Method of enabling a wireless device to make a network connection without using a network operator's home location register

• US 9,173,154 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coretek Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Shoo 533 Limited
• Inventors: Merino Gonzalez, Jose Luis, Camilleri, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, Un C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roudani, Oussama
• Application Number:
  US14/671,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20150201361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• 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 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A wireless device can initiate a network connection without using a network operator'"'"'s home location register. The wireless device sends data to a server that defines a call request;

and the server decides on the appropriate routing over all available networks for that call request. But, unlike a conventional HLR, the server can receive communications from the device using any one of several different protocols, and is not limited to the MAP (mobile application part) protocol. For example, the wireless device can use SMS or HTTP over the internet to communicate with the server. The server then determines the appropriate least cost routing.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a wireless handheld cellular phone device, located in a region, to initiate a network connection without using a network operator'"'"'s home location register that covers that region, comprising the steps of:

(a) the wireless handheld cellular phone device using a module that is responsible for contacting a server to communicate with the server over a wireless link, wherein the wireless handheld cellular phone device includes the module that is implemented as software and that is downloadable to the wireless handheld cellular phone device;

(b) the wireless handheld cellular phone device using the module to send, over the wireless link, data to the server that defines a call request;

(c) in response to the call request, a software application running on the server deciding on the appropriate routing to a 3rd party end-user for that call request without using the network operator'"'"'s home or visitor location register.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the server can receive communications from the device using any one of several different protocols, and is not limited to the MAP (mobile application part) protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the wireless device uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) over the internet to communicate with the server.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the user has to enter any data required by the server manually into the device.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the server enables the connection by conferencing the device and recipient into a single call.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the server receives and detects incoming communications/calls, by monitoring all the available external interfaces to the server.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the server also acts as a media server so that the network connection is not limited to a voice connection, but includes also the transfer of any media asset, including data, video, and audio files, web pages and data, video and audio streaming.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the server initiates a local call to the device, using the information on the server'"'"'s location data base and services data base to correctly re-route a calling party to the device.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the server maintains a database of location updates provided by the device.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the server also acts as a VOIP server.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the module establishes and controls communication between the device and the server.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the module provides location updates to the server.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the module monitors the wireless network name and country code associated with the device.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the module sends a change in the wireless network name or country code to the server.

15. The method of claim 1 in which the module sends real time clock data with each message to the server, defining the time at which the message was sent according to the real time clock the module has access to.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the module monitors the device for an international call request, incoming call signalling, and caller ID.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the module notifies the user if a connection has been made by the server to the required recipient.

18. The method of claim 1 in which the module notifies the user if no connection has been made and the attempt has timed-out.

19. The method of claim 1 in which the server decides on the lowest cost routing for the connection.

20. The method of preceding claim 12 wherein the location updates are derived from HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) location update messages provided by the device.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the server includes a software application that functions as a calls manager, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the wireless device communicating with the server over a wireless link;

(b) the calls manager software extracting from a received message an identifier of a sender and a location;

(c) the calls manager software updating a location in a location database for the sender, wherein the location database is different to the network operator'"'"'s home location register;

(d) the wireless device sending, over the wireless link, data to the server that defines a call request;

(e) in response to the call request, the calls manager software included on the server deciding on the appropriate routing for that call request according to the location of the sender in the location database.

22. A system comprising a wireless handheld cellular phone device located in a region and a server for enabling the wireless handheld cellular phone device to communicate with the server to initiate a network connection without using a network operator'"'"'s home location register that covers that region, wherein the server includes a software application that functions as a calls manager, wherein:

(a) the wireless handheld cellular phone device is operable using a module that is responsible for contacting the server to communicate with the server over a wireless link, wherein the wireless handheld cellular phone device includes the module that is implemented as software and that is downloadable to the wireless handheld cellular phone device;

(b) the wireless handheld cellular phone device is operable using the module to send, over the wireless link, data to the server that defines a call request;

(c) in response to the call request, the calls manager software included on the server is operable to decide on the appropriate routing to a 3rd party end-user for that call request without using the network operator'"'"'s home or visitor location register.

23. A server for enabling a wireless handheld cellular phone device to communicate with the server to initiate a network connection without using a network operator'"'"'s home location register, wherein the server includes a software application that functions as a calls manager, wherein:

(a) the wireless handheld cellular phone device is operable using a module that is responsible for contacting the server to communicate with the server over a wireless link, wherein the wireless handheld cellular phone device includes the module that is implemented as software and that is downloadable to the wireless handheld cellular phone device;

(b) the wireless handheld cellular phone device is operable using the module to send, over the wireless link, data to the server that defines a call request;

(c) in response to the call request, the calls manager software included on the server is operable to decide on the appropriate routing to a 3rd party end-user for that call request without using that network operator'"'"'s home or visitor location register.

24. Computer program product embodied on a non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product when executing on a wireless handheld cellular phone device configured to enable the wireless handheld cellular phone device, when located in a region, to initiate a network connection without using a network operator'"'"'s home location register that covers that region, the computer program product configured to:

(a) contact a server to communicate with the server over a wireless link, and

(b) send, over the wireless link, data to the server that defines a call request;

wherein, in response to the call request, a software application running on the server decides on the appropriate routing to a 3rd party end-user for that call request without using the network operator'"'"'s home or visitor location register, and wherein the computer program product is downloadable to the wireless handheld cellular phone device.