Mobile location management in ATM networks

A network comprising a plurality of switches, said switches being formed into respective peer groups, said peer groups being formed into a hierarchical logical network of L levels, where L.gtoreq.1, each of said switches being associated with a plurality of base stations each operative for communicating with wireless terminals located in respective cells, individual ones of said switches serving as a home switch for respective ones of said wireless terminals said network further comprising

• at one of said switches, responsive to receiving from an associated base station a registration message originating from one of said wireless terminals generating a message containing information relating to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals and sending the message to the other switches that are within S levels of said one of said switches and to a switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals,
• at each of said other switches, responsive to receipt of said message, updating an associated reachability database to indicate the current location of said one of said wireless terminals,
• at said switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals, responsive to receipt of said message, setting a pointer pointing to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals, wherein if said
• one of said wireless terminals is not within scope S of said previous switch, then said previous switch, responsive to receipt of said message, updates an associated reachability database to indicate that said one of said wireless terminals may be reached via a home switch associated with said one of said wireless terminals, and
• in said one switch, responsive to said home switch being outside of the scope of said one switch, sending said message to the home switch.

A network comprising a plurality of switches, said switches being formed into respective peer groups, said peer groups being formed into a hierarchical logical network of L levels, where L.gtoreq.1, each of said switches being associated with a plurality of base stations each operative for communicating with wireless terminals located in respective cells, individual ones of said switches serving as a home switch for respective ones of said wireless terminals, said network further comprising

• at one of said switches, responsive to receiving from an associated base station a registration message originating from one of said wireless terminals, generating a message containing information relating to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals and sending the message to the other switches that are within S levels of said one of said switches and to a switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals,
• at each of said other switches, responsive to receipt of said message, updating an associated reachability database to indicate the current location of said one of said wireless terminals,
• at said switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals, responsive to receipt of said message, setting a pointer pointing to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals, and
• at another one of said switches, responsive to receiving a call for said one wireless terminal, reading from its associated database reachability information associated with said one wireless terminal and routing the call to said one wireless terminal as a function of the read reachability information.

A network comprising a plurality of switches, said switches being formed into respective peer groups, said peer groups being formed into a hierarchical logical network of L levels, where L.gtoreq.1, each of said switches being associated with a plurality of base stations each operative for communicating with wireless terminals located in respective communications cells, individual ones of said switches serving as a home switch for respective ones of said wireless terminals, said network further comprising at one of said switches, responsive to receiving from an associated base station a registration message originating from one of said wireless terminals, generating a message containing information relating to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals and sending the message to the other switches that are within S levels of said one of one of said switches and to a switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals,

• at each said other switches, responsive to receipt of said message, updating an associated reachability database to indicate the current location of said one of said wireless terminals, and
• at said switch previously serving said one of said wireless terminals, responsive to receipt of said message, setting a pointer pointing to the current location of said one of said wireless terminals and updating an associated reachability database to indicate that said one of said wireless terminals may be reached via the home switch associated with said one of said wireless terminals if said previous switch is outside of the scope S of said one of said switches.