U.S. patent application number 12/334693 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-24 for methods for transmitting mobile originated requests by mobile station with subscriber identity cards and systems utilizing the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to MEDIATEK INC.. Invention is credited to Yu-Syuan Jheng.
Application Number | 20090239583 12/334693 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41089413 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090239583 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jheng; Yu-Syuan |
September 24, 2009 |
METHODS FOR TRANSMITTING MOBILE ORIGINATED REQUESTS BY MOBILE
STATION WITH SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY CARDS AND SYSTEMS UTILIZING THE
SAME
Abstract
A method for transmitting mobile originated request by a mobile
station with a first subscriber identity card and a second
subscriber identity card, executed by a processor, is provided. A
subscriber identity card is determined from the first subscriber
identity card and the second subscriber identity card. A first
mobile originated request is sent to a called party via the
determined subscriber identity card. A second mobile originated
request is sent to the called party via the subscriber identity
card other than the determined subscriber identity card when the
first mobile originated request has failed.
Inventors: |
Jheng; Yu-Syuan; (Yilan
County, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMAS, KAYDEN, HORSTEMEYER & RISLEY, LLP
600 GALLERIA PARKWAY, S.E., STE 1500
ATLANTA
GA
30339-5994
US
|
Assignee: |
MEDIATEK INC.
Hsin-Chu
TW
|
Family ID: |
41089413 |
Appl. No.: |
12/334693 |
Filed: |
December 15, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61038426 |
Mar 21, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/558 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 12/06 20130101;
H04W 12/45 20210101; H04W 12/63 20210101; H04W 76/10 20180201; Y02D
30/70 20200801; H04W 8/26 20130101; H04W 52/0245 20130101; H04W
88/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/558 |
International
Class: |
H04M 1/00 20060101
H04M001/00 |
Claims
1. A method for transmitting mobile originated request by a mobile
station with a first subscriber identity card and a second
subscriber identity card, performed by a processor of the mobile
station, comprising: determining a subscriber identity card from
the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber
identity card; sending a first mobile originated request to a
called party via the determined subscriber identity card; and
sending a second mobile originated request to the called party via
the subscriber identity card other than the determined subscriber
identity card when the first mobile originated request has
failed.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of sending
the second mobile originated request further comprises: obtaining a
failure cause when the first mobile originated request has failed;
determining whether a retry process is required according to the
failure cause; and sending the second mobile originated request via
the other subscriber identity card when the retry process is
required.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of sending
the second mobile originated request further comprises: entering an
idle mode when no retry process is required.
4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein no retry process is
required when the failure cause is caused by the called party.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: handling a
voice or data communication between the mobile station and the
called party when the first mobile originated request has
succeeded.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second mobile
originated request is automatically sent to the called party via
the subscriber identity card other than the determined subscriber
identity card when the first mobile originated request has
failed.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising obtaining a
signal indicating whether a retry process is required from a
man-machine interface (MMI), wherein the second mobile originated
request is sent to the called party via the subscriber identity
card other than the determined subscriber identity card when the
first mobile originated request has failed and the obtained signal
indicating the retry process is required.
8. A method for transmitting mobile originated request by a mobile
station with a first subscriber identity card and a second
subscriber identity card, performed by a processor of the mobile
station, comprising: determining a subscriber identity card from
the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber
identity card; sending a first mobile originated request to a
called party through a cell camped on with the determined
subscriber identity card; obtaining a failure cause when the first
mobile originated request has failed; determining whether a retry
process is required when the failure cause indicates that the
failure is not caused by the called party; and sending a second
mobile originated request to the called party through the same cell
or a different cell camped on with the subscriber identity card
other than the determined subscriber identity card during the retry
process.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that a single radio frequency module and a single
Baseband of the mobile station are occupied by another subscriber
identity card other than the determined subscriber identity
card.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that LAPDm or Radio Resource (RR) connection between the
mobile station and a Base Station System (BSS) for the determined
subscriber identity card is unestablished.
