Call delivery systems for roaming prepaid subscribers

• US 7,187,928 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xius Holding Corp. (Megasoft Limited)
• Original Assignee: Boston Communications Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Erskine, Thomas, Senn, Paul, Cooper, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Pablo N.
• Application Number:
  US09/449,001
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-411, 455/433, 455/435, 455436-440, 455/461, 455/445, 455/432, 455/456, 455/466, 455/567, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/404.2, 455/417, 455/421, 455/422.1, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 379/112.01, 379/115, 379/207, 379/88.02, 379/144.01, 379/111, 37911415-1142, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods that operate to provide seamless roaming to a prepaid subscriber in as many markets as possible. To that end, the systems of the invention include a location register (LR) that can determine the type, or class, of serving market with which the roaming subscriber is registering. Once the class of the serving market is identified, the LR can modify a subscriber'"'"'s profile as a function of this class, and return to the serving market a profile that will allow the serving market to employ the prepaid platform that services the subscriber and thereby provide services to the roaming subscriber. In optional embodiments, the LR may also respond to location requests from the prepaid platform. The location information may be employed by the subscriber to determine a rate structure for a call, and thereby decrement the subscriber'"'"'s balance as a function of, at least in part, the location of the roaming subscriber.

Claims

1. A system for allowing a subscriber to a prepaid communication service to roam between different service markets, the system comprising:

a serving mobile switching center of a respective serving market capable of communicating with a roaming subscriber'"'"'s phone unit and capable of generating a request for a profile associated with the subscriber,

a location register in communication with the serving mobile switching center and in communication with a home location register associated with the subscriber profile, the location register being capable of;

collecting the requested subscriber profile, determining whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the serving mobile switching center, and selectively modifying the requested and collected subscriber profile based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the serving mobile switching center, and

a prepaid platform capable of performing call processing for a call associated with the subscriber,

where the selective modification of the requested and collected subscriber profile by the location register is for enabling the serving mobile switching center to employ the prepaid platform associated with the respective market and thereby to enable the provision of prepaid services to the roaming subscriber.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes a database having information representative of a plurality of markets, capable of serving the subscriber, having a prepaid platform associated therewith.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes a message processing unit for processing a message from the serving mobile switching center for identifying whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the serving mobile switching center.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the serving mobile switching center includes a profile request service capable of requesting a subscriber profile in response to receipt of an NPA/NXX signal representative of the subscriber being a prepaid customer.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes a memory space for storing information representative of a location associated with the subscriber.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes means for providing a home location register with information representative of a location associated with the subscriber.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes means for passing through registration requests for subscribers identified as non-prepaid subscribers.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes means for requesting subscriber location information from a home location register associated with the subscriber.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register is in communication with the prepaid platform for delivering subscriber location information to the prepaid platform.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes means for communicating with a visitor location register to allow call termination for a call.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location register includes an error reporter for reporting detected error conditions to the prepaid platform.

12. A system for processing calls from a subscriber, the system comprising:

a mobile switching center capable of communicating with a subscriber phone unit and requesting a subscriber profile,

a location register capable of;

accessing the requested subscriber profile, determining whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the mobile switching center, selectively modifying the requested and accessed subscriber profile based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the mobile switching center requesting the subscriber profile, and providing the modified subscriber profile to the requesting mobile switching center, and

a prepaid platform capable of;

communicating with the requesting mobile switching center and performing call processing for a subscriber call,

where the selective modification of the requested and accessed subscriber profile by the location register is for enabling the mobile switching center to employ the prepaid platform associated with the respective market and thereby to enable the provision of prepaid services to the subscriber.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register includes a database having information representative of a plurality of markets, capable of serving the subscriber, having a prepaid platform associated therewith.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register includes a message processing unit for processing a message from the mobile switching center for identifying whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market of the mobile switching center.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein the mobile switching center includes a profile request service capable of requesting a subscriber profile in response to receipt of an NPA/NXX signal representative of the subscriber being a prepaid customer.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register includes a memory space for storing information representative of a location associated with the subscriber.

17. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register is capable of providing a home location register with information representative of a location associated with the subscriber.

18. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register is capable of passing through requests for subscribers identified as non-prepaid subscribers.

19. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register is capable of requesting subscriber location information from a home location register associated with a subscriber.

20. A system according to claim 12, wherein the location register is capable of communicating with a visitor location register to allow call termination for a call.

