Wireless hot-lining with automatically assigned variable hot-line number

• US 6,782,258 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ung, Dara, Titus, Mark, Calabrese, Robert T., Shepard, Margaret S., Lebedda, Karl, Johnson, Jr., Carle S.
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/836,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20020025809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.3, 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 455/433, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/461, 455/435.2, 455/459
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

A technique and architecture that enables a Service Provider (SP) to hot-line a roaming WIN subscriber (e.g., a prepaid subscriber) to a closest WIN platform via a Least Cost Network (LCN), depending on the location, and optionally, on the time of a call from a roaming subscriber. Importantly, the present invention allows a service provider to significantly reduce the cost of routing a long distance call when the subscriber roams outside the service provider'"'"'s network. A service provider may automatically provide one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to a roaming subscriber (e.g., a prepaid subscriber) of a wireless network (e.g., a Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN)) associated with a desired wireless network platform (e.g., a closest WIN platform, e.g., service node (SN), service control point (SCP), etc.) via a LCN. The LCN can be, e.g., an SS7 network, a PSTN, a TCP/IP (Internet), or dedicated trunks.

Claims

1. In a wireless intelligent network (WIN), a WIN application including a hot-line lookup table comprising:

a plurality of entries, each of said plurality of entries associating a service providing mobile switching center ID with at least one particular hot-line telephone number, said at least one hot-line telephone number being a telephone number a mobile device is routed to irregardless of a number dialed by said mobile device;

wherein said service providing mobile switching center is associated with a roaming mobile station visiting a mobile switching center in said wireless intelligent network.

2. In the wireless intelligent network (WIN) according to claim 1, wherein:

a service providing mobile switching center identified by said service providing mobile switching center ID is in a wireless intelligent network different from the wireless intelligent network including the visited mobile switching center.

3. In the wireless intelligent network (WIN) according to claim 1, wherein:

said WIN application resides in a service control point.

4. In the wireless intelligent network (WIN) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of entries in said hot-line lookup table further comprises:

a plurality of different hot-line numbers; and

an association between each of said different hot-line numbers and at least one other parameter.

5. In the wireless intelligent network (WIN) according to claim 4, wherein said at least one other parameter comprises:

a time of day.

6. A method of automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device, comprising:

forwarding a registration notification (REGNOT) message from a home location register associated with said roaming mobile device;

retrieving a unique identification of a home wireless intelligent network of said roaming mobile device; and

selecting one of a plurality of different hot-line numbers based on a match to said unique identification of said home wireless intelligent network, a hot-line telephone number being a telephone number a mobile device is routed to irregardless of a number dialed by said roaming mobile device.

7. The method of automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 6, wherein:

said REGNOT message is forwarded to an application running on a wireless intelligent network (WIN) platform.

8. The method of automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 6, wherein:

said associating is performed in a visiting WIN.

9. The method of automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 6, wherein:

said unique identification of a home wireless intelligent network relates to an identity of a mobile switching center.

10. The method of automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 9, wherein:

said unique identification is an MSCID.

11. Apparatus for automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device, comprising:

means for forwarding a REGNOT message from a home location register associated with said roaming mobile device;

means for retrieving a unique identification of a home wireless intelligent network of said roaming mobile device; and

means for selecting one of a plurality of different hot-line numbers based on a match to said unique identification of said home wireless intelligent network, a hot-line telephone number being a telephone number a mobile device is routed to irregardless of a number dialed by said roaming mobile device.

12. The apparatus for automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 11, wherein:

said means for forwarding performs said associating in a visiting WIN.

13. The apparatus for automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 11, wherein:

said unique identification of a home wireless intelligent network relates to an identity of a mobile switching center.

14. The apparatus for automatically assigning one of a plurality of hot-line numbers to an incoming call from a roaming mobile device according to claim 13, wherein:

said unique identification is an MSCID.