Arranging control signallings in telecommunications system

• US 6,792,277 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rajaniemi, Jaakko, Einola, Heikki
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US10/026,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/456, 455/458, 455/461, 455/439, 455/432.15, 455/435.1, 455/447, 455/456.1, 455/456.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Implementing control signallings in a telecommunication system comprising at least one terminal and one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network comprising at least one access network and one or more core networks. Within a certain time, the terminal determines the detected control signalling needs and transmits a request for maintaining a radio connection to the telecommunication network if several control signallings are to be carried out. The control signallings are carried out successively between the terminal and one or more core networks without releasing the radio connection between the terminal and the access network.

Claims

1. A method of implementing control signallings in a telecommunication system including at least one terminal and one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network including at least one access network and one or more core networks, wherein the access network is connected to the core networks so that control signallings may be carried out between each core network and each terminal via the access network, the method comprising:

detecting a need for a plurality of control signallings in the telecommunication system;

carrying out the plurality of control signallings between the terminal and at least one core network substantially successively without releasing a connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network during a time period between the plurality of control signallings in response to the detecting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a time limit for detecting the need for the plurality of control signallings is determined in the terminal, and the connection is maintained during the time period between the control signallings in response to detection of the need for the plurality of control signallings within the time limit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telecommunication system is a mobile communication system, the terminal is a mobile station, and the connection is a radio connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal determining the core networks to which a need for control signalling is detected,

the terminal transmitting a request for maintaining the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network to the telecommunication network,

carrying out control signalling between the terminal and a determined first core network,

carrying out control signallings between the terminal and other determined core networks, and

releasing the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network after the control signallings have been carried out to all determined core networks.

5. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising:

determining, in the access network, in parameters of the connections, that the connection should be maintained in response to said request transmitted by the terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein information about the number of necessary control signallings is transmitted in the request for maintaining the connection,

the access network counts the number of control signallings carried out by the terminal, and

the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network is maintained until the number of control signallings announced by the terminal has been carried out.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein information about the core networks to which control signallings need to be carried out is transmitted in the request for maintaining the connection,

the access network monitors to which core networks the control signallings are carried out, and

the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network is maintained until the control signallings to all core networks identified in the request have been carried out.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the access network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the access network in a setup request message of the connection.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the terminal to the core network to which control signalling is carried out first,

a request for maintaining the connection is transmitted from the core network to the access network after the control signalling, and

the control signallings are carried out between the terminal and other determined core networks without releasing the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a time limit is set for maintaining said connection, and

the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network is released when the time limit for maintaining the connection has been exceeded even if all control signallings have not been carried out.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

the control signallings to be carried out are location updates, and

the terminal determines the core networks that need location updating based on location information broadcast by the access network.

13. A telecommunication system comprising:

at least one terminal; and

one telecommunication network, the telecommunication network including at least one access network and one or more core networks, the access network being connected to the core networks,

wherein the at least one terminal is configured to detect a need for a plurality of control signallings in the telecommunication system;

wherein the plurality of control signallings may be carried out between each core network and each terminal, and the access network is configured to maintain a connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network during a time period between substantially successive control signallings of the plurality of control signallings between the terminal and at least one core network when the terminal detects a need for the plurality of control signallings.

14. The telecommunication system of claim 13, wherein the terminal comprises means for determining a time limit for detecting the need for the plurality of control signallings, and

the telecommunication network is configured to maintain the connection established for control signalling between the control signallings in response to detecting the need for the plurality of control signallings within the time limit.

15. The telecommunication system of claim 13, wherein the telecommunication system is a mobile communication system, the terminal is a mobile station, and the connection is a radio connection.

16. The telecommunication system of claim 13, wherein the terminal is configured to determine the core networks to which a need for control signalling is detected,

the terminal is configured to transmit a request for maintaining the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network to the telecommunication network,

the terminal and a determined first core network are configured to carry out control signalling,

the terminal and other determined core networks are configured to carry out other necessary control signallings, and

the access network is configured to release the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network after the control signallings have been carried out to the determined core networks.

17. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein

the access network is configured to determine, in parameters of the connection, that the connection should be maintained in response to the request transmitted by the terminal.

18. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit information about the number of necessary control signallings in the request for maintaining the connection,

the access network is configured to count the number of control signallings carried out by the terminal, and

the access network is configured to maintain the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network until the number of control signallings announced by the terminal has been carried out.

19. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit information about the core networks to which control signallings need to be carried out,

the access network is configured to monitor to which core networks the control signallings are carried out, and

the access network is configured to maintain the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network until the control signallings to all core networks mentioned in the request have been carried out.

20. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit the request for maintaining the connection to the access network.

21. The telecommunication system of claim 20, wherein the terminal is configured to transmit the request for maintaining the connection in a setup request message of the connection.

22. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein

the terminal is configured to transmit the request for maintaining the connection to the core network to which control signalling is carried out first,

the core network is configured to transmit a request for maintaining the connection to the access network after the control signalling, and

the access network is configured to maintain the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network between the control signallings to other core networks.

23. The telecommunication system of claim 13, wherein

the access network is configured to set a time limit for maintaining the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network, and

the access network is configured to release the connection when the time limit for maintaining the connection has been exceeded even if all control signallings have not been carried out.

24. The telecommunication system of claim 13, wherein

the control signallings to be carried out are location updates, and

the terminal is configured to determine the core networks that need location updating based on location information broadcast by the access network.

25. A network element of a telecommunication system, wherein the network element is configured to provide a connection for a terminal,

the terminal is configured to detect a need for a plurality of control signallings in the telecommunication system;

the network element is configured to maintain the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the network element during a time period between different, substantially successive control signallings of the plurality of control signallings in response to a request from the terminal when the terminal detects a need for the plurality of control signallings.

26. The network element of claim 25, wherein the network element is a radio network controller of an access network in the mobile communication system.

27. A terminal comprising means for carrying out control signallings in a telecommunication system via an access network to one or more core networks, wherein

the terminal is configured to detect a need for a plurality of control signallings in the telecommunication system, and

the terminal is configured to transmit a request for maintaining the connection established for control signalling between the terminal and the access network to a telecommunication network when the terminal detects a need for the plurality of control signallings.