MXPA97010338A - Method and apparatus for alerting a station in a network, from a communication requested from a second - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile station that can be selectively coupled to two or more networks. By maintaining an address translation table and introducing communication between the switching control units within the multiple networks, it is possible to provide notification to the mobile station of the existence of a communication request from a first network while the mobile station is coupled with the second r

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALERTING A STATION IN A NETWORK, FROM A COMMUNICATION REQUESTED FROM A SECOND NETWORK The present application is directed to a method and system for alerting a mobile station coupled to a first network, that a communication request for the station appears in a second network. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and system for tracking which network a mobile station is coupled to and then translating the address information to communicate alert messages to the mobile station with respect to communications even in another network. It is known in the field of wireless communications to provide mobile terminal devices in accordance with a standard referred to as IS-136. According to that standard, the mobile terminal may have the ability to conduct communications at least in two different networks. One network is the standard wireless voice network, while the other network is a packet data network commonly referred to as Data in Digital Cellular Packet (CDPD = Cellular Digital Pac and Data). An example of a known communications configuration is illustrated in Figure 1. The mobile station 10 is capable of communicating either on one or two networks, a voice network 100 and a packet network 150. In the voice network 100, the mobile station 10 can communicate with any of a plurality of REF: 26265 base stations (102a to 102n) depending on the cell in which the mobile station is located. The base stations are coupled to a mobile switching center (MSC = Mobile Switching Center) 101, which controls the switching for wireless communications. The MSC can be coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Typically, when the user of a mobile station turns on the station, it will be automatically registered with the MSC 101 through the base station serving the cell in which the mobile station is located. The mobile station performs this registration through a digital control channel (DCCH = Digital Control Channel) associated with the base station. A mobile station 10 is also capable of packet data communication. These communications are handled by the packet network 150. The packets are represented symbolically as elements 151 that are received by an intermediate mobile data system or mobile gateway (MDIS = Mobile Data Intermediate System) 152 which in essence is a counterpart of data in package to the MSC 101. The MDIS 152 can communicate with a plurality of mobile database stations such as the MDBS 153, which can send wireless transmissions to the mobile station 10 when that station is in the cell serviced by the MDBS. When the mobile station wishes to register for purposes of participating in packet data communications, it does so on a packet control channel (PCCH = Packet Control CHannel) associated with the MDBS 153. Currently, due to the different architecture of these two networks , the voice network and the packet network, there is a lack of common interface aspects. As a result, while the mobile station 10 is "established" in the control channel for one of the two networks, (i.e. while it is set to communicate control information to or receive information from a base station relating to one of the channels of control), can not receive any information from the other network. For example, if the mobile station 10 is established in a DCCH, then any attempt to provide a packet or communication data transmission to the mobile station 10 is impossible for the known network configuration. There is no way to point the mobile station Id on the PCCH, since the mobile station is interlocked at or established at the DCCH. Similarly, in the event that the mobile station is established in the packet network, the PCCH anticipates packet data communication, is unable to receive any notice of a communication through the voice network. It is convenient to provide a system where the mobile stationWhile it is active and established in a network, it can receive notices of communications in another network with which it is capable of communicating. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the mobile switching center of the voice network and the MDIS of the packet data network can be in communication with each other, either indirectly by memory or directly. Indirect or direct communications operate to provide mobile station address information from the network in which the mobile station is established in the alternate network. Then, the alternate network, upon receiving a communication request for a mobile station, can generate a request from the mobile station through the network in which it is established to recommend to the mobile station the existence of an intended communication in the network alternate This alert or warning can be generated directly by the alternate network that an address translator can use to identify the address of the mobile station in the network in which it is established and can create a message of appropriate structure for the network where the mobile station. Alternatively, the network receiving the communication request can send a trigger or communication request activator to the network in which the mobile station is established and this latter network can generate the appropriate address and message alert for the mobile station . The present invention allows the mobile station to receive communication notification requests from the network or networks with which it has been registered, but in which it is not established (that is, to which it has been identified while it is in the region of interest). ).

