Distributing location tracking functionality in wireless telephone systems
First Claim
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1. A wireless communication system, including a distributed home location register, for tracking the location of mobile terminals, comprising:
- a Mobility Control Point (MCP) mechanism for controlling communications in a plurality of geographically spaced zones and providing storage capabilities for service information relating to mobile terminals;
a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs) associated with each MCP, each CPU including a corresponding Home Location Register (HLR), for storing enabled service information of a subset of mobile terminals serviced by the plurality of zones;
a plurality of Visitor Location Registers (VLRs), associated with each CPU and corresponding HLR, for temporarily storing mobile terminal data and connected to the associated CPU for communicating with the plurality of CPUs and corresponding HLRs;
means for tracking the location of the mobile terminals from one zone to another; and
a Location Tracking Service Manager (LTSM) configured to maintain proper load distribution throughout the system, wherein the LTSM includes;
means for dynamically partitioning a plurality of mobile terminal identifiers used for identifying associated service information into blocks;
means for storing a partitioning of mobile terminal identifiers into a memory map; and
means for transmitting the memory map.
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Abstract
There is disclosed a wireless communication system, including a distributed HLR, for tracking the location of mobile terminals moving between zones. There is also disclosed a method for distributing and managing the load created by the HLR functionality among a number of separate processing machines. The method permits dynamic load balancing among the HLRs to more evenly distribute the load.
94 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A wireless communication system, including a distributed home location register, for tracking the location of mobile terminals, comprising:
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a Mobility Control Point (MCP) mechanism for controlling communications in a plurality of geographically spaced zones and providing storage capabilities for service information relating to mobile terminals;
a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs) associated with each MCP, each CPU including a corresponding Home Location Register (HLR), for storing enabled service information of a subset of mobile terminals serviced by the plurality of zones;a plurality of Visitor Location Registers (VLRs), associated with each CPU and corresponding HLR, for temporarily storing mobile terminal data and connected to the associated CPU for communicating with the plurality of CPUs and corresponding HLRs; means for tracking the location of the mobile terminals from one zone to another; and a Location Tracking Service Manager (LTSM) configured to maintain proper load distribution throughout the system, wherein the LTSM includes; means for dynamically partitioning a plurality of mobile terminal identifiers used for identifying associated service information into blocks; means for storing a partitioning of mobile terminal identifiers into a memory map; and means for transmitting the memory map. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a wireless communication system, a method for distributing Home Location Register (HLR) functionality and managing HLR load distribution, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing a plurality of mobile terminal identifiers, for identifying a mobile terminal and service data associated with the mobile terminal, in the memory of a Mobility Control Point (MCP); partitioning the plurality of mobile terminal identifiers among a plurality of means for tracking the location of mobile terminals moving among a plurality of zones into blocks; transmitting the partitioning of mobile terminal identifiers to the memory of each means for tracking, for access by a plurality of zones associated with each means for tracking;
computing current and optimal load distribution among the means for tracking;periodically transmitting load information to a Location Tracking Service Manager (LTSM); re-distributing the partitioning of mobile terminal identifiers among the plurality of means for tracking; and transmitting the partitioning of mobile terminal identifiers to an HLR, associated with each means for tracking, upon receipt of an overload message from one of the means for tracking. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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Specification