Method and apparatus for alerting a station in one network of a requested communication from a second network

• US 6,230,009 B1
• Filed: 12/27/1996
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Adrian, Holmes, David William James
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US08/777,336
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/466, 455/552, 455/553, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/561, 455/445, 379/93.09, 379/93.01, 379/93.06, 379/902, 379/207
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile station can be selectively coupled to two or more networks. By maintaining an address translation table and introducing communication between the switching control units within the multiple networks, it is possible to provide notification to the mobile station of the existence of a communication request from a first network while the mobile station coupled to the second network.

Claims

1. In a communication system comprising a first over the air network and a second over the air network wherein a mobile station is capable of being coupled to either one of the first and second networks, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication on one of the first and second a networks to which the station is not presently coupled, the method comprising the steps of:

storing an address and a registration identifier for the mobile station camped on one of said first and second over the air networks;

receiving a communication request from that one of said first and second over the air networks to which the mobile station is not presently coupled;

using the stored address of the mobile station camped on one of said first and second over the air networks to send an alert via that one of said first and second over the air networks to which the mobile station is presently coupled that said communication request has been received;

wherein said alert informs the mobile station that said communication request is available on said one of said first and second over the air networks to which the mobile station is not presently coupled,

wherein said registration identifier indicates which of said over the air networks said mobile station is presently camped on.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of storing comprises the steps of:

detecting when the mobile station changes its camp-on status between the first and second over the air networks; and

updating a memory with an address of the mobile station in the network on which it is camped.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first network is a voice network and said second network is a paging network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first network is a voice network and said second network is a data network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein;

the mobile station is initially camped on to said first network;

said step of storing occurs after the mobile station camps on to the second network; and

said step of receiving receives a communication request from said first network.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of receiving receives a communication request from said second network.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein;

the mobile station is initially camps on to said second network;

said step of storing occurs after the mobile station camps on to said first network; and

said step of receiving receives a communication request from said first network.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein said data network is a packet data network.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein said first network is a voice network and said second network is a paging network.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said alert includes information regarding said received communication request.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said information includes how the mobile station should connect to the communication.

12. In a wireless communication system comprising a wireless voice network and a wireless data network, wherein a mobile station can camp onto the voice network via a first control channel and can camp onto the data network via a second control channel but cannot camp on both networks simultaneously, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication from the voice network while it is camped on the data network, the method comprising the steps of:

storing an address for the mobile station as it is camped on the wireless data network;

receiving a communication request for the mobile station from the wireless voice network;

using the stored address of the mobile station to send an alert via said wireless data network that said communication request has been received on the wireless voice network;

wherein said alert informs the mobile station that said communication request is available on said wireless voice network,

wherein said mobile station is initially camped on either said wireless voice network or said wireless data network.

13. In a wireless communication system comprising a wireless voice network and a wireless data network, wherein a mobile station can camp onto the wireless voice network via a first control channel and can camp onto the wireless data network via a second control channel but cannot camp on both networks simultaneously, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication from the wireless data network while it is camped on the wireless voice network, the method comprising the steps of:

storing an address for the mobile station as it is camped on the wireless voice network;

receiving a communication request for the mobile station from the wireless data network;

using the stored address of the mobile station to send an alert via said wireless voice network that said communication request has been received;

wherein said alert informs the mobile station that said communication request is available on said wireless data network,

wherein said mobile station is initially camped on either said wireless voice network or said wireless data network.

14. A communication system for permitting communication requests to follow a mobile station that can only be coupled to one network at a time after it changes networks, the system comprising:

memory storing an address and a registration identifier of a mobile station on a network to which it is coupled;

a communication receiver that receives a communications request on a network to which the mobile station is not coupled;

a processor, coupled to said memory and said communication receiver and using said address and said registration identifier of the mobile station to alert the mobile station via said network to which it is coupled that said communication request was received; and

receiving an indication that said mobile station has changed network status to camp on to the network associated with the communication request,

wherein said registration identifier indicates which of said networks said mobile station is presently camped on.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the mobile station is coupled to a wireless voice network and then changes to a wireless data network, said communication request being received by said voice network.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the mobile station is coupled to a data network and then changes to a voice network, said communication request being received by said data network.

17. In a wireless communication system, a method for enabling a single mobile station to communicate via multiple wireless networks when said single mobile station is limited to connecting to one network at a time, the method comprising the steps of:

registering the mobile station with a first wireless network over a control channel associated with said first wireless network;

storing in a memory, an address of the mobile station on the first wireless network;

registering the mobile station with a second wireless network over a second control channel associated with said second wireless network;

storing in the memory an address of the mobile station on the second wireless network;

associating the mobile station'"'"'s stored addresses with one another in the memory;

storing in the memory a registration identifier indicating which of said wireless networks said mobile station is presently camped on;

receiving a request that a connection with the mobile station be established over the first wireless network;

determining whether the mobile station is camped on to said first wireless network using said registration identifier;

if the mobile station is camped on to said first wireless network then establishing a connection with the mobile station over the first wireless network; and

if the mobile station is not camped on to said first wireless network then,

forwarding an alert to the mobile station via the second wireless network using said stored address of the mobile station on the second wireless network,

receiving an indicator that the mobile station has camped on to said first wireless network, and

establishing a connection with the mobile station over the first wireless network after the mobile station camps on to said first wireless network.