Method and apparatus for call notification and delivery to a busy mobile station

• US 7,616,944 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lundstrom, Anders, Julka, Vibhor, Gustavsson, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US10/657,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20040092252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,255 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 4554121- 2, 455/413, 455/406, 455/458, 370/338, 370/88.12, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• 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 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/32 Release of transport tunnels

Abstract

A call handling method and apparatus provide improved call handling in scenarios where concurrent voice and data service is not supported, or is not possible. A wireless communication network can be configured to provide real-time notifications of incoming voice calls to mobile stations that are busy in data calls, and can route those incoming voice call to voice mail, etc. The network can be configured to attempt call delivery of an incoming voice call to a mobile station busy in a data call with or without prompting the mobile station user, depending on the type of data service the mobile station is engaged in. According to exemplary embodiments, the traffic channel and other resources as desired are retained from the data call for use in supporting the voice call. Also, the mobile stations can be configured to support such notification, reconfiguration and channel retention processing.

Claims

1. A method of call handling in a wireless communication network comprising:

receiving an incoming voice call for a mobile station that is busy in a packet-switched data call;

sending an incoming call notification to the mobile station via signaling over an existing traffic channel allocated to the data call; and

reconfiguring the existing traffic channel to support the incoming voice call and delivering the incoming voice call to the mobile station via the reconfigured existing traffic channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising suspending or ending a data transaction associated with the data call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the existing traffic channel for use delivering the incoming voice call to the mobile station comprises establishing a new service option connection at a network Base Station (BS), and requesting a network Mobile Switching Center (MSC) to establish a voice connection for the incoming voice call.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising requiring a return indication from the mobile station that indicates call delivery is desired before renegotiating the existing traffic channel.

5. A method of call handling in a wireless communication network comprising:

receiving an incoming voice call indication at a Base Station (BS) that is targeted to a mobile station busy in a packet-switched data call; and

sending a call notification message to the mobile station and, responsive to receiving a return acknowledgment from the mobile station, reconfiguring the service connection of the mobile station to deliver the incoming voice call using the existing traffic channel.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising releasing a packet data service associated with the packet-switched data call.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein reconfiguring a service connection of the mobile station to deliver the incoming voice call using an existing traffic channel previously allocated to the data call comprises:

sending a voice service call setup request to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC);

receiving a voice circuit assignment from the MSC;

establishing a voice service option connection at the BS to support the incoming voice call; and

alerting the mobile station to inform the mobile station that the incoming voice call is setup.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein sending a voice service call setup request message to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) comprises generating default voice service parameters at the BS rather than receiving requested voice service parameters from the mobile station.

9. A Base Station (BS) to provide a call handling in a wireless communication network, the BS comprising:

call processing and interface circuits configured to provide voice and data call handling for a plurality of mobile stations; and

a notification processor configured to;

receive an incoming voice call indication at a Base Station (BS) that is targeted to a mobile station busy in a packet-switched data call; and

send a call notification message to the mobile station and, responsive to receiving a return acknowledgment from the mobile station, reconfigure the service connection of the mobile station to deliver the incoming voice call using the existing traffic channel.

10. The BS of claim 9, wherein the BS is configured to suspend a packet data service associated with the data call after connecting the incoming voice call.

11. The BS of claim 9, wherein the BS is configured to release a packet data service associated with the data call after connecting the incoming voice call.

12. The BS of claim 9, wherein the BS reconfigures a service connection of the mobile station to deliver the incoming voice call using an existing traffic channel previously allocated to the data call based on:

sending a voice service call setup request to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC);

receiving a voice circuit assignment from the MSC;

establishing a voice service option connection at the BS to support the incoming voice call; and

alerting the mobile station to inform the mobile station that the incoming voice call is setup.

13. The BS of claim 12, wherein the BS is configured to send the voice service call setup request message to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) as an additional services request message that includes default voice service parameters generated by the BS rather than by receiving requested voice service parameters from the mobile station.

14. A method of call handling in a mobile station for use in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

carrying on a packet-switched data call over an existing traffic channel; and

renegotiating the existing traffic channel for circuit-switched voice call use responsive to signaling from the network, said renegotiating including receiving a call notification from the network via signaling on the existing traffic channel indicating that an incoming circuit-switched voice call is pending for the mobile station, returning a notification response to the network via signaling on the existing traffic channel based on prompting a user of the mobile station as to whether receipt of the incoming circuit-switched voice call is desired, sending and receiving signaling as needed to and from the network via the existing traffic channel to reconfigure it for circuit-switched voice use, and receiving an alert message from the network via signaling on the existing traffic channel indicating that the incoming circuit-switched voice call is set up and returning a call connect order to the network via signaling on the existing traffic channel; and

changing from carrying on the packet-switched data call to carrying on the circuit-switched voice call over the existing traffic channel.