Connect customized ring back tone service only at one MSC when intersystem page is involved

• US 7,515,898 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chin, Frances Mu-Fen, Song, Huixian
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh; Chuck
• Application Number:
  US10/818,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 455/401, 455/400, 455/433, 455/414.1, 455/432.1, 455/458
• US Class Current: 455/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Embodiments of the present method allow only one serving mobile switching center to connect an incoming call from a communication terminal to a customized ring back tone server when a called mobile terminal moves from an area of a serving mobile switching center to an area of a bordering mobile switching center. Embodiments may have the steps of: passing, by the serving mobile switching center, an indicator that indicates whether customized ring back tone service is already provided for an incoming call to a mobile terminal to all bordering mobile switching centers when intersystem page operation is in effect; saving, upon receiving the indicator by each bordering mobile switching center, the information up for later processing in each bordering mobile switching center; checking, when a respective bordering mobile switching center receives the mobile terminating call, the indicator and checking active customized ring back tone service in a profile of the mobile terminal to determine if a customized ring back tone is to be provided to the communication terminal; and connecting, if the indicator indicates that the customized return ring back tone is not already connected to the communication terminal, to the communication terminal otherwise the respective bordering mobile switching center not connecting the customized ring back tone server again to the communication terminal even if the mobile terminal has customized ring back tone service active and a profile thereof. The system implements the method.

Claims

1. A method for allowing only one mobile switching center to connect an incoming call to a customized ring back service server when a called mobile terminal moves from an area of a serving mobile switching center to an area of a bordering mobile switching center, the method comprising the steps of:

activating customized ring back service for a mobile terminal of a mobile subscriber and setting a customized ring back service indicator in a mobile terminal profile;

placing a call from a communication terminal to a mobile terminal;

receiving an incoming call, which is the call from the communication terminal, for the mobile terminal at a server mobile switching center from a public switched telephone network network;

sending, by the server mobile switching center, a query message to a home location register that is associated with the mobile terminal to obtain call treatment instructions;

determining, by the home location register, that the mobile terminal is in an area served by the serving mobile switching center;

returning, by the home location register, call treatment instructions to the serving mobile switching center;

checking, by the serving mobile switching center, if the mobile terminal has customized ring back service active according to the call treatment instructions;

connecting, if the mobile terminal has customized ring back service service, the mobile terminal to an external customized ring back service server so that the communication terminal receives customized ring back service treatment;

paging, while the communication terminal is connected to the customized ring back service server, the mobile terminal by the serving mobile switching center;

providing customized ring back service information in a OneTimeFeatureIndictor parameter;

sending, if a page response is not received from the mobile terminal, InterSystemPage Invoke message to each associated bordering mobile switching center with the OneTimeFeatureIndictor parameter to request that each bordering mobile switching center pages the mobile terminal;

receiving the OneTimeFeatureIndictor parameter at each boarding mobile switching center and saving the customized ring back service information thereat;

assigning, when a respective bordering mobile switching center receives a page response from the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal to a voice/traffic channel, allocating the mobile terminal to a temporary local directory number and returning an InterSystemPage Return Result message to the serving mobile switching center;

routing, when the serving mobile switching center receives the InterSystemPage Return Result message, the incoming call to the respective bordering mobile switching center through the public switched telephone network via the temporary local directory number;

checking, when the bordering mobile switching center receives the incoming call, the saved customized ring back service information and the customized ring back service indicator in the mobile terminal profile;

connecting, if the customized ring back service indictor indicates that the communication terminal is not connected to the customized ring back service server, the incoming call to the customized ring back service server while the respective bordering mobile switching center pages the mobile terminal, and not connecting, if the customized ring back service indictor indicates that the communication terminal is connected to the customized ring back service server, the incoming call to the customized ring back service server; and

wherein the communication terminal receives a coherent customized ring back service treatment since the communication terminal is only connected once to the customized ring back service server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information in the OneTimeFeatureIndictor parameter comprise two reserved protocol extension bits in an InterSystemPage.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the indicator indicates that the customized return ring back tone is not already connected to the communication terminal, the bordering mobile switching center connects the customized ring back tone server to the communication terminal, otherwise the respective bordering mobile switching center does not connect the customized ring back tone server again to the communication terminal even if the mobile terminal has customized ring back tone service active and a profile thereof.