Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at separate stations – Plural transmitters or receivers
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-14
2001-04-24
Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2643)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
Plural transmitters or receivers
C455S518000, C455S521000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223049
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mobile communication system comprising subscribers provided with identifiers, one or more mobile exchanges, and a numbering domain allocated to the mobile communication system, said numbering domain comprising subscriber identifiers.
The invention relates to mobile communication systems, particularly to mobile communication systems comprising, for example, as shown in
FIG. 5
, control exchanges,
1
and
2
base stations BS
1
, BS
2
and BS
3
and radio telephones, i.e. mobile stations, or subscribers, MS
1
, MS
2
, and MS
3
and subscriber data bases. The system may have a cellular structure, in which case each cell
1
, C
2
and C
3
comprises at least one base station communicating with at least one mobile station over one or more radio channels.
The method of the invention is intended for use particularly in trunked networks, which are typically company networks or public safety and security networks, in which the channels are allocated to one or more companies or authority organizations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is applicable in mobile communication systems with either digital or analog radio paths. Analog mobile communication systems are disclosed, for example, in MPT 1327,
A Signalling Standard for Trunked Private Land Mobile Radio Systems
, January 1988, revised and reprinted November 1991, and MPT 1343,
Performance Specification
, January 1988, revised and reprinted September 1991, both issued by the Radio-communications Agency, published by the British Department of Trade and Industry. Digital mobile communication systems are disclosed, for example, in ETS 300 392-1, February 1996
, Radio Equipment and Systems; Trans
-
European Trunked Radio
(
TETRA
);
Voice plus Data
(
V+D
);
Part
1
: General network design
, ETSI, 195 pages.
A radio network may comprise a plurality of exchanges, and one system often comprises a plurality of organizations with different needs concerning subscriber numbering.
In order to ensure an individual subscriber number for each subscriber in a radio network, the entire mobile communication system typically uses a common numbering domain. A radio network, particularly a PMR (Private Mobile Radio) network, is typically used by many organizations, which want to use the subscriber identifiers, e.g. numbers, in their own way.
In a fixed telephone network, subscriber numbers are assigned to users in such a way that the numbering domain is divided between different exchanges, and the subscriber of a certain exchange is assigned a subscriber number from the block of the numbering domain allocated to that exchange. In such a case, the block, or part, of the numbering domain allocated to the organizations is not necessarily continuous, but different identifiers must be assigned to subscribers located in the service areas of different exchanges. The identifiers thus show that the subscribers are located in the service areas of different exchanges.
Organizations naturally wish to be allocated a continuous block of the numbering domain irrespective of in which exchanges data of their subscribers are located. On the other hand, when the system comprises a plurality of organizations, the subscriber numbering must meet the special needs of all the organizations.
Furthermore, sometimes the clients wish that the subscriber number did not directly disclose certain information on the subscriber. Therefore the aim is to find a solution where the subscriber identifier does not directly indicate the organization to which the subscriber in question belongs or his position in that organization.
The problems with cases of the prior art where the radio network comprises a plurality of exchanges sharing the same numbering domain are the allocation of subscriber numbers to the different exchanges, and the location of the home data bases of subscribers in the different exchanges. This is problematic, because there is no applicable way of reading the location of a subscriber's home exchange or subscriber data base from the subscriber number, if subscriber numbers are not allocated exchange-specifically.
Another problem with the solutions of the prior art is that subscriber numbering in fixed telephone networks is directly dependent on the exchange. Subscriber numbers are allocated to users in such a way that the numbering domain is divided between different exchanges, and a subscriber of a certain exchange is assigned a subscriber number from the block of the numbering domain allocated to the exchange.
Furthermore, if subscriber numbering is to be arranged in such a manner that the number does not disclose anything directly (not even the subscriber's home exchange), finding the home data base of a subscriber presents a problem, when the subscriber is visiting the areas of other exchanges.
In a GSM network, home data bases are provided in home location registers HLR. A network may comprise 1 to n HLRs. Usually the HLRs are operator-specific.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for dividing a numbering domain into blocks by the use of indexing rules.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for flexible and versatile division of a numbering domain in a radio network in order for subscriber numbering to satisfy as many needs of both the mobile communication system and different organizations as possible.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a method for subscriber numbering in a radio network that allows a subscriber's home exchange to be interpreted on the basis of his subscriber number. It is necessary to find out the subscriber's home exchange, because the subscriber's home data base is located there, i.e. the data base in which the subscriber data are stored, e.g. the subscriber rights and service definitions.
This new type of mobile communication system is achieved with the system of the invention, which is characterized in that a predetermined part of the identifier of each subscriber forms an index which refers to a pre-determined protocol to be applied to said identifier,
said protocol consists of one of more rules, and
said rules define variables on the basis of which subscriber identifiers belonging to a predetermined block of the numbering domain are interpreted in a predetermined manner.
The invention is based on the idea of dividing a numbering domain into blocks using indirect indexing rules.
The invention comprises defining an index from a subscriber number network-specifically according to predetermined rules, said index being used for placing a subscriber number under a desired protocol. A protocol consists of a set of rules or a set of reasoning rules which allow the system to function in a predetermined way in a specific situation.
The new and characteristic feature of the invention is the possibility of applying a protocol to subscriber numbering without any limits. The invention allows desired rules to be defined separately even for each subscriber number.
The solution allows the numbering domain used by a network to be divided into blocks by applying an indexing rule to a subscriber number to indicate a desired block of the numbering domain unambiguously. The resulting blocks of the numbering domain can be utilized, for example, for defining different rules for inferring home exchanges for the subscriber numbers.
It is not necessary for all user organizations using the system to allocate subscriber data according to the same principles to the exchanges, but the subscriber data can be stored in the memories of different exchanges or subscriber data bases according to the different location areas of the mobile stations/subscribers even if a uniform block of the numbering domain was allocated to the organization in question.
Another feature of the invention is that an index number is defined on the basis of a subscriber number network-specifically according to predetermined rules. The index number is used for finding out the subscriber's home exchange by means
Aakula Sirpa
Ahvenainen Jouko
Kuntz Curtis
Nikia Telecommunications OY
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Taylor Barry W
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