System and method for application location register routing in a telecommunications network

• US 6,574,481 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rathnasabapathy, Rajan, Cook, Russell R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US09/613,440
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 455/461, 455/433, 455/422, 455/507, 455/560, 455/412, 455/414, 455/446, 455/445, 455/466, 370/522, 370/524, 379/207, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 379/230, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/115, 379/242, 379/243
• US Class Current: 455/461
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13102 Common translator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13104 Central control, computer control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13342 Arrangement of switches in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

A system and method for application location register routing at a signal transfer point (26) are provided. The signal transfer point (26) includes processor clusters (64, 66, 68) and databases (236, 238) for processing queries including global title translation, local number portability, and application location register routing. A query message is received by the signal transfer point (26), a first database residing in the signal transfer point (26) is accessed to determine the location of a second database (238) also residing in the signal transfer point for processing the query message. The second database (238) is then accessed to obtain the network address of a home location register or short message service center, which is then used to deliver the query message to the network node specified by the network address.

Claims

1. A method for application location register routing processing, comprising the steps of:

receiving a query message requesting for information related to a specific telecommunications customer from a query originator;

obtaining a translation type from the query message;

determining a location for global title translation in response to the translation type;

forwarding at least a portion of the query message to the determined location;

obtaining a global title address from the query message at the determined location;

determining a network address of a network node for processing the query message in response to the global title address; and

forwarding the query message to the network node specified by the network address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location for global title translation is determined by performing a database lookup indexed by the translation type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the translation type is associated with a mobile subscriber.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing pre-processing on the global title address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pre-processing includes stripping away one or more digits of the global title address.

6. A signal transfer point for performing application location register routing, comprising:

a common channel distributor operable to receive a query message;

the common channel distributor operable to identify a transaction capability application part in the query message;

the common channel distributor operable to decode a global title address in the transaction capability application part to obtain a translation type and an identity based address;

the common channel distributor operable to determine a location of a global title translation database in response to the translation type, the common channel distributor operable to forward the identity based address to the location of the global title translation database, the common channel distributor operable to receive a destination network address associated with the identity based address, the common channel distributor operable to perform message transfer part routing according to the destination network address.

7. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the identity based address is a fifteen digit international mobile subscriber identity.

8. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the identity based address is an eleven digit mobile subscriber directory number.

9. The signal transfer point of claim 6, further comprising:

a distributed service processor operable to receive the identity based address from and provide the destination network address to the common channel distributor, the distributed service processor including a database identified by the common channel distributor as the location of the global title translation database.

10. The signal transfer point of claim 9, wherein the common channel distributor is in one of one or more clusters of common channel distributors, the distributed service processor being in a same cluster as the common channel distributor.

11. The signal transfer point of claim 10, wherein the common channel distributor is in one of a plurality of clusters of common channel distributors, the distributed service processor being in a different cluster than the common channel distributor.

12. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the destination network address is of a specific short message service center.

13. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the destination address is of a specified home location register.

14. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the common channel distributor is operable to perform global title address pre-processing prior to forwarding the identity based address.

15. The signal transfer point of claim 6, wherein the common channel distributor includes a database identified as the location of the global title translation database.

16. A signal transfer point for performing application location routing, comprising:

a first cluster including a first common channel distributor;

a second cluster including a distributed service processor and a second common channel distributor;

a message transport network operable to route a query message to one of the first and second common channel distributors, each of the first and second common channel distributors operable to obtain a translation type from the query message and determine a location for the global title translation in response to the translation type, each of the first and second common channel distributors operable to forward an identity based address of the query message to the location for global title translation, the distributed service processor being the location for global title translation, the distributed service processor operable to return a destination network address to either the first or second common channel distributors in response to the identity based address.

17. The signal transfer point of claim 16, wherein the message transfer point is operable to route the query message to the first common channel distributor, the identity based address to the distributed service processor, and the destination network address to the first common channel distributor.

18. The signal transfer point of claim 16, wherein the message transfer point routes the query message to the second common channel distributor, the second channel distributor operable to exchange the identity based address and the destination network address with the distributed service processor without any transfer through the message transport network.

19. The signal transfer point of claim 16, wherein the first cluster is designated for local number portability and the second cluster is designated for application location registration.

20. The signal transfer point of claim 16, wherein the distributed service processor includes one or more databases for specific destination network address determination.

21. A signal transfer point for use in a mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a first processor operable to obtain from a query message identifier for a specific mobile subscriber;

an application location register routing database operable to be searched for the identifier so as to determine a network address of a network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber,

said first processor further operable to determine, based at least partially on information in the query message, the location of the application location register routing database in the signal transfer point, appropriate to be searched in relation to the query message; and

a second processor operable to search the application locatin register routing database for the identifier and to obtain the network address associated with the specific mobile subscriber, to enable to the query message to be forwarded for further processing by the network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber.

22. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the network address comprises a global title translation destination network address.

23. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the identifier comprises at least a portion of an IMSI sufficient to identify the specific mobile customer in the network.

24. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the identifier comprises at least a portion of an MSISDN sufficient to be identified with the specific mobile customer in the network.

25. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the network node is a home location register.

26. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the network node is a short message service center.

27. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the obtaining of the identifier by the first processor comprises SCCP processing.

28. The signal transfer point of claim 21, further comprising a link operable to forward the query message for further processing by the network node associated with specific mobile subscriber.

29. The signal transfer point of claim 21, wherein the network node is for a service associated with the specific mobile subscriber.

30. The signal transfer point of claim 21, in which the information in the query message includes a translation type.

31. A signal transfer point for use in a mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a first processor operable to obtain from a query message an identifier for a specific mobile subscriber;

an application location register routing database operable to be searched for the identifier so as to determine a network address of a network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber;

a processing database operable to be searched by the first processor and to provide a location of the application location register routing database; and

a second processor operable to search the application location register routing database for the identifier and to obtain the network address associated with the specific mobile subscriber, to enable the query message to be forwarded for further processing by the network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber.

32. The signal transfer point of claim 31, wherein the processing database comprises a lookup table.

33. The signal transfer point of claim 32, wherein the application location register routing database comprises a table.

34. A method of processing a query message in a signal transfer point of a mobile telecommunications network comprising:

obtaining from the query message an identifier for a specific mobile subscriber;

determining, based at least partially on information in the query message, the location of an application location register routing database in the signal tranfer point, appropriate to be searched in relation to the query message;

searching the application location register routing database for the identifier;

determining, by the searching for the identifier, a network address of a network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber; and

forwarding the query message to the network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber for further processing.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the network address comprises a global title translation destination network address.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the identifier comprises at least a portion of an IMSI sufficient to identify the specific mobile customer in the network.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the identifier comprises at least a portion of an MSISDN sufficient to be identified with the specific mobile customer in the network.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the obtaining step comprises SCCP processing.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the network node comprises a home location register.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the network node comprises a short message service center.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the network node is for a service associated with the specific mobile subscriber.

42. The method of claim 34, in which the information in the query message includes a translation type.

43. A method of processing a query message in a signal transfer point of a mobile telecommunications network comprising:

obtaining from the query message an identifier for a specific mobile subscriber;

referring to a processing database to determine a location of an application location register routing database;

searching the application location register routing database for the identifier;

determining, by the searching for the identifier, a network address of a network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber; and

forwarding the query message to the network node associated with the specific mobile subscriber for further processing.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the step of referring to a processing database comprises referring to a lookup table.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the step of searching the application location register routing database comprises searching a table.