Providing telephone number data for international cellular roamer service
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsMichael Dwayne Chambers, Chee Keong Lee, Tony Tuong Nguyen, Charles C. Teising
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and a method for providing international numbers in order to implement international cellular roamer service. When a roamer registers, the Visitor Location Register (VLR) serving the roamer, queries the Home Location Register (HLR) record of the roamer. The HLR tests whether the VLR is in a foreign country. If so, the HLR provides numerical information, such as the roamer's billing number, in international form, including the country code of the HLR. Advantageously, the VLR is provided with international numbers where appropriate, and the roamer can be accommodated outside the roamer's home country.
Claims18
For an international roaming mobile call from a mobile station, a method of providing to a serving mobile switching center (MSC), an appropriate telephone number for processing said call, comprising the steps of:
- a mobile station (MS) requesting registration and providing its identification to said serving MSC;
- said serving MSC requesting an associated Visitor Location Register (VLR) to create a record for said MS;
- said VLR requesting data from a Home Location Register (HLR) serving the identified MS;
- said HLR determining that the request was generated by a VLR of another country;
- said HLR converting telephone numbers of an HLR record for said MS into a form acceptable to said VLR;
- said HLR transmitting in a Mobile Application Part of a signaling message a record comprising the converted telephone numbers to said VLR;
- and
- said VLR requesting said serving MSC to serve said mobile;
- said mobile station originating a call;
- and
- said MSC serving said mobile station to control establishment of said call using information stored in said VLR and said HLR.
For an international roaming mobile call from a mobile station, apparatus for providing to a serving mobile switching center (MSC), an appropriate telephone number for processing said call, comprising:
- means for receiving from a mobile station (MS) a registration request providing its identification to said serving MSC;
- said serving MSC comprising means for requesting an associated Visitor Location Register (VLR) to create a record for said MS;
- said VLR comprising means for requesting data from a Home Location Register (HLR) serving the identified MS;
- said HLR comprising means for determining that the request was generated by a VLR of another country;
- said HLR comprising means for converting telephone numbers of an HLR record for said MS into a form acceptable to said VLR;
- said HLR comprising means for transmitting in a Mobile Application Part of a signaling message a record comprising the converted telephone numbers to said VLR;
- and
- said VLR comprising means for requesting said MSC to serve said mobile;
- responsive to said mobile station originating a call;
- said MSC serving said mobile station to control establishment of said call using information stored in said VLR and said HLR.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.