JP2010124209A - Packet switch and communication restriction control method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packet switch capable of preventing wrong control of restrictions on packet communication, and to provide a communication restriction control method that uses the same. <P>SOLUTION: Each of packet switches 4a and 4b includes a user information acquiring part 405, a contraction information acquiring part 407, a change determining part 408, and a communication determining part 410, and a communication control part 411. The user information acquiring part 405 acquires user information from the packet switch 4a, covering an area in which a mobile communication terminal 2 has been placed, before the change of a position registration area. The contraction information acquiring part 407 acquires contract information from a terminal management device. The change determining part 408 determines whether contrast information stored in a user information storage part 406 and contract information acquired by the contract information acquiring part 407 have been changed. The communication determining part 410 determines whether connection for communication is possible, on the basis of contract information and user information. The communication control part 411 controls communication on the basis of the determined result of the communication determining part 410. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an exchange and a communication restriction control method using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques for regulating packet communication according to packet usage are known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the packet communication regulation, the contents of the regulation (for example, the threshold value of the accumulated packet amount) differ for each user's contract plan (contract information). Therefore, when the contract plan is changed, the regulation is implemented. Even for a user, the restriction information applied at that time is reset. That is, the regulation of packet communication is changed according to the contract information. Various other forms of packet communication regulation according to such contract information have been implemented.

Some restrictions in packet communication determine whether or not connection is possible depending on the connection destination for each contract information. For example, when a user of the contract plan B tries to connect to a connection destination that is allowed to be connected only in the contract plan A, there is one that rejects the connection. In addition, there is a case where whether or not communication is possible is determined for each contract information according to the model of the mobile communication terminal. For example, when a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card inserted in a model A for which communication is permitted in the contract plan A is replaced with a model B different from the model A, communication is refused. There is something. The connection destination information indicating the connection destination used in such control and the model information for specifying the model are handed over between the packet switches in accordance with the movement of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal.
JP 2007-36805 A

  By the way, in the packet communication connection restriction described above, when the normal contract information is changed, whether or not the connection is possible is determined based on the contract information and the connection destination information and model information at that time. Here, if the information indicating the change of the contract plan (contract information) is input to the mobile communication system and the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal is performed at almost the same timing, the location registration is performed. During this time, connection destination information and model information are transmitted from the packet switch before the mobile communication terminal moves in the location registration area to the packet switch in the destination location registration area. In this case, the packet switch in the location registration area of the destination of the mobile communication terminal receives the contract plan after the update processing related to the contract plan is received from a device such as an HLR (Home Location Register). Unable to detect that the plan has changed. Therefore, when the mobile communication terminal is communicating, it is not determined whether or not connection is possible even when the contract information is changed. For example, it is a connection destination that is originally allowed to connect only with Plan A. Nevertheless, an erroneous control that communication is continued in the plan B occurs. As a result, there may be a problem that an optimal service cannot be provided to a user who has changed the location registration area at the above timing.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an exchange capable of preventing erroneous control of communication in packet communication, and a communication restriction control method using the same. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an exchange according to the present invention is included in a mobile communication network, receives a location registration request from a mobile communication terminal, forwards it to a terminal management device that performs location registration, and An exchange that communicates with mobile communication terminals in the service area, and when a location registration request is received from the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal moves to the service area under its control Information acquisition means for acquiring the contract information of the mobile communication terminal that is currently communicating with the local exchange, the terminal information acquisition means for acquiring the in-communication terminal information regarding the mobile communication terminal, and the contract information acquisition Information storage means for storing the contract information acquired by the means, and contract information acquisition for acquiring the contract information from the terminal management device that manages the contract information of the mobile communication terminal when receiving a location registration request from the mobile communication terminal hand The contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition means and the contract information stored in the information storage means, and a change determination means for determining whether there is a change in the contract information, and a change determination means An update means for updating the contract information stored in the information storage means to the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition means when it is determined that there is a change in the contract information, the contract information updated by the update means, and Communication determining means for determining whether or not communication during communication of the mobile communication terminal is possible based on the terminal information during communication acquired by the terminal information acquiring means, and communication during which the mobile communication terminal is communicating by the communication determining means And control means for controlling the mobile communication terminal to disconnect the communication during communication when it is not determined that the communication is possible.

