Telecommunications – Carrier wave repeater or relay system – Portable or mobile repeater
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-18
2002-08-20
Cumming, William (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Carrier wave repeater or relay system
Portable or mobile repeater
C455S266000, C455S403000, C455S434000, C455S553100, C379S354000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438355
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to operating a satellite communications system in conjunction with optimized call routing.
2. Description of Related Art
Mobile wireless communication is becoming increasingly important for providing safety, convenience, improved productivity, and simple conversational pleasure to subscribers of wireless communications systems. One prominent mobile wireless communication option is cellular communication. Cellular phones, for instance, can be found in cars, briefcases, purses, and even pockets. With the proliferation of cellular phone use, cellular phone subscribers are demanding increased coverage areas as well as the ability to use their cellular phones across different geographical areas, types of wireless networks, wireless network service providers, etc. One way to increase the size and geographical diversity of coverage areas is to employ satellite communication systems. These satellite communication systems may be based on any of many traditional wireless communication network standards.
Referring now to
FIG. 1
of the drawings, an exemplary cellular wireless communication network system, such as a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)
100
operating in accordance with the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) standard, is described. The PLMN
100
is composed of a plurality of areas
105
, each with a Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC)
110
and an integrated Visitor Location Register (VLR)
115
therein. The MSC/VLR areas
105
, in turn, include a plurality of Location Areas (LA)
120
, which are defined as that part of a given MSC/VLR area
105
in which a Mobile Terminal (MT)
125
may move freely without having to send update location information to the MSC/VLR
110
that controls the LA
120
. Each LA
120
is divided into a number of cells
130
. The MT
125
is the physical equipment (e.g., a car phone, a computer with a wireless link, other portable phone, etc.) used by mobile subscribers to communicate with the cellular network
100
, each other, and users outside the subscribed network, both wireline and wireless.
The MSC
110
is in communication with at least one Base Station Controller (BSC)
135
, which, in turn, is in contact with at least one Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
140
. The BTS
140
is the physical equipment, illustrated for simplicity as a radio tower, that provides radio coverage to the geographical part of the cell
130
for which it is responsible. It should be understood that the BSC
135
may be connected to several BTSs
140
, and may be implemented as a stand-alone node or integrated with the MSC
110
. In either event, the BSC
135
and the BTS
140
components, as a whole, are generally referred to as a Base Station System
145
.
With further reference to
FIG. 1
, the PLMN Service Area or wireless network
100
includes a Home Location Register (HLR)
150
, which is a database maintaining all subscriber information (e.g., user profiles, current location information, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers, other administrative information, etc.). The HLR
150
may be Column-located with a given MSC
110
, integrated with the MSC
110
, or alternatively can service multiple MSCs
110
, the latter of which is illustrated in FIG.
1
.
The VLR
115
is a database containing information about all of the MTs
125
currently located within the MSC/VLR area
105
. If an MT
125
roams into a new MSC/VLR area
105
, the VLR
115
connected to that MSC
110
will request data about that MT
125
from the HLR database
150
(simultaneously informing the HLR
150
about the current location of the MT
125
). Accordingly, if the user of the MT
125
then wants to make a call, the local VLR
115
will have the requisite identification information without having to reinterrogate the HLR
150
. In the aforedescribed manner, the VLR and HLR databases
115
and
150
, respectively, contain various subscriber information associated with a given MT
125
.
Referring now to
FIG. 2
, an exemplary satellite-based wireless network system with three transmission paths identified is illustrated generally at
200
. The satellite-based wireless network system
200
indicates how the GSM standard may be incorporated into a general (e.g., regional) satellite-based wireless network system. An MT
125
′ is in communication with an MT
125
″ via a satellite
205
. The satellite-based wireless network system
200
also includes a satellite Base Station Subsystem (BSS)
135
′ connected to a satellite gateway
210
, which is also connected to another satellite BSS
135
″. The gateway
210
may include a Gateway MSC (GMSC)
215
, an MSC
110
, and a VLR
115
. It should be noted that neither any two nor all of the GMSC
215
, the MSC
110
, and the VLR
115
need be located at the same geographical location and that the gateway
210
need not include any of them. A transmission
220
, which is represented by a dotted line, shows a transmission path between the MT
125
′ and the MT
125
″ that does not include the MSC
110
(e.g., a single hop in the satellite-based wireless network system
200
). On the other hand, a transmission
225
, which is represented by a dashed line, shows a transmission path between the MT
125
′ and the MT
125
″ that does include the MSC
110
(e.g., a double hop in the satellite-based wireless network system
200
).
Also in
FIG. 2
(although not necessarily an integral part of the satellite-based wireless network system
200
), a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)/PLMN
230
is illustrated. The PSTN/PLMN
230
is in communication with wireline terminals
235
and wireless terminals
240
as well as the gateway
210
. A transmission
245
, which is represented by a dashed and dotted line, shows a transmission path between a wireline terminal
235
or a wireless terminal
240
and the MT
125
″ from, or through, the PSTN/PLMN
230
.
One of the principle benefits of satellite-based wireless network systems is the large geographic areas that may be covered by a single homogenous system. Consequently, these large coverage areas may span across long-distance zones or even the borders of one or more countries. Each of these satellite-based wireless network systems typically has more than one satellite gateway
210
, each of which serves as a nexus between the particular satellite-based wireless network system and one or more external communication systems such as PSTNs, other PLMNs, the Internet, etc. The path through which a call is routed from a satellite subscriber (e.g., the satellite subscriber associated with the MT
125
′) or an external subscriber (e.g., a subscriber associated with the wireline terminal
235
and/or the wireless terminal
240
) to another satellite subscriber (e.g., the satellite subscriber associated with the MT
125
″) usually traverses a gateway
210
.
A satellite MT (e.g., the MT
125
′ or the MT
125
″) may be registered or re-registered (e.g., permanently or temporarily assigned within the satellite-based wireless network system
200
) to a particular gateway
210
, which then serves as the nexus through which the satellite MT sends and receives communications. The respective geographic location(s) of the gateway
210
of the satellite MT and a party (or their registered gateway
210
) calling or being called by the satellite MT are therefore determinative of whether the call is of the long-distance or international variety, which usually cause the total cost of the call to escalate dramatically. When the gateway registration or re-registration process is effectuated without the knowledge of the associated satellite subscriber, the cost of calls becomes indeterminate and unpredictable from the perspective of the subscriber. This indeterminate and unpredictable cost condition is undesirable inasmuch as most subscribers are dissatisfied to discove
Reichelt Martin
Syed Inayat
Zhu Yaping
Cumming William
Ericsson Inc.
Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C.
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