11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that Mobility Management (MM) connection is not be
successfully set up because the first mobile originated request is
not be supported or granted by an Mobile Switching Center
(MSC).
12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection between the
mobile station and a node-B for the determined subscriber identity
card is unestablished.
13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that Mobility Management (MM) connection is not be
successfully set up because the first mobile originated request is
not supported or granted by a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network
(UTRAN) or a radio network controller (RNC).
14. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the failure cause
indicates that the determined subscriber identity card is rejected
to issue the first mobile originated request.
15. A system for transmitting mobile originated request,
comprising: a first subscriber identity card camping on a cell; a
second subscriber identity card camping on the same cell or a
different cell; a processor determining a subscriber identity card
from the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber
identity card, sending a first mobile originated request to a
called party via the determined subscriber identity card, and
sending a second mobile originated request via the subscriber
identity card other than the determined subscriber identity card
when the first mobile originated request has failed.
16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second mobile
originated request is sent via the subscriber identity card other
than the determined subscriber identity card automatically or
manually when the first mobile originated request has failed.
17. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein whether the second
mobile originated request is sent via the subscriber identity card
other than the determined subscriber identity card automatically or
manually is pre-configured.
18. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor
obtains a failure cause when the first mobile originated request
has failed.
19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the processor
determines whether a retry process is required according to the
failure cause, and sends the second mobile originated request
through the other subscriber identity card during the retry
process.
20. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the retry process
proceeds to enter an idle mode when the failure cause is caused by
the called party.
21. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor
handles a voice or data communication with the called party when
the first mobile originated request has succeeded.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/038,426, filed on Mar. 21, 2008, the entirety of
which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to a method for transmitting the
mobile originated requests by a mobile station, and more
particularly to a method for transmitting the mobile originated
requests by a mobile station with multiple subscriber identity
cards.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Currently, the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)
standard is the popular standard for mobile phones in the world.
The GSM standard, standardized by the European Telecommunication
Standards Institute (ETSI) is a cellular network structure and a
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system. For a carrier
frequency, the TDMA system will divide a frame into eight time
slots, wherein each time slot is used to transmit a channel data
for a subscriber. In addition, the General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS) technology is one of the available technologies of a GSM
system. The GPRS technology utilizes the unused channels in the GSM
system to provide moderate speed data transmission. The Wideband
Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) is a wideband
spread-spectrum mobile air interface that utilizes the
direct-sequence spread spectrum method of asynchronous code
division multiple access to achieve higher speeds and support more
users compared to the implementation of time division multiplexing
(TDMA) used by 2G GSM systems. Time Division-Synchronous Code
Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) is another type of 3G mobile
telecommunications standard.
[0006] A dual SIM mobile phone is a phone with two Subscriber
Identity Modules (SIMs), which correspond to different telephone
numbers. The dual SIM mobile phone allows a user to use two
communication services without carrying two phones at the same
time. For example, the same mobile phone may be used for business
and private use with separate numbers and bills, thus providing
convenience to mobile phone users.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Methods for transmitting mobile originated (MO) requests by
a mobile station with a first subscriber identity card and a second
subscriber identity card and the systems utilizing the same are
provided. An exemplary embodiment of a method for transmitting MO
request by a mobile station with a first subscriber identity card
and a second subscriber identity card, executed by a processor, is
provided. A subscriber identity card is determined from the first
subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card. A
first mobile originated request is sent to a called party via the
determined subscriber identity card. A second mobile originated
request is sent to the called party via the subscriber identity
card other than the determined subscriber identity card when the
first mobile originated request has failed.
[0008] Furthermore, another exemplary embodiment of a method for
transmitting mobile originated request by a mobile station with a
first subscriber identity card and a second subscriber identity
card, executed by a processor, is provided. A subscriber identity
card is determined from the first subscriber identity card and the
second subscriber identity card. A first mobile originated request
is sent to a called party through a cell camped on with the
determined subscriber identity card. A failure cause is obtained
when the first mobile originated request has failed. It is
determined whether a retry process is required when the failure
cause indicates that the failure is not caused by the called party.
