Patent Application
20080153519
The present invention relates to a new technique for conducting a session initiated at a non-mobile terminal. In one embodiment, the session is initiated from a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) terminal.
Conventionally, sessions initiated at PSTN terminals are usually conducted via one or more PSTN switch/telephone exchanges.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an alternative technique for conducting sessions initiated at non-mobile terminals.
The term “non-mobile terminal” is used in this specification to distinguish over mobile terminals such as GSM wireless terminals, which are typically used to initiate sessions from widely different locations. The term “non-mobile terminal” includes, for example, a PSTN user terminal that is connected to the PSTN by a fixed line by which it is identified and which may be wirelessly connected within a limited area, such as a home or office etc., to one or more user handsets to allow a user to conveniently access the PSTN terminal from different locations within the limited area.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: receiving a message regarding the initiation of a session from a non-mobile terminal; making a request for subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal to a register that is also configured to receive requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals; and controlling said session on the basis of subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal received in reply to said request.
In one embodiment the register is a Visitor Location Register, and/or said non-mobile terminal is a PSTN terminal, and/or said message is an ISUP message.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a computer program product comprising computer program code which when loaded onto a computer configures the computer to perform the above method.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device configured to: receive a message regarding the initiation of a session at a non-mobile terminal; make a request for subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal to a register that is also configured to receive requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals; and to control said session on the basis of subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal received in reply to said request.
In one embodiment, the device is a switching unit of a mobile network, and/or said message is an ISUP message.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method, comprising receiving a request for subscriber profile information; and determining whether the request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal or subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal.
In one embodiment, said request is from a switching unit of a mobile network.
In one embodiment, the method comprises querying a first database if the request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal; and querying a second database if the request relates to subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal. The second database may be a Home Location Register (HLR), and/or the first database may be a centralised subscription repository also accessible by control entities of a plurality of networks.
The querying of said first database may be carried out in accordance with a LDAP protocol, and/or the querying of said second database may carried out in accordance with a MAP protocol.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a computer program product comprising computer program code which when loaded onto a computer configures the computer to perform the above method.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device configured to: receive a request for subscriber profile information; and to determine whether the request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal or subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal.
In one embodiment, the device is further configured to query a first database if the request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal; and to query a second database if the request relates to subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal, and/or the device is a Visitor Location Register.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method comprising: providing a store of subscriber profile information for both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals; and providing subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal in reply to a request for such subscriber profile information from an entity that is also configured to make requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals.
In one embodiment, said entity is a Visitor Location Register, and/or said non-mobile terminal is a PSTN terminal.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a computer program product comprising computer program code which when loaded onto a computer configures the computer to perform the above method.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device configured to store subscriber profile information for both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals; and to receive requests for said subscriber profile information for non-mobile terminals from an entity that is also configured to make requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals.
In one embodiment, the device is configured to store said subscriber profile information for mobile terminals as a back-up to a Home Location Register, and which is accessible by said Home Location Register, and/or is a centralised subscription repository that is accessible by control entities of a plurality of networks.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a system comprising: a first device configured to: receive messages regarding the initiation of sessions at both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals, and make requests for subscriber profile information for said sessions; a second device configured to receive requests for subscriber profile information for both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals from said first device, to determine whether each request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal or subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal; and a third device configured to store subscriber profile information for both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals, and to provide subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal in reply to a request from said second device; and wherein the first device is also configured to control each of said sessions on the basis of the respective subscriber profile information.
In one embodiment, the first device is a switching unit of a mobile network, and/or the second device is a VLR, and/or the third device is a centralised subscription repository.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device, comprising: means for receiving a message regarding the initiation of a session at a non-mobile terminal; means for making a request for subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal to a register that is also configured to receive requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals; and means for controlling said session on the basis of subscriber profile information for said non-mobile terminal received in reply to said request.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device, comprising: means for receiving a request for subscriber profile information; and means for determining whether the request relates to subscriber profile information for a non-mobile terminal or subscriber profile information for a mobile terminal.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a device, comprising: means for storing subscriber profile information for both non-mobile terminals and mobile terminals; and means for receiving requests for said subscriber profile information for non-mobile terminals from an entity that is also configured to make requests for subscriber profile information for mobile terminals.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail hereunder, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to
Conventionally, a call between user terminals A and B is conducted via one or more PSTN switches/telephone exchanges 4, 6, 8.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the switching is instead carried out at a switching unit (such as a MSC Server (MSS)) 14 of a mobile network 12. The mobile network 12 includes a number of base stations (eNodeBs) 16 (although only one is shown in
In this embodiment of the invention, the PSTN switch 4 is reconfigured such that it works in proxy mode whereby all calls are routed to the next switching level. In detail, the PSTN switch 4 sends an ISDN User Part (ISUP) message to MSS 14, which message includes Calling Line Identification (CLI) information for user terminals A and B. The MSS 14 then accesses the VLR 20, and the VLR 20 accesses a central subscription repository (CSR) 24 according to the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). The central subscription repository 24 stores subscriber profile information for a plurality of PSTN user terminals including user terminal A, and is also accessible by the VLRs of one or more other mobile networks such as the second mobile network 26 shown in
The CSR 24 also serves as a back-up to HLR 22 and HLR 24 by storing the same roaming user terminal subscriber profile information that is stored at HLR 22 or HLR 32. Subscriber profile information for a non-active subscriber that may be temporarily deleted from HLR 22 or HLR 32 is retained at CSR 24, from which it can be restored to HLR 22 or HLR 32 when the subscriber becomes active again. The dotted lines between CSR 24 and HLR 22 and between CSR 24 and HLR 32 indicate a logical connection between these entities.
In the way described above, the VLR 20 fetches directly from the CSR 24 the necessary subscriber profile information required for controlling the call initiated by user terminal A.
The MSS then controls the call initiated at user terminal A on the basis of the subscriber information obtained from the CSR 24 via the VLR 20, and in substantially the same way that it would do for forwarding calls initiated at mobile terminals.
The combined operation of the MSS, VLR and CSR is illustrated in
The VLR 20 may be part of the MSS 14.
With the above-described embodiment, the calls initiated at PSTN user terminals can be handled by a switching unit (such as an MSS) of a mobile network, even though no location update is normally made for such user terminals. The MSS 14 is configured such that it can handle any such call from a PSTN subscriber whilst supporting some or all of the Class 5 features supported by a PSTN Class 5 Switch.
In order to implement the above-described embodiment, a conventional MSS, VLR and CSR are provided with additional new functionality. The MSS is modified so as to (a) support the receipt and processing of ISUP messages and (b) support any of the additional PSTN Class 5 features that are desired. The VLR is modified so as to (a) provide the logic function of determining if a call is initiated at a mobile or non-mobile terminal based on the subscriber identification information received from the MSS; (b) have the capability to access the CSR with LDAP; and (c) map detailed subscriber data from the CSR into signalling towards the MSS. For the latter, where the MSS and the VLR are integrated, such signalling is not visible outside the MSS/VLR. The CSR is modified so as support the provision of detailed subscriber data for non-mobile terminals to the VLR. Regarding the PSTN switch, it is sufficient to reconfigure the existing functionality of the PSTN switch such that call information is directed to the MSS instead of another PSTN switch.
The applicant draws attention to the fact that the present invention may include any feature or combination of features disclosed herein either implicitly or explicitly or any generalisation thereof, without limitation to the scope of any definitions set out above. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.
