Method in conjunction with updating one or more HLR-databases included in a mobile telephone system

• US 5,490,201 A
• Filed: 05/26/1993
• Issued: 02/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Moberg, Jorgen, Lantto, Jorgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US08/066,730
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 379/59, 379/60, 379/58, 455/33.1, 455/56.1
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

A method in conjunction with updating one or more HLR-databases included in a GSM-type mobile telephone system. Updating of an HLR is requested by sending a so-called Reset-message, which identifies the HLR-database concerned, to a number of VLR-databases. The losses in process capacity of the VLR-bases will be relatively small, because of the following: The time points at which Reset-messages and the time points at which radio contacts were made with different mobile stations are registered in each VLR. For each radio contact made between a VLR and a mobile station, a search is made in VLR to ascertain whether the mobile station belongs to an HLR which has been requested updating. If such is the case, the time point of the preceding radio contact between VLR and the mobile station is compared in VLR with the time point at which the Reset-message was received, wherein HLR is updated with data from VLR when the preceding radio contact occurred before the Reset-message was received.

Claims

1. A method of updating a home location register (HLR) database stored in a home location register provided in a mobile radiotelephone system, wherein an update of the HLR database is initiated by transmitting to a visitor location register an update message identifying the HLR database, comprising the steps of:

storing and updating, in a visitor location register (VLR) database stored in the visitor location register, a time of receipt of the update message;

storing and updating, in the VLR database, times of contact between the visitor location register and a mobile station;

searching, at each time of contact between the visitor location register and the mobile station, the VLR database to ascertain whether the mobile station belongs to the HLR database for which an update message has been stored;

comparing, when the mobile station has been ascertained as belonging to the HLR database for which an update message has been stored, a stored preceding time of contact between the visitor location register and the mobile station to the time of receipt of the update message; and

updating the HLR database with data stored in the VLR database when the stored preceding time of contact is earlier than the time of receipt of the update message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the HLR database is updated when there is no stored preceding time of contact.