U.S. patent application number 10/955063 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-30 for retrieving jurisdiction information from home location register.
Invention is credited to Stephanie L. Millen, Martin H. Van Leeuwen.
Application Number | 20060068796 10/955063 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36099911 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060068796 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Millen; Stephanie L. ; et
al. |
March 30, 2006 |
Retrieving jurisdiction information from home location register
Abstract
Calls to a wireless telephone number that are to be redirected
by a gateway switch to another number can be properly billed, even
if the wireless telephone number is ported to another service
provider by billing the wireless telephone number subscriber for
the charge that would have been incurred by placing a call to the
forwarded number from the mobile telephone located in its home
service area.
Inventors: |
Millen; Stephanie L.;
(Batavia, IL) ; Van Leeuwen; Martin H.; (Oswego,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CARMEN B. PATTI & ASSOCIATES, LLC
ONE NORTH LASALLE STREET
44TH FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60602
US
|
Family ID: |
36099911 |
Appl. No.: |
10/955063 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/445 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 8/28 20130101; H04W
8/02 20130101; H04W 4/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/445 |
International
Class: |
H04Q 7/20 20060101
H04Q007/20 |
Claims
1. In wireless communications network that provides wireless
communications services, a method of redirecting a call placed to a
wireless subscriber's number, to a second number, comprising the
steps of: storing information in a first computer that is coupled
to the wireless communications network, the stored information
including: at least one second number to which a call to the
wireless subscriber number is to be redirected by a switching
center for the wireless subscriber number; and the identity of the
mobile switching center, or geographic division thereof, of the
first service provider, to which a call to the wireless subscriber
number is to be routed when a call to the non-roaming wireless
subscriber is not to be redirected to a second number.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing information
includes the step of: storing in the first computer, the identity
of a mobile switching center, or a geographic division thereof, in
a wireless communication network that has jurisdiction over a
geographic coverage area for the wireless subscriber number.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing information
includes the step of: storing the identity of the mobile switching
center or geographic division thereof, for the home service area of
a mobile, in a storage device that is operatively coupled to the
first computer.
4. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein the step
of: storing information includes steps for storing at least one of:
a. an electronic serial number for a wireless subscriber's
telephone; b. a mobile identification number for a wireless
subscriber's telephone; c. services provided to the wireless
subscriber by the subscriber's service provider; d. information
that specifies whether the wireless subscriber is provided with
call redirecting service; e. the identity of a mobile switching
center, or geographic division thereof, to which calls to the
wireless subscriber's number are to be routed by switching systems
that are coupled to the switching network.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing information in
a first computer includes steps of storing in a home location
register data base for a switching network, the area code and
office code of a switching system, or geographic division thereof,
where a call to the wireless subscriber, is to be redirected
from.
6. In a wireless communication network, a method of routing a
wireless telephone call to a wireless subscriber, comprising the
steps of: storing, in a first computer that is coupled to the
communications network, information that identifies at least some
services provided to the wireless subscriber by a wireless service
provider; receiving, by the first computer, a first message, the
first message including a request for information about the
wireless subscriber; sending, by the first computer, a second
message that is a response to the first message that identifies: a
number to which a call to the wireless subscriber is to be
redirected; and subscriber jurisdiction information for the
wireless subscriber.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of receiving, by a first
computer, a first message, includes the step of receiving said
first message from a second computer that is also coupled to the
wireless network.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of sending, by the first
computer, a second message, includes the step of sending the second
message to a second computer that is coupled to the wireless
network, said second message identifying a third computer to which
a call to the wireless subscriber is to be routed when calls to the
wireless subscriber are not to be redirected.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of storing includes the
step of: storing in the first computer, the identity of a mobile
switching center, or geographic division thereof, that has
jurisdiction over a geographic coverage area for the wireless
subscriber number.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of storing information
includes the step of storing: the identity of the mobile switching
center or geographic division thereof, for the home service area of
a mobile, in a storage device that is operatively coupled to the
first computer, from which a call is to be redirected.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of storing information
includes steps for storing at least one of: a. an electronic serial
number for a wireless subscriber's telephone; b. a mobile
identification number for a wireless subscriber's telephone; c.
services provided to the wireless subscriber by the subscriber's
service provider; d. information that specifies whether the
wireless subscriber is provided with call redirecting service; e.
the identity of a mobile switching center, or geographic division
thereof, to which calls to the wireless subscriber's number, are to
be routed by switching systems that are coupled to the switching
network.
12. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of receiving a first
message includes the step of receiving a message that is in the SS7
signaling format.
13. A method of redirecting a call that is placed to a wireless
telephone number, to another number, comprising the steps of:
sending a first message by a first computer to a second computer,
the first message requesting from the second computer, information
about the wireless telephone number; receiving, by the first
computer, a response to the first message that identifies at least,
a telephone number to which calls that are placed to the wireless
telephone number are to be redirected by a third computer; and said
first computer routing the call placed to the wireless telephone
number, to a fourth computer.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving by the
first computer, a response to the first message includes receiving
information that also includes at least one of: a. an identifier
for the third computer; b. the identity of the mobile switching
center or geographic division thereof, that has jurisdiction for
the mobile;; c. an electronic serial number of the wireless
telephone number; and d. communications services provided to the
wireless telephone number.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: a.
redirecting the call and jurisdiction information received in the
response from the second computer to the fourth computer.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving by the
first computer, a response to the first message includes the step
of receiving information about the wireless telephone number from a
home location register database.
17. A home location register data base system of a wireless
communications network comprising: a processor, operatively coupled
to a wireless communications network; a data storage device,
operatively coupled to the processor; one or more computer-readable
signal-bearing media coupled to the processor, the
computer-readable signal-bearing media storing program
instructions, which when executed enable the processor to: store
information in the data storage device that includes: at least one
second number to which a call to a wireless subscriber number is to
be redirected by a switching center for the wireless subscriber
number; and the identity of a mobile switching center, or
geographic division thereof, of a wireless communications service
provider, to which a call to the wireless subscriber number is to
be routed when a call to the non-roaming wireless subscriber is not
to be redirected to a second number; the one or more
computer-readable signal-bearing media also storing instructions,
which when executed, enable the processor to receive a message from
a switching system coupled to the wireless communications network,
said message requesting from the processor, at least some of the
information stored in the data storage device.
18. The home location register data base system of claim 17,
wherein the one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media
further store program instructions, which when executed enable the
processor to store additional information in the data storage
device that includes at least one of: a. data that specifies
whether call redirecting is provided to a wireless subscriber
number; b. the electronic serial number of a wireless subscriber's
telephone; and c. the identity of the mobile switching center or
geographic division thereof, having jurisdiction over the
mobile.
19. A gateway mobile switching system of a first wireless
communications network comprising: a processor, operatively coupled
to the first wireless communications network; one or more
computer-readable signal-bearing media coupled to the processor,
the computer-readable signal-bearing media storing program
instructions, which when executed enable the processor to: receive
from a first switch, signaling information for a call that is
destined for a mobile telephone number that corresponds to a second
mobile switching center within a wireless communications network;
retrieve by a first (gateway) mobile switching center from a data
base coupled to the first wireless communications network, data
that determines whether the processor is to route the call for the
mobile telephone number to a second mobile switching center within
the wireless communications network, or redirect the call to a
second number through a second switch that is coupled to the
wireless communications network; and retrieve from the data base,
information from which the identity of the second mobile switching
center, or geographic division thereof, can be determined.
20. The gateway mobile switching system of claim 19, further
including one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media
coupled to the processor storing program instructions, which when
executed cause the gateway mobile switching system to route the
call to the mobile telephone number to a second number through the
second switch.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates generally to wireless communications
system and more particularly to a method and apparatus by which
calls redirected from a mobile phone number to another number can
be billed based on the service provider and the distance over which
the forwarded call portion would have traveled if it had been
placed by the non-roaming mobile telephone.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Wireless communication has become nearly ubiquitous and
competition between service providers often induces subscribers to
switch to carriers that a subscriber believes or perceives to be
providing a better "deal." Until recently, an adverse consequence
of changing carriers has been the forfeiture of a wireless phone
number. Recently, service providers have been compelled to offer
number portability by which a subscriber of one service provider
can terminate his service and carry or "port" the number given to
him by one service provider to another service provider. This is
possible as long as the number remains in the same relative
geographic location (i.e., the number remains within the original
rate center.) It is even possible to port a wireline number to a
wireless service provider. In the future, number portability will
provide the ability to port a phone number from one disparate
geographic location to another.
