Method, apparatus and system for managing subscriber data

• US 7,054,307 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Papadimitriou, Dimitrios, Schneyer, Sean Kendall
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/751,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/254, 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/332, 370/342, 370/349, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/439, 455/440, 455/442
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for managing subscriber data in a telecommunications system. The present invention receives one or more messages from a mobile station. The one or more messages received may be a routing area update request signal. Subsequently, the present invention requests the subscriber data from a home location register. The subscriber data contains circuit switching data, packet switching data, or circuit switching data and packet switching data. Then, the subscriber data is stored in the new universal visitor location register. The present invention may request the subscriber data from the home location register by sending an update location signal to the home location register.

Claims

1. A method of managing subscriber data in a telecommunications system, wherein said telecommunications system comprises a first switch for providing circuit switching services and a second switch for providing packet switching services, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving one or more messages from a mobile station;

requesting the subscriber data from a first database, wherein the subscriber data includes circuit switching data and packet switching data and wherein said first database maintains and stores said subscriber data associated with said mobile station and wherein in response to the step of requesting the subscriber data from the first database, communicating one or more messages between the first database and a third database;

receiving the subscriber data from the first database; and

storing the subscriber data in a second database serving a particular service area currently covering said mobile station, wherein the second database is communicably coupled to the first switch for providing circuit switching services to the mobile station within said service area, and is communicably coupled to the second switch for providing packet switching services to the mobile station within said service area.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first database is a home location register.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second database is a universal visitor location register located in a new service area.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of requesting the subscriber data from the first database comprises the step of sending one or more messages to the first database to request the subscriber data.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the third database is a universal visitor location register located in an old service area.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the third database is a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) located in an old service area.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the third database is a Visitor Location Registry (VLR) located in an old service area.

8. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more messages being sent to the first database to request the subscriber data is an update location signal.

9. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the one or more messages received from the mobile station at the second database is a routing area update request signal.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more messages being sent to the third database is a context request signal.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more messages received from the third database is a context response signal.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more messages being sent to the third database is a send identification signal.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more messages received from the third database is a send identification acknowledgment signal.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of communicating one or more messages between the first database and the third database comprises the steps of:

sending one or more messages from the first database to the third database; and

sending one or more messages from the third database to the first database in response to the one or more messages sent from the first database.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more messages being sent to the third database is a cancel location signal.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more messages being to the first database is a cancel location acknowledgment signal.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile station is roaming from an old service area to a new service area.

18. A telecommunications system comprising:

a first database containing subscriber data of one or more mobile subscribers, wherein the subscriber data includes circuit switching data and packet switching data;

a second database communicably linked to the first database, wherein the second database receives the subscriber data contained in the first database and stores the subscriber date for subscribers roaming within a service area covered by the second database;

a third database communicably linked to the first database for selectively communicating one or more messages between the first database and the third database in response to a request for said subscriber data from the first database;

a circuit switching network device connected to the second database, said circuit switching network device providing circuit switching telecommunications services to the one or more mobile subscribers within said service area based upon the subscriber data stored within said second database; and

a packet switching network device connected to the second database, said packet switching network device providing packet switching telecommunications services to the one or more mobile subscribers within said service area based upon the subscriber data stored within said second database.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, further comprising one or more service areas, wherein each service area includes one or more first databases, the second database, the circuit switching network device, and the packet switching network device.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the first database is a home location register.

21. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the second database is a universal visitor location register.

22. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the circuit switching network device is a mobile switching center for providing circuit switching services to the one or more mobile subscribers.

23. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the packet switching network device is a signaling node for providing packet switching services to the one or more mobile subscribers.

26. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the third database is a universal visitor location register located in an old service area.

27. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the third database is a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) located in an old service area.

28. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the third database is a Visitor Location Register (VLR) located in an old service area.

24. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, said computer program managing subscriber data in a telecommunications system, said computer program comprising:

a code segment for receiving one or more messages from a mobile station;

a code segment for requesting the subscriber data from a first database, wherein the subscriber data includes circuit switching data and packet switching data;

code segment for selectively communicating one or more messages between the first database and a third database in response to the step of requesting the subscriber data from the first database;

a code segment for receiving the subscriber data from the first database;

a code segment for storing the subscriber data in a second database wherein said second database is associated with a service area currently covering said mobile station;

a code segment for providing the subscriber data from the second database to a circuit switching network device for providing circuit switching services to one or more mobile stations within said service area; and

a code segment for providing the subscriber data from the second database to a packet switching network device for providing packet switching services to one or more mobile stations within said service area.

25. The computer program as recited in claim 24, wherein the code segment for requesting the subscriber data from the first database comprises a code segment for sending one or more messages to the first database to request the subscriber data.

29. The computer program as recited in claim 24 wherein the first database is a home location register.

30. The computer program as recited in claim 24 wherein the second database is a universal visitor location register located in a new service area.

31. The computer program as recited in claim 24 wherein the third database is a universal visitor location register located in an old service area.

32. The computer program as recited in claim 24 wherein the third database is a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) located in an old service area.