Location management system and a paging server in a wireless IP network

• US 7,269,425 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Valko, Andra, Magi, Ada, Turanyi, Zolta
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holliday; Jaime
• Application Number:
  US10/489,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 4554561-4566, 455/458
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a location management system and a paging server in an Internet Protocol, IP, communication network that is adapted for wireless communication. The wireless IP network comprises multiple routers wherein at least one of the routers is an access router adapted for wireless communication with mobile nodes. The location management system is divided into at least one location area manager, and at least one regional location manager, the location area manager is a first signaling server and the regional location manager is a second signaling server, one of said location area manager and regional location manager comprises means for maintaining a list of mobile nodes located within at least one location area. The regional location manager comprises means for managing location information within a single location management region, and wherein the location area manager and regional location manager are connected to each other and adapted to exchange information. Furthermore, the paging server comprises means for obtaining location management information from the location management system and means for multicasting paging requests to the access routers wherein the access routers is determined by using said location management information.

Claims

1. A location management system in a packet switched communication network adapted for wireless communication wherein the packet switched communication network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network and comprises multiple routers at least one of the routers being an access router adapted for wireless communication with mobile nodes, an area served by the at least one access router is a cell;

the location management system comprising;

at least one location area manager and at least one regional location manager;

wherein the at least one location area manager comprises a first signaling server and the at least one regional location manager comprises a second signaling server respectively separated from said multiple routers and one of said at least one location area manager and said at least one regional location manager comprises means for maintaining a list of mobile nodes located within at least one location area wherein one mobile node is associated to multiple regional location managers;

a first predefined set of cells defines said at least one location area and the at least one regional location manager further comprises means for managing location information within a single location management region wherein the single location management region is a second predefined set of cells; and

the at least one location area manager and the at least one regional location manager are inter-connected and adapted to exchange information.

2. The location management system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one location area manager comprises means for maintaining a list of mobile nodes located within the at least one location area.

3. The location management system according to claim 2, wherein:

the information exchange comprises a notification to a location area manager of the at least one location area manager that is responsible for the mobile node from the at least one regional location manager the information exchange is responsive to a handover of said mobile node resulting in a change of the location area of said mobile node; and

wherein said at least one location area manager comprises means for updating a list of mobile nodes of the at least one location area manager.

4. The location management system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one regional location manager comprises means for notifying the at least one location area manager upon a request from said at least one location area manager.

5. The location management system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one regional location manager comprises means for maintaining a list of mobile nodes located within the at least one location area.

6. The location management system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one regional location manager comprises means for updating the list in a local information base.

7. The location management system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one regional location manager is aware of the at least one location area within a location management region of the at least one regional location manager.

8. The location management system according to claim 1 wherein each of the at least one regional location manager comprises information of which access routers belong to which of the at least one location areas.

9. The location management system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one regional location manager comprises means for obtaining said information on demand.

10. The location management system according to claim 1, wherein said location management system is connected to a paging server and the location management system and the paging server are adapted to exchange information with each other.

11. The location management system according to claim 10, wherein said information exchange comprises location management information to the paging server and wherein said paging server comprises means for multicasting paging requests to at least one access router.

12. The location management system according to claim 10 wherein the regional location manager comprises means for transmitting information about a previous location of the mobile node or a previous mobility of the mobile node to the paging server in order to determine a set of access routers at which the mobile node shall be paged or to aid advanced paging schemes.

13. The location management system according to claim 10 wherein a paging area, defining an area served by a predetermined set access routers, is uniquely assigned to one single paging server.

14. The location management system according to claim 10 wherein the access router comprises means for contacting the paging server the access router belongs to.

15. The location management system according to claim 10 wherein the access router comprises means for contacting any paging server, said any paging server comprising means for forwarding the message to the paging server said access router belongs to.

16. The location management system according to claim 10, wherein the paging server comprises a database that contains custom paging schemes for individual mobile nodes.

17. The location management system according to claim 10, wherein the paging server comprises means for receiving and temporarily storing data packets addressed to idle mobile nodes.

18. The location management system according to claim 10, wherein the paging server is implemented within one of the at least one regional location manager server.

19. The location management system according to claim 10, wherein the paging area is equal to one of the at least one location area.

20. A paging server in a packet switched communication Internet Protocol network adapted for wireless communication, wherein the packet switched communication network comprises multiple routers;

at least one of the multiple routers being is an access router adapted for wireless communication with mobile nodes; and

wherein the paging server is separated from said multiple routers;

the paging server comprising;

a database that contains custom paging schemes for individual mobile nodes;

means for obtaining location management information from a location management system that comprises at least one location area manager and at least one regional location manager and is connected to

means for multicasting paging requests to said multiple routers wherein said at least one access router is determined by using said location management information.

21. The paging server of claim 20, wherein the paging server further comprises means for receiving and temporarily storing data packets addressed to idle mobile nodes.

22. The paging server according to claim 20, wherein the paging server is implemented within one of the at least one regional location manager servers.

23. The location management system according to claim 20, wherein the paging area is equal to one of the at least one location areas.

24. The paging server according to claim 20 further comprising means for receiving information about a previous location of the mobile node or a previous mobility of the mobile node in order to determine a set of access routers at which the mobile node shall be paged or to aid advanced paging schemes.

25. The paging server according to claim 20 wherein a paging area, defining an area served by a predetermined set of access routers, is uniquely assigned to one single paging server.

26. The paging server according to claim 20 wherein the at least one access router comprises means for contacting any paging server, said any paging server comprising means for forwarding the message to the paging server said access router belongs to.