Mobile communication method for controlling origination or termination of a call in a desired network

• US 5,649,301 A
• Filed: 06/17/1994
• Issued: 07/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hiroshi, Hirata, Shoichi, Yabusaki, Masami, Tsukahara, Hiroshi, Maruyama, Yasuo, Uchiyama, Yasuyuki, Takemoto, Eriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US08/244,944
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33.1, 455/33.4, 455/53.1, 455/54.1, 455/54.2, 455/56.1, 379/58, 379/59, 379/62, 379/63, 379/60
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

In a mobile communication network, a mobile unit location register ML and a subscriber location register SL are provided. In the mobile unit location register the mobile location of a mobile unit MT is registered, whereas in the subscriber location register a mobile unit MT selected by each subscriber SB as a terminal for call terminating use is registered. Upon receiving a terminating call for a subscriber, a switching center SW reads out, from the subscriber location register SL, an identifying number TID of the mobile unit registered by the subscriber SB as a terminal for call terminating use and uses the mobile unit identifying number TID to read out the mobile location of the mobile unit MT from the mobile unit location register ML, thereafter sending the terminating call to the registered mobile unit of the read-out mobile location.

Claims

1. A mobile communication control method for a mobile communication system wherein each communication network is provided with a home location register for storing subscriber contract information, subscriber change information and roaming network information in correspondence to each subscriber using said each communication network as its home network and a visitor location register for storing subscriber contract information and subscriber change information in correspondence to each subscriber not using said communication network as its home network and wherein a switching center in said each communication network performs a call setup process for said subscriber not belonging to said each communication network as its home network, in accordance with said subscriber contract information and said subscriber change information obtained from said visitor location register in said communication network, said method comprising the following steps when said subscriber roams from a first communication network into a second communication network and makes a first location registration in said second communication network:

(A) said subscriber sends into said second communication network a location registration request signal including the identifying number of said subscriber;

(B) said visitor location register in said second communication network sends said location registration request to that home location register of said home network of said subscriber which is specified by said identifying number of said subscriber;

(C) said home location register in said home network sends said subscriber contract information and said roaming network information of said subscriber, as a response signal, to said visitor location register in said second communication network;

(D) said visitor location register in said second communication network stores said received subscriber contract information and sends a change information transfer request signal requesting said subscriber change information of said subscriber, to said visitor location register in said first mobile communication network specified by said roaming network information;

(E) said visitor location register in said first mobile communication network sends said subscriber change information of said subscriber to said visitor location register in said second communication network and deletes said subscriber change information from storage; and

(F) said visitor location register in said second communication network stores said received subscriber change information.

2. A communication control method for a mobile radio communication system wherein each mobile communication network includes at least one switching center and a subscriber location register and a mobile unit location register connected to said switching center, said subscriber location register of said each mobile communication network has stored therein subscriber information and roaming network information of each subscriber using said each mobile communication network as its home network, and said mobile unit location register of said each mobile communication network has stored therein roaming network information of a mobile unit using said mobile communication network as its home network and subscriber identifying information of a subscriber having registered with each mobile unit for call terminating use, said each mobile unit and said each subscriber being given a mobile unit identifying number and a subscriber identifying number of their home networks, respectively, said method comprising the following steps which are performed when said mobile unit roams from a first mobile communication network into a second mobile communication network and makes a first location registration in said second mobile communication network:

(A) said mobile units sends into said second mobile communication network a location registration request signal including said mobile unit identifying number of said mobile unit;

(B) said mobile unit location register in said second mobile communication network obtains, on the basis of said received location registration request signal, said roaming network information of said mobile unit representing said first mobile communication network from said mobile unit location register of said home network of said mobile unit;

(C) said mobile unit location register in said second mobile communication network obtains said subscriber identifying number of said subscriber having registered with said mobile unit for call receiving use, from said mobile unit location register in said first mobile communication network indicated by said roaming network information; and

(D) said subscriber location register in said second mobile communication network obtains said subscriber information of each subscriber having registered with said mobile unit for call receiving use, from said home network of said each subscriber specified by said identifying number of said each subscriber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step (D) for said subscriber location register to obtain said subscriber identifying information further includes the following steps:

(D-1) said subscriber sends into said second communication network a location registration request signal including said subscriber identifying number of said subscriber;

(D-2) a visitor location register in said second communication network sends said location registration request signal to a home location register in said home network of said subscriber specified by said subscriber identifying number;

(D-3) said home location register in said home network sends subscriber contract information and said roaming network information of said subscriber, as a response signal, to said visitor location register in said second communication network;

(D-4) said visitor location register in said second communication network stores said subscriber contract information sent thereto and sends a change information transfer request signal requesting subscriber change information, to a visitor location register in said first mobile communication network specified by said roaming network information;

(D-5) said visitor location register in said first communication network sends said subscriber change information of said subscriber to said visitor location register in said second communication network and deletes said subscriber change information from storage; and

(D-6) said visitor location register in said second communication network stores said sent subscriber change information.