[0003] Such number portability has led to at least one problem for
carriers.
[0004] Heretofore, it was possible to identify a switch from which
a call originated and hence the service provider of the switch from
whence a call originated, simply by the first few digits of a phone
number. The identity of a service provider responsible for
collecting revenue from a customer for a call could be determined
by the number from which the call originated.
[0005] With the advent of service provider number portability, a
wireless subscriber who obtains a wireless phone number from a
service provider could have his mobile phone number "ported" to a
new wireless service provider. If the subscriber uses his wireless
phone to forward calls to another location, the calls that were
made to the subscriber's phone, would need to be routed by the
subscriber's new service provider to the forwarded destination
number. If the forwarding phone's number were used to determine the
service provider from which to exact payment for the call
forwarding, using just the phone numbers it would appear that a
call originated from the mobile customer's old service provider's
network.
[0006] As is well-known, charges for so-called long-distance calls
and charges for so-called "toll" calls are enhanced over the
charges imposed by carriers for "local" calls. As is also known,
the determination and hence the charge for a call is primarily
determined by the geographic distance between the location of the
calling phone and the phone being called.
[0007] Heretofore, it was possible to identify a switch that a call
originated from and hence the geographic location of where a call
originated from, simply by the first few digits of a phone number.
The charge to exact from a customer for a call could be determined
by comparing the number being called to the number from which the
call originated and calculating or deriving the distance and
systems through which the call would have been carried.
[0008] With the advent of number portability, in prior art,
carriers have begun to identify the originating location of a call
by means of a the 6 digit area code and office code of a location
routing number assigned to the originating switch since the mobile
number no longer identifies the originating switch or service
provider. In the case of redirecting a call from a gateway switch,
the gateway doesn't have the 6 digit code to identify the location
of the switch from which the call would have originated if the
forwarding phone had placed the call itself from its home service
area. The intent of this invention is to provide a method by which
a gateway switch can obtain data sufficient to identify the service
provider and location of the switch, or geographic division
thereof, from which a redirected call would have originated had the
call originated from the mobile subscriber's home service area.
[0009] In order to more properly bill for call forwarding services
provided to mobile phone subscribers who have ported their phone
numbers from one service provider to another, there exists a need
for tracking the service provider and the location of the mobile
phone switching system, or a geographic division thereof, from
which a mobile phone number that forwarded a call, would have
originated the call if the forwarding phone had placed the
forwarded call itself from its home service area.
SUMMARY
[0010] The invention in one implementation encompasses a home
location register data base, embodied as a processor coupled to a
wireless communications network through any appropriate prior art
network interface. A data storage device, such as one or more hard
disk drives that is operatively coupled to the processor stores
wireless subscriber information. Computer-readable signal-bearing
media coupled to the processor enable the processor to receive
inquiries from communications network switches that are also
coupled to the home location register data base.
[0011] The processor executes a method, which includes sending
subscriber information to network switches. When a network switch
receives a call that is to be routed to a wireless telephone, the
network switch first queries the home location register data base
about the wireless telephone. If the wireless telephone has been
set up to forward its calls to another number, the home location
register data base sends a response to the inquiring network
switch, informing it of the number to which the call should be
forwarded, and, the identity of a switch in the wireless network
from which the wireless telephone should be charged for placing a
call to the number to which its calls are to be forwarded.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Features of exemplary implementations of the invention will
become apparent from the description, the claims, and the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a representation of one implementation of a
wireless network that comprises a home location register data base
that communicates with mobile switching centers in a wireless
network and a gateway mobile switching center;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a representation of one exemplary part of the
switches embodied in FIG. 1 as the mobile switching centers and the
gateway mobile switching center;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing steps of a method practiced
by the gateway mobile switching center shown in FIG. 1; and
[0016] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing steps of a method practiced
by the home location register data base shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Turning to FIG. 1, a wireless communication network 10
comprises a central gateway mobile switching center 12, a home
location register data base 14 and at least two mobile switching
centers 16 and 18, each of which is a mobile switching center for a
wireless service provider (not shown) that provide wireless
communications services to the wireless telephones 20 of service
subscribers throughout a geographic area 22. As shown in FIG. 1,
the gateway mobile switching center 12 and both of the mobile
switching centers 16 and 18 are linked to the home location
register data base 14 via appropriately-capable data links 15' and
17' over which call routing and other information pertinent to the
network 10 can be carried.