A second mobile originated request is sent to the called party
through the same cell or a different cell camped on with the
subscriber identity card other than the determined subscriber
identity card during the retry process.
[0009] Moreover, an exemplary embodiment of a system comprises a
first subscriber identity card, a second subscriber identity card
and a processor. The processor determines a subscriber identity
card from the first subscriber identity card and the second
subscriber identity card, and sends a first mobile originated
request to a called party via the determined subscriber identity
card. The processor sends a second mobile originated request via
the subscriber identity card other than the determined subscriber
identity card when the first mobile originated request has
failed.
[0010] A detailed description is given in the following embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention can be more fully understood by reading the
subsequent detailed description and examples with references made
to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a mobile communication
network system;
[0013] FIG. 2A shows a mobile station according to an embodiment of
the invention;
[0014] FIG. 2B shows a mobile station according to another
embodiment of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows logical channel assignments and signaling
procedures of a mobile originated request in the GSM;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for
transmitting mobile originated request by a mobile station with a
first subscriber identity card and a second subscriber identity
card according to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a table illustrating a menu comprising the
contact, option and card items that are to be selected.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The following description is of the best-contemplated mode
of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the
purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and
should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention
is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
[0019] A subscriber identity module (SIM) card typically contains
user account information, an international mobile subscriber
identity (IMSI) and a set of SIM application toolkit (SAT) commands
and provides storage space for phone book contacts. A
micro-processing unit (MCU) of the Baseband chip (simply referred
to as a Baseband MCU hereinafter) may interact with MCUs of the SIM
cards (each simply referred to as a SIM MCU hereinafter) to fetch
data or SAT commands from the plugged in SIM cards. A mobile
station (MS) is immediately programmed after plugging in the SIM
card. SIM cards may also be programmed to display custom menus for
personalized services.
[0020] A universal SIM (USIM) card is inserted into a mobile
station for universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) and
Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA)
(also called 3G) telephony communication. The USIM card stores user
account information, an IMSI, authentication information and a set
of USIM Application Toolkit (USAT) commands and provides storage
space for text messages and phone book contacts. A Baseband MCU may
interact with an MCU of the USIM card (each simply referred to as a
USIM MCU hereinafter) to fetch data or SAT commands from the
plugged in USIM cards. The phone book on the USIM card is greatly
enhanced when compared to the SIM card. For authentication
purposes, the USIM card may store a long-term preshared secret key
K, which is shared with the Authentication Center (AuC) in the
network. The USIM MCU may verify a sequence number that must be
within a range using a window mechanism to avoid replay attacks,
and is in charge of generating the session keys CK and IK to be
used in the confidentiality and integrity algorithms of the KASUMI
(also termed A5/3) block cipher in the UMTS. A mobile station is
immediately programmed after plugging in the USIM card.
[0021] A removable User Identity Module (R-UIM) or a Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) Subscriber Identity Module (CSIM) card has
already been developed for a CDMA mobile station and is equivalent
to the GSM SIM and 3G USIM except that it is capable of working in
CDMA networks. The R-UIM or the CSIM card is physically compatible
with the GSM SIM card, and provides similar security mechanisms for
the CDMA system.
[0022] The International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) is a
unique number associated with a global system for mobile
communication (GSM) or a universal mobile telecommunications system
(UMTS) network user. The IMSI may be sent by a mobile station to a
GSM or UMTS network to acquire other details of the mobile user in
the Home Location Register (HLR) or as locally copied in the
Visitor Location Register (VLR). An IMSI is typically 15 digits
long, but may be shorter (for example MTN South Africa's IMSIs are
14 digits). The first 3 digits are the Mobile Country Code (MCC),
and they are followed by the Mobile Network Code (MNC), which is
either 2 digits (European standard) or 3 digits (North American
standard). The remaining digits are the mobile subscriber
identification number (MSIN) for a GSM or UMTS network user.
