Telephonic communications – Special services – Service trigger
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-28
2001-07-24
Hong, Harry S. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Service trigger
C370S355000, C370S356000, C370S389000, C370S401000, C379S211010, C379S220010, C379S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266405
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Applicants' invention relates generally to number portability in telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to techniques for providing number portability towards Internet service providers.
Number portability in telecommunication systems typically permits end users (i.e., mobile subscribers) to retain the same telephone numbers whenever the end users change from one telecommunication service provider/operator domain to another telecommunication service provider/operator domain. Without number portability, service providers will be unable to accommodate the relocation of a mobile subscriber from one service provider to another without changing the subscriber's directory telephone number.
Changing a directory telephone number in the event of relocation of a subscriber occasions expense and effort for both the subscriber and the telecommunications provider. For the provider, it is an expensive process to administer the changes of directory telephone numbers when a subscriber relocates from one area to another. The administration required by the provider includes both efforts to define available new numbers in the new location and to update the existing directory. The relocated subscriber also incurs expense in providing notice of the new directory number to potential callers (friends and business contacts). If such notice is not provided or retained by the potential callers, calls may not be placed to the relocated subscriber. Loss of calls to a relocated subscriber can result in loss of social or business opportunity. Thus, number portability is advantageous in that it permits relocated mobile subscribers, who have changed service providers, to receive calls that otherwise might be directed to the wrong service provider and therefore would be lost.
For an understanding of number portability, a conventional telecommunications network
10
is shown in FIG.
1
and is described below. Network
10
includes a set of service provider domains
20
A-
20
C and
20
F. Three of the domains (particularly domains
20
A-
20
C) are mobile telecommunications domains serving mobile stations; domain
20
F serves fixed stations. In the illustrated network, domain
20
F can be of a network type such as a public switched network (PSTN) or integrated services digital network (ISDN), for example. At least some of the areas served by domains
20
can be, and likely are, geographically coextensive. Some of the domains
20
may also be served by differing service providers, e.g., different telecommunications operating companies.
Fixed station domain
20
F includes at least one local exchange
22
F. Local exchange
22
F is connected to a plurality of fixed subscriber stations, only one of which (subscriber
24
) is shown in FIG.
1
. Local exchange
22
F is connected either directly or ultimately (e.g., via transit exchanges) to a gateway exchange or gateway node
26
F. Gateway node
26
F is connected to a database
30
F. Database
30
F is, in turn, connected (e.g., for updating and maintenance purpose) to a service management system
32
F.
Mobile telecommunications domains
20
A-
20
C each have respective gateway nodes
26
A-
26
C, each of which takes the form of gateway mobile services switching center (GMSC) and accordingly are respectively referred to as GMSCs
26
A-
26
C.
Each gateway node GMSC
26
serves as an interface to external domains
20
for one or more mobile services switching centers (MSCs)
40
which belong to the domain.
Although any given domain likely has a plurality of MSCs
20
, only a single MSC
40
is shown in domains
20
for purposes of illustration. Each GMSC
26
is connected to the MSCs
40
in its domain; MSCs
40
in the same domain may also be connected. Each MSC
40
in
FIG. 1
is connected to serve at least one and preferably a plurality of base station controllers (BSCs)
50
. For example, MSC
40
A serves base station controllers
50
A-
1
through
50
A-m; MSC
40
B(
1
) serves base station controllers
50
B(
1
)-
1
through
50
B(
1
)-m. It should be understood that, typically, differing MSCs
40
serve a differing number of base station controllers
50
. The use of BSCs
50
, shown in the Figures, is for purposes of illustration. It will be recognized that each MSC
40
can directly serve the BSs
60
without any intermediary BSCs
50
in some mobile systems (e.g., TDMA according to IS-136).
Each base station controller
50
is connected to one or more base transceiver stations (BS)
60
A-
1
through
60
A-l(q). The number of base transceiver stations (BS)
60
per base station controller
50
can vary.
Each base transceiver stations (BS)
60
transmits and receives radio frequency communications to and from a plurality of mobile subscribers (MS)
70
in the geographical areas served by the respective BS
60
. For sake of simplicity and illustration, only one mobile station
70
is shown in
FIG. 1
, although it should be understood that each domain
20
serves hundreds if not thousands of unillustrated mobile stations. The particular mobile station
70
depicted in
FIG. 1
is shown as being served by base transceiver station (BS)
60
A-m(q).
Mobile telecommunications domains
20
A-
20
C each include respective databases
30
A-
30
C. Databases
30
A-
30
C are connected to and maintained by service management systems
32
A-
32
C, respectively. Service management systems
32
A-
32
C are connected to and supervised by a master management system
32
M.
Databases
30
are subscriber location servers which are augmented with additional intelligence and are known as mobile subscriber number portability databases. Databases
30
include information which facilitates number portability for many types of subscribers in their respective domains, including mobile subscribers.
As will become more apparent below, the mobile telecommunications domains
20
A-
20
C described above comprise a mobile subscriber number portability domain. In the number portability domain, mobile subscribers can change service providers, e.g., change from one of the domains to another, e.g., change from domain
20
A to domain
20
C, and still maintain their “directory” number.
FIG. 2
shows the circumstance where mobile subscriber
71
has changed service providers. In particular, as depicted in
FIG. 2
, mobile subscriber
71
has changed his subscription from the provider which operates domain
20
C to the provider which operates domain
20
B. In fact, at the time shown in
FIG. 2
, mobile subscriber
71
is served by MSC
40
B(
1
).
Upon the change of subscription as depicted in
FIG. 2
, deletion of the subscriber (owning mobile station
71
) from MSC
40
C was communicated to service management system (SMS)
32
C, which advised master service management system (SMS)
32
M. SMS
32
M subsequently communicated the deletion of the subscriber to all SMSs
32
, including SMSs
32
A,
32
B, and
32
F, which in turn updated respective databases
30
A,
30
B,
32
F, accordingly. Then, when the subscriber joined the service provider which operates domain
20
B, SMS
32
C advised master SMS
32
M of the enlistment. SMS
32
M subsequently advised all SMSs
32
of the enlistment in domain
20
B of the subscriber, including SMSs
32
A,
32
C,
32
F, which in turn updated respective databases
30
A,
30
C, and
30
F, accordingly. Therefore, in accordance with the above process, the subscriber of mobile station
71
is able to retain the same directory number upon changing service providers from domain
20
C to domain
20
B.
FIG. 2
further shows placement of a call from mobile subscriber
70
in domain
20
A to mobile subscriber
71
which has changed from service provider
20
C to service provider
20
B. The originating MSC
40
A receives the mobile subscriber call via BS
60
A-m(q) and BSC
50
A-m. Then, in accordance with conventional techniques, MSC
40
A initiates a number portability request message (Action
3
-
1
; FIG.
2
), such as, for example, the Number Portability Request Invoke message utilized in ANSI41, to number portability database
30
A. However, in view of t
Madour Lila
Sultana Shabnam
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Hong Harry S.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
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