Method and apparatus for implementing international wireless roaming
First Claim
1. A method for facilitating mobile phone service within a visited cellular system to a foreign mobile station having a foreign mobile identification number, the method comprising:
- transmitting the foreign mobile identification number from the foreign mobile station to the visited cellular system;
accessing an international roaming service home location register, where the international roaming service home location register is populated with a plurality of subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers and with a plurality of unassigned North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory numbers reserved for assignment to subscribed foreign mobile stations, to determine the foreign mobile station is a subscriber;
associating a North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory number with the foreign mobile identification number;
transmitting the NANP mobile directory number to a switch serving the foreign mobile station; and
using the NANP mobile directory number within the switch when the foreign mobile station originates a call.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for implementing international wireless roaming allows an international “roamer” to enter a visited system in a foreign country and originate calls. Upon entering the visited region, the roamer'"'"'s mobile station initiates a registration request containing the mobile station'"'"'s mobile identification number to the mobile switching center in the visited region. The mobile switching center initiates a message to an appropriate home location register. The home location register compares the mobile station'"'"'s mobile identification number to a set of stored values. If an agreement is in place between the home location register provider and the roamer'"'"'s home service provider, the home location register will return an appropriately formatted North American Numbering Plan mobile directory number to the mobile switching center. When the roamer initiates a call, the mobile switching center uses the mobile directory number in signaling call related information, specifically in populating parameters such as the Calling Pary Number. Recognizing a NANP-formatted number, the public switch telephone network will process the call as normal.
92 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for facilitating mobile phone service within a visited cellular system to a foreign mobile station having a foreign mobile identification number, the method comprising:
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transmitting the foreign mobile identification number from the foreign mobile station to the visited cellular system;
accessing an international roaming service home location register, where the international roaming service home location register is populated with a plurality of subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers and with a plurality of unassigned North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory numbers reserved for assignment to subscribed foreign mobile stations, to determine the foreign mobile station is a subscriber;
associating a North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory number with the foreign mobile identification number;
transmitting the NANP mobile directory number to a switch serving the foreign mobile station; and
using the NANP mobile directory number within the switch when the foreign mobile station originates a call. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
routing the foreign mobile identification number to the international roaming service home location register.
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3. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 2, wherein the foreign mobile identification number is routed to the international roaming service home location register based on the first four digits of the foreign mobile identification number.
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4. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 2, wherein the foreign mobile identification number is routed to the international roaming service home location register based on a plurality of digits in the foreign mobile identification number.
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5. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 4, wherein the step of routing the foreign mobile identification number to the international roaming service home location register includes associating the plurality of digits with a Signaling System #7 point code of the international roaming service home location register.
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6. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 2, wherein transmitting the foreign mobile identification number to the international roaming service home location register further comprises:
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transmitting a registration request containing the foreign mobile identification number to the switch serving the foreign mobile station; and
transmitting an IS-41 registration notification from the switch to the international roaming service home location register.
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7. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 2, further comprising determining the foreign mobile station is a subscriber by comparing the foreign mobile identification number to the plurality of subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers to find a match.
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8. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 2, wherein transmitting the NANP mobile directory number to the switch further comprises transmitting a call setup request containing the NANP mobile directory number to the switch.
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9. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 8, wherein the NANP mobile directory number populates a calling party field of the call setup request.
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10. A method for facilitating cellular telephone service within a visited cellular system from a foreign mobile station having a foreign mobile identification number, the method comprising:
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transmitting a registration notification from a switch serving the foreign mobile station to an international roaming service home location register, where the international roaming service home location register is populated with a plurality of subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers and with a plurality of unassigned North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory numbers reserved for assignment to subscribed foreign mobile stations;
transmitting an acknowledgment from the international roaming service home location register to the switch, the acknowledgment including a North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory number associated with the foreign mobile identification number; and
transmitting the NANP mobile directory number as a calling party number for the foreign mobile station when the foreign mobile station originates a telephone call. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
associating the foreign mobile identification number with an address of the international roaming service home location register; and
routing the registration notification to the international roaming service home location register based on the foreign mobile identification number.
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12. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 10, further comprising:
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associating the first four digits of the foreign mobile identification number with an address of the international roaming service home location register within a network; and
routing the registration notification to the international roaming service home location register based on the foreign mobile identification number.
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13. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as recited in claim 10, wherein the mobile directory number is transmitted as a calling party number to a second switch.
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14. The method for facilitating cellular telephone service, as received in claim 13, wherein the another switch is an interexchange carrier switch.
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15. The method for facilitating cellular phone service, as recited in claim 14, wherein transmitting the NANP mobile directory number to the another switch further comprises transmitting a call setup request containing the NANP mobile directory number to the interexchange carrier.
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16. A visited cellular system providing service to a foreign mobile station having a foreign mobile identification number and operating in an area of the visited cellular system, the system comprising:
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a switch in the visited cellular system operative to receive the foreign mobile identification number (MIN) from the foreign mobile station, and to transmit the foreign MIN to an international roaming service home location register (IRS HLR);
the IRS HLR storing a plurality of subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers (MINs) and a plurality of unassigned North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory numbers reserved for assignment to subscribed foreign mobile stations, if the foreign MIN received by the switch in the visited cellular system is among the subscribed foreign MINs, for transmitting a North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory number associated with the foreign MIN to the switch in the visited cellular system; and
the switch in the visited cellular system being further operative to receive the NANP mobile directory number from the IRS HLR and to use the NANP mobile directory number when the foreign mobile station originates a call in the visited cellular system.- View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for facilitating the provision of communications service to a foreign mobile station having a foreign mobile identification number (MIN) and operating in a visited system, comprising:
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causing an international roaming service home location register to be populated with subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers (MINs) and with a plurality of unassigned North American Numbering Plan-formatted (NANP) mobile directory numbers reserved for assignment to subscribed foreign mobile stations;
causing the international roaming service home location register, in response to receipt of the foreign mobile identification number (MIN), to make a determination of correspondence between the foreign mobile identification number (MIN) and at least one of the subscribed foreign mobile identification numbers (MINs); and
causing the international roaming service home location register, in response to the determination, to associate a mobile directory number (MDN) with the foreign MIN, and to transmit the MDN to a switch serving the foreign mobile station in the visited system, whereby the switch serving the foreign mobile station may use the MDN as a calling party number for the foreign mobile station when the foreign mobile station makes use of the communications service in the visited system.
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Specification