Mobile telephone system call processing arrangement

A method of handling a call of a mobile wireless-call user terminal that is moving from a vicinity of a first service node to a vicinity of a second service node in a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes the mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, the method comprising the steps of:

• in response to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal at the first service node, sending first packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each having a first address which identifies the call's corresponding one of the call processing units, from the first service node to the interface node;
• in response to receiving the first packets at the one call processing unit, sending the incoming call traffic contained in the first packets from the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility;
• in response to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility at the one call processing unit, sending second packets containing the received outgoing call traffic and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies the first service node, from the one call processing unit to the first service node;
• in response to receiving the second packets at the first service node, sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets from the first service node to the mobile user terminal;
• detecting that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node;
• in response to the detecting, sending a message specifying a third address different from the first address and which also identifies the one call processing unit, from the first service node to the second service node;
• in response to receiving the message at the second service node, sending a third packet both (a) specifying a fourth address different from the second and the third addresses and which identifies the second service node and (b) having the third address, from the second service node to the interface node;
• in response to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal at the second service node subsequently to receiving the message, sending fourth packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each having the third address, from the second service node to the interface node;
• in response to receiving the third packet at the one call processing unit, storing the fourth address for use in the call by the one call processing unit;
• in response to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility subsequently to receiving the third packet, sending the second packets from the one call processing unit to the first service node and sending fifth packets containing same received outgoing call traffic as the second packets and each having the fourth address, from the one call processing unit to the second service node;
• in response to receiving the fifth packets at the second service node, sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the fifth packets from the second service node to the mobile user terminal;
• and
• in response to receiving the first packets and the fourth packets both containing same received incoming call traffic at the one call processing unit subsequently to receiving the third packet, selecting the incoming call traffic contained by one of the received first and fourth packets that contain the same traffic, and sending only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility.

A method of handling a call of a mobile wireless-call user terminal that is moving from a vicinity of a first service node to a vicinity of a second service node at the first and the second service nodes of a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes the mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, the method comprising the steps of:

• in response to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal at the first service node, sending first packets containing received incoming call traffic and each having a first address which identifies the call's corresponding one of the call processing units, from the first service node to the interface node for receipt and transmission of the incoming call traffic by the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility;
• in response to receiving at the first service node second packets from the one call processing unit containing outgoing call traffic received by the one call processing unit from the telecommunications facility and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies the first service node, sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets from the first service node to the mobile user terminal;
• in response to detection that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node, sending a message specifying a third address different from the first address and which also identifies the one call processing unit, from the first service node to the second service node;
• in response to receiving the message at the second service node, sending a third packet both (a) specifying a fourth address different from the second and the third addresses and which identifies the second service node and (b) having the third address, from the second service node to the interface node for use of the fourth address for the call by the one call processing unit;
• in response to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal at the first and second service nodes subsequently to the second service node receiving the message, respectively sending the first and fourth packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each fourth packet having the third address, respectively from the first and the second service nodes to the interface node for receipt by the one call processing unit of same incoming call traffic from both the first and the second service nodes, selection by the one call processing unit of incoming call traffic received from one of the first and the second service nodes, and sending of only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility;
• and
• in response to receiving at the first and the second service nodes respectively the second and fifth packets from the one call processing unit containing same outgoing call traffic received by the one call processing unit from the telecommunications facility subsequently to the one call processing unit receiving the third packet and each fifth packet having the fourth address, sending the same outgoing call traffic contained in the second and the fifth packets respectively from the first and the second service nodes to the mobile user terminal.

A method of handling a call of a mobile wireless-call user terminal that is moving from a vicinity of a first service node to a vicinity of a second service node at a call processing unit of a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes the mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, the method comprising the steps of:

• in response to receiving at one call processing unit from the first service node first packets containing incoming call traffic received by the first service node from the mobile user terminal and each having a first address which identifies the one call processing unit as the call's corresponding one of the call processing units, sending the incoming call traffic contained in the first packets from the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility;
• in response to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility at the one call processing unit, sending second packets containing the received outgoing call traffic and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies the first service node, from the one call processing unit to the first service node for receipt and transmission of the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets by the first service node to the mobile user terminal;
• in response to receiving at the one call processing unit from the second service node a third packet specifying a fourth address different from the second address and which identifies the second service node and having a third address different from the first and the fourth addresses and which also identifies the one call processing unit, which third address was specified by a message sent by the first service node to the second service node in response to detection that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node, storing the fourth address for use in the call by the one call processing unit;
• in response to receiving at the one call processing unit from the first and the second service nodes respectively the first packets and fourth packets both containing same incoming call traffic received by respectively the first and the second service nodes and the fourth packets having the third address, subsequently to receiving the third packet, respectively selecting the incoming call traffic contained by one of the received first and fourth packets which contain the same traffic and sending only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility;
• and
• in response to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility subsequently to receiving the third packet, sending the second packets from the one call processing unit to the first service node and sending fifth packets containing same received outgoing call traffic as the second packets and each having the fourth address, from the one call processing unit to the second service node, for transmission by both the first and the second service nodes of the same outgoing call traffic to the mobile user terminal.

