Network controller messaging for paging in an unlicensed wireless communication system

• US 7,668,558 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baranowski, Joseph G., Mohammed, Jahangir, Shi, Jianxiong, Shekhar, Madhu C., Elam, Thomas G., Powell, Mark, Kolderup, Kenneth M., Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller; Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US12/193,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/436, 455/422.1, 455/448, 455/552.1, 455/446, 455/432.2, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/458, 370/331, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 between gateways and public network devices

Abstract

An unlicensed wireless service is adapted to generate the interface protocols of a licensed wireless service to provide transparent transition of communication sessions between a licensed wireless service and an unlicensed wireless service. In one embodiment, a mobile station includes level 1, level 2, and level 3 protocols for licensed wireless service and an unlicensed wireless service. An indoor base station and indoor network controller provide protocol conversion for the unlicensed wireless service into a standard base station controller interface of the licensed wireless service.

Claims

1. A method of paging a telecommunication device in a communication system that includes a licensed wireless first communication system and a second communication system, said second communication system comprising a network controller that communicatively couples a plurality of service regions of the second communication system to the licensed wireless first communication system, the method comprising:

establishing a link via an interface between the network controller and the licensed wireless first communication system whose services are accessed by the telecommunication device via the network controller while the telecommunication device is in a particular service region of the second communication system;

establishing a TCP/IP connection between the network controller and the telecommunication device;

receiving a paging message at the network controller from the licensed wireless first communication system, wherein the paging message identifies the telecommunication device; and

at the network controller, exchanging a set of messages with the telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection, wherein the set of messages includes;

a paging request message sent from the network controller to the identified telecommunication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said interface is one of a group comprising an A-interface and a Gb-interface.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the network controller ignoring the paging request message when the network controller finds no record of the telecommunication device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the network controller ignoring the paging request message when the network controller finds a record of the telecommunication device but the telecommunication device is inactive.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at the network controller, receiving a paging response message over the TCP/IP connection from the telecommunication device after sending the paging request message to the telecommunication device; and

forwarding the contents of the paging response message by the network controller to the licensed wireless first communication system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication system is an unlicensed wireless communication system and said network controller is an unlicensed network controller of the unlicensed wireless communication system.

6. In a communication system that includes a licensed wireless first communication system for communicatively connecting to a telecommunication device using a first licensed wireless frequency and a second communication system for communicatively connecting to the telecommunication device using a second wireless frequency, a computer readable storage medium of a network controller, said computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by the network controller that communicatively couples a plurality of service regions of the second communication system to the licensed wireless first communication system, the computer program comprising sets of instruction for:

establishing a TCP/IP connection between the network controller and the telecommunication device in a particular service region of the second communication system;

receiving a paging message from the licensed wireless first communication system whose services are accessed by the telecommunication devices via the network controller, wherein the paging message identifies the telecommunication device; and

sending, over the TCP/IP connection, a paging request message to the identified telecommunication device.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving a paging response message from the identified telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection; and

forwarding the contents of the paging response to the licensed wireless first communication system.

8. A network controller of a first communication system for communicatively coupling a plurality of service regions of the first communication system to a licensed wireless second communication system, the network controller comprising:

a) a first network interface comprising a broadband access network;

b) a second network interface for establishing a TCP/IP connection with a particular telecommunication device in a particular service region of the first communication system and exchanging messages with the particular telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection, the second interface including a plurality of layers implemented over the broadband network interface;

c) a third network interface for connecting the network controller to the licensed wireless second communication system; and

d) circuits for handling a set of messages transmitted over the second interface to support paging of one or more telecommunication devices via the first communications system.

9. The network controller of claim 8, wherein the network controller is for receiving a paging message from the licensed wireless second communication system over the third interface, the paging message identifying the particular telecommunication device.

10. The network controller of claim 8, wherein the set of messages comprises a paging request message sent from the network controller to the particular telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection.

11. The network controller of claim 8, wherein the set of messages comprises a paging response message received at the network controller from the particular telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection, wherein contents of the paging response message are forwarded by the network controller to the licensed wireless second communication system.

12. In a communication system that includes a licensed wireless first communication system for communicatively connecting to a telecommunication device using a first licensed wireless frequency and a second communication system for communicatively connecting to the telecommunication device using a second wireless frequency, a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a network controller that communicatively couples a plurality of service regions of the second communication system to the licensed wireless first communication system, the computer program comprising sets of instruction for:

establishing a link via an interface with the licensed wireless first communication system whose services are accessed by the telecommunication device via the network controller while the telecommunication device is in a particular service region of the second communication system;

establishing a TCP/IP connection between the network controller and the telecommunication device;

receiving a paging message from the licensed wireless first communication system, wherein the paging message identifies the telecommunication device; and

exchanging a set of messages with the telecommunication device over the TCP/IP connection, wherein the set of messages includes a paging request message sent to the identified telecommunication device.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein said interface is one of a group comprising an A-interface and a Gb-interface.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for ignoring the paging request message when the network controller finds no record of the telecommunication device.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for ignoring the paging request message when the network controller finds a record of the telecommunication device but the telecommunication device is inactive.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving, over the TCP/IP connection, a paging response message from the identified telecommunication device after sending the paging request message to the identified telecommunication device; and

forwarding the contents of the paging response message to the licensed wireless first communication system.