Dialling error warning system and method

• US 20060046721A1
• Filed: 09/03/2003
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Sernan-Dez Arppe, Luis Carlos, Salvador Perez, Gloria Monserrat
• Application Number:
  US10/526,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20060046721A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/10 Providing fault- or trouble-signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A dialling error notification system for visiting subscribers in a visited mobile telephony network (VPLMN), a visiting subscriber being a subscriber from a home mobile telephony network (HPLMN) different from the visited mobile telephony network. The system comprises: a first node of the visited mobile telephony network comprising apparatus for analyzing a number dialled by a subscriber and determining if said number dialled complies with at least one predetermined error criterion; and apparatus for sending a short message (SM) with a dialling error notification to the subscriber if said number dialled complies with at least one predetermined error criterion. The invention also refers to a dialling error notification method.

Claims

1. A dialling error notification system for visiting subscribers in a visited mobile telephony network, a visiting subscriber being a subscriber from a home mobile telephony network different from the visited mobile telephony network, comprising:

a first node of the visited mobile telephony network comprising apparatus for analysing a number dialled by a visiting subscriber and determining whether said dialled number complies with at least one predetermined error criterion; and

apparatus for sending a short message with a dialling error notification to the visiting subscriber if said dialled number complies with at least one predetermined error criterion; and

apparatus for determining the identity of the home mobile telephony network based on the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said first node is a Service Control Point of the visited mobile telephony network.

3. A system according to claim 1, comprising:

apparatus for sending a message (M1) to an SS7-IP gateway from the first node of the visited mobile telephony network, said message (M1) being a message with instructions to send the short message;

apparatus for sending an http message to a short message sending server from said SS7-IP gateway, said http message being a message with instructions to send the short message;

apparatus for sending the short message addressed to the visiting subscriber (to a Short Message Service Centre of the visited network from said short message sending server, upon receipt of said instructions by said short message sending server.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising apparatus for selecting text for the short message text based on the identity of the home mobile telephony network as determined by International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein the short message sending server includes a database with short message texts and apparatus for selecting a short message text based on an indicator code included in the http message received from the SS7-IP gateway.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein the http message includes at least one indicator code of a short message text and the mobile telephone number of the visiting subscriber to whom the short message must be sent.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising apparatus for sending an initial control set-up message to a first node, comprising at least the following data:

the telephone number dialled by the visiting subscriber;

the mobile telephone number of the visiting subscriber; and

the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus for sending an initial control set-up message to the first node are comprised in the Mobile Switching Centres of the visited mobile telephony network, such that when a visiting subscriber in a cell corresponding to Mobile Switching Centre dials a telephone number, said Mobile Switching Centre sends the initial control set-up message to the first node.

9. A system according claim 1, further comprising a control apparatus for preventing a second short message with a dialling error notification from being sent to a visiting subscriber if the time elapsed since a first short message with a dialling error notification was sent to said visiting subscriber is less than a predetermined minimum time.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the error criteria include one or several criteria selected from the group consisting of the following criteria:

the number dialled begins with “

+”

followed by a sign different from a figure C, 1≦

C≦

9;

the number dialled begins with “

00”

followed by a sign different from a figure C, 1≦

C≦

9;

the number dialled is a 9-figure number beginning with a figure which is not 6, 7, 8 or 9;

the number dialled begins with “

+”

or “

00”

followed by a country code followed by an escape code not applicable for international dialling to said country; and

the number dialled is a number with fewer than 9 figures which is not a short code.

11. A dialling error notification method for visiting subscribers in a visited mobile telephony network, a visiting subscriber being a subscriber from a home mobile telephony network different from the visited mobile telephony network, characterised in that it comprises the steps of:

(a) analysing in a first node of the visited mobile telephony network a number dialled by the visiting subscriber and determining whether said number dialled complies with at least one predetermined error criterion;

(b) sending at least one short message (SM) to the visiting subscriber if said dialled number complies with at least one predetermined error criterion, said short message comprising at least one dialling error notification;

(c) determining the identity of the home mobile telephony network based on the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first node is a Service Control Point of the visited mobile telephony network.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein

(d) based on the identity home mobile telephony network of the visiting subscriber as determined by the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber, it is determined whether the visiting subscriber has the right to a dialling error notification service.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein steps (c) and (d) are carried out before step (b).

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein steps (c) and (d) are carried out before step (a).

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises:

sending a message (M1) to an SS7-IP gateway from a Service Control Point, said message (M1) being a message with instructions to send the short message;

sending an http message to a short message sending server from said SS7-IP gateway, said http message being a message with instructions to send the short message;

sending the short message addressed to the visiting subscriber to a Short Message Service Centre of the visited network from said server, upon receipt of said instructions by said short message sending server.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein text for the short message is selected based on the identity of the home mobile telephony network as determined by the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein text for the short message is selected based on the identity of the home mobile telephony network as determined by the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber;

and the text is selected from a plurality of texts comprised in a database of the short message sending server based on an indicator code included in the http message received from the SS7-IP gateway.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the http message includes at least one indicator code indicating a short message text and the mobile telephone number of the visiting subscriber (to whom the short message must be sent.

20. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a first step comprising sending an initial control set-up message to the first node, comprising at least the following data:

the telephone number dialled by the visiting subscriber;

the mobile telephone number of the visiting subscriber; and

the International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the visiting subscriber.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the initial control set-up message is sent from an Mobile Switching Centre of the visited mobile telephony network corresponding to the cell in which the visiting subscriber is located.

22. A method according to claim 11, further comprising before sending a short message with a dialling error notification to the visiting subscriber, it is checked that a predetermined minimum time has elapsed since a previous short message with a dialling error notification was sent to the same visiting subscriber, and if said predetermined minimum time has not elapsed, the short message with a dialling error notification is not sent.

23. A method according to claim 11, wherein the error criteria include one or several criteria selected from the group comprising the following criteria:

the number dialled begins with “

+”

followed by a sign different from a figure C, 1≦

C≦

9;

the number dialled begins with “

00”

followed by a sign different from a figure C, 1≦

C≦

9;

the number dialled is a 9-figure number beginning with a figure which is not 6, 7, 8 or 9;

the number dialled begins with “

+”

or “

00”

followed by a country code followed by an escape code not applicable for international dialling to said country; and

the number dialled is a number with fewer than 9 figures which is not a short code.

24. A method according to claim 11, wherein the method is only carried out for visiting subscribers who are not provided with CAMEL service O-CSI flag.