Patent Application
20090017817
The present invention relates in general to handling of messages, particularly short message service (SMS) messages in mobile communications networks, and in particular to finding the appropriate terminating address of a SMS message.
Short Message Service (SMS) has been used in mobile communications networks to enable different subscribers to send short text messages to each other. The Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN), i.e. the phone number of the mobile subscriber is utilised as the identifying addressing information, since the SMS content is intended for a particular user. The SMS message and the MSISDN are provided to a SMS controller, which temporary stores the SMS and searches for the intended terminating mobile subscriber. In searching for the terminating mobile subscriber, the SMS controller interacts with a Home Location Register (HLR) for achieving identity data, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) associated with the terminating mobile subscriber. The HLR also provides an address of a Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) through which the SIM can be reached. By using this data, the message can be routed to the appropriate terminating mobile subscriber.
The SMS concept is today also used for several network-based applications, in which SMS is used to push data directly to a client in the phone. Examples of this are Over-The-Air (OTA) SMS, Multimedia Message Service (MMS) notifications and SIM Toolkit updates. In order to fit into the basic SMS concept, also those applications are using MSISDN as the address for reaching either the SIM card or the mobile terminal.
As long as there is a one-to-one correspondence between the MSISDN, the IMSI and the identity of the mobile terminal, e.g. defined by the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or the IMEI extended with the software version (IMEISV), either of these quantities can be used for addressing purposes, giving the same terminating terminal, SIM and subscriber. However, by introducing more flexible solutions allowing e.g. a subscriber to move the SIM card between different terminals, or allowing a single mobile subscriber to have more than one SIM card addressed with the same MSISDN, addressing problems may arise.
A part of the work within 3GPP is directed to standardise a function to automatically detect when a SIM card identified by IMSI is used in a terminal identified by IMEISV for the first time. This function is named Automatically Device Detection (ADD). The information comprising at least MSISDN, IMSI and IMEISV is stored in a terminal capability server. The terminal capability server also has the capability to forward the relevant information to external applications, such as Device Management Systems (DMS). Those applications can use part of the information as triggers to different events. Examples are that SMS with new GPRS settings can be sent out to terminals that require those settings before they can be used for MMS, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) or other data services. The terminal capability server thereby allows connected applications to solve the problems of moving the SIM card to different terminals. However, the problems remain for applications not connected to any updated terminal database and for the use of dual SIM cards.
A general problem with prior art SMS systems is that there is an indefiniteness in addressing hardware parts, e.g. SIM cards or mobile terminals, of a mobile subscriber in a mobile communications network. A further problem with prior-art solutions is that the simultaneous use of more than one SIM card for the same mobile subscriber makes it impossible to ensure that an SMS message reaches the intended hardware.
A general object of the present invention is therefore to provide methods, devices and systems in which also hardware associated identifications can be used as addressing data when sending messages. A further object of the present invention is to provide such methods, devices and systems that requires as small changes as possible in present standardised systems.
The objects mentioned above are achieved by methods, devices and systems according to the enclosed patent claims. In general words, a message, typically a SMS message, intended for a specific hardware item is provided from an application node to a message controller together with hardware identification data, e.g. IMSI or IMEISV, specifying the intended terminating hardware. The message controller and a location updated subscriber database, e.g. a HLR, having stored information about the intended terminating hardware, interacts and a further handling of the message is decided based on the provided hardware identification data and on data stored in the location updated subscriber database. Preferably, the further handling is based on a comparison between hardware identification data stored in the location updated subscriber database and the provided hardware identification data. In one embodiment, the hardware identification data is provided to the location updated subscriber database, in which a comparison is made with the stored data, resulting in the retrieval of IMSI and a relevant switching or support node address of the hardware. In another embodiment, the application node also provides the subscriber identity, e.g. the MSISDN, to the message controller. The message controller interacts with the location updated subscriber database to achieve hardware identification data (e.g IMSI and/or IMEISV) from the location updated subscriber database. If the hardware identification data provided by the application node, at a comparison made at the message controller, corresponds to the hardware data achieved from the location updated subscriber database, the message is transmitted to the switching or support node address also achieved from the location updated subscriber database. Otherwise error functionalities are applied.