  With this configuration, when a location registration request is received from a mobile communication terminal, contract information is acquired and stored from the exchange that was in the area before the mobile communication terminal moved to the area under its control. Subsequently, the contract information is acquired from the terminal management device, and it is determined whether there is a change by comparing the contract information stored in the information storage means with the contract information acquired from the terminal management device. If there is, update the contract information. Then, when the contract information is updated, it is determined whether or not the mobile communication terminal can communicate during communication based on the contract information and the in-communication terminal information, and communication is performed when it is determined that communication is not possible. Disconnect. As a result, even if the input of information indicating the change of contract information to the mobile communication system and the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal are performed at almost the same timing, the change of the contract information is performed in the exchange. Therefore, even during communication, it is possible to determine whether or not connection is possible based on the contract information and the user information, and to control connection and disconnection of the packet communication of the mobile communication terminal. Therefore, communication miscontrol in packet communication can be prevented.

  Further, the terminal information acquisition means acquires the communicating terminal information from the exchange that was in the area before the mobile communication terminal moved to the area under its control, and the communicating terminal information It is preferable to include at least one of connection destination information indicating a connection destination and model information for specifying the model of the mobile communication terminal. In this case, the terminal information during communication can be acquired with certainty, and whether or not connection is possible can be determined according to the connection destination information, the model information, and the like.

  In addition to being described as an invention of an exchange as described above, the present invention can also be described as an invention of a communication restriction control method as follows. This is substantially the same invention only in different categories, and has the same operations and effects.

  That is, the communication restriction control method according to the present invention is included in a mobile communication network, receives a location registration request from a mobile communication terminal, transfers it to a terminal management device that performs location registration, and exists in a subordinate area. A communication restriction control method using an exchange that communicates with a mobile communication terminal in the service area. When a location registration request is received from the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal moves to the area under its control. An information acquisition step for acquiring contract information of a mobile communication terminal in communication with the local exchange, a terminal information acquisition step for acquiring in-communication terminal information regarding the mobile communication terminal, and information acquisition The information storage step for storing the contract information acquired in the step and the contract information from the terminal management device that manages the contract information of the mobile communication terminal when receiving a location registration request from the mobile communication terminal A contract determination step for determining whether there is a change in the contract information by comparing the contract information acquisition step to be obtained, the contract information acquired in the contract information acquisition step, and the contract information stored in the information storage step; An update step for updating the contract information stored in the information storage step to the contract information acquired in the contract information acquisition step when the contract information is determined to be changed in the change determination step, and an update in the update step. A communication determination step for determining whether or not the mobile communication terminal can communicate during communication based on the contract information and the terminal information for communication acquired in the terminal information acquisition step, and the mobile communication terminal in the communication determination step If it is not determined that communication during communication is possible, the mobile communication terminal disconnects communication during communication. Characterized in that it comprises a control step for controlling to, the.

  According to the present invention, since the change of contract information can be detected in the exchange, the timing at which information indicating the change of contract information is input to the mobile communication system and the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal are Even when it is performed at almost the same timing, the connection can be controlled according to the contract information. Thereby, erroneous control of communication in packet communication can be prevented.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an exchange according to the present invention and a communication restriction control method using the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a mobile communication system including an exchange according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the mobile communication system 1 includes a mobile communication terminal 2, a base station 3, packet exchanges 4 a and 4 b (4), and a terminal management device 5. Although only one mobile communication terminal 2 is shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication system 1 usually includes an infinite number of mobile communication terminals 2.

  The location registration area (located area) L1 is an area managed by the packet switch 4a, and the location registration area L1 includes a plurality of base stations in addition to the base station 3. Similarly, the location registration area L2 is an area managed by the packet switch 4b, and the location registration area L2 includes a plurality of base stations in addition to the base station 3. Further, the base station 3, the packet switch 4, and the terminal management device 5 constitute a mobile communication network that is a connection target of the mobile communication terminal 2. The mobile communication network is further provided with a radio control device (RNC: Radio Network Controller), an authentication device (VLR: Visitor Location Register) and the like not shown. In the following embodiments, the mobile communication terminal 2 crosses the location registration area from the location registration area L1 to the location registration area L2 when the cell moves.

  The mobile communication terminal 2 is, for example, a mobile phone, performs wireless communication with a base station 3 that covers a wireless area in which the mobile device is located, connects to a mobile communication network, and moves in response to a user operation. A communication terminal that receives a call service or a packet communication service in a communication network.

