System and method for improved IMEI registration

• US 7,139,573 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Sharma, Manish, Soong, Anthony Wei-Hsia, Barrow, Steven Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US11/098,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/439, 455/433, 455/450, 455/414.1, 455/435.2, 370/252, 370/437
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods and systems for IMEI registration are provided. In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when an IMEI registration fails due to a network failure, the mobile station implements a back-off algorithm for future IMEI registration attempts. Specifically, the present invention provides a back-off algorithm which determines a different amount of time for the time period between each unsuccessful IMEI registration.

Claims

1. A method of registering a subscriber unit with a network, the method comprising the acts of:

transmitting an equipment identifier over the network;

determining if a subscriber identifier has been received in response to said transmitting act, and, if not;

determining a wait period based on a number of previous attempts to register said subscriber unit with the network;

re-transmitting said equipment identifier over the network after said wait period has elapsed;

determining that the subscriber identifier has not been received in response to said re-transmitting act;

increasing said number of previous attempts to register by one;

determining a second wait period based on said increased number of previous attempts; and

waiting for said second wait period before attempting to re-transmit said equipment identifier over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber unit is one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a modem, a mobile transceiver and an end-user base transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and wherein transmitting the equipment identifier comprises transmitting an International Mobile Equipment Identifier over the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and wherein determining if the subscriber identifier has been received comprises determining if an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier has been received in response to said transmitting the equipment identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the equipment identifier comprises transmitting the equipment identifier wirelessly from said subscriber unit to a base station coupled to said network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the wait period comprises determining the wait period on a random basis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the wait period comprises determining the wait period based on the number of previous attempts to register said subscriber unit with the network, wherein said wait period increases with each attempt to register, and wherein said subscriber will continue to attempt to register for a predetermined number of attempts.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said wait period increases by a factor of two with each attempt to register.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a network failure message from said network in response to said transmitting act.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining the wait period is in response to said receiving the network failure message.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing an amount of network traffic over said network caused by said registering of the subscriber unit.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said wait period reduces network traffic over said network during said registering of the subscriber unit with said equipment identifier.

14. A communication network, comprising:

a base station;

a subscriber unit in wireless communication with said base station, wherein in order to register with said communication network, the subscriber unit;

transmits an equipment identifier to the network,

determines if a subscriber identifier has been received in response to the equipment identifier, and if not,

determines a wait period based on a number of previous attempts to register said subscriber unit with the network,

re-transmits said equipment identifier over the network after said wait period has elapsed,

determines that the subscriber identifier has not been received in response to re-transmitting said equipment identifier after said wait period has elapsed,

increases the number of previous attempts to register by one;

determines a second wait period based on said increased number of previous attempts, and

waits for said second wait period before attempting to re-transmit said equipment identifier over the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said subscriber unit is one of a cellular telephone, a pager, a modem, a mobile transceiver and an end-user base transceiver.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and said equipment identifier is an International Mobile Equipment Identifier.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and wherein said subscriber identifier is an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment identifier is transmitted said subscriber unit to a base station coupled to said network.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the wait period is determined on a random basis.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein said wait period increases with each attempt to register, and wherein said subscriber will continue to attempt to register for a predetermined number of attempts.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said wait period increases by a factor of two with each attempt to register.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein said subscriber unit is further to receive a network failure message from said communication network in response to transmitting said equipment identifier.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said subscriber unit determines said wait period is in response to receiving the network failure message.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein said wait period reduces network traffic over said network caused by said subscriber unit registering with said network with said equipment identifier.

26. A method of registering a subscriber unit with a network, the method comprising the acts of:

transmitting an equipment identifier wirelessly to the network for a plurality of registration attempts, wherein said plurality of registration attempts is equal to the lesser of a number of equipment identifier transmissions needed to register said subscriber unit, and a predetermined number of times;

determining if a subscriber identifier has been received in response to said transmitting the equipment identifier for each of said plurality of registration attempts; and

determining a wait period between each of said plurality of registration attempts, wherein said wait period increases by a factor of two with each of said plurality of registration attempts.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said subscriber unit is one of a cellular telephone, a pager, a modem, a mobile transceiver and an end-user base transceiver.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and wherein transmitting the equipment identifier comprises transmitting an International Mobile Equipment Identifier.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said network is an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, and wherein determining if a subscriber identifier has been received comprises determining if an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier has been received in response to said transmitting the International Mobile Equipment Identifier for each of said plurality of registration attempts.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein said determining the wait period comprises determining the wait period on a random basis.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving a network failure message from said network in response to said transmitting act.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said determining the wait period is in response to said receiving the network failure message.

34. The method of claim 26, further comprising reducing an amount of network traffic over said network caused by said registering of the subscriber unit.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein said wait period reduces network traffic over said network during said registering of the subscriber unit.