[0018] When a call 26 is placed to a wireless subscriber's
telephone 20 from outside the network 10, the call 26 is eventually
routed to the central gateway mobile switching center 12 (e.g.,
through the public switched telephone network or PSTN). At least
one function of the gateway mobile switching center 12 is to route
the call 26 to a mobile switching center 16 or 18 from which a
wireless communications link can be established with the wireless
subscriber's telephone 20.
[0019] In the preferred embodiment, when a call 26 to be routed to
a wireless subscriber's telephone 20 is received by the central
gateway mobile switching center 12, the central gateway mobile
switching center 12 sends a data message 15 that is a query to the
home location register data base 14 for information about the
telephone 20 and the service provided to the subscriber's telephone
20 by the wireless service provider. The form of the query message
15 sent to the home location register data base 14 is not critical.
Existing protocols, such as those compliant with ANSI-41 standard
as well as others that are known to those of skill in the art, can
be used. The home location register data base 14 functions as data
storage device that preferably stores several pieces of information
about each wireless subscriber of a wireless service provider.
Among other things, the home location register data base 14 stores
the electronic serial number or ESN and the mobile identification
number or MIN of each subscriber's phone 20, including the digits
of the wireless telephone's number. The home location register data
base 14 also stores information that identifies the communication
services provided to a subscriber's phone by the service provider,
such as whether a phone is entitled to services such as call
forwarding and if so, a number or numbers to which a call 26 to a
phone 20 is to be routed if the subscriber has activated call
forwarding.
[0020] The home location register data base 14 can also store the
identity a mobile switching center or geographic coverage area
thereof, into which the mobile telephone's number was ported into,
by the service provider at the subscriber's request. The "identity"
of a mobile switching center into which a number is ported can be
in the form of a six digit area code and office code (commonly
known to those of ordinary skill as the jurisdiction information
parameter or "JIP") that is unique to the geographic location
assigned to the mobile subscriber's home service area. That mobile
switching center is herein considered to be the "home" mobile
switching center for that subscriber.
[0021] In the prior art, when a mobile telephone subscriber
activated call forwarding, calls to the mobile telephone 20 from
outside the service provider's network needed to be routed to a
particular mobile switching center, (16 or 18 for example) having
jurisdiction for the particular mobile telephone number. (The prior
art method of routing the call to a mobile switching center is
shown in FIG. 1 as the broken line between the gateway mobile
switching center 16 that is identified by reference numeral 26')
Thereafter, the mobile switching center for the mobile phone 20
being called, would have forwarded the call on to another switching
system 28 in the PSTN, that would have routed the call 26' to the
number to which the subscriber forwarded his calls. Routing a call
to a mobile switching center having jurisdiction for a particular
mobile phone number is not economically advantageous.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment, information stored in the home
location register data base 14 includes at least one number to
which a call 26 to a wireless subscriber's telephone 20 number is
to be forwarded but also includes the identity of the mobile
switching center, or a geographic division thereof, having
"jurisdiction" for the wireless subscriber number to which a call
26 was placed. In other words, the home location register data base
14 stores the identity of a mobile switching center 16 of a
wireless communications service provider, to which a call 26 to the
wireless subscriber number is to be routed, when a call to the
non-roaming wireless subscriber is not to be forwarded to a second
number.
[0023] Still referring to FIG. 1, when the home location register
data base 14 receives the query message 15 that requests
information from the gateway mobile switching center 12, the home
location register data base 14 returns a responsive message 17 to
the gateway mobile switching center 12 that includes, among other
things, information as to how and where to route the call 26 so
that it will be forwarded as specified by the subscriber. If a
subscriber has activated call forwarding, the home location
register data base 14 provides to the gateway mobile switching
center 12, the phone number to which the calls for the subscriber
are to be forwarded, but it also returns to the gateway mobile
switching center 12, information that identifies the mobile
switching center 16 or 18, or geographic division thereof, that the
call 26 would have been routed to but for the subscriber's request
to forward his calls to another number.
