System and method for maintaining control channel mode information in a cellular telecommunications network
First Claim
1. A method of maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC) and a home location register (HLR), said method comprising the steps of:
- storing said CCM status information in said MSC, whenever said MS registers and whenever said MS changes control channel modes;
storing said CCM status information in said HLR, whenever said MS changes control channel modes;
determining whether said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC;
receiving an incoming call for said mobile station;
determining whether said incoming call is received after said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; and
retrieving said CCM status information from said HLR upon determining that said incoming call is received after said CCM status information is lost by said MSC and before said CCM status information is restored to said MSC by a registration message from said mobile station.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC) and a plurality of base stations and cells. Following reselection of a new cell by the mobile station, or selection of a new analog or digital operating mode, the system notifies the MSC of the mobile station'"'"'s identity, current CCM, and a base station identification. The MSC stores the CCM information and utilizes it for paging and for delivery of short message service (SMS) messages when the control channel is digital. The MSC also transmits the CCM information to a home location register (HLR) whenever the CCM changes. Upon loss of the CCM status information by the MSC, if an incoming call is received for the mobile station prior to a registration by the mobile station, the system retrieves the assigned CCM status information from the HLR.
233 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC) and a home location register (HLR), said method comprising the steps of:
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storing said CCM status information in said MSC, whenever said MS registers and whenever said MS changes control channel modes; storing said CCM status information in said HLR, whenever said MS changes control channel modes; determining whether said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; receiving an incoming call for said mobile station; determining whether said incoming call is received after said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; and retrieving said CCM status information from said HLR upon determining that said incoming call is received after said CCM status information is lost by said MSC and before said CCM status information is restored to said MSC by a registration message from said mobile station.
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2. A system for maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC) and a home location register (HLR), said system comprising:
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means for storing said CCM status information in said MSC; means for storing said CCM status information in said HLR; means for determining whether said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; means for receiving an incoming call for said mobile station; means for determining whether said incoming call is received after said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; and means for retrieving said CCM status information from said HLR upon determining that said incoming call is received after said CCM status information is lost by said MSC and before said CCM status information is restored to said MSC by a registration message from said mobile station.
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3. A method of maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), and a plurality of cells, said CCM status information identifying whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel, said method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a MS-BS registration message from said mobile station to a serving base station, said MS-BS registration message including a mobile identification number (MIN) for said mobile station; transmitting a BS-MSC registration message from said serving base station to said MSC, said BS-MSC registration message including said MIN, said CCM status information for said mobile station, and a base station identification for said serving base station; storing said CCM status information in said MSC; determining whether said mobile station registered in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said MS-BS registration message; transmitting the MIN of said mobile station, the CCM of said mobile station, and a MSC identification from said MSC to said HLR upon determining that said mobile station did not register in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said MS-BS registration message; determining, upon determining that said mobile station registered in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said MS-BS registration message, whether CCM information for said mobile station previously stored in said MSC is equal to the CCM information transmitted in said BS-MSC registration message; and transmitting an update message to said HLR upon determining that previously stored CCM information for said mobile station is not equal to the CCM information transmitted in said BS-MSC registration message. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A method of maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), and a plurality of cells, said CCM status information identifying whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel, said method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a registration message from said mobile station to a serving base station, said registration message including a mobile identification number (MIN) for said mobile station; determining in said MSC, the CCM status information of said mobile station; storing said CCM status information in said MSC; determining whether said mobile station registered in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said registration message; transmitting the MIN of said mobile station, the CCM of said mobile station, and a MSC identification from said MSC to said HLR upon determining that said mobile station did not register in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said registration message; determining, upon determining that said mobile station registered in said MSC before said mobile station transmitted said registration message, whether CCM status information for said mobile station previously stored in said MSC is equal to the CCM status information determined in said MSC; and transmitting an update message to said HLR upon determining that previously stored CCM status information for said mobile station is not equal to the CCM status information determined in said MSC.
