Mobile radio system

• US 5,898,922 A
• Filed: 11/19/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Reininghaus, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US08/737,866
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/422, 455/433, 455/435, 455/466, 455/445, 455/560, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

In a mobile radio system which has at least two mobile radio regions (MFA, MFB), conversion of the different signaling protocols which exist in the mobile radio regions (MFA, MFB) can be obviated since, when the mobile station (MS) of the mobile subscriber is transferred from an originating mobile radio region (MFA) to a destination mobile radio region (MFB), the subscriber data which is stored in the old home register (HLRA) is transmitted to a new home register (HLRB) which is provided in the destination mobile radio region (MFB). The mobile subscriber who is transferred to the destination mobile radio region (MFB) is then served by the home register (HLRB) present there. A home register change between the mobile radio regions (MFA, MFB) consequently takes place in response to a request from the mobile subscriber, and, in combination with the retained method of visitor register interchange within the same mobile radio region (MFA or MFB), results in a highly flexible mobile radio system.

Claims

1. A mobile radio system having at least two mobile radio regions, comprising:

control information and data being transmitted and received by mobile stations of mobile subscribers;

during transmission or reception, the mobile stations being wirelessly connected via air interface to radio devices of a base station system;

at least one home register in a respective mobile radio region of the at least two mobile radio regions for storage of subscriber data which is characteristic for each mobile subscriber located therein; and

at least one visitor register connected to a respective home register of the at least one home register for storage of subscriber data of the mobile subscribers who enter a responsibility area of the respective home register;

wherein before transfer of a mobile station of a mobile subscriber from an originating mobile radio region of the at least two mobile radio regions to a destination mobile radio region of the at least two mobile radio regions, the subscriber data which is stored in a home register of the originating mobile radio region is transmitted to a home register of the destination mobile radio region and is stored therein; and

wherein as soon as a radio link is produced by the mobile station of the mobile subscriber to a radio device of the destination mobile radio region, a current visitor register receives from the home register of the destination mobile radio region the subscriber data of the mobile subscriber who is entering a responsibility area of the destination mobile radio region.

2. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a line-switched or packet-switched link or a signaling link is provided between the home register of the originating mobile radio region and the home register of the destination mobile radio region.

3. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a subscriber number which is dialed to set up a call can be activatable and deactivatable via the link running between the old home register and the new home register.

4. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, before transfer of the mobile station of the mobile subscriber from the originating mobile radio region to the destination mobile radio region, a change from an old home register to a new home register is requested by the mobile subscriber via a telephone link or a data link.

5. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the change from the old home register to the new home register is requested by the mobile subscriber in the originating mobile radio region via a mobile station of the mobile subscriber, the responsible visitor register and the old home register or, in the destination mobile radio region, via a mobile station of the mobile subscriber, the responsible visitor register, the new home register, the link running between the old and new home registers and the old home register.

6. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an address of the new home register in the destination mobile radio region is provided by the current visitor register of the destination mobile radio region by identification of the mobile station which is being transferred to the destination mobile radio region.

7. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein changed subscriber data is first entered in the home register of the originating mobile radio region and then transmitted to the home register of the destination mobile radio region.

8. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a request to change the subscriber data in the home register of the destination mobile radio region is passed to the home register of the originating mobile radio region and the change is checked there, and wherein a control signal which characterizes the rejection or the acceptance of the request is transmitted back to the mobile station.

9. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein subscriber numbers of the mobile subscriber for the originating mobile radio region and for other mobile radio regions are stored in the home register of the originating mobile radio region, and the subscriber number for the originating mobile radio region and the subscriber number for the home mobile radio region are each stored in home registers of the other mobile radio regions as part of the subscriber data for setting up a call.

10. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 9, wherein, during a change from the originating mobile radio region to the destination mobile radio region, an original subscriber number, via which it was possible to access the mobile subscriber in the originating mobile radio region, is set to be inactive in the home register of the destination mobile radio region, and a new subscriber number, via which it is currently possible to access the mobile subscriber in the destination mobile radio region, is set to be active in the home register of the destination mobile radio region.

11. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 9, wherein a call using the subscriber number for the originating mobile radio region dialed by a calling subscriber is first set up to the originating mobile radio region and, after interrogation of the home register of the originating mobile radio region, is passed on directly to a called mobile subscriber in the originating mobile radio region or in the destination mobile radio region.

12. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, if the called subscriber is present in the originating mobile radio region, the address of a current visitor register is provided by the home register thereof in the originating mobile radio region, while, if the called subscriber is present in the destination mobile radio region, the new subscriber number is provided by the home register of the originating mobile radio region and a link is produced to a separate mobile switching system of the destination mobile radio region, which system requests from the current home register an address of the current visitor register in the destination mobile radio region, and wherein the call to the current visitor register is set up using the address provided.

13. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the subscriber number of the current mobile radio region is transmitted from the home register of the originating mobile radio region to home registers of the other mobile radio regions and stored therein, and wherein a call is set up directly to the called mobile subscriber in the current mobile radio region, using a subscriber number dialed by a calling subscriber for the closest mobile radio region, after interrogation of the home register in the current mobile radio region.

14. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 9, wherein, if a calling mobile subscriber is present in the destination mobile radio region, the call is passed on directly in the destination mobile radio region to a called mobile subscriber, using the subscriber number of the destination mobile radio region dialed by the calling mobile subscriber.

15. The mobile radio system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile radio system further comprises various mobile radio systems, which are compatible with one another in terms of subscriber data and subscriber services which are available to the mobile subscribers, are used with incompatible signaling protocols for transmission of data and control information in the mobile radio regions.