An advantage with the present invention is that any indefiniteness in addressing hardware intended as terminating items of a message is removed. Another advantage of the present invention is that a very limited amount of changes in present standards has to be performed.
The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by making reference to the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the present disclosure, the term “hardware identification data” comprises identification data associated with all kinds of hardware, including e.g. SIM cards, mobile terminals etc. Hardware identification data may thus comprise e.g. IMSI, IMEI, IMEISV as well as combinations thereof.
In order to better understand the present invention, first a short overview of a prior-art communications system supporting SMS is illustrated and discussed.
When sending a normal SMS, a subscriber 10:0 may type a message at his originating mobile terminal 14:0 and request that the SMS should be sent to a certain terminating subscriber 10:1, identified by a MSISDN. The message and its associated MSISDN are transmitted over a connection 26 to the core network 30 of the communications system. In the present illustrated system, the SMS is transmitted in a single SS7 packet through the core network 30 to a SMS controller 40. The communication over the connection 74 between the core network 30 and the SMS controller is governed by an interface 52 defined by protocols of 3GPP standards, and comprises the message and the MSISDN data. The SMS message is received by a SMS interworking MSC 42 and the SMS is at least temporary stored in a controller storage 44.
A SMS gateway MSC 46 is connected to the controller storage 44 and interacts with the HLR 50 over an interface 54 to achieve address data associated with the intended terminating subscriber. The MSISDN is provided 78 to the HLR 50, which uses its databases to return 80 corresponding IMSI data and the address of the MSC presently serving the subscriber. The communication between the SMS controller 40 and the HLR 50 takes place in this embodiment according to a Mobile Application Part (MAP) standard of a 3GPP specification. The SMS gateway MSC 46 initiates a transmission of the SMS message with the associated IMSI to the MSC address over the connection 76 and the SS7 network 30. The IMSI is used by the MSC during paging of the mobile terminal. The addressed MSC 20:1 receives the message and the IMSI data over the connection 24 and forwards it to the mobile terminal 14:1, having the SIM card 16:1 associated with the IMSI data. In this manner, the intended terminating subscriber 10:1 is reached by the SMS.
One important part for being able to provide this service is the HLR 50.
Other applications have been developed, utilising the SMS concepts for transmitting data to the subscriber, terminal or SIM card. Non-exclusive examples are notification of e-mail, notification of mutimedia message service (MMS) messages, voice mail, WAP push, SIM toolkit SMS or OTA configuration SMS. Such application nodes are illustrated by 70:1, 70:2, 70:3 in
There is, however, a principal difference between some application SMS messages and normal subscriber originated SMS messages. The subscriber originated SMS messages are in all real situations intended for the terminating subscriber. However, application SMS messages may instead be intended to reach the SIM card or the mobile terminal instead of the actual subscriber. If a subscriber moves the SIM card to a new terminal, an application that generates mobile terminal terminating SMS messages has to be informed. Furthermore, if MSISDN is moved, using e.g. Dual SIM procedures, from a SIM card to another SIM card, also SIM terminating SMS messages will miss the targeted SIM card. The concept of dual SIM may also be extended to more than two SIM cards.
The principles for an OTA configuration SMS can be described with reference to
A further complication arises when the concept of dual (or multiple) SIM is introduced. Many operators today have solutions with more than one SIM-card associated with the same MSISDN number. These solutions are often named Dual SIM, GSM Twin Cards or similar. With these solutions, a subscriber do not need to move the SIM card between the terminals if the subscriber has more than one terminal. Several terminals can simultaneously be used for mobile originating calls, but only one can be used for mobile terminated calls and mobile terminated SMS messages. A typical case is a user with both a hand-held terminal as well as a car-mounted terminal. Another typical case is a user with a large advanced smartphone and a small mobile telephone. It is then up to the subscriber to specify to the network which of these terminals that should be marked in HLR as currently active for mobile terminated calls and SMS messages.