DB COMPENDIUM THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a known network configuration for a voice network and a data network, with which a mobile station can communicate. Figure 2 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 illustrates a useful address translation table in connection with the embodiment of Figure 2. Figure 4 illustrates a process diagram in connection with an implementation of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 2 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. The base station 102, the mobile database station 153 and the mobile station 10 correspond to the same elements that appear in Figure 1. According to the embodiment of Figure 2, the mobile switching center 201 and the intermediate station of mobile data or gate 252 both are coupled to a database 220. The two elements are also coupled together. It is now known that in the current installation, the MSC and the MDIS can be in the same equipment grid. In accordance with the present invention, these two elements now for the first time, will be coupled together in order to be able to communicate requests for data transmission one through the other to improve the capacity of the mobile station when notifying pending communication requests. The database 220 can store an address translation table, an example of which is illustrated in Figure 3. The translation table will correlate a mobile identification number (MIN) of the mobile station with the Internet protocol address. (IP = Internet Protocol) associated with the mobile station. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 can operate according to the process set forth in Figure 4. According to a known registration procedure, once the mobile station is turned on, it will be registered with the DCCH of the cell in which it is located. is located. After registering with the DCCH, the mobile station will then be registered with the PCCH in step 402. Then, depending on the user's preference for communications the mobile station 'is set to either the DCCH or the PCCH as indicated in step 402. After being established, the visitor location register (VLR = Visitor Location Register) for that cell will be notified of the control station selection of the mobile station in step 404. As a consequence, the VLR will store, for example as a flag, information that identifies that network in which the mobile station is established. If a request for voice communication is sent, then the request for voice communication arrives at the MSC 201 verifying the VLR for whose network the mobile station is established, step 410. If the mobile station is established in the DCCH, then the MSC will process the voice communication as normal, step 411. However, if the MSC determines when inspecting the VLR that the mobile station is established in the PCCH in the packet network, the processing differs. The MSC can then translate the MIN of the mobile station to an IP address by accessing the address translation table stored in the database 220, step 412. Subsequently, the MSC sends a request to the MDIS to direct an alert to the address IP address for the MS 10 step 413. In a possible mode, the MSC simply sends a trigger together with the IP address and the MDIS creates a packet data signal for transmission to the MS 10 on the PCCH. Alternatively, the MSC 201 can take the IP address data and build its own message in a packet, thereby replicating a packet data communication request and transmit that request to the MBIS which would then act simply as a pass-through device. Once the mobile station receives the notification of the request for communications from the voice network, the mobile station can choose to establish itself in the DCCH or does not respond to the request for communications and remain established in the PCCH. An analogous operation is performed in the MDIS when a request for communication in packet is received. The MDIS can verify the VLR to determine the network in which the MS is established. If MS 10 is established in the PCCH, then the MDIS 252 processes the request for packet communication in a normal way. However, if the mobile station 10 is established in the DCCH, then the MDIS 252 can access the database 220 to translate the IP address to a MIN, step 422. The MDIS then requests the MSC 201 to send an alert to the MIN. appropriate, step 433. As described above, the MDIS may simply transmit a trigger to the MSC 201 which will then initiate signaling by the DCCH to notify the mobile station 10. Alternatively, the MDIS 252 may attempt to replicate a request for voice communication such as those arriving from the PSTN using the appropriate MIN. In accordance with the present invention, the voice network and the packet data network communicate with each other, in such a way that they can notify the mobile station 10 that a communication is waiting in a network to which it is not established. In the embodiment described with respect to Figure 4, it is described that the mobile station is first registered with DCCH and then with PCCH. The registration order can be reversed. In addition, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, a separate database is accessible by both the MSC and the MDIS. There are other alternatives. For example, the database may already be the MSC or the MDIS and not be directly connected with the counterpart in the other network. Or alternatively, the MSC and the MDIS each can maintain their own address translation table. In such a circumstance then, the MSC and the MDIS would have to communicate with each other during the registration procedure to recommend among themselves the appropriate network addresses for the mobile station in order to ensure that they correlate adequately with each other. Additionally, the present invention has been described in the context of packet / voice data networks. It has also been applicable to any multimode station capable of communicating with different networks in their different operational modes, such as voice and radiolocation networks, for example. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, a mobile station that is capable of communicating with multiple networks such as the voice network and the packet data network, can receive notification of the existence of a request for communications from one of the . networks while the mobile station is established in one of the other networks. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS 1.- In a communication system, comprising a first network and a second network, wherein a mobile station is capable of being coupled to any of the first and second networks, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication in a network to which the station is not currently coupled, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: storing an address for the mobile station as it is coupled to one of the first and second networks, - receiving a request for communications from that of the first and second networks to which the mobile station is not currently coupled; use the stored address of the mobile station as it is coupled to one of the first and second networks to send an alert that said communication request has been received.