  The packet switches 4 a and 4 b are devices managed by a service provider that provides communication services, and are nodes that communicate with the mobile communication terminal 2 via the base station 3. The packet exchanges 4a and 4b control communication restriction of packet communication of the mobile communication terminal 2 based on contract information with which the user of the mobile communication terminal 2 has contracted. The packet exchanges 4a and 4b correspond to SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node). The contract information is information indicating a contract plan indicating a billing mode for calls and communications of the mobile communication terminal 2.

  Here, communication restrictions of packet communication of the mobile communication terminal 2 in the packet switches 4a and 4b will be described. The packet communication restriction is implemented when the service provider sets a connection destination that allows communication for each contract plan. The contents of the restriction include, for example, refusal of connection to a connection destination that is not permitted in the contract plan (not set as a connectable connection destination). Specifically, for example, when the connection to the site such as “abc.com” is allowed only by the contract plan A, when the user of the contract plan B tries to connect to “abc.com”, the connection to the site is not established. It is rejected.

  The terminal management device 5 is a device managed by a service provider that provides a communication service, and is a node that performs location registration of the mobile communication terminal 2, management of contract information, and the like. When the change information related to the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 is input from the service provider, the terminal management device 5 performs a predetermined process such as updating or setting the stored contract information. The terminal management apparatus 5 corresponds to an HLR (Home Location Register).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the packet switches 4a and 4b. As shown in FIG. 2, the packet switch 4 includes a computer including hardware such as a CPU 41, a RAM 42 and a ROM 43 as main storage devices, a communication module 44 as a data transmission / reception device such as a network card, and an auxiliary storage device 45 such as a hard disk. Configured as When these components operate, functions described later of the packet switches 4a and 4b are exhibited. Note that the terminal management device 5 also has a similar hardware configuration.

  Subsequently, functions of the mobile communication terminal 2, the packet exchanges 4a and 4b, and the terminal management device 5 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile communication terminal 2 includes a location registration request unit 201 and a location registration response reception unit 202. Note that the mobile communication terminal 2 further includes a call function for performing a call, a communication function for performing communication, and the like.

  When the location registration request unit 201 detects that the mobile device has performed a cell transition accompanied by a change in the location registration area based on the broadcast information received from the base station 3 closest to the current location, the location registration request unit 201 The packet exchanges 4a and 4b use location registration request information (RA Update Request, signal names shown in parentheses conform to GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). The same applies hereinafter) requesting location registration for the current location. Send to. The location registration request information includes identification information such as a telephone number that can identify the mobile communication terminal 2. Further, the location registration request information includes information for specifying the packet switch in the location registration area that was present before the mobile communication terminal 2 moved to the location registration area where the mobile communication terminal 2 is currently located.

  In response to the transmission of the location registration request information from the location registration request unit 201, the location registration response reception unit 202 receives a location registration response (RA Update Accept) for the location registration request information transmitted from the packet switches 4a and 4b. To do. The location registration ends normally when the mobile communication terminal 2 receives the location registration response.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the packet switches 4a and 4b. As shown in FIG. 4, the packet exchanges 4a and 4b include a location registration request reception unit 401, a location registration request transfer unit 402, a location registration response transmission unit 403, a user information request unit 404, and a user information acquisition unit 405. A user information storage unit 406, a contract information acquisition unit 407, a change determination unit 408, a contract information update unit 409, a communication determination unit 410, a communication control unit 411, a user information request reception unit 412, and user information A transmission unit 413.

  The location registration request receiving unit 401 receives location registration request information from the mobile communication terminal 2. The location registration request reception unit 401 outputs the received location registration request information to the location registration request transfer unit 402 and the user information request unit 404.

  When the location registration request transfer unit 402 receives the location registration request information from the location registration request reception unit 401, the location registration request transfer unit 402 transfers location registration request information (Combined Update Location Request) to the terminal management device 5. The location registration request transfer unit 402 notifies the location registration response transmission unit 403 and the contract information acquisition unit 407 that the location registration request information has been transferred to the terminal management device 5.

  The location registration response transmission unit 403 receives the location registration information (Insert Subscriber Date Request) transmitted from the terminal management device 5 in response to the location registration request transfer unit 402 transferring the location registration request information to the terminal management device 5. It receives, generates a location registration response based on the location registration information, and transmits it to the mobile communication terminal 2.

