Mobile communication system, extension transmission/reception device, base station, radio network controller and mobile station

• US 7,634,293 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Masuda, Masafumi, Yamada, Mayu, Koshino, Masayuki, Maebara, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAGLAWI, AMAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/981,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20050136950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 455/465, 455/420, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/428, 455/462, 455/552.1, 455/524, 455/560, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A mobile communication system includes a first base station configured to be controlled by a first radio network controller, and provide an address of an extension transmission/reception device to user data received from a first mobile station, and the extension transmission/reception device configured to be controlled by the first radio network controller or a different second radio network controller, and provide an address of a second base station, which is controlled by the second radio network controller, to user data received from the first base station.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system including a first radio access network, a second radio access network different from the first radio access network, and a core network, wherein

the first radio access network comprises a first base station configured to communicate with a first mobile station and a first extension transmission/reception server configured to connect to the first base station;

the second radio access network comprises a second base station configured to communicate with a second mobile station;

the core network comprises a mobile switching center;

the first base station receives mobile station control data from the first mobile station and transmits the mobile station control data to the second mobile station via the mobile switching center and the second base station;

the mobile switching center notifies the first base station of a first address, which indicates an address of the first extension transmission/reception server and notifies the first extension transmission/reception server of a second address, which indicates an address of the second base station;

the first base station receives user data from the first mobile station and transmits the user data to the first extension transmission/reception server, without going through the mobile switching center, based on the first address provided by the mobile switching center;

the first extension transmission/reception server receives the user data from the first base station, without going through the mobile switching center, and transmits the user data to the second base station, without going through the mobile switching center, based on the second address provided by the mobile switching center; and

the second base station receives the user data from the first extension transmission/reception server, without going through the mobile switching center, and transmits the user data to the second mobile station.

2. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein

the second radio access network further comprises a second extension transmission/reception server configured connect to the second base station;

the mobile switching center selects either the first extension transmission/reception server or the second extension transmission/reception server;

the selected transmission/reception server receives the user data from the first mobile station via the first base station and transmits the user data to the second base station based on the second address provided by the mobile switching center; and

the second base station receives the user data from the selected extension transmission/reception server and transmits the user data to the second mobile station.

3. The mobile communication system of claim 2, wherein the extension transmission/reception server and the second extension transmission/reception server comprise a data converter configured to convert a format of the user data, which is transmitted by the first mobile station, to a format of the user data to be received by a second mobile station when the format of the user data transmitted by the first mobile station is different from the format of the user data to be received by the second mobile station.

4. The mobile communication system of claims 1 or 2, wherein data transmission and data reception among the first mobile station, the first base station, the second base station, the extension transmission/reception server and the mobile switching center are implemented by connectionless communication.

5. A mobile switching center included in a core network, the mobile switching center comprising:

an interface for a radio network controller configured to transmit/receive control data, which is transmitted from a mobile station, to/from a radio network controller;

a database configured to store connection information, which associates a base station connected to the radio network controller with an extension transmission/reception server capable of communicating with the base station, the extension transmission/reception server included in a radio access network different from the core network and the base station transmitting mobile station control data to another base station via the mobile switching center; and

an extension transmission/reception determination unit configured to determine whether the base station should transmit the user data to the radio network controller or the base station should transmit the user data to another base station via the extension transmission/reception server without going through the mobile switching center, based on the connection information.

6. The mobile switching center of claim 5, wherein

the extension transmission/reception determination unit determines that the base station should transmit the user data to the extension transmission/reception server when a plurality of the extension/reception servers exist and the connection information associates the base station with at least one of the extension transmission/reception servers.

7. The mobile switching center of claim 6, wherein

the extension transmission/reception determination unit selects one of the extension transmission/reception servers based on traffic load or process capacity of each of the extension transmission/reception servers and determines that the base station should transmit the user data to the extension transmission/reception server selected by the extension transmission/reception determination unit when the connection information associates the base station with a plurality of extension transmission/reception servers.