Method and apparatus for integrated wireless communications in private and public network environments

• US 7,496,103 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sayers, Ian Leslie, Long, Paul Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US10/752,114
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/402, 370/389, 370/386, 370/465, 370/469, 370/467, 370/466, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338, 370/349.373, 370/377, 370/384, 370/349, 370/395.5
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A communications system extends over a cellular region formed of a plurality of wireless cells where each cell covers a portion of the cellular region. Each cell has a base station which is responsible for communication with the cellular subscriber. In order to for the call to be properly managed in the public cellular domain, responsibility for call handling and processing must first by managed by the public MSC. Call handling with the public MSC for a private cellular subscriber first requires the exchange of information between the two systems. This is facilitated through the exchange of MAP and A interface signaling between the private and public cellular systems. Since this information on the private network is normally transmitted via IP, this information must be converted to standard SS7 based MAP and A protocol signaling in order for the public MSC to process.

Claims

1. A network interworking apparatus that enables mobile station roaming between wireless networks using different network communication protocols, the apparatus comprising:

a first interface using a first protocol for sending and receiving control signal messages to and from a first wireless network, said first wireless network is a public wireless network having one or more public cells;

a second interface using a second protocol for sending and receiving control signal messages to and from a second wireless network, said second wireless network is a private wireless network having one or more private cells within one or more of said public cells and having mobile stations that move among the private and public cells;

a correlation unit including;

a first software stack that processes the control signal messages of the first protocol including;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said first wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the first software stack;

a second software stack that processes the control signal messages of the second protocol including;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said second wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the second software stack; and

a protocol conversion unit that converts control signal messages from the first software stack to the second software stack format or converts control signal messages from the second software stack to the first software stack format based on an algorithmically predetermined mapping of first network messages with an equivalent second network messages and delivers said control messages to and from the first and second software stacks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a database unit that associates each first wireless network element with a network address using said second wireless network address format and associates each second wireless network element with a network address using said first wireless network address format to enable the protocol conversion unit to convert control signal message origin and destination addresses to the address format of the destination wireless network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first wireless network operates with and SS7 protocol.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first wireless network is a public wireless network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the apparatus is located on a premises of said public wireless network.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said public network is a Public Land Mobile Network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein second wireless network is a private wireless network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the apparatus is located on a premises of said private wireless network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first stack includes MTP, SCCP and TCAP layers for an SS7 protocol and wherein said second stack includes IP and TCP/UDP layers for an IP protocol.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said database unit maps SS7 point codes or E.164 numbers to corresponding IP addresses.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein address mapping is performed statically using an operations and maintenance interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein address mapping is performed dynamically as new addresses are received.

13. A network interworking apparatus that enables mobile station roaming between wireless networks using different network communication protocols, the apparatus comprising:

a first interface using a first protocol for sending and receiving control signal messages to and from a first wireless network;

a second interface using a second protocol for sending and receiving control signal messages to and from a second wireless network;

a correlation unit including;

a first software stack that processes the control signal messages of the first protocol including;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said first wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the first software stack;

a second software stack that processes the control signal messages of the second protocol including;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said second wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the second software stack;

a protocol conversion unit that converts control signal messages from the first software stack to the second software stack format or converts control signal messages from the second software stack to the first software stack format based on an algorithmically predetermined mapping of first network messages with an equivalent second network messages and delivers said control messages to and from the first and second software stacks; and

a Mobile Application Part layer adjacent to one of said message encode/decode layers for said first software stack.

14. A method of network interworking that enables a mobile station to roam between wireless networks using different network communication protocols, the method comprising:

using a first interface and protocol to send and receive control signal messages to and from a first wireless network, said first wireless network is a public wireless network having one or more public cells;

using a second interface and protocol to send and receive control signal messages to and from a second wireless network, said second wireless network is a private wireless network having one or more private cells within one or more of said public cells and having mobile stations that move among the private and public cells;

correlating control signal messages between first and second wireless networks using;

a first software stack that processes the control signal messages of the first protocol using;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said first wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the first software stack;

a second software stack that processes the control signal messages of the second protocol using;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said second wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the second software stack; and

a protocol conversion unit that converts control signal messages from the first software stack to the second software stack format or converts control signal messages from the second software stack to the first software stack format based on an algorithmically predetermined mapping of first network messages with equivalent second network messages and delivers said control messages to and from the first and second software stacks.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising associating each first wireless network element with a network address using said second wireless network address format and associating each second wireless network element with a network address using said first wireless network address format to enable conversion of control signal message origin and destination addresses to the address format of the destination wireless network.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said first wireless network operation with an SS7 protocol.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said first wireless network is a public wireless network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the interworking device is located on a premises of said public wireless network.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said public wireless network is a Public Land Mobile Network.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein said second wireless network is a private wireless network.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein interworking device is located on a premises of said private wireless network.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein said first stack includes MTP, SCCP and TCAP layers for an SS7 protocol and wherein said second stack includes IP and TCP/UDP layers for IP protocol.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein association is performed using a database unit that maps SS7 point codes or E.164 numbers to corresponding IP addresses.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein address mapping is performed statically using an operations and maintenance interface.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein address mapping is performed dynamically as new addresses are received.

26. A method of network interworking that enables a mobile station to roam between wireless networks using different network communication protocols, the method comprising:

using a first interface and protocol to send and receive control signal messages to and from a first wireless network;

using a second interface and protocol to send and receive control signal messages to and from a second wireless network;

correlating control signal messages between first and second wireless networks using;

a first software stack that processes the control signal messages of the first protocol using;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said first wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the first software stack;

a second software stack that processes the control signal messages of the second protocol using;

a signal message encoder/decoder layer responsible for receiving and dispatching said control signal messages to and from said second wireless network, wherein the signal message encoder/decoder layer is located at the application layer and performs message formatting for use by lower layers of the second software stack;

a protocol conversion unit that converts control signal messages from the first software stack to the second software stack format or converts control signal messages from the second software stack to the first software stack format based on an algorithmically predetermined mapping of first network messages with equivalent second network messages and delivers said control messages to and from the first and second software stacks; and

a Mobile Application Part layer adjacent to one of said message encode/decode layers for said first software stack.