Method of performing an area update for a terminal equipment in a communication network

• US 20040028005A1
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rajaniemi, Jaakko, Hulkkonen, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 7,069,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/320
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention proposes a method of performing an area update for a terminal equipment (4A, 4B) in a communication network (1, 2, 3, 5, 6), the communication network comprising at least two areas (5, 6) being defined within an access network, at least one of said areas being served by at least two core network elements (1-2, 2-3) of corresponding network element types, each of said at least two core network elements communicating with said access network defining said areas via a different interface (Iu, Gb), the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the terminal equipment side, via which of said at least two core network elements (1, 2) serving a currently visited area (5) the communication with the terminal equipment (4A) is effected, detecting, at the terminal equipment side, an area update condition for said terminal (4A, 4B), requesting, by said terminal equipment, an area update for said terminal equipment (4B), and wherein said terminal equipment (4B) sets an identifier in said area update request identifying the core network element via which the communication with the terminal equipment (4A) has previously been effected. Still further, the present invention proposes also an accordingly adapted terminal equipment.

Claims

1. A method of performing an area update for a terminal equipment (4A, 4B) in a communication network (1, 2, 3, 5, 6),

the communication network comprising

at least two areas (5, 6) being defined within an access network,

at least one of said areas being served by at least two core network elements (1-2, 2-3) of corresponding network element types,

each of said at least two core network elements communicating with said access network defining said areas via a different interface (Iu, Gb),

the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring, at the terminal equipment side, via which of said at least two core network elements (1, 2) serving a currently visited area (5) the communication with the terminal equipment (4A) is effected,

detecting, at the terminal equipment side, an area update condition for said terminal (4A, 4B),

requesting, by said terminal equipment, an area update for said terminal equipment (4B), and wherein

said terminal equipment (4B) sets an identifier in said area update request identifying the core network element via which the communication with the terminal equipment (4A) has previously been effected.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said identifier set by said terminal equipment is part of the routing area identifier (RAI).

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said routing area identifier (RAI) is composed of a mobile country code (MCC), a mobile network code (MNC), a location area code (LAC), and a routing area code (RAC).

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said identifier is at least one predetermined bit within said routing area identifier.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said identifier is the most significant bit of said routing area code (RAC).

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said identifier is the most significant bit of said location area code (LAC).

7. A method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a setting state of said most significant bit indicates a respective interface via which the previous routing and/or location area update has been performed such that said access network is connected to one of said different core networks.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein for 2^N core network elements of a same network element type, the number of predetermined bits is predetermined to be N.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said identifier set by said terminal equipment is part of the location area identifier (LAI).

10. A terminal equipment adapted to communicate via an access network with different core networks and adapted to carry out the method as defined in any of the preceding claims 1 to 9.