System and method for providing restrictions on mobile-originated calls

• US 6,311,055 B1
• Filed: 10/02/1997
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Boltz, David
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/942,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/414, 455/415, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/461, 455/550, 455/557, 455/558, 455/560, 455/561, 455/564, 455/565, 455/566, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/196, 379/197, 379/198, 379/199, 379/200, 379/201, 379/357, 370/259, 370/522
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• 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

Abstract

A cellular telephony network includes a supplementary service (SS) database in an intelligence network (IN) node. The SS database stores subscriber record which includes call barring data such as screening lists of specific numbers or countries and call barring options that indicate the treatment of the call barring data. The SS database may be located in an IN node connected to a mobile service center/visitor location register in a cellular telephony network or a signaling database point in a signaling network connected to the cellular telephony network or in the home location register of the cellular telephony network. At call origination, the MSC/VLR transmits the requested called number and MSISDN of the mobile subscriber to the SS database. The IN node compares the requested called number to the subscriber record associated with the MSISDN of the mobile subscriber and transmits a message to the MSC/VLR indicating whether the call is barred. In an alternate embodiment, a subscriber record is stored on a subscriber identity module (SIM) in a mobile station.

Claims

1. A system for providing call barring services in a cellular telephony network, comprising:

a memory unit that stores a plurality of subscriber records, each of said subscriber records being associated with a respective mobile subscriber by means of an international mobile subscriber identity and including a screening list of barred numbers for said mobile subscriber;

comparison means for comparing a called party number, received from a mobile terminal associated with said mobile subscriber, with the respective screening list of barred numbers in the subscriber record associated with said mobile subscriber, whereby a call initiation request from said mobile terminal is barred when one of the barred numbers within said screening list corresponds to said called party numbers;

a home location resister for storing information on whether said mobile subscriber subscribes to said call barring services; and

a switching center for controlling call operations, wherein said switching center determines, upon said call initiation request, said mobile subscriber subscribes to said call barring services by means of said information stored in said home location resister and accesses said memory unit by means of transmitting said international mobile subscriber identity and said called party number.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switching system that controls routing of call operations in said cellular telephony network; and

a signaling system connected to said switching system that provides signaling for call operations, wherein said memory unit is located within said signaling system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said signaling system comprises:

a signaling database point, wherein said memory unit is located within said signaling database point; and

a signaling control point for accessing said plurality of subscriber records stored in said memory unit, said comparison means comprising said signaling control point.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said switching system comprises:

said home location register;

said switching center; and

a visitor location register for storing information on whether currently served mobile subscribers subscribe to call barring services.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising an operating service system that accesses and modifies said plurality of subscriber records in said memory unit located within said signaling database point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said switching center interacts with said mobile station, by means of an application, associated with said mobile subscriber to modify the respective subscriber record associated with said mobile subscriber in response to receiving a password from said mobile terminal, wherein said application resides in said switching center and collects new call barring data from said mobile terminal by means of unstructured supplementary service data protocol messages, subsequently said switching center transmits said new call barring data to said memory unit by means of signal connection control point messages.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising

an intelligence network node connected to said switching center, wherein said memory unit is located within said intelligence network node, wherein said intelligence network node is shared among all of a plurality of switching centers in said cellular telephony network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said mobile subscriber accesses said memory unit to modify said call barring data by means of the Internet using TCP/IP protocol.

9. The system of claim 1,

wherein said home location register includes said memory unit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber records further include a list of call barring options that specify the treatment of said barred numbers on said screening list.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said memory unit and said comparison means are within a mobile station, said home location register and said switching center being in communication with said mobile station.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said memory unit comprises a subscriber identity mobile.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a given one of said subscriber records includes a password.

14. A method for providing call barring services in a cellular telephony network comprising the steps of:

storing subscriber data on whether said mobile subscriber subscribes to said call barring services within a home location register;

receiving a request for a call initiation that includes a number of a called party and an international mobile subscriber identity number of said mobile subscriber from said mobile terminal associated with said subscriber;

determining whether said mobile subscriber subscribes to said call barring services by means of said information stored in said home location register;

accessing a subscriber record associated with said international mobile subscriber identity number of said mobile subscriber that is stored in a supplementary service database having a plurality of subscriber records, wherein said subscriber record contains a screening list of barred numbers, wherein said step of accessing further includes transmitting a message that includes said international mobile subscriber identity and said called party number;

determining whether the request for call initiation is barred by analyzing the screening list in the subscriber record and the number of the called party; and

in response to determining that the request for call initiation is barred, forwarding a call bar message to said mobile terminal associated with said mobile subscriber.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to register said mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber, said request includes said international mobile subscriber identity number of the mobile subscriber;

accessing said home location register to obtain said subscriber data associated with said international mobile subscriber identity of the mobile subscriber; and

storing said subscriber data in a visitor location register.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

after said step of receiving the request for call initiation, accessing said subscriber data in said visitor location register to determine whether the mobile subscriber has subscribed to call barring services; and

in response to determining that the mobile subscriber has subscribed to call barring services, performing said step of accessing a subscriber record associated with said international mobile subscriber identity number of the mobile subscriber.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

in response to determining that the request for call initiation is not barred, proceeding to process the request for call initiation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of accessing the subscriber record, comprises the steps of:

transmitting said message that includes the number of the called party and said international mobile subscriber identity number of said mobile subscriber to a signaling point in a signaling network of the cellular telephony network; and

accessing a supplementary service database located in said signaling network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of determining whether the request for call initiation is barred by analyzing the screening list in the subscriber record and the number of the called party, comprises the steps of:

determining if the number of the called party is listed in the screening list of the subscriber record; and

determining if call barring options included in the subscriber record indicate that the call is barred; and

transmitting a message by the signaling point to indicate whether the request for call initiation is barred.