System and method for providing microcellular personal communications services (PCS) utilizing embedded switches

• US 5,457,736 A
• Filed: 04/12/1994
• Issued: 10/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: US West Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Friedman, Jo A., Reddick, Phillip D., Reinig, Peter L., Kamat, Purushottam V., Cain, Michael E., Sirovica, Dejan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TROST IV, WILLIAM GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US08/226,789
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/97, 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/54.1, 455/54.2
• US Class Current: 455/439
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6421 Medium of transmission, e.g. fibre, cable, radio, satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13513 UPT - personal as opposed to terminal mobility, inc. number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13517 SLEE - service logic execution
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13532 mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13547 subscriber, e.g. profile, database, database access
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A system and method adapted to provide microcellular Personal Communications Services (PCS) through the use of an improved Distributed Radio Port Controller (DRPC) architecture. The architecture achieves the desired handover with minimal impact on the existing embedded base of switches by generating new calls from target Radio Port Controllers (RPCs) through the switches to anchor RPCs and internally bridging bearer channels without the knowledge of the switches. The system includes a Home Location Register (HLR) for storing and providing subscription data and keeping track of where the mobile terminals are registered in order to deliver calls. A PCS# database is also utilized for storing a list of Universal Personal Telephone (UPT) numbers which have been assigned to the PCS subscribers. The PCS# database is operable to map these UPT numbers to the locations of their corresponding HLR. The system further includes a Service Control Point (SCP) which is provided in electrical communication with the switch, the HLR, and the PCS# database and which is operable to query the HLR for routing information and provide the received response to the switch.

Claims

1. For use in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) having an existing wireline switch, a system for providing microcellular Personal Communications Services (PCS) to subscribers at mobile terminals without using a mobile telephone switch, the system comprising:

a Home Location Register (HLR) for storing and providing subscription data and keeping track of where said mobile terminals are registered in order to deliver calls thereto;

a PCS number database for storing a list of Universal Personal Telephone (UPT) numbers which have been assigned to said PCS subscribers and mapping said UPT numbers to the locations of their corresponding HLR;

a Service Control Point (SCP) provided in electrical communication with said wireline switch, said HLR and said PCS number database, said SCP operable to query said HLR for routing information and provide said information to said wireline switch;

a plurality of Radio Port Controllers (RPC'"'"'s) each having a corresponding serving area and provided in electrical communication with said wireline switch via ISDN signalling, each of said RPC'"'"'s further having at least one Radio Port (RP) provided in electrical communication with said RPC for transmitting and receiving calls from mobile terminals registered in said RPC serving area and means for performing handover between a target RPC and a RPC currently serving a mobile terminal by bridging a call made from the target RPC to the RPC currently serving the mobile terminal internally, wherein said wireline switch has no knowledge of said handover; and

a Visitor Location Register/Directory Number (VLR/DN) Manager provided in electrical communication with said wireline switch, said HLR and said plurality of RPC'"'"'s for managing call information about said mobile terminals registered in said RPC serving areas by assigning and deleting temporary routing Directory Numbers (DNs) for said PCS calls.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireline switch is an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) switch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireline switch is a Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) Service Switching Point (SSP) operable to communicate with said SCP with AIN 0.1 messages via SS7.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said HLR and said PCS number database reside on the same SCP.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said SCP is equipped with AIN release 0.1 functionality.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said wireline RPCs are connected to said switch via ISDN lines.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said VLR/DN-Mgr is provided in electrical communication with said RPCs through an existing ISDN interface with said switch.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said VLR/DN-Mgr is provided in electrical communication with said HLR via a SS7 signaling connection.

9. For use in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) having an existing wireline switch, a system for providing microcellular Personal Communications Services (PCS) to subscribers at mobile terminals without using a mobile telephone switch, the method comprising:

storing subscription data for said subscribers in a Home Location Register (HLR);

storing a list of Universal Personal Telephone (UPT) numbers which have been assigned to said mobile terminals in a PCS number database;

mapping said UPT numbers to the locations of their corresponding HLR;

providing a Service Control Point (SCP) in electrical communication with said wireline switch, said HLR and said PCS number database;

monitoring said wireline switch to detect predetermined AIN triggers;

generating a query at said wireline switch for receipt by said SCP upon detection of said predetermined triggers, said query requesting call routing information;

providing a plurality of Radio Port Controllers (RPCs) each having a corresponding serving area and provided in electrical communication with said wireline switch via ISDN signalling, each of the RPCs further having at least one Radio Port (RP) provided in electrical communication with said RPC for transmitting and receiving calls from said mobile terminals registered in said RPC serving areas;

performing handover between a target RPC and a RPC currently serving a mobile terminal by bridging a call made from the target RPC to the RPC currently serving the mobile terminal internally, wherein said wireline switch has no knowledge of said handover; and

managing call information about said mobile terminals registered in said RPC serving areas by assigning and deleting temporary routing Directory Numbers (DNs) for said PCS calls through the use of a Visitor Location Register/Directory Number (VLR/DN) Manager provided in electrical communication with said wireline switch, said HLR and said plurality of RPC'"'"'s.