Roaming mobile subscriber registration in a distributed mobile architecture

• US 8,224,322 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemko Corporation
• Inventors: Pan, ShaoWei
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniel, Jr., Willie J
• Application Number:
  US11/451,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20070287452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

A method of registering a mobile subscriber within a network including distributed mobile architecture nodes is disclosed. The method includes receiving a registration request from a mobile subscriber at a first distributed mobile architecture node within the network and storing an identifier of the first distributed mobile architecture node and the mobile subscriber at a memory location within a visitor location register (VLR) gateway. The VLR gateway is coupled to an element of a wide area wireless network. Also, a computer readable memory accessible to a distributed mobile architecture node of a distributed internet protocol network is disclosed. The computer readable memory includes a first field to identify a visiting mobile subscriber unit and a second field to identify an address of one of the distributed mobile architecture nodes of the distributed internet protocol network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a registration request from a first visiting mobile subscriber unit at a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) node of a DMA network that includes a plurality of coverage sites, wherein the DMA network includes at least the first DMA node and a second DMA node, wherein the first DMA node is associated with a first coverage site of the DMA network, and wherein the second DMA node is associated with a second coverage site of the DMA network that is different from the first coverage site;

in response to receipt of the registration request at the first DMA node, storing an identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit at a first visitor location register (VLR) located at the first DMA node, wherein the first VLR stores first registration information associated with a first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node;

transmitting the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit from the first DMA node to a visitor location register (VLR) gateway via the second DMA node of the DMA network,

wherein the VLR gateway is located at a different location than the first DMA node,

wherein a second VLR that is located at the second DMA node stores second registration information associated with a second set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the second coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the second DMA node,

wherein the VLR gateway stores an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first DMA node and the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit at a memory location within the VLR gateway to indicate that the first visiting mobile subscriber unit has registered at the first DMA node,

wherein the VLR gateway stores the first registration information associated with the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node and stores the second registration information associated with the second set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the second coverage site of the DMA network and supported by the second DMA node, and wherein at least one mobile subscriber unit in the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units is associated with a home coverage site that is distinct from the first coverage site and the second coverage site,

wherein registration information associated with a particular visiting mobile subscriber unit includes an identifier of the particular visiting mobile subscriber unit and an IP address of a particular DMA node that supports the particular visiting mobile subscriber unit, and

wherein the VLR gateway is coupled to an element of a wide area wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the element of the wide area wireless network is a mobile switching center that is coupled to a home location register (HLR).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is forwarded from the VLR gateway to the HLR.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the VLR gateway is operable to send a message to the mobile switching center.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the VLR gateway receives a confirmation response from the mobile switching center in response to sending the message to the mobile switching center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the message includes the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit and wherein the confirmation response confirms registration of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit within the wide area wireless network and further comprising receiving a registration acknowledge message at the first DMA node after the VLR gateway receives the confirmation response.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide area wireless network is a cellular network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit includes one of an international mobile station identifier (IMSI), an electronic serial number (ESN), and an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a registration acknowledge message at the first DMA node from the VLR gateway after the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is stored at the VLR gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is located outside of a home location area associated with the first visiting mobile subscriber unit.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the VLR gateway is coupled to the second DMA node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is transmitted from the first DMA node to the second DMA node via a wireless peer-to-peer IP data connection.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is transmitted from the first DMA node to the second DMA node via the wireless peer-to-peer IP data connection while the first DMA node is in motion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit is received at the second DMA node via the wireless peer-to-peer IP data connection while the second DMA node is in motion.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second registration request from a second visiting mobile subscriber unit at the first DMA node;

in response to receipt of the second registration request, storing a second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit at the first VLR, wherein the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node includes at least the first visiting mobile subscriber unit and the second visiting mobile subscriber unit; and

transmitting the second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit to the VLR gateway via the second DMA node, wherein the VLR gateway, in response to receipt of the second identifier, stores the IP address of the first DMA node and the second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit at the memory location within the VLR gateway to indicate that the second visiting mobile subscriber unit has registered at the first DMA node.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the DMA network further includes a third DMA node that is associated with a third coverage site of the DMA network that is different from the first coverage site and the second coverage site, wherein a third VLR is located at the third DMA node, wherein the third VLR stores third registration information associated with a third set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the third coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the third DMA node, and wherein the VLR gateway further stores the third registration information associated with the third set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the third coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the third DMA node.

