Mobile communications network system, mobile terminal, and paging method

• US 7,142,879 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shoichi, Hiyama, Satoshi, Watanabe, Yugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D
• Application Number:
  US10/837,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20040248574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/445, 455/456.3, 455/458, 455/515, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/567
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mobile communication network system is provided in which when a radio system is selected from plural types of radio systems as a radio system for use in paging, the optimum radio system for the mobile terminal to be paged can be selected. When it is selected, traffic does not concentrate on a specific radio system, or no excess delay occurs when the mobile terminal starts communications. When the mobile communications network system performs paging as a paging notification to a mobile terminal through any one of various radio systems under a communications environment in which radio waves of various radio systems having different communication systems are used, a radio system is selected from a plurality of radio systems depending on the application used in the communications of the paging requested mobile terminal and a paging operation is performed through the selected radio system when a paging request is issued.

Claims

1. A mobile communications network system which performs paging as a paging notification to a mobile terminal through one of various radio systems when a paging request is issued to the mobile terminal under a communications environment in which radio waves of various radio systems having different communication systems are used, comprising

control means having a table, in which identification information of a mobile terminal, application identification information for use in communications of the mobile terminal are associated with location registration area information formed in one radio system, referring to the table when the paging request is issued and selecting a location registration area of a radio system corresponding to an application used in communications of a paging requested mobile terminal, and performing the paging on the selected location registration area;

first management means in which user information indicating personal preference of a communications condition of user of the mobile terminal;

transmission means for transmitting the user information registered in said first management means to a network system for performing paging on the mobile terminal;

obtaining means for obtaining advertisement information from various radio system; and

selection means for selecting a specific radio system as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal when the obtaining means obtains advertisement information from the specific radio system, wherein

the first management means also manages the user information including the paging frequency of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal further includes second management means for detecting and managing the terminal status of the mobile terminal, and, when the obtaining means detects the advertisement information from the plurality of radio systems, the selection means selects, as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal, a radio system corresponding to the user information indicating the terminal status of the mobile terminal managed by the second management means and the paging frequency of the mobile terminal managed by the first management means from among the plurality of detected radio systems.

2. The mobile communications network system according to claim 1, wherein

the control means detects the network status including at least one of the radio wave status in each radio system, the traffic status, the node fault, and changes the table according to the detected network status.

3. A mobile terminal which can perform communications through various radio systems under a communications environment in which radio waves of various radio systems having different communication systems are used, comprising:

first management means in which user information indicating personal preference of a communications condition of user of the mobile terminal;

transmission means for transmitting the user information registered in said first management means to a network system for performing paging on the mobile terminal;

obtaining means for obtaining advertisement information from various radio systems; and

selection means for selecting a specific radio system as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal when the obtaining means obtains advertisement information from the specific radio system, wherein

the first management means also manages the user information including the paging frequency, of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal further includes second management means for detecting and managing the terminal status of the mobile terminal, and, when the obtaining means detects the advertisement information from the plurality of radio systems, the selection means selects, as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal, a radio system corresponding to the user information indicating the terminal status of the mobile terminal managed by the second management means and the paging frequency of the mobile terminal managed by the first management means from among the plurality of detected radio systems.

4. A paging method for issuing a paging notification to a mobile terminal through one of various radio systems when a paging request is issued to the mobile terminal under a communications environment in which radio waves of various radio systems having different radio systems are used, wherein

when the paging request is issued, a radio system of the various radio systems is selected depending on an application used in communications of a paging requested mobile terminal, and the paging is performed through the selected radio system and comprising

first management step in which user information indicating personal preference of a communications condition of user of the mobile terminal;

transmission step for transmitting the user information registered in said first management step to a network system for performing paging on the mobile terminal;

obtaining step for obtaining advertisement information from various radio system; and

selection step for selecting a specific radio system as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal when the obtaining step obtains advertisement information from the specific radio system, wherein

the first management step also manages the user information including the paging frequency of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal further includes second management step for detecting and managing the terminal status of the mobile terminal, and, when the obtaining step detects the advertisement information from the plurality of radio systems, the selection step selects, as a radio system for use in paging to the mobile terminal, a radio system corresponding to the user information indicating the terminal status of the mobile terminal managed by the second management step and the paging frequency of the mobile terminal managed by the first management step from among the plurality of detected radio systems.

5. The paging method according to claim 4, wherein

one of the various radio systems is selected, and the paging is performed through the selected radio system according to at least one of a network status of the various radio systems, user information indicating personal preference of a communications condition of a user of a mobile terminal, a location registration request from a mobile terminal to a specific radio system, a terminal status of a mobile terminal, and a location registration request to a radio system selected according to user information indicating a paging frequency of the mobile terminal.