H.323 mobility architecture for terminal, user and service mobility

• US 6,775,255 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2000
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roy, Radhika R.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/642,142
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/389, 370/331, 370/260, 370/328, 455/433, 455/436
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• 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 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The present invention provides an H.323-based mobility system for real-time mobile multimedia communications and conferencing over packet-based networks. The H.323-based mobility system includes at least one H.323 Mobile Entity, arranged to send an H.323 call, that, upon detecting at least one H.323 mobility gatekeeper that supports H.323 mobility services in a Location Area, communicates with a Home Location Database, moves from the first Location Area to a second Location Area, registers locally, and sets up a mobile H.323-based call; at least one Base Station, for receiving/sending the location information from/to a Mobile Switching Center, and for receiving/sending calls from/to the Mobile Switching Center for forwarding to a callee Mobile/Nonmobile Entity; the Home Location Database, arranged to receive and store Mobile Entity location information and send it to a first Visitor Location Database, and upon the H.323 Mobile Entity moving from one Location Area to another Location Area, for receiving update location information and sending it to a second Visitor Location Database; the first Visitor Location Database, for storing and updating the location information; the first Mobile Switching Center, for, where the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Entity is in the first Location Area, setting up a call from the Mobile Entity to the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Entity; the second Visitor Location Database, for storing and updating the location information; and the second Mobile Switching Center, for, where a callee Mobile/Nonmobile Entity is in the second Location Area, setting up a call from the Mobile Entity to the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Entity.

Claims

1. An H.323-based mobility system with protocol for real-time mobile multimedia communications and conferencing over packet-based networks wherein a plurality of H.323 mobility gatekeepers provide H.323 mobility services availability in various Location Areas or Cells or Zones comprising:

at least one H.323 Mobile Terminal/NodelEntity, arranged to broadcast or multicast or unicast an H.323 call, that, upon detecting at least one H.323 mobility gatekeeper of the plurality of H.323 mobility gatekeepers that support H.323 mobility services in a first Location Area or Cell or Zone of the Mobile Terminal/NodelEntity, registers with a Home Location Database in the first Location Area or Cell or Zone via a first Mobile Switching Center, moves from the first Location Area or Cell or Zone to a second Location Area or Cell or Zone, registers locally, and sets up a mobile H.323-based call;

at least one Base Station, arranged to receive/send location information and H.323 calls in the first/second Location Area or Cell or Zone, for receiving/sending the location information for the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity from/to a first/second Mobile Switching Center, and for receiving/sending calls from/to the first/second Mobile Switching Center for forwarding to a callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity;

the Home Location Database, arranged to receive and store Mobile Terminal/NodelEntity location information and send the location information to a first Visitor Location Database via a first Mobile Switching Center, and upon the H.323 Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity moving from the first Location Area or Cell or Zone to the second Location Area or Cell or Zone, for receiving update location information and sending the update location information to a second Visitor Location Database via a second Mobile Switching Center for the second Location Area or Cell or Zone;

the first Visitor Location Database, arranged to receive the location information via the first Mobile Switching Center, for storing and updating the location information;

the first Mobile Switching Center, arranged to receive and acknowledge location information and, where the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity is in the first Location Area or Cell or Zone, for setting up a call from the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity to the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity via a callee Base Station in the first Location Area or Cell or Zone;

the second Visitor Location Database, arranged to receive the location information via the second Mobile Switching Center, for storing and updating the location information; and

the second Mobile Switching Center, arranged to receive and acknowledge location information and, where a callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity is in the second Location Area or Cell or Zone, for setting up a call from the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity to the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity via a callee Base Station in the second Location Area or Cell or Zone.

2. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein the Home Location Database registers the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity by sending registration information for the

Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity to a first Visitor Location Database via the first Mobile Switching Center.

3. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein, when the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity enters the second Location Area or Cell or Zone, the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity performs local registration by broadcasting or multicasting or unicasting a location update message that is forwarded by the Base Station, to the second Mobile Switching Center, which launches a registration query to a second Visitor Location Database, wherein the second Visitor Location Database updates location information of the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity and sends the location information to the Home Location Database, upon receiving the location information that is updated, the Home Location Database sends a registration acknowledgement to the second Visitor Location Database and a registration cancellation message to the first Visitor Location Database, and the First Location Database acknowledges receipt of the registration cancellation message.

4. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein a Visitor Location Database address is determined for the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity based on a mobile identification number of the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity and is sent to the Home Location Database where due to the moving, the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity belongs to the second Visitor Location Database.

5. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein a mobile H.323-based call is set up when the Mobile Terminal/Node/Entity in the first Location Area or Cell or Zone initiates a call to a callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity in a second Location Area or Cell or Zone via a Base Station in the first Location Area or Cell or Zone, the Base Station forwards the call to the first Mobile Switching Center, the first Mobile Switching Center determines an address of the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity and sends a location request to a Home Location Database which determines a callee Visitor Location Database of the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity and sends a route request message to a callee Mobile Switching Center serving the callee Mobile/Nonmobile Terminal/Node/Entity;

the callee Mobile Switching Center allocates a temporary local directory number to the Mobile Tenninal/Node/Entity and sends a reply to the Home Registration Database together with the temporary local directory number, the Home Registration Database sends the temporary local directory number to the first Mobile Switching Center, and the first Mobile Switching Center requests a call setup to the callee Mobile Switching Center.

6. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality of H.323 mobility gatekeepers provides for authentication of the mobile entities/users.

7. The H.323-based mobility system of claim 1 wherein the H.323 mobility services include at least:

address translation, admissions control, bandwidth control, and zone management.