  When the user information requesting unit 404 receives the location registration request information from the location registration request receiving unit 401, the user information requesting unit 404 receives the location registration request information from the location registration request receiving unit 401. In 4a, user information request information (SGSN Context Request) for requesting user information of the mobile communication terminal 2 is transmitted. The user information request unit 404 specifies the packet switch 4a that transmits the user information request information based on the location registration request information. The user information is information including connection destination information indicating the connection destination with which the mobile communication terminal 2 is currently communicating, and contract information. The connection destination information is information included in in-communication terminal information (information related to communication, information related to the terminal) regarding the mobile communication terminal 2 in communication, and this in-communication terminal information includes model information and the like described later. be able to. The user information request information includes identification information of the mobile communication terminal 2 related to the requested user information.

  The user information acquisition unit 405 responds that the user information request unit 404 has transmitted the user information request information, and the location registration area L1 that was in the mobile communication terminal 2 before moving to the current location registration area L2. Information acquisition means (terminal information acquisition means) for receiving and acquiring user information (SGSN Context Response) transmitted from the packet switch 4a. The user information acquisition unit 405 outputs the acquired user information to the user information storage unit 406. Note that the user information transmitted from the packet switch 4a includes call information indicating that when the mobile communication terminal 2 is communicating.

  The user information storage unit 406 is an information storage unit that stores user information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 405. When receiving the user information from the user information acquisition unit 405, the user information storage unit 406 stores the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 2, the connection destination information, and the contract information in association with each other as a subscriber profile. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which user information is stored. As shown in FIG. 5, in the user information table, “telephone number” which is identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal 2, “contract information” indicating the form of the contract plan with which the user has contracted, and packet communication The “connection destination information” indicating the connection destination is stored in association with each other.

  The contract information acquisition unit 407 is contract information acquisition means for acquiring contract information from the terminal management device 5 that manages contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2. The contract information acquisition unit 407 receives the contract information (Insert) of the mobile communication terminal 2 transmitted from the terminal management device 5 in response to the transfer of the location registration request information from the location registration request transfer unit 402 to the terminal management device 5. Receive and obtain (Subscriber Date Request). The contract information acquisition unit 407 outputs the acquired contract information to the change determination unit 408.

  The change determination unit 408 compares the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit 407 with the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406, and determines whether there is a change in the contract information. Means. When receiving the contract information from the contract information acquisition unit 407, the change determination unit 408 compares the contract information with the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 stored in the user information storage unit 406. If the change determination unit 408 determines that there is a change between the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit 407 and the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406, the contract information update unit 409. Output change information to. The change of contract information is, for example, a change from “contract plan A” to “contract plan B”.

  When the change determination unit 408 determines that the contract information is changed, the contract information update unit 409 converts the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406 into the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit 407. Updating means for updating. When the contract information update unit 409 receives the change information from the change determination unit 408, the contract information update unit 409 updates the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406 by rewriting the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit 407. When the contract information is updated, the contract information update unit 409 outputs update completion information to the communication determination unit 410.

  The communication determination unit 410 is a communication determination unit that determines whether the mobile communication terminal 2 can communicate during communication based on the contract information and the connection destination information (user information) updated by the contract information update unit 409. is there. Upon receiving the update completion information from the contract information update unit 409, the communication determination unit 410 determines whether or not call information is included in the user information (that is, determines whether or not the mobile communication terminal 2 is communicating). When the call information is included, the table of the user information storage unit 406 is referred to. Then, the communication determination unit 410 determines whether or not the connection destination indicated by the current connection destination information is permitted in the contract information based on the contract information and the connection destination information. More specifically, the communication determination unit 410 refers to the terminal management device 5 in which a plurality of connection destination information and each contract information are stored in association with each other. The terminal management apparatus 5 stores connection destination information indicating connection destinations for which connection is permitted for each contract information. Then, the communication determination unit 410 extracts information related to the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 stored in the user information storage unit 406 from the terminal management device 5, and includes the connection destination information permitted in the contract information. It is determined whether or not communication is possible by determining whether or not there is connection destination information of the mobile communication terminal 2. The correspondence relationship between the plurality of connection destination information and each piece of contract information stored in the terminal management device 5 is set in advance by a communication carrier or the like. The communication determination unit 410 outputs determination information indicating the determination result to the communication control unit 411. The communication determination unit 410 determines whether or not communication to the connection destination designated by the user in the current contract information is possible even when the mobile communication terminal 2 starts communication. The determination process is the same as the above process.

