OAMP for distributed mobile architecture

• US 8,107,409 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Inventors: Pan, ShaoWei
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy
• Assistant Examiner(s): MIAN, OMER S
• Application Number:
  US12/171,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20100008306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/315, 370/332, 370/331, 455/11.1
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• 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 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method of routing calls includes receiving a first call at a first distributed mobile architecture gateway (dMAG) from a legacy communication network. A routing path for the first call is determined based on register data associated with a mobile station, the routing path including at least one component of each of the first dMAG, a first dMA node, and a private Internet Protocol (IP) network. One or more command messages are sent to reserve the components of the first dMAG, the first dMA node, and the private Internet Protocol (IP) network. One or more confirmation messages are received indicating that components of the first dMAG, the first dMA node, and the private IP network are reserved to route the first call. The first call is connected to the mobile station via the reserved components of the first dMAG, the first dMA node, and the private IP network.

Claims

1. A distributed mobile architecture gateway (dMAG), comprising:

a data storage device;

a legacy network interface adapted to communicate with a legacy communication network;

a home distributed mobile architecture (dMA) register including a list of a first group of dMA nodes, wherein the dMAG is designated to route calls directed to one or more mobile stations served by the first group of dMA nodes;

a visitor dMA register including a list of a second group of dMA nodes, wherein each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes is roaming with respect to the dMAG and the dMAG is adapted to temporarily route calls directed to one or more mobile stations served by the second group of dMA nodes;

a master agent adapted to receive performance data from each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes and each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes; and

an operations module adapted to;

store the performance data in the data storage device; and

send the performance data from each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes to one or more additional dMAGs via a private IP network;

wherein at least a portion of the calls routed by the dMAG are communicated via the legacy network interface.

2. The dMAG of claim 1, further comprising a management information database (MIB), the MIB including performance requirements associated with the dMAG, the private IP network, each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, or any combination thereof.

3. The dMAG of claim 2, wherein the operations module is adapted to analyze performance data of a particular component of the dMAG, a particular component of the private IP network, or a particular component of one of the dMA nodes of the first group of dMA nodes with respect to a corresponding performance requirement to identify when an error condition occurs with respect to the particular component of the dMAG, the particular component of the private IP network, or the particular component of the one of the dMA nodes of the first group of dMA nodes.

4. The dMAG of claim 3, wherein the operations module is adapted to provide error condition data indicating the error condition with respect to the particular component of the dMAG, the particular component of the private IP network, or the particular component of the one of the dMA nodes of the first group of dMA nodes.

5. The dMAG of claim 4, wherein the error condition data includes a message to re-route a particular call.

6. The dMAG of claim 4, wherein the error condition data is sent to a technician, an error log stored at the dMAG, or both.

7. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the performance data relates to a plurality of performance metrics.

8. The dMAG of claim 2, wherein the master agent is adapted to receive the performance data from one or more sub-agents of each component of the dMA nodes of the first group of dMA nodes.

9. The dMAG of claim 8, wherein the master agent, the one or more sub-agents of each component of the dMA nodes of the first group of dMA nodes, and the MIB communicate according to simple network management protocol (SNMP).

10. The dMAG of claim 8, wherein the master agent, the one or more sub-agents of each component of the dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, and the MIB communicate according to an agent-X protocol.

11. The dMAG of claim 2, further comprising a maintenance module adapted to send software to each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes.

12. The dMAG of claim 11, wherein the software includes updates to previous versions of software executed by each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes.

13. The dMAG of claim 11, wherein the software replaces previous versions of software executed by each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes.

14. The dMAG of claim 11, wherein the maintenance module is adapted to produce a backup copy of data stored in the MIB.

15. The dMAG of claim 2, wherein the performance data is stored in the MIB.

16. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the legacy communication network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an integrated services digital network (ISDN), a wide-area wireless network, or a public IP network.

17. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the performance data is associated with a wireless transceiver interface of each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, a wireless transceiver interface of each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes, a wireless transceiver of each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, a wireless transceiver of each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes, a data network connection of each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, a data network connection of each dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes, or any combination thereof.

18. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the dMAG includes a graphical user interface (GUI) module adapted to produce at least one GUI related to presenting the performance data of each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, managing components of each dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, managing components of the private IP network, presenting a configuration of a particular component of a dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, presenting a configuration of a particular component of the dMAG, presenting a configuration of a particular component of the private IP network, or any combination thereof.

19. The dMAG of claim 18, wherein the at least one GUI is accessible via a display device coupled to the dMAG.

20. The dMAG of claim 18, wherein the at least one GUI is accessible via a display device located remotely from the dMAG.

21. The dMAG of claim 18, wherein the at least one GUI is accessible via an Internet portal.

22. The dMAG of claim 18, wherein the at least one GUI is configured according to an applet executable via a web browser.

23. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the master agent is adapted to query at least one component of a particular dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes for specified performance data.

24. The dMAG of claim 1, wherein the dMAG includes an administration module adapted to generate and store billing information associated with the calls directed to the one or more mobile stations served by the first group of dMA nodes.

25. The dMAG of claim 1, further comprising a provisioning module adapted to reserve resources of the dMAG, resources of the private IP network, resources of at least one dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, resources of at least one dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes, or any combination thereof, to route calls from the dMAG to the at least one dMA node of the first group of dMA nodes, to the at least one dMA node of the second group of dMA nodes, or both, based on the performance data.

26. A distributed mobile architecture (dMA) node, comprising:

a data network connection adapted to communicate with a private Internet protocol (IP) network; and

a performance module adapted to;

send first performance data to a first distributed mobile architecture gateway (dMAG) via the private IP network when the dMA node is in a first communication range of the first dMAG, the first performance data related to components of the dMA node and related to first calls routed via the dMA node when the dMA node is in the first communication range; and

send second performance data to a second dMAG via the private IP network when the dMA node is in a second communication range of the second dMAG, the second performance data related to the components of the dMA node and related to second calls routed via the dMA node when the dMA node is in the second communication range;

wherein the dMA node is included in a home dMA register of the first dMAG when the dMA node is in the first communication range and when the dMA node is in the second communication range and wherein the dMA node is included in a visitor dMA register of the second dMAG when the dMA node is in the second communication range.

27. The dMA node of claim 26, further comprising a wireless transceiver interface, a processor, a memory, a data storage device, or any combination thereof.

28. The dMA node of claim 27, further comprising one or more sub-agents adapted to monitor performance of the data network connection, the wireless transceiver interface, the processor, the memory, the data storage device, or any combination thereof.

29. The dMA node of claim 27, further comprising a configuration module adapted to:

store first configuration data related to the data network connection, the wireless transceiver interface, the processor, the memory, the data storage device, or any combination thereof; and

receive second configuration data related to the data network connection, the wireless transceiver interface, the processor, the memory, the data storage device, or any combination thereof, from the first dMAG.

30. The dMA node of claim 27, further comprising a maintenance module adapted to receive software updates from the first dMAG, wherein the software updates are related to the data network connection, the wireless transceiver interface, the processor, the memory, the data storage device, or any combination thereof, and wherein the software updates are based on the first performance data, the second performance data, or any combination thereof.