Signaling network layer protocol of ATM-based mobile communication network

• US 6,680,953 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG-Ericsson Company Limited (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyoung-Taek
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/472,845
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310.1, 370/338, 370/395.6, 370/349, 370/410, 370/469, 370/524, 370/466, 370/467, 370/397
• US Class Current: 370/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/253 using establishment or release of connections between ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

A signaling network layer protocol of an ATM-based mobile communication network including an MSC and an RNC connected by point-to-point in which a predetermined message form, a primitive between an upper and a lower layers, a state of a protocol individual and an operational procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and the RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL).

Claims

1. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), said single signaling network layer located between an application layer and a signaling ATM adaptation layer (SAAL) layer.

19. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein the protocol stack is a signaling No. 7 protocol stack.

20. The protocol according to claim 19, wherein the signaling network layer (SNL) is located in layer 3 of the signaling No. 7 protocol stack.

21. The protocol according to claim 1, wherein the SNL layer performs a signal message transmission function and a signal connection managing function.

2. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), and wherein the predetermined message form includes a signaling network interface (SNI) carrying information on a message type, an imaginary connection identifier (ImC-ID), and an SNI body including an upper user part signal message for use in a data frame and a unit-data frame.

3. The protocol according to claim 2, wherein the message type is defined as a connection establishment request frame, a connection establishment response frame, a connection establishment release request frame, a connection release completion frame, a connection-mode data frame, a connectionless-mode data frame, and a response frame to the connection-mode data frame.

4. The protocol according to claim 2, wherein the imaginary connection identifier includes a bit indicating a direction of an SNL message, and a bit indicating an imaginary connection identifier value.

5. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), and wherein the primitive is defined as a primitive related to a logical link connection establishing;

a primitive related to a logical link connection releasing;

a primitive related to a connection-mode message transmission; and

a primitive related to a connectionless-mode message transmission.

6. The protocol according to claim 5, wherein the primitive related to the logical link connection establishment is defined as:

a logical link connection establishment request primitive that a upper user part requests the SNL of the RNC to establish a logical link connection;

a logical link connection establishment indication primitive that the SNL of the MSC orders the upper user part to establish the logical link connection to the SNL of the RNC;

a logical link connection establishment response primitive that the user part of the MSC responds to the SNL of the MSC for the logical link connection establishment order; and

a logical link connection establishment identifying primitive for identifying that the logical link connection establishment from the SNL of the RNC to the user part of the RNC is completed.

7. The protocol according to claim 5, wherein the primitive related to the logical link connection releasing is defined as:

a logical link connection release request primitive that the upper user part of the RNC requests the SNL of the RNC to release the logical link connection;

a logical link connection release ordering primitive that the SNL of the MSC order the user part of the MSC to release the logical link connection;

a logical link connection release response primitive that the user part of the MSC responds to the SNL of the MSC for the order for releasing the logical link connection; and

a logical link connection release identification primitive for identifying that the logical link connection establishment from the SNL of the RNC to the user part of the RNC is completed.

8. The protocol according to claim 5, wherein the primitive related to connection-mode data transmission is defined as:

a connection-mode data transmission request primitive that the user part requests the SNL to transmit a connection-mode data; and

a connection-mode data transmission request primitive for ordering that the SNL transmits the connection-mode data to the user part.

9. The protocol according to claim 5, wherein the primitive related to connectionless-mode data transmission is defined as:

a connectionless-mode data transmission request primitive that the user part requests the SNL to transmit a connectionless-mode data; and

a connectionless-mode data transmission ordering primitive that the user part orders the SNL to transmit a connectionless-mode data.

10. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), and

wherein a state of the protocol individual is defined as;

an Idle state indicating a state that a logical virtual linking has not been established and linking between peers has not been established,

a Local-PreActive state indicating a state that a local first transfers a linking establishment request and is waiting for a response,

a Remote-PreActive state indicating a state that ‘

Remote’

is going to send a response as it received the linking establishment request, and

an Active state indicating a state that peer-to-peer connection has been established through the logical virtual link.

11. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), and wherein the signal message processing procedure between the protocol individuals includes;

establishing a logical link connection between the RNC and the MSC;

transmitting a message through the connection-established logical link; and

releasing the connection-established logical link.

12. The protocol according to claim 11, wherein the logical link connection establishing step includes the sub-steps of:

receiving a logical link connection establishment request primitive from the upper user part of the RNC and transmitting a connection establishment request message together with the imaginary connection identifier to the MSC;

receiving the connection establishment request message and transmitting a logical link connection establishment order primitive to the upper user part;

transmitting a connection establishment response message to the RNC in case that a logical link connection establishment response primitive is received from the upper user part; and

receiving the connection establishment response message and transferring a logical link connection establishment identifying primitive to the upper user part.

13. The protocol according to claim 12, further includes a step of transferring the logical link connection establishment order primitive in case that the imaginary connection identifier is already in use, transmitting the connection release response message when the logical link release response primitive is received from the user part, or transmitting the connection establishment response message when the logical link connection establishment response primitive is received from the user part.