  The communication control unit 411 is a control unit that controls the communication of the mobile communication terminal 2 to be disconnected when the communication determination unit 410 does not determine that the mobile communication terminal 2 can communicate during communication. Upon receiving the determination information from the communication determination unit 410, the communication control unit 411 disconnects the packet communication to the connection destination (for example, abc.com) of the mobile communication terminal 2 when the determination information indicates that connection is not possible. To do.

  The user information request receiving unit 412 receives user information request information from a packet switch other than its own device. The user information request reception unit 412 outputs the received user information request information to the user information transmission unit 413.

  When the user information transmission unit 413 receives the user information request information from the user information request unit reception unit 411, the user information transmission unit 413 extracts user information corresponding to the user information request information with reference to the user information storage unit 406, and receives the user information request. Send to the packet switch that sent the information. Note that the user information transmission unit 413 may transmit the connection destination information and the contract information as user information at the same time, or may separately transmit the connection destination information and the contract information as user information.

  FIG. 6 is a block configuration diagram showing the configuration of the terminal management device 5. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminal management device 5 includes a change information acquisition unit 501, a contract information storage unit 502, a location registration request reception unit 503, a location registration unit 504, and a contract information transmission unit 505. Yes.

  The change information acquisition unit 501 acquires the contract information from the change information when the service provider inputs change information regarding the change of the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 from the service order system to the mobile communication system 1. The change information is input when the user of the mobile communication terminal 2 performs a procedure for contract information at a terminal that performs communication via a service provider window or a mobile communication network. The change information acquisition unit 501 outputs the acquired contract information to the contract information storage unit 502. The change information includes identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal 2.

  Upon receiving the contract information from the change information acquisition unit 501, the contract information storage unit 502 stores the contract information in association with the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 2. Further, as described above, the contract information storage unit 502 stores connection destination information indicating connection destinations permitted to be connected for each contract information in association with each other.

  The location registration request receiving unit 503 receives location registration request information of the mobile communication terminal 2 from the packet switches 4a and 4b. The location registration information receiving unit 503 outputs the received location registration request information to the location registration unit 504.

  When the location registration unit 504 receives location registration request information from the location registration request receiving unit 503, the location registration unit 504 stores information related to location registration in a location management database (not shown). In the position management database, identification information of the mobile communication terminal 2 and information indicating a position registration area where the mobile communication terminal 2 is located are stored in association with each other. The location registration process itself by the location registration unit 504 is the same as the conventional location registration process. The location registration unit 504 outputs location registration information indicating that the location registration process has been completed to the contract information transmission unit 505.

  Upon receiving the location registration information from the location registration unit 504, the contract information transmission unit 505 extracts the contract information corresponding to the mobile communication terminal 2 on which the location registration processing has been performed with reference to the contract information storage unit 502, and performs location registration. The request information is transmitted to the packet exchanges 4a and 4b. The contract information transmission unit 505 also transmits the location registration information to the packet switches 4a and 4b. Note that the contract information transmission unit 505, when the update information regarding the change of the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 is acquired by the change information acquisition unit 501, the packet switch 4a in the location registration area where the mobile communication terminal 2 is located. , 4b is transmitted to the contract information.

  Subsequently, processing (communication restriction control method) executed in the mobile communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing processing of the mobile communication system 1. The process shown in FIG. 7 is performed when the cell transition in the mobile communication terminal 2 crosses the location registration area (moving in the area), and from the location registration area L1 under the packet switch 4a to the packet switch 4b. It is assumed that the user has moved to the position registration area L2 subordinate to In the process shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that change information related to contract information is input from the service provider to the mobile communication system 1 simultaneously with the change of the location registration area. Further, it is assumed that the mobile communication terminal 2 is connected (during packet communication) to a connection destination permitted to be connected in the current contract information.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, the location registration request information is transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 2 to the packet switch 4b according to the location registration area change (L1 to L2) (S01). At this time, the change information related to the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 from the service provider is sent to the mobile communication system 1 (terminal management device 5) almost simultaneously with the timing when the location registration request information is transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 2. It is input (S02). The location registration request information transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 2 is received by the location registration request receiving unit 401 of the packet switch 4b via the base station 3. Then, in response to receiving the location registration request information, the user information request unit 404 transmits the user information request information to the packet switch 4a (S03).

