MULTI-LINE MOBILE SERVICE WITH DYNAMIC MSISDN ASSOCIATION

• US 20180270651A1
• Filed: 05/24/2018
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Piscopo, JR., Robert F.
• Granted Patent: US 10,334,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/654 International mobile subscriber identity [IMSI] numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 Data network PoA devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A network device receives a location update message from a mobile network switch. The location update message indicates that a mobile device is registered with the mobile network switch. The location update message includes an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) associated with the mobile device. The network device determines, based at least on the IMSI, a plurality of MSISDNs associated with the mobile device, including a first MSISDN that is enabled for calling and a second MSISDN that is not enabled for calling. The network device transmits, in response to the location update message, subscriber data to a database associated with the mobile network switch, which associates the IMSI with the first MSISDN.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, in memory accessible to a network proxy, information associating a mobile device with a plurality of Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs), wherein the information identifies one enabled MSISDN within the plurality of MSISDNs that is set as the MSISDN to use for incoming and outgoing communications at the mobile device;

receiving, by the network proxy from a network entity, a request to provide routing information for an incoming communication associated with a particular MSISDN;

changing, by the network proxy, the information to identify the particular MSISDN as the one enabled MSISDN if the particular MSISDN is not already identified as the one enabled MSISDN in the information;

obtaining, by the network proxy from a mobile network switch, a temporary routing number that the mobile network switch has mapped to the one enabled MSISDN; and

transmitting, by the network proxy to the network entity, the temporary routing number or a second temporary routing number mapped by the network proxy to the temporary routing number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the changing, sending, by the network proxy to the mobile device, an indication that the particular MSISDN has been changed to the one enabled MSISDN.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the changing, sending, by the network proxy to the mobile network switch, the particular MSISDN and/or subscription information data associated with the particular MSISDN.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the particular MSISDN and/or subscription information data causes the mobile network switch to associate the particular MSISDN with an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the network proxy, a first SIP invite message sent to the second temporary routing number by a gateway mobile network switch that is handling the incoming communication;

in response to receiving the first SIP invite message, sending, by the network proxy, a second SIP invite message to the temporary routing number,

wherein the second SIP invite message is routed according to the temporary routing number to the mobile network switch and the mobile network switch sets up the communication with the mobile device based on the second SIP invite message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network entity is a home location register.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the home location register sends the request to provide routing information for the incoming communication to the network proxy upon receipt of a routing request from a gateway mobile network switch that is handling the incoming communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network proxy emulates the network entity when communicating with the mobile network switch, and the network proxy emulates the mobile network switch when communicating with the network element.

9. A network proxy, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more communication interfaces; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network proxy to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a network entity, a request to provide routing information for an incoming communication associated with a particular Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN);

determining, based on information accessible to the network proxy that associates a mobile device with a plurality of MSISDNs and identifies one enabled MSISDN within the plurality of MSISDNs that is set as the MSISDN to use for incoming and outgoing communications at the mobile device, whether the particular MSISDN is identified as the one enabled MSISDN in the information;

changing the information to identify the particular MSISDN as the one enabled MSISDN if the particular MSISDN is not already identified as the one enabled MSISDN in the information;

obtaining, from a mobile network switch, a temporary routing number that the mobile network switch has mapped to the one enabled MSISDN; and

transmitting, to the network entity, the temporary routing number or a second temporary routing number mapped by the network proxy to the temporary routing number.

10. The network proxy of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the changing, sending, to the mobile device, an indication that the particular MSISDN has been changed to the one enabled MSISDN.

11. The network proxy of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the changing, sending, to the mobile network switch, the particular MSISDN and/or subscription information data associated with the particular MSISDN.

12. The network proxy of claim 11, wherein sending the particular MSISDN and/or subscription information data causes the mobile network switch to associate the particular MSISDN with an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the mobile device.

13. The network proxy of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a first SIP invite message sent to the second temporary routing number by a gateway mobile network switch that is handling the incoming communication;

in response to receiving the first SIP invite message, sending a second SIP invite message to the temporary routing number,

wherein the second SIP invite message is routed according to the temporary routing number to the mobile network switch and the mobile network switch sets up the communication with the mobile device based on the second SIP invite message.

14. The network proxy of claim 9, wherein the network entity is a home location register.

15. The network proxy of claim 14, wherein the home location register sends the request to provide routing information for the incoming communication to the network proxy upon receipt of a routing request from a gateway mobile network switch that is handling the incoming communication.

16. The network proxy of claim 9, wherein the network proxy emulates the network entity when communicating with the mobile network switch, and the network proxy emulates the mobile network switch when communicating with the network element.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors associated with a network proxy, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, in memory accessible to the network proxy, information associating a mobile device with a plurality of Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs), wherein the information identifies one enabled MSISDN within the plurality of MSISDNs that is set as the MSISDN to use for incoming and outgoing communications at the mobile device;

receiving, from a network entity, a request to provide routing information for an incoming communication associated with a particular MSISDN;

changing the information to identify the particular MSISDN as the one enabled MSISDN if the particular MSISDN is not already identified as the one enabled MSISDN in the information;

obtaining, from a mobile network switch, a temporary routing number that the mobile network switch has mapped to the one enabled MSISDN; and

transmitting, to the network entity, the temporary routing number or a second temporary routing number mapped by the network proxy to the temporary routing number.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the changing, sending, to the mobile device, an indication that the particular MSISDN has been changed to the one enabled MSISDN.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the changing, sending, to the mobile network switch, the particular MSISDN and/or subscription information data associated with the particular MSISDN.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a first SIP invite message sent to the second temporary routing number by a gateway mobile network switch that is handling the incoming communication;

in response to receiving the first SIP invite message, sending, a second SIP invite message to the temporary routing number,

wherein the second SIP invite message is routed according to the temporary routing number to the mobile network switch and the mobile network switch sets up the communication with the mobile device based on the second SIP invite message.