System and method of servicing mobile communications with a proxy switch
First Claim
1. A proxy switch for use in a mobile communications network having at least one mobile switching center (MSC) and at least one base station subsystem (BS), wherein the MSC and BS each communicate signaling messages according to a mobile signaling protocol, the proxy switch comprising:
- signaling message handling logic for receiving signaling messages from the MSC and BS in accordance with said mobile signaling protocol;
message interception logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for sending an acknowledgment message to an MSC or BS that transmits a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic and for preventing the signaling messages from being forwarded to the other of the BS and MSC respectively;
message conversion logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for converting a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic from one of the MSC and BS into a converted signaling message for transmission to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively; and
message transmission logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for transmitting signaling messages from one of the MSC and the BS to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a proxy switch, communication methods, and communication logic for use in a mobile network. A proxy switch is deployed between a base station subsystem and a mobile station center. The proxy switch receives signaling messages and either retransmits them, blocks them, converts them, or siphons them to an alternative network. Besides providing an ability to offload mobile traffic it provides a platform for new communication services.
-
Citations
8 Claims
-
1. A proxy switch for use in a mobile communications network having at least one mobile switching center (MSC) and at least one base station subsystem (BS), wherein the MSC and BS each communicate signaling messages according to a mobile signaling protocol, the proxy switch comprising:
-
signaling message handling logic for receiving signaling messages from the MSC and BS in accordance with said mobile signaling protocol;
message interception logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for sending an acknowledgment message to an MSC or BS that transmits a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic and for preventing the signaling messages from being forwarded to the other of the BS and MSC respectively;
message conversion logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for converting a signaling message received by the signaling message handling logic from one of the MSC and BS into a converted signaling message for transmission to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively; and
message transmission logic, cooperating with the signaling message handling logic, for transmitting signaling messages from one of the MSC and the BS to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A method of communicating messages between a mobile network and an alternative communication network in which the mobile network includes at least one mobile switching center (MSC) and at least one base station subsystem (BS), the method comprising the acts of:
-
receiving signaling messages from one of the MSC and BS in accordance with a mobile signaling protocol;
maintaining state information about the mobile and alternative networks;
depending on the state information, performing at least one of the following acts in response to a received signaling message;
sending an acknowledgment message to an MSC or BS that transmits a signaling message but preventing the received signaling messages from being forwarded to the other of the BS and MSC respectively;
converting a received signaling message into a converted signaling message for transmission to the other of the BS and MSC, respectively; and
transmitting signaling messages from the MSC and the BS to the BS and MSC, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
-
Specification