Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-27
2003-02-04
Cumming, William (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S407000, C455S422100, C455S432300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06516194
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to a telecommunications system for controlling and monitoring wireless roaming calls for real-time billing, specifically, wireless roaming calls having credit restrictions.
(2) Background Art
The telecommunications industry has transitioned to a wireless telecommunications environment with the introduction of wireless telecommunications services (referred to as “wireless services” or simply “wireless”). This transition has resulted in a rise of a myriad of wireless providers who seek to service the growing number of wireless subscribers on a national level, as well as a worldwide level. Providing the wireless subscribers with the ability to place and receive wireless communications regardless of their geographic location is not only a technical challenge, but also requires a complex network and infrastructure. A wireless subscriber may wish to place or receive wireless telecommunications when geographically outside the subscriber's home network. The “home network” is the network or the region serviced by the network of the wireless provider with whom the subscriber has contracted. The wireless provider, however, also wishes to provide telecommunications services to the subscriber even when the subscriber is geographically outside the home network, commonly referred to as roaming outside the home network or simply roaming. The subscriber must be capable of communicating outside of the home network in order for a Roaming Solution to occur.
However, to provide this service creates a credit risk for the Provider because calls originated by or delivered to the roaming subscriber while roaming in a Local Roaming Provider's network can not be controlled or monitored real-time for account based billing. Due to this potential exposure to credit risk, the wireless providers have, in many cases, refused to provide roaming services to many subscribers in order to mitigate exposure to credit risk. Other solutions to mitigate exposure to credit risk include, credit card calling, various prepay systems including the Applicant's patented system which provides roaming services to prepay unregistered roaming subscribers for call originations only.
When the subscriber is outside of the home network, the subscriber's equipment searches for a Local Provider's network (local with respect to a roaming subscriber, “Local Provider” could be referred to as “Roaming Provider” or “Serving Provider”) for which it can communicate. This is referred to as roaming. The subscriber's equipment roams until a network provider for which communications can be established is found. The myriad of providers and the growing number of subscribers combined with the complex infrastructure makes a network Roaming Solution a key part to successfully providing nationwide or worldwide wireless services.
Wireless communication networks and services must provide a Roaming Solution for roaming Registration Notification (Regnot), as well as Roaming Solutions for wireless communications originated by the wireless roaming subscriber and for incoming communications directed to the wireless roaming subscriber. There are various wireless telecommunications interconnect strategies that are designed for servicing the wireless roaming subscriber. A given wireless provider will service both local home subscriber traffic, specifically their own subscribers, however, they will also service roaming subscribers who are not their own who have roamed into the Local Provider's network (i.e., a wireless roaming subscriber).
As indicated above, wireless subscribers desire to be able to use their mobile phone regardless of their location and this subscriber desire has induced wireless providers to negotiate contracts among themselves to provide roaming services to their subscribers when they are outside the wireless Home Provider's network. A subscriber is considered a roamer when the subscriber's mobile station or mobile phone requires service in a local network which is operated by a wireless provider other than the one to which the subscriber contracts. When a subscriber's mobile station is in the roaming mode, a signal indicative of the roaming condition is provided to the subscriber and is typically displayed on the display of the mobile phone as the result of a comparison of the system identification (SID) of the subscribed system which is stored in the mobile station (mobile phone), with the SID of the system of the Local Wireless Provider which provides a service broadcast from the local base station. This alerts the subscriber of the mobile station that the service being provided is accruing roaming charges. However, the subscriber typically does not have visibility into the actual roaming costs as the contracts between the various wireless providers can vary. Thus, a subscriber can accumulate roaming costs that are higher than anticipated.
A typical scenario is when the mobile station or mobile phone of the wireless subscriber enters a geographical area outside of its home network that prevents it from obtaining service from the Home Provider's communications network. The mobile station or the mobile phone registers with the Local Provider's (Roaming Provider's) wireless communications system by providing identification information to the Local Provider's mobile switching center (MSC). This identification is referred to as Regnot. The Visitor Location Register (VLR) attached to the Local Provider's MSC has a database of information that identifies other providers with whom they have billing arrangements such that the Local Provider has agreed to provide roaming services to roaming subscribers of the other provider (the Home Provider of roaming subscriber). The VLR maintains records of all service being provided to wireless roaming subscribers. If the other provider or Home Provider of the roaming subscriber is registered in the VLR of the Local Provider, then the VLR will contact the Home Location Register (HLR) of the Home Provider of the roaming subscriber to obtain caller profile information for the roaming subscriber that has roamed into the network of the local or Roaming Provider. The Local Wireless Provider's wireless communications system will then seek authorization to provide service to the roaming subscriber who has roamed into the Local Wireless Provider's network. The HLR of the Home Provider will tell the VLR of the Local Provider whether to provide or not to provide roaming services. Once the roaming services are allowed to be provided, all calls originated by the roaming subscriber are completed by the Local Provider's MSC and RSU. The problem is that the Home Provider has no control over the call originated by the roaming caller. This situation creates a credit risk to the Home Provider. Therefor, Home Providers have opted not to allow roaming services to some subscribers thus they would not be registered with the VLR of the Roaming Provider. Please note, in the telecommunications industry when one refers to a Provider's mobile switching center or switching center or mobile switch or simply switch, it typically implies that an HLR and VLR are included, as well as other necessary hardware. For the purpose of this document, when these terms are used it is implied that the HLR and VLR are included.
Call delivery to the roaming subscriber when roaming in a Local or Roaming Provider's network can be accomplished current wireless telecommunication infrastructures, however, once the call is terminated at the MSC of the Local Provider, the Home Provider has no means of controlling and monitoring the call. Again, Home Providers have opted not to allow roaming services to some subscribers and again they would not be registered with the VLR of the Roaming Provider.
If the roaming subscriber is identified in the VLR of the Local Provider, the system of the Local Wireless Provider will send a re
Cumming William
VeriSign, Inc.
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