[0023] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a mobile communication
network system. In FIG. 1, a mobile station (may be called user
equipment interchangeably) 110 with dual subscriber identity cards
A and B may simultaneously access two core networks such as a
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Wideband Code
Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), and Time Division-Synchronous
Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network and the like after
camping on two cells 140A and 140B (i.e. each may be a base
station, a node-B or others). The subscriber identity card A or B
may be a SIM, USIM, R-UIM or CSIM card. The mobile station 110 may
make a voice or data call to a called party 120 or 130 through the
GSM system with the Base Station Controller (BSC), WCDMA/TD-SCDMA
network with Radio Network Controller (RNC), Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN) or any combinations thereof using either
of the subscriber identity cards A or B. For example, the mobile
station 110 may make a voice call with the subscriber identity card
A to the called party 120 through the cell 140A, an BSC/RNC A and a
cell 140C in sequence, or make a voice call with the subscriber
identity card B to the called party 120 through the cell 140B, an
BSC/RNC B, a core network operator B, a core network operator A,
the BSC/RNC A and the cell 140C in sequence. Moreover, the mobile
station 110 may receive a phone call request with either of the
subscriber identity cards A or B from the calling party 120 or 130.
For example, the mobile station 110 may receive a phone call
request to the subscriber identity card B from the calling party
130 via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the core
network operator B, the BSC/RNC B and the cell 140B.
[0024] FIG. 2A shows the hardware architecture of a mobile station
200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The mobile station
200 comprises two radio frequency (RF) modules 210A and 210B and
two Baseband chips 220A and 220B, wherein the RF module 210A is
coupled to the Baseband chip 220A and the RF module 210B is coupled
to the Baseband chip 220B. Two subscriber identity cards A and B
may be plugged into two sockets of the mobile station 200
connecting to the Baseband chips 220A and 220B, respectively. Each
of the subscriber identity cards A and B may be a SIM, USIM, R-UIM
or CSIM card, which is provided by a particular network operator.
The mobile station 200 can therefore simultaneously camp on two
cells (base stations) provided by either the same network operator
or different network operators for the plugged in cards A and B and
operate in stand-by/idle modes, or even dedicated modes, using
different RF modules and Baseband chips. Each of the Baseband chips
220A and 220B may read data from a particular subscriber identity
card A or B and write data to the subscriber identity card A or B.
Furthermore, the Baseband chip 220A may be a master device for the
mobile station 200, and the Baseband chip 220A comprises a
processor 230 for controlling the communications between the
subscriber identity cards A and B and the RF modules 210A and 210B.
A further processor (not shown) may be provided in the Baseband
chip 220B to coordinately operate with the processor 230 of the
Baseband 220A to improve performance.
[0025] FIG. 2B shows the hardware architecture of a mobile station
300 according to another embodiment of the invention. The mobile
station 300 comprises an RF module 310, a Baseband chip 320 and a
dual card controller 340, wherein the two subscriber identity cards
A and B may be plugged into two sockets of the mobile station 300
connecting to the dual card controller 340. Those skilled in the
art may practice the dual card controller 340 in the Baseband chip
320. Each of the subscriber identity cards A and B may be a SIM,
USIM, R-UIM or CSIM card, which is provided by a particular network
operator. The mobile station 300 may therefore camp on two cells
provided by either the same network operator or different network
operators for the plugged in cards A and B and operate in
stand-by/idle modes, or even dedicated modes, using the same RF
module and Baseband chip. The dual card controller 340 is
coupled/connected between the Baseband chip 320 and the subscriber
identity cards A and B. Furthermore, the Baseband chip 320
comprises a processor 330 for controlling the communications
between the subscriber identity cards A and B and the RF module
310. Moreover, the processor 330 of the Baseband chip 320 may read
data from the subscriber identity card A or B via the dual card
controller 340, and may also write data to the subscriber identity
card A or B via the dual card controller 340.
[0026] An RF module (e.g. 210A or 210B of FIG. 2A, or 310 of FIG.
