Methods and systems for universal, automatic service selection in a telecommunications signaling network

• US 20040081206A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Marsico, Peter Joseph, Allison, Rick L., Rao, Raghavendra G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/28 Number portability ; Network address portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Methods and systems for universal, automatic service selection are disclosed. A method for universal, automatic service selection includes receiving signaling messages and identifying signaling connection control part (SCCP) messages from the signaling messages. The SCCP messages are decoded to extract SCCP parameters and application layer parameters from the messages. A routing address translation service is selected for each of the SCCP messages based on application identifiers that identify application layer message types alone or in combination with other parameters. Selecting the routing address translation service in this manner makes the service selection more robust and universally applicable, especially in networks where different or non-standard selector parameters are utilized.

Claims

1. A method for universal, automatic routing address translation service selection, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling connection control part (SCCP) message carrying a transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) message and an application layer message;

(b) selecting a routing address translation service for the SCCP message based on an application identifier associated with the application layer message; and

(c) communicating the signaling message to an application corresponding to the selected routing address translation service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an SCCP message includes receiving an SCCP message including a translation type and wherein selecting a routing address translation service for the SCCP message includes selecting the routing address translation service without using the translation type.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an SCCP message includes receiving an SCCP message including a translation type and wherein selecting a routing address translation service for the SCCP message includes selecting a routing address translation service using the translation type in addition to the application identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the application identifier comprises an operation code parameter in the TCAP message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a routing address translation service for the SCCP message includes selecting the routing address translation service based on non-translation-type SCCP parameters in addition to the application identifier.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein selecting a routing address translation service based on non-translation-type SCCP parameters includes selecting the routing address translation service based on at least one of a global title indicator, a domain type, a numbering plan, a nature of address indicator, and a subsystem number in the SCCP message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a routing address translation service based on the application identifier includes examining the application layer message to determine the application layer message type.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the application layer message comprises an IP telephony signaling layer and wherein the application identifier is located in the IP telephony signaling layer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an SCCP message includes receiving an SCCP message encapsulated in an IETF SIGTRAN layer and wherein the application identifier is located in the IETF SIGTRAN layer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a routing address translation service includes selecting a routing address translation database for performing the routing address translation service.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a routing address translation service includes selecting a routing address translation service from a plurality of different routing address translation services.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a)-(c) are performed at a signal transfer point.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a)-(c) are performed at an SS7/IP gateway.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing address translation service comprises a global title translation service.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing address translation service includes a mobile number portability routing address translation service.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the routing address translation service includes a global title translation service for routing mobile call signaling messages to a service entity in a network that includes multiple service entities, wherein the service entities include at least one of home location registers (HLRs), service control points (SCPs), short message service (SMS) servers, short message service centers (SMSCs), and short message point to point (SMPP) gateways.

17. A method for universal, automatic routing address translation service selection, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling message including a signaling connection control part (SCCP) component and an application layer component;

(b) decoding, from the message, an application layer parameter associated with the application layer component of the message; and

(c) selecting an SCCP routing address translation application for processing the message based on the application layer parameter.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving a message including an SCCP component and an application layer component includes receiving an SCCP message including a TCAP component carrying the application layer component and wherein selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on the application layer component includes selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on a TCAP opcode identifying the type of the application layer component.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving a message including an SCCP component and an application layer component includes receiving an SCCP message including a MAP component and wherein selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on the application layer component includes selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on a MAP message type.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on the application layer parameter includes selecting an SCCP routing address translation application based on parameters extracted from the application layer component in combination with parameters extracted from the SCCP component.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting an SCCP routing address translation application includes selecting an SCCP routing address translation application without using the translation type.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein steps (a)-(c) are performed at a signal transfer point.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein steps (a)-(c) are performed at an SS7/IP gateway.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting an SCCP routing address translation application includes selecting an SCCP routing address translation application from a plurality of different routing address translation applications.

25. A method for universal, automatic service selection, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling message including a signaling connection control part (SCCP) component, a transaction capabilities application part (TCAP) component, and a mobile application part (MAP) component;

(b) decoding the TCAP component to determine a MAP message type; and

(c) selecting a routing address translation application for the SCCP component based on the MAP message type.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein decoding the TCAP component to determine the MAP message type includes extracting the TCAP opcode to determine the MAP message type.

27. The system of claim 25 comprising determining whether the MAP message is of the IS-41 or GSM MAP protocol and analyzing the TCAP opcode based on the MAP protocol type.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein performing steps (a)-(c) includes performing steps (a)-(c) at a signal transfer point.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein performing steps (a)-(c) at an SS7/IP gateway.

30. A signaling message routing node including a universal, automatic service selection application, the signaling message routing node comprising:

(a) a communications module for sending and receiving telecommunications signaling messages to and from telecommunications signaling links and for selecting a signaling connection control part (SCCP) message from the telecommunications signaling messages for further processing, the SCCP message carrying an application layer message;

(b) a routing address translation services module operatively associated with the communications module for performing a routing address translation for the SCCP message based on one or more parameters in the SCCP message; and

(c) a service selection application operatively associated with the communications module and the routing address translation services module for selecting a routing address translation service the SCCP message based on an application identifier associated with the application layer message.

31. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the application identifier comprises a parameter in the application layer message.

32. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the application identifier comprises an application layer parameter stored in a TCAP message carried by the SCCP message.

33. The signaling message routing node of claim 32 wherein application identifier comprises an operation code in the TCAP message.

34. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the service selection application is adapted to select the routing address translation application based on at least one of a subsystem number, a translation type, a numbering plan, a domain type, and a nature of address indicator associated with the SCCP message.

35. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the service selection application is adapted to select the routing address translation application based on a combination of SCCP and application layer parameters associated with the SCCP message.

36. The signaling message routing node of claim 35 wherein the combination of SCCP and application layer parameters includes the translation type.

37. The signaling message routing node of claim 35 wherein the combination of SCCP and application layer parameters does not include the translation type.

38. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the service selection application is adapted to select the location of a global title translation database for performing the routing address translation.

39. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the service selection application is located on the communications module.

40. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 wherein the service selection application is located on the routing address translation services module.

41. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 comprising a service selection module separate from the communication module and the routing address translation services module, wherein the service selection application is located on the service selection module.

42. The signaling message routing node of claim 30 comprising a plurality of routing address translation services modules corresponding to a plurality of different routing address translation services, wherein the service selection application is adapted to select a routing address translation service corresponding to one of the routing address translation services modules.