  Next, user information request information is received by the user information request receiving unit 412 of the packet switch 4a, and user information (connection destination information and contract information) is transmitted to the packet switch 4b by the user information transmitting unit 413 accordingly ( S04). The user information transmitted from the packet switch 4a is acquired by being received by the user information acquisition unit 405 of the packet switch 4b (information acquisition step, terminal information acquisition step) and stored in the user information storage unit 406 (S05). , Information storage step).

  When the location registration request information is transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 2, the location registration request transfer unit 402 of the packet switch 4b transfers the location registration request information to the terminal management apparatus 5 (S06). The location registration request information transferred from the packet switch 4b is received by the location registration request receiving unit 503 of the terminal management device 5, and location registration is performed by the location registration unit 504 (S07).

  When the location registration is performed by the location registration unit 504, the contract information and the location registration information are transmitted from the terminal management apparatus 5 to the packet switch 4b by the contract information transmission unit 505 (S08). The contract information transmitted from the terminal management device 5 is received by the contract information acquisition unit 407 of the packet switch 4b (contract information acquisition step) and compared with the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406 by the change determination unit 408. Thus, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the contract information (S09, change determination step). If there is a change in the contract information, the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if there is no change in the contract information, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S10, the contract information update unit 409 updates the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406 to the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit 407 (update step). Subsequently, based on the updated contract information and the connection destination information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 405 by the communication determination unit 410, is communication possible with the current contract information to the connection destination indicated by the connection destination information? It is determined whether or not (S11, communication determination step). If communication is not possible, the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if communication is possible, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S12, the communication control unit 411 disconnects the packet communication currently being performed by the mobile communication terminal 2 (communication control step).

  In step S13, the location registration information transmitted from the terminal management device 5 in step S08 is received by the location registration response transmission unit 403 of the packet switch 4b, and a location registration response is generated based on the location registration information, and the mobile communication terminal 2 is transmitted.

  By the way, when the mobile communication system 1 does not have the configuration of the packet exchanges 4a and 4b described above, the following problems may occur.

  That is, in the conventional mobile communication system, the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal (corresponding to S01 of FIG. 7) and the input of information indicating the change of contract information to the mobile communication system (FIG. 7, S02). ) Are performed at almost the same timing, while the terminal management apparatus is performing location registration in response to the location registration request transferred from the packet switch in the destination location registration area (FIG. 7, S07). The connection destination information is received from the packet switch in the location registration area before the packet switch in the location registration area at the destination moves (S04 in FIG. 7). At this time, unlike the present embodiment, the conventional mobile communication system does not receive the contract information. At that time, since location registration has not been completed in the terminal management device, if information indicating a change in contract information is input at the above timing, terminal management is performed in the packet switch in the location registration area before moving. Information indicating the change of the contract information is transmitted from the apparatus (transmitted between S02 and S07 in FIG. 7). In this case, the packet switch in the destination location registration area receives the updated contract information together with the location registration completion response in a state where only the connection destination information is retained. The contract information cannot be compared with the original contract information. Therefore, it is impossible to detect that the contract information has been changed in the packet switch in the location registration area of the movement destination. As a result, since it is not determined whether or not communication is possible based on the contract information and the connection destination information, packet communication is continued even though the contract information has been changed to contract information that does not allow communication during communication. This causes problems.

  On the other hand, as described above, according to the present embodiment, when location registration request information is received from the mobile communication terminal 2, the mobile communication terminal 2 is located before moving to the location registration area L2 under the packet switch 4b. By requesting user information from the packet switch 4 a that has been used, connection destination information and contract information are acquired and stored in the user information storage unit 406. Subsequently, the contract information is acquired together with the location registration information of the mobile communication terminal 2 from the terminal management device 5, and the contract information stored in the user information storage unit 406 is compared with the contract information acquired from the terminal management device 5. It is determined whether or not there is a change, and if there is a change, the contract information is updated. When the contract information is updated by the contract information update unit 409, the communication determination unit 410 determines whether the mobile communication terminal 2 can communicate during communication based on the contract information and the connection destination information. Is determined to be impossible, the communication control unit 411 disconnects communication. As a result, even if the input of information indicating the change of the contract information to the mobile communication system 1 and the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal 2 are performed at almost the same timing, the packet switch 4b Since it is possible to detect a change in contract information, it is possible to determine whether communication is possible based on the contract information and user information even during communication, and to control connection and disconnection of packet communication of the mobile communication terminal 2. it can. Therefore, erroneous control of regulation in packet communication can be prevented. As a result, an optimal service can be provided to the user of the mobile communication terminal 2.

