System and method for mobility management for an internet telephone call to a mobile terminal

• US 6,594,253 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1998
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Patel, Mahesh, Sallberg, Krister
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang Bin
• Application Number:
  US09/163,265
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/349, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/395.2, 370/395.3, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/401, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for providing mobility management for a Mobile Station (MS) to allow the MS to receive Internet telephone calls when the MS is in idle mode. This can be accomplished by using a voice gateway to transform an incoming Internet phone call to a normal cellular voice call. In addition, by introducing a new Intelligent Network (IN) application, which handles location updates for the MS with a central Internet telephony server, an MS in idle mode can receive incoming Internet telephony calls. The IN application can obtain a temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address for the MS from a Direct Access Unit (DAU) connected to the voice gateway associated with the serving Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and register this temporary IP address with the central Internet server, which uses this temporary IP address to forward incoming Internet telephony calls to the Voice Gateway.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for connecting an Internet call to a mobile terminal in wireless communication with a mobile switching center when said mobile terminal is in idle mode, said telecommunications system comprising:

a direct access unit for allocating a temporary address associated with said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal first enters a location area served by said mobile switching center;

an Internet server operatively connected to said mobile switching center and the Internet, said Internet server being further associated with said mobile terminal, said Internet server being identified based on an identity of said mobile terminal, said Internet server further for receiving said temporary address allocated to said mobile terminal and storing said temporary address for use in connecting said Internet call to said mobile terminal;

an intelligent node connected to receive said temporary address from said direct access unit, access said Internet server and register said temporary address within said Internet server; and

a voice gateway connected to said mobile switching center and said direct access unit, said Internet call being routed to said voice gateway via said Internet server using said temporary address, said voice gateway connecting said Internet call to said mobile terminal.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said temporary address stored in said Internet server is updated by an intelligent node.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said direct access unit provides said temporary address to said mobile switching center when said mobile terminal enters said location area served by said mobile switching center, said intelligent node receiving said temporary address from said mobile switching center, said intelligent node accessing said Internet server and registering said temporary address within said Internet server.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising a computer connected to said mobile terminal, said computer connecting to said direct access unit when said mobile terminal enters said location area served by said mobile switching center, said computer obtaining said temporary address from said direct access unit and registering said temporary address within said Internet server via said direct access unit.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 4, wherein Point-to-Point protocol and Internet Protocol is established between said computer and said direct access unit when said computer obtains said temporary address.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said voice gateway transforms said Internet call into a cellular voice call, said cellular voice call being connected to said mobile terminal.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said Internet call is connected to said mobile terminal via a base station system connected to said mobile switching center.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said Internet call is connected to said mobile terminal by routing said call through the Internet, said Internet server, and said voice gateway.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said direct access unit determines a routing entry associated with said temporary address, said Internet call being routed to said voice gateway using said routing entry.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said direct access unit is co-located with said mobile switching center.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said direct access unit is not co-located with said mobile switching center, said direct access unit allocating said temporary address when said mobile terminal first enters said location area served by said mobile switching center and said direct access unit has not already allocated said temporary address to said mobile terminal, said routing entry being the address of said mobile switching center.

12. A method for connecting an Internet call to a mobile terminal in wireless communication with a mobile switching center when said mobile terminal is in idle mode, said method comprising the steps of:

performing, by said mobile terminal, a location update to said mobile switching center when said mobile terminal first enters a location area served by said mobile switching center;

determining, by a direct access unit, a temporary address associated with said mobile terminal;

identifying an Internet server connected to the Internet and associated with said mobile terminal based on an identity of said mobile terminal;

receiving, by an intelligent node, said temporary address from said direct access unit;

accessing, by said intelligent node, said Internet server;

registering said temporary address within said Internet server by said intelligent node;

routing, by said Internet server, said Internet call to a voice gateway connected to said mobile switching center and said direct access unit using said temporary address; and

