PAGING METHOD AND DEVICE

• US 20150005019A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Jinguo, Liu, Jingxiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A paging method includes, when needing to page a user equipment (UE) according to service requirements, a mobile switching center (MSC) analyzing a user identification if finding that subscriber data are lost at present, judging whether the UE has a possibility of residing in a long term evolution (LTE) network, if yes, finding out one or more mobility management entities (MMEs) which are overlapped with the coverage area of the MSC itself, and sending a paging message for the UE to the MMEs. An MSC includes a first module, a second module, a third module and a fourth module. With the paging method and apparatus provided, the UE in the LTE can be successfully paged under the condition that a visitor location register (VLR) loses the subscriber data and a home location register (HLR) fails to return an MME identification.

Claims

1. A paging method, comprising:

when needing to page a user equipment according to service requirements, a mobile switching center analyzing a user identification if finding that subscriber data are lost at present, judging whether the user equipment has a possibility of residing in a long term evolution network, if yes, finding out one or more mobility management entities which are overlapped with a coverage area of the mobile switching center itself, and sending a paging message for a terminal to the found mobility management entities; and

if receiving a location update request or a service request, the mobile switching center performing a paging processing with the mobility management entities sending the location update request or the service request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of if receiving a location update request, the mobile switching center performing a paging processing with the mobility management entities sending the location update request comprises:

if receiving the location update request, the mobile switching center sending again the paging message for the terminal to the mobility management entity sending the location update request after processing the location update request.

3. A mobile switching center, comprising:

a first module, configured to;

when needing to page a user equipment according to service requirements, analyze a user identification if finding that subscriber data are lost at present, and judge whether the user equipment has a possibility of residing in a long term evolution network;

a second module, configured to;

find out one or more mobility management entities which are overlapped with a coverage area of the mobile switching center per se when the first module judges that the user equipment has the possibility of residing in the long term evolution network;

a third module, configured to;

send a paging message for a terminal to the mobility management entities found by the second module; and

a fourth module, configured to;

if receiving a location update request or a service request, perform a paging processing with the mobility management entities sending the location update request or the service request.

4. The mobile switching center according to claim 3, wherein,

the fourth module is configured to perform a paging processing with the mobility management entities sending the location update request by means of:

if receiving the location update request, notifying the third module after processing the location update request; and

the third module is further configured to send again the paging message for the terminal to the mobility management entity sending the location update request after receiving a notification from the fourth module.

5. A paging processing method, comprising:

a mobility management entity receiving a paging message for a terminal; and

performing a paging processing according to whether there are subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, the step of performing a paging processing according to whether there are subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally comprises:

the mobility management entity judging whether there are the subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally, if there are not the subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally, returning a paging refusal message to a mobile switching center;

if there are the subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally, paging the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, after the step of the mobility management entity paging the terminal, further comprising:

the mobility management entity judging whether the mobile switching center needs a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, if the mobile switching center needs a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, returning an interface location update request to the mobile switching center;

if the mobile switching center does not need a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, returning a service request to the mobile switching center.

8. A mobility management entity, comprising:

a first module, configured to receive a paging message for a terminal; and

a second module, configured to perform a paging processing according to whether there are subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally.

9. The mobility management entity according to claim 8, wherein, the second module comprises:

a first unit, configured to judge whether there are the subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally;

a second unit, configured to;

when the first unit judges that there are no subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally, return a paging refusal message to a mobile switching center; and

a third unit, configured to;

when the first unit judges that there are the subscriber data corresponding to the terminal locally, page the terminal.

10. The mobility management entity according to claim 9, wherein, the second module further comprises:

a fourth unit, configured to;

judge whether the mobile switching center needs a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, if the mobile switching center needs a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, return an interface location update request to the mobile switching center;

if the mobile switching center does not need a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, return a service request to the mobile switching center.