  Further, in the above embodiment, since the determination as to whether or not the connection is possible is performed only when it is determined that the contract information is in a change, for example, when location registration is performed, the contract is always referred to the terminal management device 5 (HLR). The processing load can be reduced as compared with the case where connection is determined based on the information and the connection destination information.

[Modification]
Next, a mobile communication system according to a modification of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example in which user information according to the modification is stored. As shown in the figure, in the user information table according to the modification stored in the user information storage unit 406, the user contracts with “phone number” which is identification information for identifying the mobile communication terminal 2. “Contract information” indicating the form of the contract plan and “model information” for specifying the model of the mobile communication terminal 2 are held in association with each other. Therefore, in the communication system 1 according to the modified example, whether or not connection is possible is determined based on the model of the mobile communication terminal 2 and contract information. Specific processing will be described later. The model information is included in the terminal information and transmitted together with the location registration request at the start of communication such as when the power is turned on after replacement of the SIM card in the mobile communication terminal 2 or when the location registration area is crossed. Then, it is acquired by the user information acquisition unit 405 and held as “IMEISV (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity and Software Version number)” in the subscriber profile of the user information storage unit 406.

  Here, communication restrictions of packet communication of the mobile communication terminal 2 in the packet switches 4a and 4b according to the modification will be described. Packet communication restrictions are implemented when the service provider sets a model that allows communication for each contract information. The contents of the regulation include, for example, refusal of connection to a connection destination in a model in which communication is not permitted in the contract information. Specifically, for example, if connection by “model A” is allowed only in contract plan A, if the connection is made to “model A” after changing to contract plan B, the connection to the connection destination is rejected. Is.

  A specific process of communication restriction according to the modification will be described. The model information stored in the user information storage unit 406 is acquired by the user information acquisition unit 405 from the terminal information received together with the location registration request by the location registration request reception unit 401 and stored in the user information storage unit 406. .

  Upon receiving the update completion information from the contract information update unit 409, the communication determination unit 410 determines whether or not call information is included in the user information (that is, determines whether or not the mobile communication terminal 2 is communicating). When the call information is included, the table of the user information storage unit 406 is referred to. Based on the contract information and the model information (user information), the communication determination unit 410 determines whether or not the contract information allows connection by the model specified by the model information. More specifically, the communication determination unit 410 refers to the terminal management device 5 in which a plurality of connection destination information and each contract information are stored in association with each other. In the terminal management device 5, model information indicating a model for which connection is permitted is stored in association with each contract information. And the communication determination part 410 extracts the information which concerns on the contract information of the mobile communication terminal 2 memorize | stored in the user information storage part 406 from the terminal management apparatus 5, and in the model information permitted in the contract information Whether or not communication is possible is determined by determining whether or not there is model information of the mobile communication terminal 2. The subsequent processing is the same as that described above.

  As described above, also in the mobile communication system 1 according to the modification, the input of information indicating the change of the contract information to the mobile communication system 1 and the change of the location registration area of the mobile communication terminal 2 are almost the same timing. Even if the mobile communication terminal 2 is in communication, the packet switch 4b can detect the packet communication based on the contract information and the connection destination information. The connection can be controlled. Therefore, erroneous control of regulation in packet communication can be prevented. As a result, an optimal service can be provided to the user of the mobile communication terminal 2.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the user information acquisition unit 405 acquires user information including connection destination information from the packet switch 4a and stores it in the user information storage unit 406. However, the connection destination information is not necessarily stored in the user information storage unit 406. It does not have to be done. That is, the connection destination information may be transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 2 to the packet switches 4a and 4b every time location registration is performed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which determines whether connection is possible based on connection destination information or model information, and contract information, it is good also as a structure where determination is performed based on connection information, model information, and contract information. .