[0024] When the gateway mobile switching center 12 receives a
telephone number (or wireless number) to which a call 26 is to be
forwarded from the home location register data base 14, the gateway
mobile switching center 12 can thereafter proceed to forward the
call 26 directly to a switching system 28 in the PSTN to which the
call 26 needs to be routed to deliver the call 26 to the
subscriber's destination number. By determining from the home
location register data base 14 that a call 26 to a mobile telephone
20 is to be routed to a particular number, and by obtaining the
identity of the mobile switching center, or geographic division
thereof, 16 or 18 that would have otherwise received the call 26
and which then would have forwarded the call 26, the call can be
more quickly routed to its destination but an appropriate service
charge can be levied on the subscriber by determining the path that
the call 26 would have been forwarded over, if the call would have
originated from the subscriber's wireless telephone 20.
[0025] The location of where a forwarded call would have been
originated from, if it were placed by the wireless subscriber's
phone 20, i.e., the mobile switching center 16 or 18 having
"jurisdiction" of the mobile phone 20, can be determined a number
of ways. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile switching center
having jurisdiction of a mobile telephone number can be identified
by the digits of a location routing number assigned to the mobile
switching center 16 or 18. In particular, the first six digits of a
location routing number can identify where a call should have
originated from and how a call forwarded from, should be billed.
Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, the home location register
data base 14 stores the first six digits of a non-ported telephone
number assigned to the switch to identify the jurisdiction of the
switch into which the mobile telephone number of the calls of which
are forwarded to another number was ported.
[0026] Other information stored in the home location register data
base 14 includes the electronic serial number and the mobile
identification number for a wireless subscriber's telephone. As set
forth above, the home location register data base 14 stores data
that identifies communication services provided to the wireless
subscriber by the subscriber's service provider, including
information that specifies whether the wireless subscriber is
provided with call forwarding service.
[0027] In the preferred embodiment, signaling messages between the
gateway mobile switching center 12, the home location data base
register 14 and mobile switching centers 16 and 18 and between any
network-external switch 28 to which calls are sent using well-known
SS7 messages. Messages sent to the home location register data base
14 from the gateway mobile switching center that include requests
for subscriber information, can be compliant with ANSI-41 or
compliant with messages used in a "3GPP" signaling environment.
[0028] As is well-known, switching systems used in wireless
communications networks and switching systems used in the PSTN
employ a stored-program computer to control one or more matrices by
which calls can be routed from a source on a switch input port to a
destination on a switch output port. As used herein, the term
"computer" should be considered to be equivalent to and include,
one or more switching systems or switch matrices as they are
sometimes called.
[0029] With respect to the home location register data base
register 14, it too is comprised of a computer but also a data
storage device, such as one or more hard disk drives, one or more
CD-ROM drives and/or semiconductor memory from which information
about the systems coupled to it can be quickly recovered and sent
into the network 10 to which it is coupled and by which messages to
the various computers/switches can be sent.
[0030] As is well known, computers are comprised of a central
processing unit or CPU that executes program instructions.
Accordingly, each of the switching systems/computers disclosed
above is comprised of at least one processor that executes
instructions that are stored in a program memory to which the
processors are operatively coupled.
[0031] FIG. 2 shows an example of a CPU 200 is coupled to memory
202 embodied in well known devices such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM and
Flash memory, which can store instructions for the CPU. FIG. 2 also
shows the CPU coupled to a hard disk storage 204 device and to a
network interface 206 through which the CPU can communicate with
the data network. Computers, memory, storage devices and network
interfaces are well-known in the art and a further presentation of
them herein is omitted for brevity.
[0032] An illustrative description of exemplary operation of the
network of FIG. 1 is presented, for explanatory purposes in the
flow charts of FIGS. 3 and 4. The steps of FIG. 3 are performed by
the gateway mobile switching center 12 whereas the steps of FIG. 4
are performed by the home location register data base 14.
[0033] In FIG. 3, step 302 shows the receipt of a signaling message
by, or at, the gateway mobile switching center 12. The signaling
message can be an SS7 signaling message but regardless of its
format, it can be considered to be a message by which a call is
being directed to a mobile telephone 20 within the wireless
communications network 10 for which the gateway mobile switching
center 12 receives incoming calls.
[0034] In step 304, after having received the pertinent call data,
the gateway mobile switching center 12 sends a different message to
the home location register data base 14 by which the gateway mobile
switching center 12 requests information on the mobile telephone to
which the call just received is to be routed.
