Pseudo number portability in fixed-mobile convergence with one number
AssigneeSiemens Communications, Inc.
InventorsFelipe Del Pino, Ercan Sen, Chenghui Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) network and method of handling calls in a FMC network. Registration is maintained for FMC User Equipment (UE) with at least two (a primary and a secondary) networks, e.g., a mobile network and a fixed network with a wireless connection capability. The primary network maintains subscribers numbers with each FMC UE being assigned one of the subscribers numbers. Calls to FMC UE are routed to the primary network and, if the UE is not present in the primary network, forwarded to the secondary network. A preferred FMC network may be implemented in existing fixed and mobile networks without requiring that one be integrated into the other.
Claims47
A Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) network comprising:
- a first communications network;
- a second communications network comprising:
- a broadband network,
- an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia (IM) Subsystem (IMS) in an IMS bundle coupled to said broadband network, said IMS including a special routing table with blocks of FMC subscriber numbers, and
- wireless data connection capability for wirelessly connecting to said broadband network;
- and
- at least one user device assigned by a single directory number (DN), each said at least one user device wirelessly communicating with both said first communications network and said broadband network identified by said single DN, said single DN being one of said FMC subscriber numbers.
A Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) network including at least two communications networks, one of said two communications networks comprising:
- one or more user devices, each wirelessly communicating with each communications network in said FMC network in response to a single assigned directly number (DN);
- a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) maintaining a special routing table with blocks of FMC subscriber numbers, each said DN being one of said FMC subscriber numbers;
- a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Application Server (SIP-AS), incoming calls to each user device being routed to said SIP-AS;
- a Call Session Control Function (CSCF), said HSS interfaced to said CSCF, and said each user device interfacing to said CSCF;
- and
- a Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF) interfacing said FMC network to a public network.
A method of supporting communications in a converged fixed-mobile network environment in which at least one subscriber user equipment (UE) is assigned a single dialable directory number, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an incoming call request for said UE in a first network;
- verifying the availability said UE in said first network and connecting said incoming call whenever said UE is available in said first network;
- otherwise
- assigning a routing number to said incoming call, said routing number designating said UE in a second network;
- and
- forwarding said incoming call to said UE in said second network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.