Telecommunications network responsive to server-provided location information

• US 8,588,137 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Norp, Antonius Hendrikus Johannes, Schenk, Michael Robert, Kips, Annemieke Josefa Ren
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHIRODHAR, MAHARISHI V
• Application Number:
  US12/769,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20100272020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/17 Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

The invention relates to a telecommunications network for wirelessly establishing a connection with a terminal located at a location in said network by a server. The terminal is identified by a terminal identifier in the telecommunications network. The telecommunications network contains a first network node and a second network node. The first network node is configured for receiving a data unit for the terminal from the server, that is preferably located outside the telecommunications network. The data unit comprises the terminal identifier. The first network node is being configured for receiving a location identifier indicative of the location of the terminal from the server and for deriving an address of the second network node using the location identifier. The derived address of the second network node is then used for transmitting a first connection request for establishing a connection with the derived second network node.

Claims

1. A telecommunications network configured for wirelessly establishing a connection between a terminal located at a location in said network and a requesting server, the terminal being identified by a terminal identifier and accessible at a location in the telecommunications network, the telecommunications network containing a first network node and a second network node,

wherein the first network node is configured to (i) receive a data unit destined for the terminal from the server, the data unit comprising the terminal identifier, (ii) receive a location identifier from the server indicative of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network, (iii) derive an address of the second network node using the location identifier, and (iv) transmit a first connection request to the derived second network node for establishing a connection to the terminal, and

wherein the second network node is configured to receive the first connection request from the first network node and to transmit a second connection request for establishing the connection towards the terminal.

2. The telecommunications network according to claim 1, wherein the data unit further comprises the location identifier.

3. The telecommunications network according to claim 1, wherein the first network node is configured to store the location identifier and retrieve the location identifier from storage in response to receiving the data unit from the server.

4. The telecommunications network according to claim 1, wherein the first network node comprises a signalling interface for the server configured to receive the location identifier of the terminal in a transmission from the server separate from the data unit.

5. The telecommunications network according to claim 1, wherein the second network node is further configured to (i) process the first connection request from the first network node, (ii) obtain further location information directly from or derivable from the location identifier to further identify the location of the terminal in the network, and (iii) use the further location information for transmitting the second connection request towards the terminal.

6. The telecommunications network according to claim 1, wherein the second network node is further configured to (i) receive further location information further identifying the location of the terminal in the network from one of the terminal and a third network node, and (ii) use the further location information for transmitting the second connection request towards the terminal.

7. A method for wirelessly establishing a connection between a terminal located at a location in a telecommunications network and a requesting server, the terminal being identified by a terminal identifier and accessible at a location in the telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a data unit destined for the terminal from the server at a first network node, the data unit comprising the terminal identifier;

receiving a location identifier at the first network node from the server indicative of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network;

in the first network node, deriving an address of a second network node using the location identifier; and

transmitting a connection request from the first network node to the derived second network node.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising receiving the location identifier in the data unit.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising receiving the location identifier separately from the data unit.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting further location information of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network, obtained directly or derived from the location identifier, with the connection request from the first network node to the second network node;

receiving the further location information at the second network node and transmitting a second connection request towards the terminal using the further location information.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving at the second network node further location information of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network from one of the terminal and a third network node;

transmitting a second connection request from the second network node towards the terminal using the further location information.

12. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer readable medium having software code portions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at a first network node a data unit destined for a terminal located at a location in a telecommunications network from a requesting server, the data unit comprising a terminal identifier;

receiving a location identifier at the first network node from the server indicative of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network;

in the first network node, deriving an address of a second network node using the location identifier; and

transmitting a connection request from the first network node to the derived second network node to wirelessly establish a connection between the terminal and the requesting server.

13. The article of manufacture according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the location identifier in the data unit.

14. The article of manufacture according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the location identifier separately from the data unit.

15. The article of manufacture according to claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting further location information of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network, obtained directly or derived from the location identifier, with the connection request from the first network node to the second network node.

16. A first network node configured for use in a telecommunications network for wirelessly establishing a connection between a terminal located at a location in said network and a requesting server, the terminal being identified by a terminal identifier and accessible at a location in the telecommunications network;

wherein the first network node is further configured to (i) receive a data unit destined for the terminal from the server, the data unit comprising the terminal identifier, (ii) receive a location identifier from the server indicative of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network, (iii) derive an address of the second network node using the location identifier, and (iv) transmit a first connection request to the derived second network node for establishing a connection to the terminal.

17. The first network node according to claim 16, wherein the data unit further comprises the location identifier.

18. The first network node according to claim 16, wherein the first network node is further configured to store the location identifier and retrieve the location identifier from storage in response to receiving the data unit from the server.

19. The first network node according to claim 16, wherein the first network node further comprises a signalling interface for the server configured to receive the location identifier of the terminal in a transmission from the server separate from the data unit.

20. A telecommunications network configured for wirelessly establishing a connection between a terminal located at a location in said network and a requesting server, the terminal being identified by a terminal identifier and accessible at a location in the telecommunications network, the telecommunications network containing a first network node and a second network node,

wherein the first network node is configured to (i) receive a data unit destined for the terminal from the server, the data unit comprising the terminal identifier, (ii) receive a location identifier indicative of the location of the terminal in the telecommunications network, (iii) derive an address of the second network node using the location identifier, and (iv) transmit a first connection request to the derived second network node for establishing a connection to the terminal, and

wherein the second network node is configured to receive the first connection request from the first network node and to transmit a second connection request for establishing the connection towards the terminal,

wherein the second network node is further configured to (a) receive further location information further identifying the location of the terminal in the network from one of the terminal and a third network node, and (b) use the further location information for transmitting the second connection request towards the terminal.