Adaptive subscriber service allocation

• US 6,584,312 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1998
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Rochefort, Steven, Morin, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US09/144,760
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/466, 455/440, 455/433, 380/248, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber 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

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for providing subscriber services to a mobile terminal are provided. The mobile switching centers (MSCs) transmit an MSC capabilities message which informs the Home Location Register (HLR) of the services the MSC supports. When a mobile terminal roams to a particular MSC, the HLR compares the subscriber profile and the MSC capabilities message to determine whether the MSC can support a particular subscriber service. Where the MSC cannot support a particular subscriber service, the HLR determines a comparable service which the MSC does support and modifies a copy of the subscriber profile to include the comparable service as a replacement for the subscriber service that is not supported.

Claims

1. In a telecommunication system comprising a mobile switching center (MSC) connected to a home location register (HLR) storing subscriber profiles, a method for serving and providing subscriber services for a subscriber associated with a mobile station, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving by the HLR an MSC capabilities message transmitted from the MSC including a plurality of subscriber services that are supported by the MSC;

receiving a request for a subscriber profile associated with the mobile station from an MSC currently serving the mobile station to the HLR, said subscriber profile listing a certain subscriber service;

determining whether the MSC can support said certain subscriber service; and

if the MSC currently serving the mobile station cannot support said certain subscriber service, modifying by the HLR of a copy of said subscriber profile to list at least one substitute subscriber service that is supported by the MSC as a replacement for said certain subscriber service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step occurs at the HLR.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step further comprises the step of comparing the plurality of subscriber services identified in said MSC capabilities message to the certain subscriber service listed in the subscriber profile.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of downloading the modified copy of the subscriber profile to the MSC for use in serving and providing subscriber services to the subscriber.

5. A Home Location Register (HLR) connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) serving a mobile station, wherein said home location register stores a subscriber profile listing a certain subscriber service for that mobile station, said HLR comprising:

means for receiving by the HLR an MSC capabilities message transmitted from the MSC including a plurality of subscriber services that are supported by the MSC;

means for determining whether the serving MSC can support said certain subscriber service; and

means responsive to failure to support the subscriber service for modifying a copy of said subscriber profile to list a substitute subscriber service that is supported by the serving MSC as a replacement service for said certain subscriber service.

6. The HLR of claim 5, wherein the HLR stores a listing subscriber services supported by each MSC.

7. The HLR of claim 6 wherein said means for determining further comprises means for comparing the supported subscriber services to the subscriber service listed in said subscriber profile.

8. The HLR of claim 5 further including means for downloading the modified copy of said subscriber profile to the MSC for use in serving and providing subscriber services to the mobile station.