# US 12,192,860 B2 · Short message service (SMS) delivery

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- Number: US 12,192,860 B2
- Document ID: US12192860B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/762,508
- Filed: 2020-09-21
- Published: 2022-11-10
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-10-01
- Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
- Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
- Inventors: David Castellanos Zamora; George Foti; Jose Miguel Dopico Sanjuan; Ralf Keller; Jesús Angel De Gregorio Rodriguez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192860B2

## CPC

- H04W 4/14: Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
- H04W 8/18: Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
- H04W 60/00: Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
- H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for short message service (SMS) delivery are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method implemented in a unified data management, UDM, node includes setting a short message service, SMS, function, SMSF, registration notification flag to detect an SMSF registration event associated with a user equipment, UE. In another embodiment, a method implemented in a home subscriber server, HSS, node includes sending a request to subscribe to a notification at a unified data management, UDM, node about a short message service, SMS, function, SMSF, registration event associated with a user equipment, UE.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method implemented in a unified data management, UDM, node, the method comprising:
as a result of receiving, from a short message service center, SMSC, node, a request for routing information for a user equipment, UE, determining that the UE is at least one of not registered in a network associated with the UDM node and not registered for a short message service, SMS, in the network;
as a result of the determination that the UE is at least one of not registered in the network associated with the UDM node and not registered for the SMS in the network, setting an indication supporting mobile terminated short message service, MT-SMS, delivery reattempt and indicating to the SMSC node that the UE is absent; and
as a result of an SMS function, SMSF, registering at the UDM node for the UE and the SMSF registration notification flag being set for the UE, sending an alert to the SMSC node to retry an SMS delivery to the UE.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
as the result of the SMSF registering at the UDM node for the UE and the indication supporting MT-SMS delivery reattempt for the UE, clearing the indication and sending a notification, the notification indicating that the SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to subscribe to a notification about the SMSF registration event associated with the UE; and
wherein the setting the SMSF registration notification flag is a result of the request to subscribe to the notification.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the request to subscribe to the notification is received from a home subscriber server, HSS, node and the notification is sent to the HSS node.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the request to subscribe is received by a Nudm_EE_Subscribe service operation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the indication supporting MT-SMS delivery reattempt comprises setting an SMS registration notification flag to detect an SMSF registration event.

### Claim 7

A method implemented in a home subscriber server, HSS, node, the method comprising:
when a user equipment, UE, is at least one of not registered in a network associated with a unified data management, UDM node and not registered for a short message service, SMS, in the network, sending a request to subscribe to a notification at the UDM node about an SMS function, SMSF, registration event associated with the UE.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
as a result of the subscription, receiving, from the UDM node, a notification, the notification indicating that an SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE; and
as a result of receiving the notification, indicating to a short message service center, SMSC, node that the SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein indicating to the SMSC node further comprises sending an alert to the SMSC node to retry an SMS delivery to the UE.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein sending the request to subscribe to the notification about the SMSF registration event is based at least in part on a determination that an SMSF is not registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein sending the request to subscribe to the notification about the SMSF registration event is based further on a determination that the UE is not registered at the HSS node for SMS.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
receiving, from a short message service center, SMSC, node, a request for routing information for the UE; and
as a result of receiving the request from the SMSC node, as least one of:
querying whether an SMSF registration notification flag is set at the UDM node;
determining whether to retrieve an SMSF address from the UDM node for the UE based at least in part on whether the SMSF registration notification flag is set;
determining that the SMSF address in not registered at the UDM node for the UE and that a target node address for SMS is not registered at the HSS node for the UE; and
as a result of the determination that the SMSF address and the target node address is not registered for the UE in the UDM and HSS nodes respectively, indicating to the SMSC node that the UE is absent.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the request to subscribe is sent by a Nudm_EE_Subscribe service operation.

### Claim 14

A unified data management, UDM, node, the UDM node comprising processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to cause the UDM node to:
as a result of receiving, from a short message service center, SMSC, node, a request for routing information for a user equipment, UE, determine that the UE is at least one of not registered in a network associated with the UDM node and not registered for a short message service, SMS, in the network;
as a result of the determination that the UE is at least one of not registered in the network associated with the UDM node and not registered for the SMS in the network, set an indication supporting mobile terminated short message service, MT-SMS, delivery reattempt and indicate to the SMSC node that the UE is absent; and
as a result of an SMS function, SMSF, registering at the UDM node for the UE and the SMSF registration notification flag being set for the UE, send an alert to the SMSC node to retry an SMS delivery to the UE.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The UDM node of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UDM node to:
as the result of the SMSF registering at the UDM node for the UE and the indication supporting MT-SMS delivery reattempt for the UE, clearing the indication and sending a notification, the notification indicating that the SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The UDM node of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UDM node to:
receive a request to subscribe to a notification about an SMSF registration event associated with the UE; and
wherein the setting the SMSF registration notification flag is a result of the request to subscribe to the notification.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The UDM node of claim 16, wherein the request to subscribe to the notification is received from a home subscriber server, HSS, node and the notification is sent to the HSS node.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The UDM node of claim 16, wherein the request to subscribe is received by a Nudm_EE_Subscribe service operation.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The USM node of claim 14, wherein the indication supporting MT-SMS delivery reattempt comprises setting an SMS registration notification flag to detect an SMSF registration event.

### Claim 20

A home subscriber server, HSS, node, the HSS node comprising processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to cause the HSS node to:
when a user equipment, UE, is at least one of not registered in a network associated with a unified data management, UDM, node and not registered for a short message service, SMS, in the network, send a request to subscribe to a notification at the UDM node about an SMS function, SMSF, registration event associated with a user equipment, UE.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The HSS node of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the HSS node to:
as a result of the subscription, receive, from the UDM node, a notification, the notification indicating that an SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE; and
as a result of receiving the notification, indicate to a short message service center, SMSC, node that the SMSF is registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The HSS node of claim 21, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the HSS node to indicate to the SMSC node by being configured to cause the HSS node to send an alert to the SMSC node to retry an SMS delivery to the UE.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The HSS node of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the HSS node to send the request to subscribe to the notification about the SMSF registration event based at least in part on a determination that an SMSF is not registered at the UDM node for the UE.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The HSS node of claim 23, the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the HSS node to send the request to subscribe to the notification about the SMSF registration event based further on a determination that the UE is not registered at the HSS node for SMS.

### Claim 25 (depends on 20)

The HSS node of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the HSS node to:
receive, from a short message service center, SMSC, node, a request for routing information for the UE; and
as a result of receiving the request from the SMSC node, as least one of:
query whether an SMSF registration notification flag is set at the UDM node;
determine whether to retrieve an SMSF address from the UDM node for the UE based at least in part on whether the SMSF registration notification flag is set;
determine that the SMSF address in not registered at the UDM node for the UE and that a target node address for SMS is not registered at the HSS node for the UE; and
as a result of the determination that the SMSF address and the target node address is not registered for the UE in the UDM and HSS nodes respectively, indicate to the SMSC node that the UE is absent.

### Claim 26 (depends on 20)

The HSS node of claim 20, wherein the request to subscribe is sent by a Nudm_EE_Subscribe service operation.