Restricted mobility area
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
InventorJohan Rune
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates generally to dividing a cellular mobile communications system into general geographic areas. The cellular system is logically divided into an access provider, having knowledge of and controlling access to the system over the air interface, and a core service provider having subscribers and providing services to those subscribers over the bearer services provided by the access provider. The core service provider chooses some general area within which a particular service is to be provided or within which access is to be restricted. This information is transmitted to the access provider who then maps this information onto the cellular system, thereby determining which cells within the network lie within the area designated by the core service provider.
Claims21
A method of allowing a subscriber to a core service provider access to at least one geographical area in a mobile communications system having a cellular structure composed of cells having geographical coordinates, said mobile communications system being divided into a core service provider having subscribers and an access provider providing access to said core service provider for said subscribers, said method comprising the steps of:
- choosing geographical coordinates for each of said at least one geographical areas;
- choosing an enclosed boundary in relation to each of said geographical coordinates for said at least one geographical areas;
- calculating which geographical coordinates for which cells lie within each of said enclosed boundaries;
- and
- permitting or refusing, by the access provider, subscriber access to said core service provider, or to at least one service of a range of services provided by said core service provider, or to broadcast data being transmitted by said core service provider or one of said subscribers, through said access provider based on the presence or absence of said cell coordinates within said geographical area.
In a mobile communications system, a method for controlling subscriber access to a core network service provider, wherein the core network service provider is accessed through an access provider, the method comprising the steps of:
- selecting, by the core network service provider, geographical coordinates associated with a subscriber's access area;
- choosing, by the core network service provider, a boundary around the geographical coordinates, wherein the boundary around the geographical coordinates is chosen based upon shape parameters, whereby the boundary around the geographical coordinates encompasses a geographical location;
- attempting access, by the subscriber, to the core network service provider through the access provider;
- allowing the subscriber access to the core network service provider if the subscriber is located within the geographical location, wherein if the subscriber is attempting access for the first time from a particular cell, performing the steps of:
- transmitting, from the core network service provider to the access provider, the boundary and the geographical coordinates;
- and
- storing, in the access provider, the geographical coordinates and the boundary associated with the geographical location.
A mobile communications system for controlling subscriber access to a core network service provider, wherein the core network service provider is accessed through an access provider, the mobile communications network comprising:
- means for selecting, by the core network service provider, geographical coordinates associated with a subscriber's access area;
- means for choosing, by the core network service provider, a boundary around the geographical coordinates, wherein the boundary around the geographical coordinates are chosen based on shape parameters, whereby the boundary around the geographical coordinates encompasses a geographical location;
- means for transmitting, from the core network service provider to the access provider, the boundary and the geographical coordinates;
- means for storing, in the access provider, the geographical coordinates and the boundary associated with the geographical location;
- means for attempting access, by the subscriber, to the core network service provider through the access provider;
- and
- means for allowing the subscriber access to the core network service provider if the subscriber is located within the geographical location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.