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6. A method of selecting control channels and maintaining control channel mode (CCM) information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), and a plurality of cells that provide through associated base stations control channel state information, said CCM information identifying whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel, said method comprising the steps of:
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selecting at said mobile station, a new cell; determining at said mobile station whether digital operation is allowed in said mobile station; selecting at said mobile station, an analog control channel upon determining that digital operation is not allowed in said mobile station; determining from said control channel state information, whether a digital control channel is available in said selected cell; selecting at said mobile station, an analog control channel upon determining that a digital control channel is not available in said selected cell; selecting at said mobile station, a digital control channel upon determining that digital operation is allowed in said mobile station and said digital control channel is available in said selected cell; transmitting a mobile identification number (MIN) for said mobile station from said mobile station to said serving base station; transmitting said MIN, the CCM in which the mobile station is currently operating, and a base station identification from said serving base station to said MSC; determining whether said MSC already had CCM information stored for said mobile station; transmitting, upon determining that said MSC did not already have CCM information stored for said mobile station, the MIN of said mobile station, the current CCM of said mobile station, and a MSC identification from said MSC to said HLR; determining, upon determining that said MSC already had CCM information stored for said mobile station, whether CCM information for said mobile station already stored in said MSC is equal to the current CCM; and transmitting, upon determining that the CCM information for said mobile station already stored in said MSC is not equal to the current CCM, the MIN of said mobile station, the current CCM of said mobile station, and said MSC identification to said HLR.
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7. A method of delivering a short message service (SMS) message to a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), and a message center (MC), said method comprising the steps of:
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storing in said HLR, a current control channel mode (CCM) indicating whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel; receiving at said MC, said SMS message for said mobile station; transmitting a request for said mobile station'"'"'s CCM from said MC to said HLR; transmitting said CCM from said HLR to said MC; determining in said MC, whether or not said CCM indicates that said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel; storing said SMS message in said MC upon determining that said CCM indicates that said mobile station is not operating on a digital control channel; and transmitting said SMS message to said MSC for delivery to said mobile station upon determining that said CCM indicates that said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel.
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8. A method of delivering a short message service (SMS) message to a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), and a message center (MC), said method comprising the steps of:
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storing in said HLR, a current control channel mode (CCM) indicating whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel; receiving at said MC, said SMS message for said mobile station; transmitting a query from said MC to said HLR to determine whether or not to forward the message; determining in said HLR, whether or not said SMS message can be delivered based upon the CCM of the mobile station; instructing the MC to store said SMS message upon determining that the CCM indicates that said mobile station is operating on said analog control channel; storing said SMS message in said MC upon receiving instructions from said HLR to store said message; instructing the MC to forward said SMS message to said MSC upon determining that the CCM indicates that said mobile station is operating on said digital control channel; and transmitting said SMS message to said MSC for delivery to said mobile station upon receiving instructions from said HLR to forward said message. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A method of maintaining control channel mode (CCM) status information for a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC), a visitor location register (VLR), and a home location register (HLR), said CCM status information identifying whether said mobile station is operating on a digital control channel or an analog control channel, said method comprising the steps of:
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determining whether said mobile station is operating in said MSC; transmitting said CCM status information from said MSC to said VLR and said HLR upon determining that said mobile station is operating in said MSC; transmitting, upon change of said CCM status information, new CCM status information from said MSC to said VLR and said HLR; determining that said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; determining whether said CCM status information has been lost by said VLR; retrieving said CCM status information from said VLR and providing said CCM status information to said MSC upon determining that said CCM status information has not been lost by said VLR; and retrieving said CCM status information from said HLR and providing said CCM status information to said VLR and said MSC upon determining that said CCM status information has been lost by said VLR.
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12. A method of paging a mobile station (MS) in a cellular telecommunications network having a mobile switching center (MSC) and a home location register (HLR), said method comprising the steps of:
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storing control channel mode (CCM) status information in said MSC, whenever said MS registers and whenever said MS changes control channel modes; storing said CCM status information in said HLR, whenever said MS changes control channel modes; determining whether said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; receiving an incoming call for said mobile station; determining whether said incoming call is received after said CCM status information has been lost by said MSC; retrieving said CCM status information from said HLR upon determining that said incoming call is received after said CCM status information is lost by said MSC and before said CCM status information is restored to said MSC by a registration message from said mobile station; and paging said mobile station on a type of control channel indicated by said retrieved CCM status information.
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Specification