Interworking and interoperability of GPRS systems with systems of other technology families

• US 20020094811A1
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rollender, Douglas Harold, Verma, Kamal K., Bright, Penny Lynne
• Granted Patent: US 6,912,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A GPRS interworking and interoperability function (IIF) is interposed between a serving GSM/GPRS wireless system and a second wireless system of a different technology family to allow a mobile station homed to the second wireless system to operate in the GSM/GPRS system. The IIF executes or emulates the behavior of a GPRS HLR when communicating with the GSM/GPRS system, and executes or emulates the behavior of an MSC/VLR of the home system technology family when communicating with the home system. When a mobile station registers in the serving system, the MSC/VLR portion of the IIF transmits a registration notification message to the home system HLR specifying the address of an associated SGSN as though it were an MSC.

Claims

1. An interworking and interoperability function for use in joining a GPRS wireless system with a second wireless system of a different technology family comprising:

a first GPRS HLR emulation component adapted for connection to said GPRS wireless system;

a second MSC/VLR emulation component adapted for connection to said second wireless system; and

a message translation component operatively connected to said first and second emulation components and adapted to translate messages received at one of said emulation components into a form compatible with the other of said emulation components.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second wireless system is a domestic wireless system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second wireless system is a North American TDMA system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second wireless system is a North American CDMA system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an SMS-SC component adapted to duplicate the interface behavior of a short message service (SMS) service center of a GPRS system, said SMS-SC component being operatively connected to said GPRS HLR emulation component.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an SMS-SC component adapted to duplicate the interface behavior of a short message service (SMS) service center of a GPRS system, said SMS-SC component being operatively connected to said MSC/VLR emulation component.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said SMS SC component is adapted for connection to a mobile switching center of said GPRS wireless system.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said SMS SC component is adapted for connection to a serving GPRS support node of said GPRS wireless system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second MSC/VLR emulation component is adapted for connection to a message center of said second wireless system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said interworking and interoperability function further comprises a GPRS authentication center.

11. For use with an interworking and interoperability function joining a first GPRS wireless system with a second wireless system of a different technology family, a method of processing a registration by a mobile station served by said first GPRS wireless system and homed to said second wireless system comprising the steps of:

a. receiving from said first GPRS wireless system a first message indicating a location update of a mobile station in said first GPRS wireless system;

b. translating said first message into a registration notification message compatible with said second wireless system; and

c. transmitting said registration notification message to said second wireless system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from said first GPRS wireless system authentication information for said mobile station;

responsive to said authentication information, determining whether said mobile station is authorized to receive service; and

responsive to said determining step, transmitting an authorization acknowledgement to said first GPRS wireless system indicating whether said mobile station is authorized to receive service.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from said second wireless system a message acknowledging the registration notification message;

responsive to said acknowledging message, transmitting to said first GPRS wireless system an insert subscriber data message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

responsive to said determining step, transmitting to said first GPRS wireless system a message destined for said mobile station indicating that a call was received but not delivered.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

responsive to said determining step, transmitting to a GSM mobile switching center of said first GPRS wireless system a message destined for said mobile station indicating that a call was received but not delivered.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

responsive to said determining step, transmitting to a serving GPRS support node of said first GPRS wireless system a message destined for said mobile station indicating that a call was received but not delivered.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from said second wireless system an indication that a voice mail message is available for the subscriber of said mobile station; and

translating said indication into a message compatible with said first GPRS wireless system and destined for said mobile station; and

transmitting said message to said first GPRS wireless system.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from said second wireless system an indication that a voice mail message is available for the subscriber of said mobile station; and

translating said indication into a message compatible with said first GSM/GPRS wireless system and destined for said mobile station;

determining that a registration state of said mobile station in said first GSM/GPRS wireless system is no longer limited to a GPRS-only attachment; and

transmitting said message to a mobile switching center of said first GSM/GPRS wireless system.

14. For use with an interworking and interoperability function joining a first GPRS wireless system with a second wireless system of a different technology family, a method of processing a request to deliver a call to a mobile station having a GPRS-only attachment to said first GPRS wireless system and homed to said second wireless system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for routing information required to deliver a call to said mobile station;

determining that said call cannot be delivered to said mobile station by virtue of the mobile station'"'"'s GPRS-only attachment to said first GPRS wireless system; and

transmitting an indication to said second wireless system indicating that said mobile station is unreachable.

19. For use with an interworking and interoperability function joining a first GSM/GPRS wireless system with a second wireless system of a different technology family, a method of processing a request to deliver a call to a mobile station having initially a GPRS-only attachment to said first GSM/GPRS wireless system and homed to said second wireless system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for routing information required to deliver a call to said mobile station;

determining that said call cannot be delivered to said mobile station by virtue of the mobile station'"'"'s GPRS-only attachment to said first GSM/GPRS wireless system; and

transmitting an indication to said second wireless system indicating that said mobile station is unreachable.