21. A method for processing calls from a subscriber, the method comprising:

determining whether a respective market for a serving mobile switching center has a prepaid platform associated therewith, wherein the serving mobile switching center receives a call associated with the subscriber; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market, selectively modifying a profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to at least one of a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center and a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center,

where the selective modification of the subscriber profile is for enabling the serving mobile switching center to employ the prepaid platform if the prepaid platform is associated with the respective market and thereby to enable the provision of prepaid services to the subscriber.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the call originates from at least one of a mobile telephone and a landline.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center for the serving mobile switching center to complete the call.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a hotline number.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to include a hotline number for a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the hotline number comprises a toll free telephone number on a public switched telephone network.

27. A method for processing calls for a subscriber, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a profile associated with the subscriber making a call in a roaming market;

determining whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective roaming market; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective roaming market, modifying the profile associated with the subscriber whereby the call is selectively routed to a prepaid platform located in the respective roaming market or to a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective roaming market.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a prepaid platform located in the respective roaming market for a mobile switching center in the respective roaming market to complete the call.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a hotline number.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to include a hotline number for a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective roaming market.

31. A method for processing calls from a subscriber, the method comprising:

receiving, at a serving mobile switching center, a call associated with the subscriber;

requesting, from a home mobile switching center, a profile associated with the subscriber;

determining whether a prepaid platform is associated with a respective market for the serving mobile switching center; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market, modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to at least one of a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center and a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center for the serving mobile switching center to complete the call.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a hotline number.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein modifying the profile associated with the subscriber comprises:

modifying the profile associated with the subscriber to include a hotline number for a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

35. A processor program for processing calls from a subscriber, the processor program being tangibly stored on a processor-readable medium and comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

determine whether a respective market for a serving mobile switching center has a prepaid platform associated therewith, wherein the serving mobile switching center receives a call associated with the subscriber; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market, modify a profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to at least one of a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center and a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

36. The processor program of claim 35, wherein the instructions to modify a profile associated with the subscriber to route the call comprise instructions to:

modify the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a prepaid platform located in the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

37. The processor program of claim 35, wherein the instructions to modify a profile associated with the subscriber to route the call comprise instructions to:

modify the profile associated with the subscriber to route the call to a hotline number.

38. The processor program of claim 35, wherein the instructions to modify a profile associated with the subscriber to route the call comprise instructions to:

modify the profile associated with the subscriber to include a hotline number for a prepaid platform located in a market different than the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

39. A method for routing a call, the method comprising:

determining whether a respective market for a serving mobile switching center receiving the call has a prepaid platform associated therewith; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center receiving the call, routing the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the call originates from at least one of a mobile telephone and a landline.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the hotline number comprises a toll free telephone number on a public switched telephone network.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein routing the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprises:

modifying a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to route the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein routing the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprises:

routing the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center to allow the serving mobile switching center to complete the call.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein routing the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprises:

modifying a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to route the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center to allow the mobile switching center to complete the call.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein routing the call to a hotline number comprises:

routing the call to a hotline number to a prepaid platform associated with a market different than the respective market associated with the serving mobile switching center.

46. The method of claim 39, wherein routing the call to a hotline number comprises:

modifying a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to include a hotline number for a prepaid platform associated with a market different than the respective market associated with the serving mobile switching center.

47. A processor program for routing a call, the processor program being tangibly stored on a processor readable medium and comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

determine whether a prepaid platform is associated with a respective market for a serving mobile switching center receiving the call; and

,

based on whether a prepaid platform is associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center receiving the call, route the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

48. The processor program of claim 47, wherein the instructions to route the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprise instructions to:

modify a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to route the call to at least one of a hotline number and a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center.

49. The processor program of claim 47, wherein the instructions to route the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprises instructions to:

route the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center to allow the serving mobile switching center to complete the call.

50. The processor program of claim 47, wherein the instructions to route the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center comprises instructions to:

modify a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to route the call to a prepaid platform associated with the respective market for the serving mobile switching center to allow the serving mobile switching center to complete the call.

51. The processor program of claim 47, wherein the instructions to route the call to a hotline number comprise instructions to:

route the call to a hotline number to a prepaid platform associated with a market different than the respective market associated with the serving mobile switching center.

52. The processor program of claim 47, wherein the instructions to route the call to a hotline number comprise instructions to:

modify a profile associated with a subscriber associated with the call to include a hotline number to a prepaid platform associated with a market different than the respective market associated with the serving mobile switching center.