connecting, by said voice gateway, said Internet call to said mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of registering said temporary address within said Internet server is performed using an intelligent node.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, before said step of registering, the steps of:

providing, by said direct access unit, said temporary address to said mobile switching center when said mobile terminal enters said location area served by said mobile switching center;

receiving, by said intelligent node, said temporary address from said mobile switching center;

accessing, by said intelligent node, said Internet server; and

registering said temporary address within said Internet server by said intelligent node.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising, before said step of determining, the steps of:

connecting, by a computer connected to said mobile terminal, said computer to said direct access unit via said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal enters said location area served by said mobile switching center;

obtaining, by said computer, said temporary address from said direct access unit; and

registering, by said computer, said temporary address within said Internet server via said direct access unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein Point-to-Point protocol and Internet Protocol is established between said computer and said direct access unit during said step of obtaining.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising, before said step of connecting said Internet call, the step of:

transforming, by said voice gateway, said Internet call into a cellular voice call, said step of connecting including the step of connecting said cellular voice call to said mobile terminal.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of connecting includes said step of connecting said Internet call to said mobile terminal via a base station system connected to said mobile switching center.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of routing includes said step of routing said call through the Internet and said Internet server to said voice gateway.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

determining, by said direct access unit, a routing entry associated with said temporary address, said step of routing including the step of routing said Internet call to said voice gateway using said routing entry.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of determining said temporary address is performed before said step of performing said location update when said direct access unit is not co-located with said mobile switching center and said direct access unit has not changed when said step of performing occurs, said routing entry being the address of said mobile switching center when said direct access unit is not co-located with said mobile switching center.

22. A mobile switching center for connecting a packet call to a mobile terminal in idle mode, said mobile switching center comprising:

a direct access unit for allocating a temporary address associated with said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal first enters a location area served by said mobile switching center;

means for identifying a server associated with said mobile terminal and connected to a packet network based on an identity of said mobile terminal;

means for providing said temporary address allocated to said mobile terminal to an intelligent node for registering said temporary address within said server; and

a voice gateway for receiving said packet call from said server using said temporary address and connecting said packet call to said mobile terminal.

23. The mobile switching center of claim 22, further comprising:

means for querying a home location register of said mobile terminal for subscriber data associated with said mobile terminal, said subscriber data including an identity of said server.

24. An intelligent node within an intelligent network, comprising:

means for obtaining a temporary address allocated to an idle mobile terminal upon said mobile terminal entering a new location area served by a mobile switching center in wireless communication with said mobile terminal, said temporary address being associated with at least said location area;

means for identifying a server associated with said mobile terminal and connected to a packet network based on an identity of said mobile terminal; and

means for registering said temporary address allocated to said mobile terminal with said server for use in routing packet calls from said server to said mobile terminal via said mobile switching center using said temporary address.

25. A mobile station for updating a packet network with routing information to receive incoming packet calls while in idle mode, comprising:

means for obtaining a temporary address upon entering a new location area served by a mobile switching center in wireless communication with the mobile station, said temporary address being associated with at least said location area;

means for identifying a server for the mobile station and connected to the packet network; and

means for providing said temporary address allocated to said mobile terminal to an intelligent node for registering said temporary address within said server for use in routing packet calls from said server to the mobile station via said mobile switching center using said temporary address.

26. The mobile station of claim 25, wherein said means for obtaining further comprises:

means for connecting to a direct access unit serving at least said mobile switching center to receive said temporary address allocated by said direct access unit to said mobile station.

27. A method for connecting a packet call to a mobile terminal in idle mode, comprising:

allocating a temporary address associated with said mobile terminal when said mobile terminal first enters a location area served by a mobile switching center in wireless communication with said mobile terminal;

identifying a server associated with said mobile terminal and connected to a packet network based on an identity of said mobile terminal;

providing said temporary address allocated to said mobile terminal to an intelligent node for registering said temporary address within said server; and

connecting said packet call from said server to said mobile terminal using said temporary address.