Mobile Service Maintenance Management

• US 20090131038A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Seeker Wireless Pty., Limited
• Inventors: MacNaughtan, Malcolm D., Scott, Craig A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for managing inconsistencies between a radio communications network and a network database. In one aspect, the system is informed of one or more inconsistencies and various decisions are made as to what actions to take. One possible action is to simply inform a network operator of the discrepancy. Another possible action is to determine which network elements are affected by the inconsistency and to update the network database in relation to those network elements to compensate for the inconsistency.

Claims

1. A method for managing an inconsistency between a radio communications network and a network database, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of the inconsistency; and

taking action in response to the receipt of the inconsistency.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of taking action comprises informing a system operator of the inconsistency.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of taking action comprises updating the network database to remove the inconsistency.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of updating the network database comprises updating respective network databases on one or more mobile radio terminals in the radio communications network.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of taking action comprises flagging data in the network database relating to the inconsistency such that the flagged data will be ignored.

6. A system for managing an inconsistency between a radio communications network and a network database, the system comprising:

means for receiving a notification of the inconsistency; and

means for taking action in response to the receipt of the inconsistency.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the means for taking action comprises means for informing a system operator of the inconsistency.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the means for taking action comprises means for updating the network database to remove the inconsistency.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the means for updating the network database comprises means for updating respective network databases on one or more mobile radio terminals in the radio communications network.

10. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the means for taking action comprises means for flagging data in the network database relating to the inconsistency such that the flagged data will be ignored.

12. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the step of determining whether any mobile radio terminals are affected by the inconsistency comprises determining whether one or more zones defined in the radio communications network are affected by the inconsistency and determining whether any mobile radio terminals are associated with one or more of the one or more zones.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising updating respective profiles defining the one or more zones determined to be affected by the inconsistency.

14. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of transmitting a communication to the one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency comprises transmitting the updated profile to the one or more mobile radio terminals.

15. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the step of transmitting the communication to the one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency to compensate for the inconsistency comprises transmitting an ignore flag such that data associated with the inconsistency is ignored.

11. A method of managing an inconsistency between a radio communications network and a network database, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of the inconsistency;

determining whether any mobile radio terminals in the radio communications network are affected by the inconsistency; and

transmitting a communication to one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency to compensate for the inconsistency.

16. A system for managing an inconsistency between a radio communications network and a network database, the system comprising:

means for receiving a notification of the inconsistency;

means for determining whether any mobile radio terminals in the radio communications network are affected by the inconsistency; and

means for transmitting a communication to one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency to compensate for the inconsistency.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the means for determining whether any mobile radio terminals are affected by the inconsistency comprises means for determining whether one or more zones defined in the radio communications network are affected by the inconsistency and means for determining whether any mobile radio terminals are associated with one or more of the one or more zones.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 further comprising means for updating respective profiles defining the one or more zones determined to be affected by the inconsistency.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the means for transmitting a communication to the one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency comprises means for transmitting the updated profile to the one or more mobile radio terminals.

20. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the means for transmitting the communication to the one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency to compensate for the inconsistency comprises means for transmitting an ignore flag such that data associated with the inconsistency is ignored.

21. A system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the means for determining whether any mobile radio terminals in the radio communications network are affected by the inconsistency and the means for transmitting a communication to one or more of the mobile radio terminals that were determined to be affected by the inconsistency to compensate for the inconsistency are provided by a network processor.

22. A system as claimed in claim 21 wherein the network processor is a location server.

23. A method for managing a change in a radio communications network, the method comprising:

identifying one or more zones defined by a respective profile in the radio communications network that are affected by the change, the respective profile containing data relating to one or more cells;

for each cell in the respective profile, determining whether the cell is significantly affected by the change;

and if the cell is determined to be significantly affected by the change, flagging the respective profile for updating to compensate for the change.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the change is a new base station in the radio communications network.

25. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the change is due to a non-operational base station.

26. A system for managing a change in a radio communications network, the system comprising:

means for identifying one or more zones defined by a respective profile in the radio communications network that are affected by the change, the respective profile containing data relating to one or more cells;

means for, for each cell in the respective profile, determining whether the cell is significantly affected by the change; and

means for, if the cell is determined to be significantly affected by the change, flagging the respective profile for updating to compensate for the change.

27. A system as claimed in claim 26 wherein the means for identifying one or more zones defined by a respective profile in the radio communications network that are affected by the change, the respective profile containing data relating to one or more cells;

the means for, for each cell in the respective profile, determining whether the cell is significantly affected by the change; and

the means for, if the cell is determined to be significantly affected by the change, flagging the respective profile for updating to compensate for the change, are provided by a network processor.

28. A system as claimed in claim 27 wherein the network processor is a location server.