Method and system for communicating data from wireline terminals to mobile terminals

• US 8,700,044 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GTE Wireless Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Wireless Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Howe, Walter Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US13/429,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/433, 455/435.1, 370/351
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for communicating data from wireline terminals to mobile terminals in a telecommunications network, which includes a home node associated with the mobile terminal and one or more visited nodes. To establish communication with a mobile terminal, a wireline terminal sends data to a server in the telecommunications network. The server identifies a mobile identification number associated with the mobile terminal, and based on the identified mobile identification number, the server determines a route that excludes the home node when the mobile terminal is out of the geographical area served by the home node. The server then establishes via the determined route a connection to the mobile terminal and sends to the mobile terminal the data received from the wireline terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network node, a first packet that is destined for a wireless terminal,

the wireless terminal being in a geographical area served by a visited network node;

establishing, by the network node and based on the first packet, a connection with the wireless terminal by using a first identifier,

the first identifier being different than a second identifier used to establish a connection with the wireless terminal when the wireless terminal is in a geographical area served by a home network node;

receiving, by the network node, a second packet from the wireless terminal,

the second packet being destined for a wireline terminal connected to a packet network; and

sending, by the network node, the second packet toward the wireline terminal via the packet network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the connection with the wireless terminal does not exist from the network node to the wireless terminal, and

determining, after determining that the connection with the wireless terminal does not exist, the first identifier based on a mobile terminal identifier associated with the wireless terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to a device associated with the home network node, a request for a route to establish the connection, and

receiving, from the device and based on the request, a response that includes the first identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, where establishing the connection with the wireless terminal includes:

determining, before establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, that a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal is outside the geographical area served by the home network node, based on the first identifier not matching the second identifier, and

using, after determining that the wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal is outside the geographical area served by the home network node, the second identifier to initiate the connection with the wireless terminal via the wireless modem.

5. The method of claim 1, where establishing the connection with the wireless terminal includes:

providing, based on the first identifier, a first signal to a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal,

receiving a second signal from the wireless modem in response to the first signal, and

determining that the connection is established with the wireless terminal based on the second signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, after establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, a data portion of the first packet to the wireless terminal via the connection.

7. The method of claim 1, where the first packet includes a mobile terminal identifier associated with the wireless terminal and text, video, or audio data.

8. The method of claim 1,

where the first packet includes an Internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the network node,

where the first packet is received from the wireless terminal via the packet network, and

where the method further comprises:

determining, before establishing the connection, that the packet is destined for the wireless terminal based on an association between the wireless terminal and the IP address.

9. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive, from a wireline terminal, a first packet that is destined for a wireless terminal,

the wireless terminal being in a geographical area served by a visited network node;

establish a connection with the wireless terminal by using a first identifier that is different from a second identifier that is used to establish a connection with the wireless terminal when the wireless terminal is in a geographical area served by a home network node;

send a data portion of the first packet toward the wireless terminal via the connection;

receive, from the wireless terminal, a second packet that is destined for the wireline terminal; and

send the second packet toward the wireline terminal via a packet network.

10. The device of claim 9, where the wireline terminal and the device are connected to the packet network.

11. The device of claim 9, where the one or more processors are further to:

send, to a different device associated with the home network node, a request for a route to establish the connection, and

receive, from the different device and based on the request, a response that includes the first identifier.

12. The device of claim 11, where, when establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, the one or more processors are to:

determine, before establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, that a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal is outside the geographical area served by the home network node, based on the first identifier not matching the second identifier, and

use, after determining that the wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal is outside the geographical area served by the home network node, the second identifier to initiate the connection with the wireless terminal via the wireless modem.

13. The device of claim 11, where, when establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, the one or more processors are to:

provide, based on the first identifier, a first signal to a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal,

receive a second signal from the wireless modem in response to the first signal, and

determine that that the connection is established with the wireless terminal based on the second signal.

14. The device of claim 11, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive the first identifier from a different device associated with the home network node,

the first identifier being a temporary local directory number (TLDN) for establishing connections with a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal when the wireless terminal is outside the geographical area served by the home network node.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive a first packet that is destined for a wireless terminal,

the wireless terminal being in a geographical area that is outside an area served by a home network node;

establish, based on the first packet, a connection with the wireless terminal by using a temporary identifier,

the temporary identifier being different than a mobile identifier associated with the home network node that is used to establish a connection with the wireless terminal when the wireless terminal inside the area served by the home network node;

receive a second packet from the wireless terminal,

the second packet being destined for a wireline terminal connected to a packet network; and

send second packet toward the wireline terminal via the packet network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,

where the geographical area is served by a visited network node,

where the mobile identifier is further associated with a wireless modem that connects the wireless terminal to the visited network node, and

where the connection is established via the visited network node and the wireless modem.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

send, to a device associated with the home network node, a request for a route to establish the connection, and

receive, from the device and based on the request, a response that includes the temporary identifier.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine that the response includes the temporary identifier, and

determine, before establishing the connection with the wireless terminal, that the wireless terminal is outside the area served by the home network node based on the temporary identifier not matching the mobile identifier.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to establish the connection with the wireless terminal include:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

use the temporary identifier to transmit a first signal to a wireless modem associated with the wireless terminal,

receive a second signal from the wireless modem in response to the first signal, and

determine that that the connection is established with the wireless terminal based on the second signal.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,

where the first packet includes an internet protocol (IP) address associated with the wireless terminal, and

where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine, before establishing the connection, that the first packet is destined for the wireless terminal based on the IP address.