2. 2. - The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of storing comprises the steps of: detecting when the mobile station changes the network to which it is coupled; and updating a memory with an address of the mobile station in the network to which it is coupled.
3. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first network is a voice network and the second network is a radiolocation network.
4. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first network is a voice network and the second network is a data network.
5. 5. - The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the mobile station is initially coupled with the first network; the storing stage occurs after the mobile station changes its link to the second network; and the receive stage receives a communication request from the first network.
6. 6. - The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the receiving step obtains a communication request from the second network.
7. 7. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the mobile station is initially coupled to the second network; the storing stage occurs after the mobile station changes its link to the first network; and the receiving stage obtains a request for communication from the first network.
8. 8. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the data network is a packet data network.
9. 9. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the first network is a voice network and the second network is a radiolocation network.
10. 10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the alert includes information regarding the communication request received.
11. 11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the information includes how the mobile station will connect to the communication.
12. 12. - In a wireless communication system comprising a network and a data network, wherein a mobile station can be established in the voice network by a first control channel and can be established in the data network by a second channel of control, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication from the voice network while it is established in the data network, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: storing an address for the mobile station as established in the network of data; receiving a communication request for the mobile station from the voice network; use the stored address of the mobile station to send an alert via the data network that the communication request has been received.
13. 13. - A wireless communication system characterized in that it comprises a network and a data network, wherein a mobile station can be established in the voice network by means of a first control channel and can be established in the data network by means of a second channel of control, a method for notifying the mobile station of a communication from the data network while it is established in the voice network, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: storing an address for the mobile station as established in the network of voice, - receiving a communication request for the mobile station from the data network; use the stored address of the mobile station to send an alert via the voice network that the communication request has been received.
14. 14. - In a communication system to allow communications requests to follow a mobile station after it switches to networks, the system is characterized in that it comprises: storing in memory an address of the mobile station in a network to which it is coupled; a communication receiver that receives a request for communications in a network to which the mobile station does not connect; and a processor coupled with the memory and communications receiver that uses the address of the mobile station to alert the mobile station that the request for communications was received.
15. 15. - The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the mobile station is coupled to a voice network and then switched to a data network, the request for communication is received by the voice network.
16. 16. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the mobile station is coupled to a data network and then switched to a voice network, the communication request is received by the data network.
17. 17. A wireless communication system for sending requests for communication through networks, characterized in that it comprises: a voice network that includes a mobile switching center; a data network that includes a mobile data intermediary system; a memory coupled to the voice network and the data network and storing address information for the mobile station as established in the data network.
18. 18.- The system in accordance with the claim 17, characterized in that it also comprises a processor coupled to the voice network and the memory that, upon receiving a request for communication in the voice network, accesses the address information stored for the mobile station and notifies the mobile station receiving the communication request.
19. 19. - The system in accordance with the claim 18, characterized in that the notification of the mobile station receiving the communication request includes information regarding the communication.
20. 20.- The system in accordance with the claim 19, characterized in that the information includes how the mobile station will connect to the communication.