17. A system comprising:

a first distributed mobile architecture (DMA) node of a plurality of DMA nodes of a DMA network that includes a plurality of coverage sites, wherein the first DMA node is associated with a first coverage site of the DMA network, the first DMA node configured to;

receive a registration request from a first visiting mobile subscriber unit;

store an identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit at a first visitor location register (VLR) located at the first DMA node in response to receipt of the registration request, wherein the first VLR stores first registration information associated with a first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node; and

transmit the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit to a visitor location register (VLR);

a second DMA node of the plurality of DMA nodes of the DMA network, wherein the second DMA node is associated with a second coverage site of the DMA network that is different from the first coverage site, the second DMA node configured to;

receive the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit from the first DMA node, wherein a second VLR is located at the second DMA node, and wherein the second VLR stores second registration information associated with a second set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the second coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the second DMA node; and

a visitor location register (VLR) gateway configured to;

receive the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit via the second DMA node, wherein the VLR gateway is coupled to an element of a wide area wireless network, wherein the VLR gateway is located at a different location than the first DMA node, and wherein the VLR gateway stores the first registration information associated with the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node and stores the second registration information associated with the second set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the second coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the second DMA node, and

wherein at least one mobile subscriber unit in the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units is associated with a home coverage site that is distinct from the first coverage site and the second coverage site,

wherein registration information associated with a particular visiting mobile subscriber unit includes an identifier of the particular visiting mobile subscriber unit and an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a particular DMA node that supports the particular visiting mobile subscriber unit,

wherein upon receipt of the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit at the VLR gateway, an IP address of the first DMA node and the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit are stored at a memory location within the VLR gateway to indicate that the first visiting mobile subscriber unit has registered at the first DMA node.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the VLR gateway is coupled to the second DMA node.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the wide area wireless network is a cellular network, wherein the element of the wide area wireless network is a mobile switching center that is coupled to a home location register (HLR), and wherein the VLR gateway is further configured to forward the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit to the HLR.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the VLR gateway is further configured to send a message that includes the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit to the mobile switching center.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the VLR gateway is further configured to receive a confirmation response in response to the message sent to the mobile switching center, wherein the confirmation response confirms registration of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit within the wide area wireless network, and wherein a registration acknowledge message is sent to the first DMA node after receiving the confirmation response.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit includes one of an international mobile station identifier (IMSI), an electronic serial number (ESN), and an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI).

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the first DMA node is further configured to transmit the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit to the second DMA node via a wireless peer-to-peer IP data connection while the first DMA node is in motion.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the second DMA node is further configured to receive the identifier of the first visiting mobile subscriber unit via the wireless peer-to-peer IP data connection while the second DMA node is in motion.

25. The system of claim 17,

wherein the first DMA node is further configured to:

receive a second registration request from a second visiting mobile subscriber unit;

store a second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit at the first VLR, wherein the first set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the first coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the first DMA node includes at least the first visiting mobile subscriber unit and the second visiting mobile subscriber unit; and

transmit the second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit to the VLR gateway via the second DMA node,

wherein in response to receipt of the second identifier at the VLR gateway, the VLR gateway stores the IP address of the first DMA node and the second identifier of the second visiting mobile subscriber unit at the memory location within the VLR gateway to indicate that the second visiting mobile subscriber unit has registered at the first DMA node.

26. The system of claim 17, further comprising a third DMA node of the plurality of DMA nodes of the DMA network, wherein the third DMA node is associated with a third coverage site of the DMA network that is different from the first coverage site and the second coverage site, wherein a third VLR is located at the third DMA node, wherein the third VLR stores third registration information associated with a third set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the third coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the third DMA node, and wherein the VLR gateway further stores the third registration information associated with the third set of visiting mobile subscriber units that are located within the third coverage site of the DMA network and that are supported by the third DMA node.