US 8,526,983 B2Granted

Telecommunications system for communicating a SMS message to a mobile user on an IP network

AssigneeOrange

InventorsMartin Barkley Harris, Nick Sampson, Nigel Stuart Bird

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Abstract

A Short Message Service (SMS) message is communicated to a mobile user equipment (MUE) over an Internet Protocol (IP) network using an IP communication. An SMS network includes a Short Message Service Centre (SM-SC), a gateway mobile switching centre (GMSC), the SMS network communicating SMS messages. An IP/SMS gateway communicates between the SMS and IP networks. A home location database maintains address data identifying a current location of a MUE. After interrogation by the GMSC, the home location database provides the GMSC an address of the IP/SMS gateway, stored in association with the subscriber identify number. The GMSC sends the SMS message to the IP/SMS gateway. The IP/SMS gateway retrieves an IP address corresponding to the mobile subscriber number pre-stored in an IP/SMS database associated with the IP/SMS gateway. The IP/SMS gateway communicates the SMS message to the MUE at the retrieved IP address via the IP network.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A telecommunications system for communicating a Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user equipment using a subscriber identity number terminating on an Internet Protocol network using an Internet Protocol (IP), the user equipment acting as an Internet Protocol (IP) client, the system comprising a short message service centre (SM-SC), a gateway mobile switching centre (GMSC) of an SMS network for communicating SMS messages, an Internet Protocol/SMS (IP/SMS) gateway for communicating between the SMS network and the IP network and a home location database (HLR/HSS) for maintaining address data identifying a current location of a user equipment, the gateway mobile switching centre being operable

in response to the SMS message received from the short message service centre to interrogate the home location database for an address to which the SMS message should be sent, the home location database being operable to provide the gateway mobile switching centre with an address of the IP/SMS gateway stored in association with the subscriber identity number, the gateway switching centre being operable
to send the SMS message to the IP/SMS gateway, the IP/SMS gateway being operable to retrieve an Internet Protocol address corresponding to the subscriber identity number stored in an IP/SMS database associated with the IP/SMS gateway, and
to communicate the SMS message to the user equipment at the retrieved IP address via the IP network, wherein the IP network includes an authentication server which is operable to determine the IP/SMS gateway address from the IP network via which the user equipment is communicating, and to communicate the IP/SMS gateway address to the home location database, the IP/SMS gateway address being stored in the home location database in association with the subscriber identity number for retrieval by the gateway mobile switching centre in response to the received SMS message.

A method of communicating a Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user equipment using a subscriber identity number terminating on an Internet Protocol (IP) network using an Internet Protocol (IP), the user equipment acting as an Internet Protocol (IP) client, the method comprising

maintaining address data comprising an address of the user equipment in a home location database to which the SMS should be sent,
receiving the SMS message at a gateway mobile switching centre (GMSC) of an SMS network for communicating the SMS message,
providing, to the gateway mobile switching centre, from the home location database an address of an Internet Protocol/SMS gateway stored in association with the subscriber identity number for communicating between the SMS network and the IP network,
sending the SMS message to the IP/SMS gateway,
retrieving the IP address corresponding to the subscriber identity number from an IP/SMS database associated with the IP/SMS gateway, and
communicating the SMS message to the user equipment at the retrieved IP address via the IP network, wherein the maintaining the address data comprises
determining the IP/SMS gateway address from the IP network via which the user equipment is communicating using an authentication server connected to the IP network,
communicating the IP/SMS gateway address from the authentication server to the home location database, and
storing the IP/SMS gateway address in the home location database in association with the subscriber identity number for retrieval in response to the received SMS message.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/752,174Filed 28 Jan 2013 · continuation
Priority: GB 0323601.58 Oct 2003
Published: US 2013/0196657 A11 Aug 2013
Granted: 3 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04W 8/20
Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data: transfer…
H04W 4/14
Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements: short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
H04W 80/04
Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation: network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
H04W 88/16
Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices: gateway arrangements

Family

PCT/GB2004/004258Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Oct 2004
US 2013/0196657 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Aug 2013
Application10/574,737Parent of this continuation
US 8,364,180 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2007/0123277 A1Published application
US 8,526,983 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.