Processing circuit switched services in an evolved packet network

• US 8,493,938 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yu, Yijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US13/557,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20120287907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-386, 370400-401, 455/431, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455450-453, 455/456.5, 455/464
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure

Abstract

The present invention discloses for the ability for processing circuit switched (CS) services in an evolved packet network. For example, embodiments provide a method that includes: by a mobility management entity (MME), receiving a mobile terminated (MT) service indication from a mobile switching center (MSC); sending the MT service indication to user equipment (UE); and receiving an MT service response returned by the UE and performing subsequent operations according to the MT service response. In the method of the present invention, when an MT service arrives, the MME does not trigger the evolved NodeB (eNodeB) to hand over the packet switched (PS) services of the UE but notifies the UE of the MT service and performs subsequent operations according to the MT service response returned by the UE, thus avoiding the waste of network resources caused by a meaningless handover of PS services.

Claims

1. At a mobility management entity (MME) of a wireless network that uses a packet switched (PS) domain, a method for efficiently processing circuit switched (CS) services in an evolved packet system (EPS), the method comprising:

receiving a mobile terminated (MT) service indication from a mobile switching center (MSC);

sending the MT service indication to a user equipment (UE) to notify the UE of the MT service;

receiving from the UE an MT service response, which includes a user choice result; and

based on the user choice result in the MT service response, performing one or more subsequent operations according to the MT service response, which indicates a user choice to accept the MT service, reject the MT service, or a null response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing one or more subsequent operations comprises:

determining that the user choice result is to reject the MT service; and

returning an MT service reject message to the MSC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing subsequent operations comprises:

determining that the user choice result is to accept the MT service; and

triggering the UE to access a 2^nd generation or 3^rd generation (2G/3G) network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the triggering of the UE to access a 2G/3G network comprises:

sending a PS service handover request to an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), which then executes a PS service handover when the eNodeB receives the handover request by handing the UE over to a 2G/3G network, which then sends a first page response to the MSC for completing the MT service processing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing one or more subsequent operations comprises:

determining that the user choice result is to accept the MT service; and

allowing the UE to access a 2G/3G network directly to complete the MT service processing without sending a response to the UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of one or more subsequent operations comprises:

determining that the user choice result is to accept the MT service; and

sending a PS service handover request to a eNodeB for allowing the UE to access a 2G/3G network directly to complete the MT service processing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of one or more subsequent operations comprises:

determining that the user choice result is a null; and

setting the user choice result according to one or more default settings.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the MT service indication comprises MT service related information, wherein the MT service related information comprises one of a mobile station ISDN (MSISDN) of an originator and a service type indication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the MT service related information further comprises an MT service ID.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the UE, the MT service indication, notifying the user of the MT service, and returning an MT service response to the MME according to a choice of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the MSC, a first page message, wherein the first page message comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the UE.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first page message comprises the MT service indication sent by the MSC to the MME.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the MT service indication to the UE comprises:

querying a state of the UE;

determining that the UE is in an active state; and

based on the active state of the UE, sending the MT service indication to the UE.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the MT service indication to the UE comprises:

querying a state of the UE;

determining that the UE is in an idle mode state;

activating the UE via an eNodeB; and

sending the MT service indication to the UE.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the MT service indication is carried by a first page message from the MSC, and wherein the activating the UE via the eNodeB and sending the MT service indication to the UE comprises:

sending a second page message to the eNodeB, which subsequently broadcasts the second page message to UEs in a cell managed by the eNodeB;

receiving a service request returned by the UE; and

sending the MT service indication to the UE.

16. In a wireless network that uses a packet switched (PS) domain, a mobility management entity (MME) for efficiently processing circuit switched (CS) services in an evolved packet system (EPS), the MME comprising:

a page message receiving unit, configured to receive a mobile terminated (MT) service indication from a mobile switching center (MSC);

an MT service notifying unit, configured to send the MT service indication to a user equipment (UE) to notify the UE of the MT service;

a response receiving unit, configured to receive an MT service response returned by the UE; and

a response processing unit, configured to perform subsequent operations according to the MT service response, wherein the MT service response comprises a user choice result.

17. The MME of claim 16, wherein the response processing unit comprises one of:

a reject response processing unit, configured to return an MT service Reject message to the MSC if the user choice result is to reject the MT service; and

a accept response processing unit, configured to trigger the UE to access a 2^nd generation or 3^rd generation (2G/3G) network if the user choice result is to accept the MT service.

18. The MME of any of claim 16, wherein the MT service notifying unit comprises:

a state querying unit, configured to;

query a state of the UE and trigger a sending unit if the UE is in active mode; and

the sending unit, configured to send the MT service indication to the UE if the UE is in active mode.

19. The MME of claim 18, wherein the MT service indication is carried by a first page message from the MSC, and wherein the MT service notifying unit further comprises:

a page message sending unit, configured to send a second page message to the eNodeB; and

a service request receiving unit, configured to trigger the MT service notifying unit after receiving a service request returned by the UE.

20. In a wireless network that uses a packet switched (PS) domain, a user equipment (UE) for efficiently processing circuit switched (CS) services in an evolved packet system (EPS), which comprises:

a notification receiving unit, configured to receive a mobile terminated (MT) service indication sent by a mobility management entity (MME);

an notifying unit, configured to notify the user of the MT service after the notification receiving unit receives the MT service indication; and

a response sending unit, configured to return an MT service response to the MME according to a choice of the user regarding the MT service, wherein the MT service response comprises the user choice result.

21. The UE of claim 20, further comprising:

an MT service processing unit, configured to process the MT service.

22. The UE of claim 20, wherein the MT service indication comprises MT service related information, and wherein the MT service related information comprises one of a mobile station ISDN (MSISDN) of an originator and a service type indication.

23. The UE of claim 22, wherein the MT service indication further comprises an MT service ID.

24. In a wireless network that uses a packet switched (PS) domain, a system for efficiently processing circuit switched (CS) services in an evolved packet system (EPS, the system comprising:

a mobile switching center (MSC); and

a mobility management entity (MME),

wherein the MSC comprises a service indication sending unit, configured to send a mobile terminated (MT) service indication to the MME after receiving the MT service indication,

and wherein the MME comprises;

a page message receiving unit, configured to receive the MT service indication from the MSC;

an MT service notifying unit, configured to send the MT service indication to a user equipment (UE) to notify the UE of the MT service;

a response receiving unit, configured to receive an MT service response returned by the UE; and

a response processing unit, configured to perform subsequent operations according to the MT service response, wherein the MT service response comprises a user choice result.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the response processing unit comprises one of:

a reject response processing unit, configured to return an MT service Reject message to the MSC if the user choice result is to reject the MT service;

or

a accept response processing unit, configured to trigger the UE to access a 2^nd generation or 3^rd generation (2G/3G) network if the user choice result is to accept the MT service.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the MSC further comprises:

an activation request receiving unit, configured to receive the second MT service activation request from the MME; and

an activation response sending unit, configured to return the second MT service activation response after the activation request receiving unit receives the request.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) and the MME further comprises:

a UE activating unit, configured to activate the UE via the eNodeB; and

a state querying unit, configured to;

query a state of the UE and trigger the MT service notifying unit if the UE is in active mode.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the MT service indication is carried by a first page message from the MSC, and wherein the UE activating unit comprises:

a page message sending unit, configured to send a second page message to the eNodeB; and

a service request receiving unit, configured to trigger the MT service notifying unit after receiving a service request returned by the UE.