2B) receives wireless radio frequency signals, converts the
received signals to baseband signals to be processed by a
corresponding Baseband chip (e.g. 220A or 220B of FIG. 2A, or 320
of FIG. 2B), or receives baseband signals from the Baseband chip
and converts the received signals to wireless radio frequency
signals to be transmitted to a peer device. The RF module may
comprise a plurality of hardware devices to perform radio frequency
conversion. For example, the RF module may comprise a mixer to
multiply the baseband signals with a carrier oscillated in the
radio frequency of the wireless communication system, wherein the
radio frequency may be, for example, 900 MHz or 1800 MHz for a
global system for mobile communication (GSM), or 1900 MHz or 2100
MHz for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The
Baseband chip further converts the baseband signals to a plurality
of digital signals, and processes the digital signals, and vice
versa. The Baseband chip may also comprise a plurality of hardware
devices to perform baseband signal processing. The baseband signal
processing may comprise analog to digital conversion (ADC), digital
to analog conversion (DAC), gain adjustments,
modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, and so on.
[0027] As the mobile station equipped with two or more subscriber
identity cards as shown in FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B, the mobile station
can be operated in an idle mode and dedicated mode for each
inserted subscriber identity card. Referring to FIG. 1, in an idle
mode, the mobile station 110 is either powered off, searches for or
measures the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) with better signal
quality from a base station (e.g. the cell 140A or 140B) provided
by a specific network operator, or is synchronized to the BCCH of a
specific base station to be ready to perform a random access
procedure on the Random Access Channel (RACH) to request a
dedicated channel. In a dedicated mode, the mobile station 110
occupies a physical channel and tries to synchronize therewith, and
establishes logical channels and switches throughout them.
[0028] Specifically, for each inserted subscriber identity card in
the idle mode, the mobile station 110 continuously listens to the
BCCH from a base station and reads the BCCH information and
conducts periodic measurements of the signaling strength of the
BCCH carriers in order to select a suitable cell to be camped on.
In the idle mode, no exchange of signaling messages is presented
with the network. The data required for Radio Resource Management
(RR) and other signaling procedures is collected and stored, such
as the list of neighboring BCCH carriers, thresholds for RR
algorithms, Common Control Channel (CCCH) configurations,
information regarding the use of RACH and Paging channel (PCH), or
others. Such kind of information (e.g. system information (SI)) is
broadcasted by a base station system on the BCCH and provides
information about the network configuration. Moreover, the SI is
available for all mobile stations currently in the cell. The SI
comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) code uniquely owned
by a network operator. The PLMN code comprising a Mobile Country
Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC), indicating which
network operator is providing the communication services. In
addition, a cell identity (ID) indicating which cell is
broadcasting the BCCH is also contained in the SI. Furthermore, the
SI may comprise network identification, neighboring cells, channel
availability and power control requirements etc. The PLMN code may
be acquired and stored in a corresponding subscriber identity card
of the electronic device upon receiving the SI from the BCCH. The
Base Station System (BSS) further continuously sends out, on all
PCHs of a cell valid Layer 3, messages (PAGING REQUEST) which the
mobile station 110 can decode and recognize if its address (e.g.
its IMSI of a specific SIM card) is paged. The mobile station 110
periodical monitors the PCHs to avoid loss of paging calls.
[0029] Each exchange of signaling messages with the network, e.g.
BSS, Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and the similar, requires an
Radio Resource Management (RR) connection and the establishment of
an LAPDm connection between a mobile station and BSS. Setting up
the RR connection can be initiated by the mobile station or
network. In either situation, the mobile station sends a channel
request (CHAN-QUEST) on the RACH in order to get a channel assigned
on the Access Grant Channel (AGCH), also referred to as an
immediate assignment procedure. The channel request may be rejected
by an immediate assignment reject procedure. If the network does
not immediately answer to the channel request, the request is
repeated for a certain number of times. In the situation of a
network-initiated connection, a procedure is preceded by a paging
call (PAGING REQUEST) to be answered by the mobile station (PAGING
RESPONSE). After an RR connection has been successfully completed,
higher protocol layers, Connection Management (CM) and Mobility
Management (MM) can receive and transmit signaling messages.
