Communication system method for setting up connections between terminals of a first and second communication network

• US 6,757,266 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hundscheidt, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHULTZ, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US09/354,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357, 370/359, 370/360, 370/362, 370/376, 370/431, 370/465, 370/328, 370/400, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a communication system (SYS) for setting up connections from a first terminal (TE) of a first communication network (TCP/IP) to a second terminal (MS) of a second communication network (PLMN). A specific access server (AS) is selected on the basis of the location (LA) of the second terminal (MS) and/or on the basis of call processing related features (CPC) necessary for handling the call in the first and/or second communication network (TCP/IP, PLMN). Thus, always the optimal access server (AS), e.g. nearest to the second terminal (MS) can be selected, together with the appropriate functionalities needed for supporting the call in the networks. The invention is particularly advantageous if the first communication network (TCP/IP) is a packet switched network and the second communication network is a circuit switched network, since in this case the advantages of a packet switching can be maintained as much as possible and the circuit switched call is only needed over the shortest possible distance to the switching means (MSC/VLR) of the second communication network (PLMN). Thus, the resources of both networks are used optimally.

Claims

1. A method for setting up connections from a terminal equipment (TE) of a packet-switched communication network to a mobile terminal (MS) of a circuit-switched mobile communication network, the connections being routed from the TE through one or more access servers to the MS, said method comprising the steps of:

a) sending a connection setup message from the TE to a first access server;

b) selecting a second access server from an access server identification means in a some location register (HLR) in the mobile communication network based on a location of the MS in the mobile communication network and/or call processing specific characteristics indicating a specific type of call processing of the call in the packet-switched network and/or the circuit-switched mobile communication network, wherein the access server identification means includes a table indicating an access server address with respect to each mobile switching center (MSC) in the mobile communication network, and wherein the first access server provides information about the MS to the HLR which, in turn, determines the MSC currently serving the MS on the basis of the MS information, and reads out an appropriate access server address from the table in We HLR dependent on the determined serving MSC;

c) routing the connection setup message to the selected second access server; and

d) setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server.

2. A method for setting up connections from a terminal equipment (TE) of a first communication network to a mobile terminal (MS) of a mobile communication network, the connections being routed from the TE through one or more access servers to the MS, said method comprising the steps of:

a) sending a connection setup message from the TE to a first access server;

b) selecting a second access server from an access server identification means based on a location of the MS in the mobile communication network and/or call processing specific characteristics indicating a specific type of call processing of the call in the first communication network and/or the mobile communication network, said call processing specific characteristics being selected from a group consisting of;

detection of congestion in a candidate second access server;

distribution of traffic load in the candidate second access servers;

required/preferred bearer services;

required specific gateway functionalities;

required specific hardware in the second access server,

required specific data link protocols; and

required specific protocols to obtain special functionalities;

c) routing the connection setup message to the selected second access server; and

d) setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server.

3. A method for setting up a connection from a terminal equipment TE) of a first communication network to a mobile terminal (MS) of a mobile communication network, the connection being routed from the TE through one or more access servers to the MS, said method comprising the steps of:

a) sending a connection setup message containing an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a mobile subscriber number from the TE to a first access server;

b) extracting by the first access server, the mobile subscriber number based on the connection setup message;

c) sending to a home location register (HLR) in the mobile communication network, a send routing information message that includes the mobile subscriber number;

d) determining by the HLR based on the mobile subscriber number, a serving mobile switching center (MSC) currently serving the MS;

e) sending a provide roaming number message from the HLR to the serving MSC;

f) reserving the mobile subscriber number in the serving MSC while returning a roaming number for the MS to the HLR in a provide roaming number result message;

g) determining by an access server identification means in the HLR based on the roaming number for the MS, an access server address for a second access server;

h) sending a send routing information result message from the HLR to the first access server, said send routing information result message including the access server address and the roaming number for the MS;

i) sending data packets from the first access server to the second access server to route the connection setup message to the selected second access server; and

j) setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server by sending an initial address message to the serving MSC to set up a circuit-switched connection between the serving MSC and the MS.

4. A method for setting up connections from a terminal equipment (TE) of a first communication network to a mobile terminal (MS) of a mobile communication network, the connections being routed from the TE through one or more access servers to the MS, said method comprising the steps of:

a) sending a connection setup message containing an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a mobile subscriber number from the TE to a first access server;

b) extracting by the first access server, the mobile subscriber number based on the connection setup message;

c) sending to a home location register (HLR) in the mobile communication network, a send routing information message that includes the mobile subscriber number;

d) determining by the HLR based on the mobile subscriber number, a serving mobile switching center (MSC) currently serving the MS;

e) sending a provide roaming number message from the HLR to the serving MSC;

f) reserving the mobile subscriber number in the serving MSC while returning a roaming number for the MS to the HLR in a provide roaming number result message;

g) sending a send routing information result message from the HLR to the first access server, said send routing information result message including the roaming number for the MS and call processing specific characteristics;

h) determining by an access server identification means associated with the first access server, an access server address for a second access server, said second access server address being determined based on the call processing specific characteristics of the send routing information result message;

i) sending data packets from the first access server to the second access server to route the connection setup message to the selected second access server; and

j) setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server by sending an initial address message to the serving MSC to set up a circuit-switched connection between the serving MSC and the MS.

5. A method for setting up connections from a terminal equipment (TE) of a first communication network to a mobile terminal (MS) of a mobile communication network, the connections being routed from the TE through one or more access servers to the MS, said method comprising the steps of:

a) sending a connection setup message from the TE to a first access server;

b) selecting a second access server from an access server identification means based on a location of the MS in the mobile communication network and/or call processing specific characteristics indicating a specific type of call processing of the call in the first communication network and/or the mobile communication network;

c) sending a message from the first access server to the TE indicating the selected second access server address;

d) routing the connection setup message from the TE to the selected second access server; and

d) setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server.

6. A communication system including a first communication network having at least one terminal equipment (TE) connected thereto, and including a mobile communication network having at least one mobile terminal (MS) connected thereto, wherein a connection between the TE and the MS is routed through one or more access servers, said system comprising:

a first access server that receives a connection setup message from the TE, and extracts MS identification information from the connection setup message;

access server identification means storing a correspondence relationship between access server identifications and either a plurality of locations of the MS in the mobile communication network, and/or call processing specific characteristics indicating a specific type of call processing of the call in the first communication network and/or the mobile communication network, said call processing specific characteristics being selected from a group consisting of;

detection of congestion in a candidate second access server;

distribution of traffic load in the, candidate second access servers;

required/preferred bearer services;

required specific gateway functionalities;

required specific hardware in the second access server;

required specific data link protocols; and

required specific protocols to obtain special functionalities;

selection means for selecting a second access server from the access server identification means based on a location of the MS in the mobile communication network, and/or call processing specific characteristics;

routing means within the TE for routing a connection setup message sent from the TE to the selected second access server, wherein the first access server sends a message to the TE indicating the selected second access server address; and

connection setup means for setting up the connection from the TE to the MS through the selected second access server.