[0035] In step 306, the gateway mobile switching center 12 receives
data from the home location register data base 14 that tells the
gateway mobile switching center 12 several things but in
particular, a number to which a call to the telephone 20 is to be
forwarded instead. Importantly, the home location register data
base 14 provides in its responsive message 17, the identity and/or
location of the mobile switching center that the call to the mobile
telephone would have been routed to by the gateway mobile switching
center 12, if the subscriber had not directed his calls to be
forwarded. In so doing, the home location register data base 14
identifies to the gateway mobile switching center 12, the identity
and location of a geographic area or location from which the
forwarded call 26 should be billed.
[0036] In step 308, the call to the wireless telephone 20 is routed
by the gateway mobile switching center 12 to another switching
system 28, that is the next switch to which the call 26 needs to be
routed in order to route the call to the destination number. Data
received by the gateway mobile switching center 12 from the home
location register data base 14 that identifies the mobile switching
center that would have forwarded the call if the gateway mobile
switching center had not done so, is also forwarded to the next
switch 28 so that upon completion of the forwarded call, the
subscriber who forwarded the call from his mobile phone number can
be billed for the call-forwarding service that was provided, i.e.,
for the distance over which the call had to be carried and the
networks through which the call had to be routed.
[0037] FIG. 4 depicts steps performed by the home location register
data base 14, which also is comprised of a computer, program memory
and a storage device. Like the gateway mobile switching center 12
and the mobile switching centers 16 and 18, the home location
register data base 14 is coupled to the network 10.
[0038] In step 402, the home location register data base 14
receives data on the subscribers within a wireless communications
network and the services that are to be provided to them. As an
example, the home location register data base 14 stores information
on whether a particular phone number should be provided with call
forwarding and if so, records information that indicates when calls
are to be forwarded and a number to which the calls are to be
routed. The data that is received for storage within the home
location register data base 14 can originate from a variety of
sources, at least one of which is the operator of the wireless
communications network at the time that a telephone/number is put
into service.
[0039] The home location register data base 14 also stores
information on mobile phone numbers that are "ported" in to a
wireless service provider network 10 by a customer of another
service provider who wishes to transport his mobile phone number to
the service provider for network 10. In such a case, a number that
originated from a pool of numbers of a service provider and to
which a mobile switching center would have been assigned, is mapped
or associated to another-mobile switching center, possibly located
in a different geographic region.
[0040] In step 404, the home location register data base 14
register receives from the gateway mobile switching system 12, a
message that is an inquiry, requesting information on a mobile
telephone number/subscriber to which a call that arrived at the
gateway 12, should be routed.
[0041] In step 406, the requested information is located by the
home location register data base 14 processor/computer from its
associated data storage devices and sent to the gateway mobile
switching center 12 for processing the call according to the
instructions and information received from the home location
register data base 14. Once the gateway mobile switching center 12
receives the home location register data base responsive message
17, the gateway mobile switching center 12 can forward the call 26
to another switch 28, with the call forwarding information and call
origination data from the home location register data base 14 so
that the call can be properly routed and billed by service
providers along the way.
[0042] In light of the foregoing, it should be apparent to those of
ordinary skill that by using the invention disclosed and claimed
herein that mobile telephone number portability can be provided and
services such as automatic call forwarding properly billed by
retrieving the identity and location of a switching system that
would have been required to route a call to a number to which calls
to a mobile phone number are to be routed. By routing such a call
from a gateway mobile switching center that received it, around the
mobile switching center that would normally accept calls for the
wireless telephone, unnecessary call processing overhead is avoided
and forwarded calls can be properly billed.
[0043] The system and methods described above are examples. There
may be many variations to the examples described above without
departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps
may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added,
deleted, or modified. In addition, there are many types of call
redirection, of which immediate call forwarding is only one. The
method of redirecting the call to another telephone number is
independent of this invention. Examples of other types of call
redirection to which this invention applies are call forwarding no
page response, call forwarding busy line, call forwarding no
answer, intelligent network based call redirection, late call
forwarding, redirection to voice mail, selective call forwarding,
etc.
[0044] Although exemplary implementations of the invention have
been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications,
additions, substitutions, and the like can be made without
departing from the spirit of the invention and these are therefore
considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in
the following claims.
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