Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Usage measurement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-16
2002-12-17
Urban, Edward F. (Department: 2685)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Usage measurement
C455S432300, C455S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06496689
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the indication of charging information at a mobile station supporting unstructured supplementary service data according to the preamble of claim
1
.
Further, the present invention relates to a digital cellular communication network comprising at least one public land mobile network according to the preamble of claim
10
.
Finally, the present invention relates to a method to provide charging specific information in a digital cellular communication network supporting unstructured supplementary service data messages according to claim
19
.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Digital cellular communication systems meanwhile are in common use. One example for such a digital cellular communication system is the pan-European mobile telecommunication network GSM for which technical specifications have been elaborated by the European Telecommunication Standards Institute ETSI. Digital cellular communication systems allow its users to initiate and receive calls and services, respectively, at any geographical area within the radio coverage of the home public land mobile network HPLMN operated by the network operator selected by the subscriber and also within the radio coverage area of partners of the network operator providing services within the home public land mobile network, HPLMN, i.e. network operators having a roaming agreement with the HPLMN-network operator.
Basic sub-systems for the architecture of a digital cellular communication network are provided to establish services in a public land mobile network PLMN service area of a single network operator. These sub-systems comprise a base station sub-system BSS, a network and switching sub-system NSS and an operational sub-system OSS. The base station sub-system BSS provides and manages transmission paths between mobile stations MS and the network and switching sub-system NSS. The network and switching sub-system NSS manages communications and connections to the mobile stations MS.
FIG. 9
shows further components being related to the network and switching sub-system NSS, the base station sub-system BSS and the mobile station MS, respectively. In particular,
FIG. 9
shows a public land mobile network PLMN that may either be the home public land mobile network HPLMN or the visiting public land mobile network VPLMN of a subscriber.
To achieve a link between two different PLMN service areas there is provided a gateway mobile service switching centre GMSC that serves to determine specific locations of a mobile station MS in the digital cellular communication system and to route calls towards a mobile station MS. In addition, an even more important task of the gateway mobile service switching centre GMSC is to connect to other networks.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, the gateway mobile service switching centre GMSC is connected to a functional unit called home location register HLR where two types of information are stored, i.e. subscriber information and mobile information to allow incoming calls to be routed to the mobile station MS. Any administrative action by the network operator with respect to mobile station data is carried out in the home location register HLR.
To route a call to a mobile station MS the gateway mobile service switching centre GMSC is also connected to a mobile service switching centre MSC through which the mobile station MS can obtain a service. The mobile service switching centre performs the necessary switching functions required for mobile stations MS covered by this mobile service switching centre MSC. Also, the mobile service switching centre MSC monitors the mobility of its mobile stations MS and manages necessary resources required to handle and update the location registration procedures.
As outlined above and shown in
FIG. 9
the public land mobile network HPLNM/VPLMN comprises a plurality of mobile service switching centres MSC and respective service areas each covering a predetermined number of basic cells wherein a mobile station can move. To this end each mobile service switching centre MSC is connected to a visitor location register VLR. The visitor location register VLR is a functional unit that dynamically stores mobile station information, such as the location area in case the mobile station is located in the service area covered by the visitor location register VLR. When a roaming mobile station MS enters a service area assigned to a specific mobile service switching centre MSC the mobile service switching centre MSC informs the associated visitor location register VLR about the mobile station MS.
In addition, the base station sub-system BSS corresponds to physical equipment providing radio coverage to the above-mentioned cells which are approximately hexagonal geographical regions in FIG.
9
. Each base station sub-system BSS contains equipment required to communicate with the mobile station MS.
In the digital cellular telecommunication network system there are three types of logical channels: traffic channel, control channel, and cell broadcast channel. The traffic channels are used to transmit user information like speech or data. The control channels are used to transmit control and signalling information. Finally, the cell broadcast channels are used to broadcast user information from a mobile services switching centre MSC to the mobile station MS listening in a given basic cell/basic service area.
Using the architecture of the digital cellular telecommunication network system outlined above, there may be provided a group of communication capabilities to the subscribers. The basic telecommunication services provided in the GSM digital cellular telecommunication network system are divided into three main groups: bearer services, teleservices, and supplementary services.
The bearer services give the mobile station MS the capacity required to transmit appropriate signals between certain user network interfaces such as data services, alternate speech/data, speech followed by data, clear 3.1 kHz audio service and support of automatic request for retransmission technique for improved error rates.
The teleservices provide the mobile station MS with necessary capabilities including terminal equipment functions to communicate with other mobile stations, e.g., short message services or message handling and storage services.
Finally, supplementary services modify or supplement basic telecommunication services and are provided with or in association with the basic teleservices. Such supplementary services comprise, e.g., number identification services, call offering services, call completion services, multi party services, or call restriction services.
In order to be able to deliver an incoming call to a mobile station on the basis of these different services it is necessary to know the location of the mobile station MS at any time. This is achieved through continuous data exchange between the mobile station MS and the base station sub-system BSS in the service area where the mobile station is located. Thus, the digital cellular telecommunication network system keeps track of the mobile station MS and stores location information in the respective home location register HLR and visitor location register VLR.
Generally, charges and tariffs for calls in cellular digital communication systems described so far are to a large extent not related to technical specifications but dealt with by system operators.
Usually the calling mobile station or the subscriber mobile station may receive information in real time about call-related costs through the Advice of Charge AoC supplementary service specified in ETSI Advice of Charge AoC supplementary services, GSM Recommendation 02.86, November 1996.
Firstly, this feature may be related to an approximate indication to what will appear on the bill in case a call would be finished at the time of the Advice of Charge. Charges are indicated for the call in progress when originating at the mobile station or for the roaming leg only when the call terminates at the mobile station. Usually, the mobile station MS receives at the beginn
Keller Ralf
Zavagli Guido
Craver Charles
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
Urban Edward F.
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