of mobiles known to be assigned to the failed MSC to produce the pages.

9. The entity as described in claim 8 wherein the processing unit removes each mobile from the paging list that leaves the pool of MSCs.

10. The entity as described in claim 9 wherein the processing unit waits for at least a predetermined period of time for the failed MSC to recover prior to the network interface sending the pages.

11. The entity as described in claim 10 wherein the processing unit ceases to send pages if the failed MSC recovers while some of the mobiles associated with the failed MSC have not been sent a page.

12. The entity as described in claim 11 wherein the network interface sends a message to the failed MSC, upon the failed MSC'"'"'s recovery, that the failed MSC which has recovered is no longer responsible for servicing the mobiles which have been reassigned to another MSC or removed from the active database, wherein a reassignment trigger is based on page or page response.