Method and apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in mobile communication system

• US 6,526,282 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kadoshima, Shiro, Ebina, Masaru, Iseyama, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US09/324,160
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/439, 455/445, 455/450, 455/453, 455/455, 455/456, 455/507, 455/509, 455/513, 455/515, 455/560
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system enabling an efficient mobile communication system with little wasted processing, wherein the apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic includes a report unit provided in a mobile communication switching center for reporting a processing state indicating a congested state or a normal state to a management center in advance; a management unit provided in the management center for managing the processing states of each mobile communication switching center based on the reports of the processing states; a notifying unit provided in the management center for investigating by the management unit the processing state of a destination mobile communication switching center in response to a request, from a gateway mobile switching center, for a location of a destination to be connected to a call and notifying the gateway mobile switching center that the processing state is a congested state when in a congested state; and a control unit provided in the gateway mobile switching center for controlling the system so that, when receiving a notification of a congested state, the gateway mobile switching center does not connect a speech channel to the mobile communication switching center in a congested state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system where, in mobile communications where a call originating terminal calls and connects with a destination mobile terminal through a switching network, the call originating terminal calls up and connects a speech channel to a gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center requests a destination to be connected to the call to a management center managing the locations of mobile terminals, the management center investigates the destination mobile communication switching center from among a plurality of mobile communication switching centers and responds with the destination mobile communication switching center obtained by the investigation to the gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the responded destination mobile communication switching center, and the mobile communication switching center connects the radio channel to the destination mobile terminal via a radio base station, the method comprising:

having the mobile communication switching center report a processing state of a congested state or a normal state to the management center in advance;

having the management center manage the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the reports of the processing states;

having the management center investigate the processing state of a destination mobile communication switching center in response to a request, from the gateway mobile switching center, for the location of a destination to be connected to the call; and

controlling such that, when the processing state is the congested state, the gateway mobile switching center does not connect a speech channel to the mobile communication switching center in the congested state.

2. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication switching center reports its processing state, that is, the congested state or the normal state, to the management center when the state shifts to the congested state or normal state and the management center manages the processing states of mobile communication switching centers based on the reports of processing states.

3. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication switching center periodically reports one processing state to the management center when the processing state is either the congested state or the normal state and the management center manages processing states of the mobile communication switching centers to change a processing state to another processing state when the report of said one processing state is not periodically made from the mobile communication switching center.

4. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the management center cyclically inquires about processing states to mobile communication switching centers and manages, when the processing states are returned from the mobile communication switching centers, the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the returned reports of the processing states when the processing states.

5. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein control is carried out so that the management center assigns a priority order to a destination mobile terminal in advance and, when the priority order of the destination mobile terminal is high, even if the destination mobile communication switching center is in a congested state, notifies the mobile communication switching center in the congested state as the destination to the gateway mobile switching center and so that the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the notified mobile communication switching center.

6. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein control is carried out so that the management center assigns a priority order to a call originating terminal in advance and, when the priority order of the call originating terminal is high, even if the destination mobile communication switching center is in the congested state, notifies the mobile communication switching center in the congested state as the destination to the gateway mobile switching center and so that the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the notified mobile communication switching center.

7. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein control is carried out so that the management center determines a forwarding terminal as terminal information in advance for a destination mobile terminal and, when the mobile communication switching center in whose area the destination mobile terminal exists is in a congested state, notifies the terminal information to the gateway mobile switching center and the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the mobile communication switching center to which the forwarding terminal belongs based on the terminal information.

8. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the management center notifies the gateway mobile switching center of a voice storage apparatus for storing a message as the destination in place of the mobile communication switching center in the congested state, the gateway mobile switching center connects a speech channel to the destination voice storage apparatus according to the notification, and the voice storage apparatus stores the voice message of the caller.

9. A method for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the management center reports that the processing state has returned to a normal state to the voice storage apparatus when the processing state of the destination mobile communication switching center shifts from a congested state to a normal state and the voice storage apparatus automatically forwards, in response to the report, the message to the mobile communication switching center which has returned to a normal state.

10. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system, where, in mobile communications where a call originating terminal calls and connects with a destination mobile terminal through a switching network, the call originating terminal calls up and connects a speech channel to a gateway mobile switching center requests a destination to be connected to the call to a management center managing the locations of mobile terminals, the management center investigates the destination mobile communication switching center from among a plurality of mobile communication switching centers and responds with the destination mobile communication switching center obtained by the investigation to the gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the responded destination mobile communication switching center, and the mobile communication switching center connects the radio channel to the destination mobile terminal via a radio base station, the apparatus comprising:

a report means provided in the mobile communication switching center for reporting a processing state, i.e., a congested state or a normal state, to the management center in advance;

a management means provided in the management center for managing the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the reports of the processing states;

a notifying means provided in the management center for checking, based on the management means, a processing state of a destination mobile communication switching center corresponding to an inquiry, from the gateway mobile switching center, on the location of a destination corresponding to a call and notifying its congested state to the gateway mobile switching center when the processing state is a congested state; and

a control means provided in the gateway mobile switching center for controlling the gateway mobile switching center so that, when receiving the notification of the congested state, it does not connect a speech channel to the mobile communication switching center in the congested state.

11. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

the report means reports a processing state, i.e., a congested state or a normal state, to the management center when the state shifts to the congested state or the normal state and

the management means manages the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the reports of processing states.

12. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

the report means periodically reports one processing state to the management center when the processing state is either the congested state or the normal state and

the management center manages processing states of the mobile communication switching centers to change a processing state to another processing state when the report of said one processing state is not periodically made from the mobile communication switching center.

13. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the management means cyclically inquires about the processing states to the mobile communication switching centers and manages, when the processing states are returned from the mobile communication switching centers, the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the returned reports of the processing states.

14. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein control is carried out so that:

the management center assigns a priority order to a destination terminal in advance and, when the priority order of the destination terminal is high, even if the destination mobile communication switching center is in the congested state, notifies the mobile communication switching center in the congested state as the destination to the gateway mobile switching center; and

the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the notified mobile communication switching center.

15. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein control is carried out so that:

the management center assigns a priority order to a call originating terminal in advance and, when the priority order of the call originating terminal is high, even if the destination mobile communication switching center is in the congested state, notifies the mobile communication switching center in the congested state as the destination to the gateway mobile switching center and

the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the notified mobile communication switching center.

16. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein control is carried out so that:

the management center determines a forwarding terminal as terminal information in advance for a destination mobile terminal and, when the mobile communication switching center in whose area the destination mobile terminal exists is in a congested state, notifies the terminal information to the gateway mobile switching center and

the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the mobile communication switching center to which the forwarding terminal belongs based on the terminal information.

17. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

provision is made of a voice storage means for storing a voice message;

when the mobile communication switching center in whose area the destination mobile terminal exists is in a congested state, the management center notifies the gateway mobile switching center of the voice storage means as the destination in place of the mobile communication switching center in the congested state; and

the mobile communication switching center connects the speech channel to the destination voice storage means according to the notification.

18. An apparatus for controlling the restriction on traffic in a mobile communication system as set forth in claim 17, wherein:

the report means reports to the voice storage means that a processing state has returned to the normal state when the processing state of the destination mobile communication switching center shifts from the congested state to the normal state and

the voice storage means automatically forwards the message to the mobile communication switching center which returned to the normal state according to the report.

19. A mobile communication switching center of a mobile communication system, where, in mobile communications where a call originating terminal calls and connects with a destination mobile terminal through a switching network, the call originating terminal calls up and connects a speech channel to a gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center requests a destination to be connected to the call to a management center managing the locations of the mobile terminals, the management center investigates the destination mobile communication switching center from among a plurality of mobile communication switching centers and responds with the destination mobile communication switching center obtained by the investigation to the gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the responded destination mobile communication switching center, and the mobile communication switching center connects the radio channel to the destination mobile terminal via a radio base station, a report means provided in the mobile communication switching center for reporting one of a congested processing state and a normal processing state, to the management center in advance, for managing of said processing state by said management center.

20. A management center of a mobile communication system where, in mobile communications where a call originating terminal calls and connects with a destination mobile terminal through a switching network, the call originating terminal calls up and connects a speech channel to a gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center requests a destination to be connected to the call to a management center managing the locations of the mobile terminals, the management center investigates the destination mobile communication switching center from among a plurality of mobile communication switching centers and responds with the destination mobile communication switching center obtained by the investigation to the gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the responded destination mobile communication switching center, and the mobile communication switching center connects the radio channel to the destination mobile terminal via a radio base station,

a provision is made of:

a receiving means for receiving a report of a processing state, i.e., a congested state or normal state, from the mobile communication switching center;

a management means for managing the processing states of the mobile communication switching centers based on the reports to the receiving means; and

a notifying means for investigating the processing state of a destination mobile communication switching center corresponding to an inquiry, from the gateway mobile switching center, on the location of the destination to be connected to the call and, when the processing state is the congested state, notifying the gateway mobile switching center of the fact that the mobile communication switching center is in a congested state.

21. A gateway mobile switching center of a mobile communication system, where, in mobile communications where a call originating terminal calls and connects with a destination mobile terminal through a switching network, the call originating terminal calls up and connects a speech channel to a gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center requests a destination to be connected to the call to a management center managing the locations of the mobile terminals, the management center investigates the destination mobile communication switching center from among a plurality of mobile communication switching centers and responds with the destination mobile communication switching center obtained by the investigation to the gateway mobile switching center, the gateway mobile switching center connects the speech channel to the responded destination mobile communication switching center, and the mobile communication switching center connects the radio channel to the destination mobile terminal via a radio base station,

a provision is made of:

a receiving means for receiving from the management center a notification that the destination mobile communication switching center is in a congested state and

a restricting means for preventing connection of a speech channel to a mobile communication switching center in a congested state according to the notification of the congested state.