Method and system of control signaling for a wireless access network

• US 7,471,674 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kachhla, Rasik, Dantu, Ramanamurthy, Yin, Haochih Paul, Chiang, Shihlung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/626,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• 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 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A method and system of control signaling for a wireless access network includes receiving from a wireless access network a signaling message for a mobile device. The signaling message is in a wireless-specific format. The signaling message is converted to a native format of a call agent to generate a call agent message. The call agent message comprises wireless-specific information of the signaling message.

Claims

1. A method for enlisting one or more end users in a network environment in which signaling for a wireless access network occurs, comprising:

enlisting one or more end users in a billing plan associated with network communications;

generating a bill associated with one or more of the end users, the bill being based on the billing plan; and

facilitating network communications for one or more of the end users in response to the end users being enlisted in the billing plan, whereby the network communications includes a protocol that comprises;

receiving from a wireless access network a signaling message for a mobile device, the signaling message in a wireless-specific format;

converting the signaling message to a native format of a call agent to generate a call agent message;

creating an extended portion of the call agent message comprising wireless specific information of the signaling message; and

communicating the call agent message to a call agent for processing, whereby the call agent is operable to support location updates for the mobile device in the wireless access network by processing the extended portion of the call agent message, wherein the signaling message comprises a location update message for the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling message comprises a call establishment message for the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling message comprises a mobility management message for the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling message comprises a registration message for the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message that may include location or other wireless event information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the signaling message being mapped to the SIP message using a lookup table.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, whereby wireless event information is extracted from the signaling message during conversion and encapsulated into an extension in the body of a SIP message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the SIP message, is forwarded to the call agent for handling such that the call agent need not communicate with a mobility control functions (MCF) using a access network-specific protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the call agent responding to the SIP message or generating further control messages to process the SIP message.

11. A computer readable medium having code for communicating control signaling for a wireless access network, the code operable to:

receive from a wireless access network a signaling message for a mobile device, the signaling message in a wireless-specific format;

convert the signaling message to a native format of a call agent to generate a call agent message;

create an extended portion of the call agent message comprising wireless specific information of the signaling message; and

communicate the call agent message to a call agent for processing, whereby the call agent is operable to support location updates for the mobile device in the wireless access network, by processing the extended portion of the call agent message, wherein the signaling message comprises a location update message for the mobile device.

12. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message.

13. The code of claim 11, wherein the signaling message comprises a call establishment message for the mobile device.

14. The code of claim 11, wherein the signaling message comprises a mobility management message for the mobile device.

15. The code of claim 11, wherein the signaling message comprises a registration message for the mobile device.

16. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message that may include location or other wireless event information.

17. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the signaling message being mapped to the SIP message using a lookup table.

18. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, whereby wireless event information may be extracted from the signaling message during conversion and encapsulated into an extension in the body of a SIP message.

19. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the SIP message, is forwarded to the call agent for handling such that the call agent need not communicate with a mobility control functions (MCF) using a access network-specific protocol.

20. The code of claim 11, wherein the call agent message comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, the call agent responding to the SIP message or generating further control messages to process the SIP message.