In a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes at least one mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, the improvement comprising:

• first means (243 and 245 of master 202) for communicating call traffic of the call between a first service node (master 202) and a mobile user terminal that is in the vicinity of the first service node;
• second means (244 of master 202) cooperative with the first means for communicating the call traffic of the call between the first service node and the call's associated one of the call processing units across a packet-switched call path set up for the call on a communication channel between the first service node and the one of the call processing units, by using different fixed addresses for different endpoints of the call path to route the call traffic across the channel;
• third means (612, 608) cooperative with the second means for communicating the call traffic of the call between the one call processing unit and a telecommunications facility;
• fourth means (241 of master 202) in the first service node responsive to detecting that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of a second service node (slave 202), for sending notification thereof to the second service node;
• fifth means (241 of slave 202) in a second service node responsive to receiving the notification, for setting up a packet-switched call path for the call on a communication channel between the second service node and the one call processing unit by communicating across the communication channel with the one call processing unit;
• sixth means (243 and 245 of slave 202) for communicating the call traffic of the call between the mobile user terminal moving into the vicinity of the second service node and the second service node, so that duplicate copies of the call traffic are communicated between the mobile user terminal when it is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node and the first and the second service nodes;
• seventh means (244 of slave 202) cooperative with the sixth means for communicating the call traffic of the call between the second service node and the one call processing unit across the packet-switched call path set up for the call on the communication channel between the second service node and the one call processing unit, by using different fixed addresses for different endpoints of every call path to route the call traffic across the channel, so that duplicate copies of the call traffic are communicated between the one call processing unit and the first and the second service nodes when the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node;
• and
• eighth means (602) in the one call processing unit cooperative with the second, the third, and the seventh means, for duplicating the call traffic communicated from the telecommunications facility and outgoing to the service nodes and discarding a duplicate of the call traffic incoming from the service nodes and communicated to the telecommunications facility, so that only a single copy of the call traffic is communicated between the one call processing unit and the telecommunications facility when the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node.

In a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes at least one mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at last one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, the improvement comprising:

• first means (244) in a first service node (master 202), responsive to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from a mobile user terminal that is in the vicinity of the first service node, for sending, to the interface node, first packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each having a first address which identifies the call's corresponding one of the call processing units;
• second means (602, FIGS. 11-12) in the one call processing unit responsive to receiving the first packets, for sending the incoming call traffic contained in the first packets to a telecommunications facility;
• third means (602, FIG. 15) in the one call processing unit, responsive to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility, for sending, to the first service node, second packets containing the received outgoing call traffic and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies the first service node;
• fourth means (243 and 245 of master 202) in the first service node, responsive to receiving the second packets, for sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets to the mobile user terminal;
• fifth means (241 of master 202, FIG. 27) in the first service node, responsive to a detection that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node, for sending, to the second service node, a message specifying a third address different from the first address and which also identifies the one call processing unit;
• sixth means (241 of slave 202, FIG. 27) in a second service node (slave 202), responsive to receiving the message, for sending, to the interface node, a third packet both (a) specifying a fourth address different from the second and the third addresses and which identifies the second service node and (b) having the third address;
• seventh means (244 of slave 202) in the second service node, responsive to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal subsequently to the second service node receiving the message, for sending, to the interface node, fourth packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each having the third address;
• eighth means (602, 970) in the one call processing unit, responsive to receiving the third packet, for storing the fourth address for use in the call by the one call processing unit;
• the third means further responsive to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility subsequently to the one call processing unit receiving the third packet, for sending the second packets to the first service node and also sending, to the second service node, fifth packets containing same received outgoing call traffic as the second packets and each having the fourth address;
• ninth means (243 and 245 of slave 202) in the second service node, responsive to receiving the fifth packets, for sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the fifth packets to the mobile user terminal;
• and
• the second means further responsive to receiving both the first packets and the fourth packets both containing same received incoming call traffic subsequently to the one call processing unit receiving the third packet, for selecting the incoming call traffic contained by one of the received first and fourth packets that contain the same traffic and sending only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility.

