System, method, and computer-readable medium for indirect routing of mobile-originated SMS messages for a mobile station attached with an IP-femtocell system

• US 9,661,481 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Osborn, Christopher Martin Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): SEFCHECK, GREGORY B
• Application Number:
  US12/605,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20100041424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,766 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium that facilitate indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system are provided. A convergence server uses indirect routing for delivery of a short message. The MS may elect to use a traffic or paging channel for delivery of the short message. If the MS selects the traffic channel for delivery of the message and if there is no existing traffic channel, the MS may first attempt to establish a traffic channel. If an active traffic channel is already established between the mobile station and the femtocell system, the mobile station sends the message to the femtocell system which, in turn, forwards the message to the convergence server. If the MS elects to send the message over a paging channel, the MS sends the message along with authentication data to the femtocell system that first performs authentication and subsequently forwards the message to the convergence server which, in turn, forwards the short message to the home message center.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, comprising:

receiving, by a convergence server deployed in a core network, a service request message for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, the service request message being in relation to the sending of a short message from the mobile station, the service request message having originated from the femtocell system after the femtocell system receives an SMS origination message from the mobile station, the SMS origination message identifying a destination mobile device to which the short message will be sent;

engaging, by the convergence server and responsive to receiving the service request message, a mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station;

responsive to the authentication process, transmitting, by the convergence server, a global challenge response to the femtocell system, the global challenge response message including an authentication token generated by the convergence server;

receiving, by the convergence server, a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system, the short message identifying the device;

determining, by the convergence server, whether the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system and denying the service request message if the authentication token has not been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system; and

if the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system, transmitting, by the convergence server, the short message to a home message center of the mobile station which thereafter transmits the short message from the home message center of the mobile station to a destination mobile center of the destination mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, the method further comprising establishing a traffic channel between the mobile station and the femtocell system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising validating, by the convergence server, the authentication token received with the short message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions tangibly embodied thereon for execution by a processing system, the computer-executable instructions for facilitating indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system that, when executed, cause the processing system to:

receive, by a convergence server deployed in a core network, a service request message for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, the service request being in relation to the sending of a short message from the mobile station, the service request message having originated from the femtocell system after the femtocell system receives an SMS origination message from the mobile station, the SMS origination message identifying a destination mobile device to which the short message will be sent;

engage, by the convergence server and responsive to receiving the service request, a mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station;

transmit, by the convergence server, a global challenge response message including an authentication token to the femtocell system;

responsive to the authentication process, transmit, by the convergence server, a global challenge response to the femtocell system, the global challenge response message including an authentication token generated by the convergence server;

receive, by the convergence server, a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system, the short message identifying the device;

determine, by the convergence server, whether the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system and denying the service request message if the authentication token has not been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system; and

if the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system, transmit, by the convergence server, the short message to a home message center of the mobile station which thereafter transmits the short message from the home message center of the mobile station to a destination mobile center of the destination mobile device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, the computer-readable medium further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to establish a traffic channel between the mobile station and the femtocell system.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to validate, by the convergence server, the authentication token received with the short message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.

15. A network system that facilitates indirect routing of mobile-originated short messages for a mobile station attached with a femtocell system, comprising:

a core network that includes a convergence server;

a mobile core network that includes an authentication center, a Home Location Register, and a home message center of the mobile station; and

an Internet Protocol-based femtocell system that provides a radio access point for a mobile station, wherein the convergence server receives a service request message for the mobile station, the service request being in relation to the sending of a short message from the mobile station, the service request message having originated from the femtocell system after the femtocell system receives an SMS origination message from the mobile station, the SMS origination message identifying a destination mobile device to which the short message will be sent, engages the mobile core network in an authentication process for the mobile station in response to receiving the service request, transmits a global challenge response message including an authentication token to the femtocell system, responsive to the authentication process, transmits a global challenge response to the femtocell system, the global challenge response message including an authentication token generated by the convergence server, receives a short message originated by the mobile station from the femtocell system, the short message identifying the device, determines whether the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system and denies the service request message if the authentication token has not been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system and if the authentication token has been presented to the convergence server by the femtocell system, transmits the short message to the home message center which thereafter transmits the short message from the home message center of the mobile station to a destination mobile center of the destination mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the short message is transmitted to the femtocell system from the mobile station via a traffic channel and the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of an origination request from the mobile station, and wherein a traffic channel is established between the mobile station and the femtocell system and the short message is received by the convergence server responsive to establishment of the traffic channel.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the service request message is generated by the femtocell system responsive to receipt of a short message service request including the short message from the mobile station, and wherein the short message service request is received by the femtocell system on a paging channel.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the short message is received by the convergence server with the authentication token, and wherein the convergence server validates the authentication token received with the short message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the convergence server transmits the short message to the message center responsive to validating the authentication token received with the short message.