Roaming mobile communication system and method

• US 5,884,169 A
• Filed: 09/04/1996
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hiroshi, Uchiyama, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolinar, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US08/700,429
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/433
• US Class Current: 455/433
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A scheme for enabling a roaming call termination connection for a mobile subscriber between mobile communication networks adopting different roaming number allocation schemes is disclosed. A first mobile communication network in which a visited location register of a visited network temporarily allocates a roaming number at a time of call termination connection and a second mobile communication network in which a gateway location register of a visited network allocates a roaming number at a time of position registration are connected through an interworking location register, which functions as a visited location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a home location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the first mobile communication network roams to the second mobile communication network, and functions as a home location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a gateway location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the second mobile communication network roams to the first mobile communication network, in a position registration and call termination connection control operation at a time of roaming of a mobile subscriber.

Claims

1. A roaming mobile communication system, comprising:

a first mobile communication network in which a visited location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber temporarily allocates a first roaming number at a time of call termination connection for a received call to a mobile subscriber;

a second mobile communication network in which a gateway location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber allocates a second roaming number at a time of position registration of a mobile subscriber; and

an interworking location register, which is connected between the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network, and which functions as a visited location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a home location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the first mobile communication network roams to the second mobile communication network, and which functions as a home location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a gateway location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the second mobile communication network roams to the first mobile communication network, during the time of call termination connection and position registration of the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network, respectively.

2. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 1, wherein:

the first mobile communication network has a first switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the first mobile communication network, and the visited location register for temporarily storing information on visiting mobile subscribers;

the second mobile communication network has a second switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the second mobile communication network, and the gateway location register for storing information on visiting mobile subscribers; and

the interworking location register is connected with the home location register and the visited location register of the first mobile communication network and the home location register and the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network.

3. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 2, wherein,

when a mobile subscriber belonging to the first mobile communication network roams from the first mobile communication network to the second mobile communication network at the time of position registration of the second mobile communication network, the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network allocates the second roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and notifies the allocated second roaming number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register stores said allocated second roaming number while notifying its own interworking location register ID number to the home location register of the first mobile communication network, and the home location register of the first mobile communication network stores said interworking location register ID number.

4. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 3, wherein,

when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network, the home location register of the first mobile communication network requests the allocated second roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from the interworking location register, the interworking location register returns the allocated second roaming number stored therein, and the first switching center of the first mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network according to the returned second roaming number.

5. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 2, wherein,

when a mobile subscriber belonging to the second mobile communication network roams from the second mobile communication network to the first mobile communication network, at a time of position registration at the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network notifies its own visited location register ID number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register stores said visited location register ID number while notifying its own interworking location register ID number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the home location register of the second mobile communication network stores said interworking location register ID number.

6. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 5, wherein,

when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network, the home location register of the second mobile communication network requests an allocation of the first roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from the interworking location register, the interworking location register requests an allocation of the first roaming number from the visited location register of the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network allocates the first roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and returns the allocated first roaming number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register returns the allocated first roaming number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the second switching center of the second mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network according to the returned first roaming number.

7. The roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 1, wherein

one mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a personal mobile communication in which a subscriber number assigned to a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal number assigned to a mobile terminal are arbitrarily set in correspondence, and has a mobile terminal home location register for holding a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network which is identified by a mobile terminal number, and a user gateway location register for holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network which is identified by a subscriber number,

the other mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a mobile communication in which a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal are integrally identified by a subscriber number and a correspondence between a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal is fixed, and has a home location register for integrally holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal which are identified by a subscriber number, and

the interworking location register has information filter means for reading out a subscriber information and a mobile terminal information from the home location register of the other mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of a mobile subscriber as a key, and extracting a roaming subscriber information by filtering only information necessary for roaming from read out subscriber information and mobile terminal information, and controls to store the roaming subscriber information extracted by the filter means in the user gateway location register of said one mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of the subscriber as a key, at a time of carrying out a position registration for a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network to said one mobile communication network through a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network.

8. A roaming mobile communication method, comprising the steps of:

connecting a first mobile communication network in which a visited location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber temporarily allocates a first roaming number at a time of call termination connection for a received call to a mobile subscriber, and a second mobile communication network in which a gateway location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber allocates a second roaming number at a time of position registration of a mobile subscriber, through an interworking location register; and

controlling a system formed by the first mobile communication network, the second mobile communication network, and the interworking location register such that the interworking location register functions as a visited location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a home location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the first mobile communication network roams to the second mobile communication network, and functions as a home location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a gateway location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the second mobile communication network roams to the first mobile communication network, during the time of call termination connection and position registration of the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network, respectively.

9. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 8, wherein in the connecting step, the first mobile communication network has a first switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the first mobile communication network, and the visited location register for temporarily storing information on visiting mobile subscribers, the second mobile communication network has a second switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the second mobile communication network, and the gateway location register for storing information on visiting mobile subscribers, and the interworking location register is connected with the home location register and the visited location register of the first mobile communication network and the home location register and the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network.

10. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 9, wherein the controlling step controls the system such that, when a mobile subscriber belonging to the first mobile communication network roams from the first mobile communication network to the second mobile communication network at the time of position registration of the second mobile communication network, the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network allocates the second roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and notifies the allocated second roaming number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register stores said allocated second roaming number while notifying its own interworking location register ID number to the home location register of the first mobile communication network, and the home location register of the first mobile communication network stores said interworking location register ID number.

11. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 10, wherein the controlling step controls the system such that, when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network, the home location register of the first mobile communication network requests the allocated second roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from the interworking location register, the interworking location register returns the allocated second roaming number stored therein, and the first switching center of the first mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network according to the returned second roaming number.

12. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 9, wherein the controlling step controls the system such that, when a mobile subscriber belonging to the second mobile communication network roams from the second mobile communication network to the first mobile communication network, at a time of position registration at the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network notifies its own visited location register ID number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register stores said visited location register ID number while notifying its own interworking location register ID number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the home location register of the second mobile communication network stores said interworking location register ID number.

13. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 12, wherein the controlling step controls the system such that, when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network, the home location register of the second mobile communication network requests an allocation of the first roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from the interworking location register, the interworking location register requests an allocation of the first roaming number from the visited location register of the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network allocates the first roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and returns the allocated first roaming number to the interworking location register, the interworking location register returns the allocated first roaming number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the second switching center of the second mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network according to the returned first roaming number.

14. The roaming mobile communication method as described in claim 8, wherein

at the connecting step, one mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a personal mobile communication in which a subscriber number assigned to a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal number assigned to a mobile terminal are arbitrarily set in correspondence, and has a mobile terminal home location register for holding a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network which is identified by a mobile terminal number, and a user gateway location register for holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network which is identified by a subscriber number, and the other mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a mobile communication in which a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal are integrally identified by a subscriber number and a correspondence between a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal is fixed, and has a home location register for integrally holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal which are identified by a subscriber number, and

the controlling step controls the system such that, the interworking location register reads out a subscriber information and a mobile terminal information from the home location register of the other mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of a mobile subscriber as a key, extracts a roaming subscriber information by filtering only information necessary for roaming from read out subscriber information and mobile terminal information, and stores an extracted roaming subscriber information in the user gateway location register of said one mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of the subscriber as a key, at a time of carrying out a position registration for a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network to said one mobile communication network through a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network.

15. A location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system, comprising:

connection means for connecting a first mobile communication network in which a visited location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber temporarily allocates a first roaming number at a tine of call termination connection for a received call to a mobile subscriber, and a second mobile communication network in which a gateway location register of a visited network visited by a mobile subscriber allocates a second roaming number at a time of position registration of a mobile subscriber; and

function means for functioning as a visited location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a home location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the first mobile communication network roams to the second mobile communication network, and functioning as a home location register from a viewpoint of the first mobile communication network and as a gateway location register from a viewpoint of the second mobile communication network when a mobile subscriber of the second mobile communication network roams to the first mobile communication network, during the time of call termination and position registration of the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication, respectively.

16. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 15, wherein:

the first mobile communication network has a first switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the first mobile communication network, and the visited location register for temporarily storing information on visiting mobile subscribers;

the second mobile communication network has a second switching center for controlling communication channels, a home location register for storing information on mobile subscribers belonging to the second mobile communication network, and the gateway location register for storing information on visiting mobile subscribers; and

the connection means is connected with the home location register and the visited location register of the first mobile communication network and the home location register and the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network.

17. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 16, wherein, when a mobile subscriber belonging to the first mobile communication network roams from the first mobile communication network to the second mobile communication network at the time of position registration of the second mobile communication network, the gateway location register of the second mobile communication network allocates the second roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and notifies the allocated second roaming number to said location register apparatus, said location register apparatus stores said allocated second roaming number while notifying its own location register apparatus ID number to the home location register of the first mobile communication network, and the home location register of the first mobile communication network stores said location register apparatus ID number.

18. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 17, wherein, when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network, the home location register of the first mobile communication network requests the allocated second roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from said location register apparatus, said location register apparatus returns the allocated second roaming number stored therein, and the first switching center of the first mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network according to the returned second roaming number.

19. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 16, wherein, when a mobile subscriber belonging to the second mobile communication network roams from the second mobile communication network to the first mobile communication network, at a time of position registration of the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network notifies its own visited location register ID number to said location register apparatus, said location register apparatus stores said visited location register ID number while notifying its own location register apparatus ID number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the home location register of the second mobile communication network stores said location register apparatus ID number.

20. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 19, wherein, when a received call for the roamed mobile subscriber occurs and is routed to the second switching center of the second mobile communication network, the home location register of the second mobile communication network requests an allocation of the first roaming number for the roamed mobile subscriber from said location register apparatus, said location register apparatus requests an allocation of the first roaming number from the visited location register of the first mobile communication network, the visited location register of the first mobile communication network allocates the first roaming number to the roamed mobile subscriber and returns the allocated first roaming number to said location register apparatus, said location register apparatus returns the allocated first roaming number to the home location register of the second mobile communication network, and the second switching center of the second mobile communication network makes a call termination connection for the received call to the first switching center of the first mobile communication network according to the returned first roaming number.

21. The location register apparatus for a roaming mobile communication system as described in claim 15, wherein

one mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a personal mobile communication in which a subscriber number assigned to a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal number assigned to a mobile terminal are arbitrarily set in correspondence, and has a mobile terminal home location register for holding a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network which is identified by a mobile terminal number, and a user gateway location register for holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network which is identified by a subscriber number,

the other mobile communication network among the first mobile communication network and the second mobile communication network supports a mobile communication in which a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal are integrally identified by a subscriber number and a correspondence between a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal is fixed, and has a home location register for integrally holding a subscriber information on a mobile subscriber and a mobile terminal information on a mobile terminal which are identified by a subscriber number, and

said location register apparatus has information filter means for reading out a subscriber information and a mobile terminal information from the home location register of the other mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of a mobile subscriber as a key, and extracting a roaming subscriber information by filtering only information necessary for roaming from read out subscriber information and mobile terminal information, and the function means controls to store the roaming subscriber information extracted by the filter means in the user gateway location register of said one mobile communication network by using a subscriber number of the subscriber as a key, at a time of carrying out a position registration for a mobile subscriber belonging to the other mobile communication network to said one mobile communication network through a mobile terminal belonging to said one mobile communication network.