A call processing unit for a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes at least one mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of the call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and a service node to a telecommunications facility, comprising:

• first means (602, FIGS. 11-12) responsive to receiving from a first service node first packets containing incoming call traffic received by the first service node from a mobile user terminal in the vicinity of the first service node and each having a first address which identifies the receiving call processing unit as the call's corresponding one of a plurality of call processing units, for sending the incoming call traffic contained in the first packets from the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility;
• second means (602, FIG. 15) responsive to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility, for sending second packets containing the received outgoing call traffic and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies the first service node, from the one call processing unit to the first service node for receipt and transmission of the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets by the first service node to the mobile user terminal in the vicinity of the first service node;
• third means (602,970) responsive to receiving from a second service node a third packet specifying a fourth address different from the second address and which identifies the second service node and having a third address different from the first and the fourth addresses and which also identifies the one call processing unit, which third address was specified by a message sent by the first service node to the second service node in response to detection that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of the first service node to the vicinity of the second service node, for storing the fourth address for use in the call by the second means;
• the first means further responsive to receiving from the first and the second service nodes respectively the first packets and fourth packets both containing same incoming call traffic received by respectively the first and the second service nodes from the mobile user terminal and the fourth packets each having the third address, subsequently to the receipt of the third packet, for repeatedly selecting the incoming call traffic contained by one of the received first and fourth packets which contain the same traffic and sending only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility;
• and
• the second means further responsive to receiving outgoing call traffic of the call from the telecommunications facility subsequently to the receipt of the third packet, for sending the second packets from the one call processing unit to the first service node and sending fifth packets containing same received outgoing call traffic as the second packets and each having the fourth address, from the one call processing unit to the second service node, for transmission by both the first and the second service nodes of the same outgoing call traffic to the mobile user terminal.

An individual service node for a wireless-access telecommunications system that includes at least one mobile wireless-call user terminal, a plurality of service nodes each for providing wireless-call services to wireless-call user terminals in its vicinity, and at least one interface node connected to the service nodes and having a plurality of call processing units each for interfacing a wireless call that extends between a user terminal and service node to a telecommunications facility, comprising:

• first means (244) responsive to receiving incoming call traffic of a call from a mobile user terminal in the vicinity of said individual service node (master 202), for sending first packets containing the received incoming call traffic and each having a first address which identifies the call's corresponding one of the call processing units, from said individual service node to the interface node for receipt and transmission of the incoming call traffic by the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility;
• second means (243,245) responsive to receiving second packets from the one call processing unit containing outgoing call traffic for the call received by the one call processing unit from the telecommunications facility and each having a second address different from the first address and which identifies said individual service node, for sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets from the first service node to the mobile user terminal in the vicinity of this service node;
• third means (241 of master 202) responsive to detection that the mobile user terminal is moving from the vicinity of said individual service node to the vicinity of another service node (slave 202), for sending a message specifying a third address different from the first address and which also identifies the one call processing unit, from said individual service node to the other service node;
• fourth means (241 of slave 202) responsive to receiving a message from the other service node sent by the other service node in response to detection that a mobile user terminal in the vicinity of the other service node and having a call interfaced by the one call processing unit to a telecommunications facility is moving from the vicinity of the other service node to the vicinity of said individual service node and specifying the first address, for sending to the interface node a third packet both (a) specifying the second address different from the third address and from a fourth address which identifies the other service node and (b) having the first address, for use of the fourth address for the call by the one call processing unit;
• the first means responsive to receiving incoming call traffic of the call from the mobile user terminal moving either from the vicinity of the other service node to the vicinity of said individual service node or from the vicinity of said individual service node to the vicinity of the other service node subsequently to sending or receiving of the message, for sending the first packets containing the received incoming call traffic to the interface node at a same time as the other service node sends to the interface node fourth packets each having the third address and containing the same received incoming call traffic received from the same mobile user terminal, for receipt by the one call processing unit of the same incoming call traffic from both the first and the second service nodes, selection by the one call processing unit of incoming call traffic received from one of the first and the second service nodes, and sending of only the selected incoming call traffic to the telecommunications facility;
• and
• the second means responsive to receiving the second packets containing outgoing call traffic received by the one call processing unit from the telecommunications facility for the call of the mobile user terminal moving either from the vicinity of the other service node to the vicinity of said individual service node or from the vicinity of said individual service node to the vicinity of the other service node, subsequently to the one call processing unit receiving the third packet and sent by the one call processing unit at a same time as fifth packets each having the fourth address and containing the same outgoing call traffic are sent by the one call processing unit to the other service node, for sending the outgoing call traffic contained in the second packets from the first service node to the mobile user terminal at a same time as the other service node sends the same outgoing call traffic contained in the fifth packets to the same mobile user terminal.