  In the above embodiment, in FIG. 7, the connection destination information and the contract information are simultaneously transmitted as user information from the packet switch 4a to the packet switch 4b. However, the connection destination information and the contract information are not necessarily transmitted at the same time. It does not have to be. In this case, the contract information only needs to be transmitted from the packet switch 4a to the packet switch 4b before the terminal management device 5 completes the location registration of the mobile communication terminal 2.

  In the above-described embodiment, the packet exchanges 4a and 4b for packet communication and the communication restriction control method have been exemplified. However, the present invention may be applied to an apparatus and method for restricting calls other than packet communication.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile communication system containing the exchange which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a packet switch. It is a block block diagram which shows the structure of a mobile communication terminal. It is a block block diagram which shows the structure of a packet switch. It is a figure which shows an example in which user information is memorize | stored. It is a block block diagram which shows the structure of a terminal management apparatus. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process of a mobile communication body system. It is a figure which shows an example in which the user information which concerns on a modification is memorize | stored.

Explanation of symbols

  2 ... mobile communication terminal, 4a, 4b (4) ... packet switch, 5 ... terminal management device, 405 ... user information acquisition unit (information acquisition unit, terminal information acquisition unit), 406 ... user information storage unit (information storage unit) 407: Contract information acquisition unit (contract information acquisition unit), 408 ... Change determination unit (change determination unit), 409 ... Contract information update unit (update unit), 410 ... Communication determination unit (communication determination unit), 411 ... Communication Control unit (communication control means), L1, L2,... Location registration area (located area).

Claims (3)

Included in a mobile communication network, receives a location registration request from a mobile communication terminal, transfers it to a terminal management device that performs location registration, and communicates with the mobile communication terminal located in a subordinate area An exchange to perform,
When receiving the location registration request from the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal is in communication with the mobile device from the exchange that was in the mobile device before moving to the service area under its control. Information acquisition means for acquiring contract information of the mobile communication terminal;
Terminal information acquisition means for acquiring terminal information during communication related to the mobile communication terminal;
Information storage means for storing the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition means;
Contract information acquisition means for acquiring contract information from the terminal management device that manages the contract information of the mobile communication terminal when receiving the location registration request from the mobile communication terminal;
A change determination unit that compares the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition unit with the contract information stored in the information storage unit and determines whether or not the contract information is changed;
Updating means for updating the contract information stored in the information storage means to the contract information acquired by the contract information acquisition means when the change determination means determines that the contract information is changed; ,
A communication determination unit that determines whether or not the mobile communication terminal can communicate during communication based on the contract information updated by the update unit and the in-communication terminal information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; ,
Control means for controlling the mobile communication terminal to disconnect communication during communication when the communication determination means does not determine that communication during communication with the mobile communication terminal is possible. To exchange. The terminal information acquisition means acquires the communicating terminal information from the exchange that was in the area before the mobile communication terminal moved to the area under its control,
2. The exchange according to claim 1, wherein the communicating terminal information includes at least one of connection destination information indicating a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal and model information for specifying a model of the mobile communication terminal. . Included in a mobile communication network, receives a location registration request from a mobile communication terminal, transfers it to a terminal management device that performs location registration, and communicates with the mobile communication terminal located in a subordinate area A communication regulation control method by an exchange to perform,
When receiving the location registration request from the mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal is in communication with the mobile device from the exchange that was in the mobile device before moving to the service area under its control. An information acquisition step of acquiring contract information of the mobile communication terminal;
A terminal information acquisition step of acquiring terminal information during communication related to the mobile communication terminal;
An information storage step for storing the contract information acquired in the information acquisition step;
When receiving the location registration request from the mobile communication terminal, a contract information acquisition step of acquiring contract information from the terminal management device that manages the contract information of the mobile communication terminal;
A change determination step for comparing the contract information acquired in the contract information acquisition step with the contract information stored in the information storage step and determining whether or not the contract information is changed;
An update step for updating the contract information stored in the information storage step to the contract information acquired in the contract information acquisition step when it is determined in the change determination step that the contract information is changed; ,
A communication determination step of determining whether or not the mobile communication terminal can communicate during communication based on the contract information updated in the update step and the in-communication terminal information acquired in the terminal information acquisition step; ,
A control step of controlling the mobile communication terminal to disconnect the communication being performed when the mobile communication terminal is not determined to be able to communicate during the communication determination step. Communication restriction control method.

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