b schematically illustrates parts of the content of a HLR in a typical Dual-SIM case. Each SIM card, i.e. each IMSI, corresponds to one entry of the HLR 50. However, since several IMSI's can be associated with the same MSISDN, only the IMSI selected for terminating incoming calls has a MSISDN number defined. In this particular example, the subscriber MSISDN-1 has Dual-SIM's with IMSI numbers IMSI-1 and IMSI-2. IMSI-1 is selected as the one that should receive incoming calls. Likewise, the subscriber MSISDN-3 has marked IMSI-4 as the “active” SIM card and has IMSI-3 “passive”.
However, if an application node intends to send a SMS message to a certain SIM card or mobile terminal, the corresponding MSISDN can be associated with another IMSI or IMEISV. This results in that the application node can not guarantee that the SMS really reaches the intended hardware. For instance, with reference to
The information used in the described embodiments is mainly constituted by IMSI, IMEI or IMEISV and MSISDN. However, other types of identification data for mobile terminals, subscriber identity modules and mobile subscribers can be used in an equivalent manner.
The general solution of the present invention comprises the addition of parameters of the interface 56 protocol controlling the communication between the application node 70:1, 70:2, 70:3 and the SMS controller 40. These parameters comprise hardware identification data, typically at least one of subscriber identification module identification data (IMSI) and mobile equipment identification data (IMEI or IMEISV).
If the IMSI received from the HLR 50 is not the same as the one received from the application node, alternative error handling procedures are possible. In one embodiment, an error message 49 is provided to the application node, telling that the intended terminating hardware can not be reached by use of the MSISDN number as only address. In an alternative embodiment, the SMS message could be stored for a while, and a new HLR interrogation can be made after a delay time, to check if there are any changes in choice of active SIM cards. Here, an error message could be returned e.g. after a certain number of trials or after a certain time.
In accordance with the embodiment of
However, if further changes are performed also at the interface 54, further advantages can be reached.
If the MAP interface 54 is updated to be able to transfer also IMSI as identifying information, the correct terminal can be addressed independent of which SIM card is marked as active for mobile terminated SMS in the case of Dual SIM solutions. In such a case, the need for error signalling is not as vital as in the embodiment of
If the IMEI received from the HLR 50 is not the same as the one received from the application node, alternative error handling procedures are possible in analogy with the embodiment of
Note that in the embodiment of
In principle, also IMEI would be possible to use in a setup similar to the embodiment of
In yet another embodiment, the data received by the SMS controller 40 over the interface 56 comprises both IMSI and IMEISV. The SMS GMSC 46 provides the IMSI to the HLR 50 over the interface 54, but receives IMELSV in return. The IMEISV is then used for comparing the originally intended terminating hardware with the one stored in the HLR 50. This could be used to ensure that the SIM card is situated in the correct phone. This could be a complement to the use of a terminal capability server 72.
In the present disclosure, SMS is used as an example message system. The present invention can, however, also be applied to other message systems, e.g. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). Likewise, an SMS controller is used as a model of a general message controller. In the described embodiments, a location updated subscription database is exemplified by a HLR. However, other subscriber databases having updated location data, such as e.g. Home Subscriber Servers (HSS), can also be utilised. The address received from the location updated subscription database refers to a switching or support node, which in the described embodiment is exemplified by a MSC. However, other types of switching or support nodes, such as a SGSN in GPRS or 3G systems can also be addressed.
Furthermore, in the embodiments above IMEISV has been used for referring to the hardware identity of the mobile terminal. Since IMEISV comprises the IMEI and an extension defining the actual software version, any messages addressed to the mobile terminal that is independent on the software version can equally well be addressed by only the IMEI. In other words, both IMEI and IMEISV may serve as references to the mobile terminal hardware.
The embodiments described above are to be understood as a few illustrative examples of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, different part solutions in the different embodiments can be combined in other configurations, where technically possible. The scope of the present invention is, however, defined by the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SE04/00481 | 3/26/2004 | WO | 00 | 7/19/2006 |
