Method and apparatus for providing switch capability mediation in a mobile telephone system

• US 6,026,298 A
• Filed: 01/11/1997
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lamb, James A., Jacobs, Pamela J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCOTT, LINWOOD
• Application Number:
  US08/781,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,130 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/462, 455/461, 455/422, 455/466, 455/414, 455/435, 455/417, 455/445, 379/88.25, 379/112, 379/142
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

An improved home location register (HLR) that includes a switch capability mediation module for implementing switch capability mediation between different mobile switching centers (MSCs). According to the invention, when one MSC (home MSC of a receiving party) attempts to communicate with another MSC (serving MSC) via the HLR serving the home MSC, the mediation module determines whether the two MSCs are provided by different vendors and whether they implement different capabilities, based on the MPCM (MSC ID Point Code Map) file records of both the originating and serving MSCs. The MPCM files store MSCs'"'"' network configuration information. For each capability involved, the mediation module determines which one of the three situations are present: (1) the originating MSC has this particular capability, but the serving MSC does not; (2) the originating MSC does not have this capability, but the serving MSC does; and (3) both the originating and serving MSCs have this capability but implement it in different ways. Depending on which situation is present, the mediation module provides appropriate capability mediation between the two MSCs. In any of the above three situations, if the mediation module determines that it cannot mediate between the two different MSCs, based on the particular capability involved, it may deny the call entirely. Thus, by using the improved HLR of the invention, the communication between two different MSCs may be properly established and optimized.

Claims

1. A method of providing switch capability mediation, in a home location register (HLR), between two mobile switching centers (MSCs), wherein a first MSC is an originating MSC which receives a call origination request for reaching a subscriber and a second MSC is a serving MSC which serves the subscriber, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the two MSCs implement different capabilities, the determining step including the step of reading a SUBS file storing a profile record of the subscriber to retrieve an MSC identification (MSCID) of the serving MSC for accessing an MSCID point code map (MPCM) file record associated with the serving MSC; and

if the two MSCs implement different capabilities, providing capability mediation between the two MSCs comprising the steps of;

determining, for each different capability involved, which one of the following three situations is present;

(i) the originating MSC has this capability, but the serving MSC does not;

(ii) the originating MSC does not have this capability, but the serving MSC does; and

(iii) both the originating and serving MSCs have this capability but implement it in different ways; and

providing appropriate mediation in accordance with the determined one of the three situations.

2. A home location register (HLR) for providing switch capability mediation between two mobile switching centers (MSCs), wherein the two MSCs include an originating MSC which receives a call origination request for reaching a subscriber and a serving MSC which serves the subscriber, the HLR comprising:

a first portion configured to determine whether the two MSCs implement different capabilities, the first portion including a first part configured to read a SUBS file storing a profile record of the subscriber to retrieve an MSC identification (MSCID) of the serving MSC for accessing an MSC ID point code map (MPCM) file record associated with the serving MSC; and

a second portion configured to provide capability mediation between the two MSCs, if the two MSCs implement different capabilities, the second portion comprising;

a first sub-portion configured to determine, for each different capability involved, which one of the following three situations is present;

(i) the originating MSC has this capability, but the serving MSC does not;

(ii) the originating MSC does not have this capability, but the serving MSC does; and

(iii) both the originating and serving MSCs have this capability but implement it in different ways; and

a second sub-portion configured to provide appropriate mediation in accordance with the determined one of the three situations.