14. The protocol according to claim 12, further includes the steps of:

repeatedly transmitting the connection establishment request message for predetermined times in case that there is no response for a predetermined time after the connection establishment request message is transmitted from the RNC to the MSC; and

transferring the logical link connection release order primitive to the upper user part in case that no response is received for the predetermined times.

15. The protocol according to claim 11, wherein the message transmission step includes sub-steps of:

receiving a data transmission request primitive from the upper user part of the RNC and transmitting a data transmission message together with the imaginary connection identifier to the MSC,

receiving the data transmission message and transferring the data transmission order primitive to the upper user part; and

transmitting the data response message to the RNC.

16. The protocol according to claim 11, wherein the logical link connection releasing step includes the sub-steps of:

receiving a logical link connection release request primitive from the upper user part of the RNC and transmitting a connection release request message together with the imaginary connection identifier to the MSC;

receiving the connection release request message and transmitting a logical link connection release order primitive to the upper user part;

transmitting a connection release response message to the RNC in case that a logical link connection release response primitive is received from the upper user part; and

receiving the connection release response message and transferring a logical link connection release identifying primitive to the upper user part.

17. A signaling network layer protocol in an ATM-based mobile communication network including a point-to-point connection between an MSC and an RNC, comprising:

a predetermined message form;

a primitive between upper and lower layers;

a state; and

an operating procedure of a protocol individual, wherein the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure are defined so that a signal message between the MSC and RNC is processed through a single signaling network layer (SNL), and wherein processing of the signal message includes performing connectionless-mode message transmission for transmitting a user part message from the MSC to the RNC without a logical link connection establishment.

18. The protocol according to claim 17, wherein the connectionless-mode message transmission includes:

transmitting the data transmission message including the connectionless data transmission request primitive and the imaginary connection identifier from the upper user part of the MSC to the RNC; and

receiving the data transmission message and transferring the data transmission order primitive to the upper user part.

22. A method for transmitting information through an ATM-based mobile communication network, comprising:

providing a signaling network layer protocol for transmitting a signal message between an MSC and an RNC through a point-to-point connection, said protocol having a predetermined message form, a primitive between upper and lower layers, a state, and an operating procedure of a protocol individual; and

communicating the signal message between the MSC and RNC through a single signal network layer (SNL) of the protocol based on the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure, wherein the predetermined message form includes a signaling network interface (SNI) carrying information on a message type, an imaginary connection identifier (ImC-ID), and an SNI body including an upper user part signal message for use in a data frame and a unit-data frame.

23. A method for transmitting information through an ATM-based mobile communication network, comprising:

providing a signaling network layer protocol for transmitting a signal message between an MSC and an RNC through a point-to-point connection, said protocol having a predetermined message form, a primitive between upper and lower layers, a state, and an operating procedure of a protocol individual; and

communicating the signal message between the MSC and RNC through a single signal network layer (SNL) of the protocol based on the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure, wherein the primitive is defined as a primitive related to a logical link connection establishing, a primitive related to a logical link connection releasing, a primitive related to a connection-mode message transmission, and a primitive related to a connectionless-mode message transmission.

24. A method for transmitting information through an ATM-based mobile communication network, comprising:

providing a signaling network layer protocol for transmitting a signal message between an MSC and an RNC through a point-to-point connection, said protocol having a predetermined message form, a primitive between upper and lower layers, a state, and an operating procedure of a protocol individual; and

communicating the signal message between the MSC and RNC through a single signal network layer (SNL) of the protocol based on the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure, wherein a state of the protocol individual is defined as;

an Idle state indicating a state that a logical virtual linking has not been established and linking between peers has not been established,

a Local-PreActive state indicating a state that a local first transfers a linking establishment request and is waiting for a response,

a Remote-PreActive state indicating a state that ‘

Remote’

is going to send a response as it received the linking establishment request, and

an Active state indicating a state that peer-to-peer connection has been established through the logical virtual link.

25. A method for transmitting information through an ATM-based mobile communication network, comprising:

providing a signaling network layer protocol for transmitting a signal message between an MSC and an RNC through a point-to-point connection, said protocol having a predetermined message form, a primitive between upper and lower layers, a state, and an operating procedure of a protocol individual; and

communicating the signal message between the MSC and RNC through a single signal network layer (SNL) of the protocol based on the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure, wherein the operating procedure includes;

establishing a logical link connection between the RNC and the MSC;

transmitting a message through the connection-established logical link; and

releasing the connection-established logical link.

26. A method for transmitting information through an ATM-based mobile communication network, comprising:

providing a signaling network layer protocol for transmitting a signal message between an MSC and an RNC through a point-to-point connection, said protocol having a predetermined message form, a primitive between upper and lower layers, a state, and an operating procedure of a protocol individual; and

communicating the signal message between the MSC and RNC through a single signal network layer (SNL) of the protocol based on the predetermined message form, primitive, state, and operating procedure, wherein communicating the signal message includes performing connectionless-mode message transmission for transmitting a user part message from the MSC to the RNC without a logical link connection establishment.