4. A communication control method for a mobile communication system wherein each communication network is provided with a subscriber location register connected to a switching center, said subscriber location register having stored therein subscriber information corresponding to each subscriber using said each communication network as his home network, and said switching center performs a call setup process for said each subscriber in accordance with said subscriber information, said method comprising the following steps:

(A) said switching center in each visited network sends a subscriber information readout request signal to said subscriber location register in response to a call originating request signal from said each subscriber, said request signal including a subscriber identifying number;

(B) said subscriber location register determines if it has information corresponding to said subscriber identifying number included in said subscriber information readout request signal and, if it has, then reads out and sends said information to said switching center, and if not, said subscriber location register transfers said subscriber information readout request signal to said subscriber location register of a home network of said subscriber indicated by said subscriber identifying number;

(C) said subscriber location register in said home network reads out subscriber information corresponding to said subscriber identifying number included in said subscriber information readout request signal and sends said read-out subscriber information to said subscriber location register in said visited network of said subscriber;

(D) said subscriber location register in said visited network sends to said switching center in said visited network said subscriber information received from said subscriber location register in said home network; and

(E) said switching center in said visited network performs a call originating process in response to said call originating request signal from said subscriber, in accordance with said subscriber information received from said subscriber location register in said visited network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said subscriber is a roaming subscriber;

said subscriber location register connected to said switching center has stored therein said subscriber information and roaming network information of said subscriber;

said step (C) includes a step wherein it is determined if said roaming information corresponding to said subscriber identifying number is present and, if present, said subscriber information readout request signal is transferred to a communication network indicated by said roaming network information, said method further comprising a step wherein said communication network indicated by said roaming network information reads out subscriber information corresponding to said subscriber identifying number included in said subscriber information readout request signal sent thereto and sends said read-out subscriber information to said subscriber location register in said home network of said subscriber.

6. A communication control method for a mobile communication system wherein each communication network is provided with:

a switching center for interconnecting a plurality of terminals;

a subscriber location register connected to said switching center for storing an identifying number of a communication terminal registered by each subscriber for call terminating use; and

a mobile unit location register for storing an identifying number of each subscriber having registered each communication terminal for call terminating use; and

wherein when receiving a call terminating request including an identifying number of a subscriber designated as the destination of a terminating call, said switching center reads out, on the basis of said identifying number, said identifying number of said communication terminal registered by said designated subscriber from said subscriber location register and performs terminating connection to said communication terminal;

said method comprising the following steps;

(A) a subscriber sends, from said communication terminal to said switching center, a registration request signal including a subscriber identifying number and a mobile unit identifying number;

(B) upon reception of said registration request signal from said subscriber, said switching center sends said registration request signal as a registration reservation request signal to said subscriber location register;

(C) upon each reception of said registration reservation request signal, said subscriber location register determines if a registration reservation has already been stored corresponding to said subscriber identifying number included in said request signal and, if stored, sends a reservation reject signal to said switching center and, if not stored, stores a reservation for registration in correspondence to said subscriber identifying number and sends a reservation confirmation signal to said switching center;

(D) upon receiving said reservation confirmation signal, said switching center sends a registration request signal including said mobile unit identifying number and said subscriber identifying number, to said mobile unit location register and registers the identifying number of said subscriber;

(E) said mobile unit location register stores said subscriber identifying number corresponding to said mobile unit identifying number included in said registration request signal sent thereto and sends a registration confirmation signal to said switching center;

(F) upon receiving said registration confirmation signal from said mobile unit location register, said switching center sends a registration request signal including said subscriber identifying number and said mobile unit identifying number, to said subscriber location register;

(G) said subscriber location register registers said mobile unit identifying number included in said registration request signal in correspondence to said subscriber identifying number in said registration request signal and then sends to said switching center a signal confirming the registration of said mobile unit identifying number;

(H) upon receiving said confirmation signal, said switching center sends a signal to said subscriber location register to cancel the reservation for registration; and

(I) said subscriber location register cancels the reservation for registration.

7. The method of claim 6, which further includes the following steps for cancelling the registration of said communication terminal for call terminating use:

(J) said communication terminal sends to said switching center a registration cancel request signal including the mobile unit identifying number of said communication terminal;

(K) said switching center sends said registration cancel request signal to said mobile unit location register;

(L) said mobile unit location register reads out a subscriber identifying number corresponding to said mobile unit identifying number in said registration cancel request signal, sends said read-out subscriber identifying number to said switching center and deletes said subscriber identifying number registered in said mobile unit location register in correspondence to said mobile unit identifying number;

(M) said switching center sends to said subscriber location register a registration cancel request signal including said subscriber identifying number received from said mobile unit location register; and

(N) said subscriber location register deletes said mobile unit identifying number registered therein in correspondence to said subscriber identifying number included in said registration cancel request signal.

8. A mobile communication control method wherein each of plural communication networks accommodates a switching center and a plurality of communication terminals, including plural mobile units, of different communication capabilities and, when receiving a terminating call for a mobile unit in each network, the switching center obtains mobile location information of said mobile unit by reference to a mobile unit location register and alerts said mobile unit;

said method comprising the steps of;

(A) registering, from each communication terminal, a terminal class, indicating the communication capability of said each communication terminal, in a mobile unit location register in correspondence to said each communication terminal;

(B) registering in a subscriber location register, in correspondence to each of a plurality of subscribers, an identifying number of a mobile unit which receives a call for each subscriber; and

(C) when receiving a terminating call for said each subscriber, said switching center detects said registered mobile unit identifying number by reference to said subscriber location register and a visited area of said mobile unit and the terminal class thereof by reference to said mobile unit location register and alerts said mobile unit according to said terminal class.