[0030] In contrast to the setup of connections, the release is
typically initiated by the network (CHANNEL RELEASE). The release
may occur when the signaling transaction ends, there are too many
errors, or the channel is removed due to a higher priority call,
e.g. an emergency call, or end of a call.
[0031] Once an RR connection has been set up, the mobile station
has either a Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH) or a
Traffic Channel (TCH) with associated Slow/Fast Associated Control
Channel (SACCH/FACCH) available for exclusive bidirectional
use.
[0032] Setting up an MM connection from the mobile station presumes
the existence of an RR connection, but a single RR connection can
be used by multiple MM connections. If the MM connection can be
established, the MS sends the message CM-SERVICE REQUEST to the
network. The message CM-SERVICE REQUEST contains information
regarding a mobile subscriber (IMSI or Temporary Mobile Subscriber
Identity (TMSI)), where a TMSI has only local significance within a
Location Area and must be used together with the Location Area
Identity (LAI) for the unique identification of a subscriber, as
well as information regarding the requested service (outgoing voice
call, short message service SMS transfer, activation or
registration of a supplementary service, or others). If the mobile
station receives the message CM-SERVICE ACCEPT or local message
from the RR sub-layer that enciphering has been activated, it is
treated as an acceptance of the service request, and the requesting
CM entity is informed about the successful setup of an MM
connection. Otherwise, if the service request has been rejected by
the network, the mobile station receives a message CM-SERVICE
REJECT, and the MM connection cannot be established.
[0033] The mobile station equipped with two or more inserted
subscriber identity card cards as shown in FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B, can
be operated in an idle mode and connected mode for each inserted
subscriber identity card, wherein the inserted subscriber identity
cards are USIM cards. Referring to FIG. 1, in an idle mode, the
mobile station selects (either automatically or manually) a PLMN to
contact. The MS continuously listens to the BCCH to acquire an SI
comprising a PLMN code uniquely owned by a network operator. The
PLMN code comprising an MCC and an MNC, indicates which network
operator is providing communication services. In addition, an ID
indicating which cell is broadcasting the BCCH is also contained in
the SI. The PLMN code may be acquired and stored in a corresponding
USIM card of the electronic device upon receiving the SI from the
BCCH. The mobile station searches for a suitable cell of the chosen
PLMN, chooses that cell to provide available services, and tunes to
its control channel, also referred to as "camping on a cell". After
camping on a cell in an idle mode, the MS can receive system
information and cell broadcast messages from a node-B (e.g. the
cell 140A or 140B). The mobile station stays in an idle mode until
the MS transmits a request to establish a Radio Resource Control
(RRC) connection. In the idle mode, the mobile station is
identified by non-access stratum identities such as IMSI, TMSI and
Packet-TMSI (P-TMSI).
[0034] In the Cell_DCH state of a connected mode, a dedicated
physical channel is allocated to the mobile station, and the mobile
station is known by its serving radio network controller (RNC) on a
cell or active set level. The mobile station performs measurements
and sends measurement reports according to measurement control
information received from RNC. The mobile station with certain
capabilities monitors the Forward Access Channel (FACH) for system
information messages. In the Cell_FACH state of a connected mode,
no dedicated physical channel is allocated for the mobile station,
but a Random Access Channel (RACH) and FACH are used instead, for
transmitting both signaling messages and small amounts of user
plane data. In this state, the mobile station also listens to the
Broadcast Channel (BCH) to acquire system information. The mobile
station performs cell reselections, and after a reselection the
mobile station typically sends a Cell Update message to the RNC, so
that the RNC knows the MS location on a cell level. In the Cell_PCH
state of a connected mode, the mobile station is known on a cell
level in a Serving Radio Network Controller (SRNC), but the mobile
station can be reached only via the Paging Channel (PCH). The
URA_PCH state of a connected mode is very similar to the Cell_PCH
state, except that the mobile station does not execute Cell Update
after each cell reselection procedure, but instead reads the UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) Registration Area (URA)
identities from the BCH, and only if the URA changes (after cell
reselection) does the mobile station inform its location to the
SRNC. The mobile station leaves the connected mode and returns to
the idle mode when the RRC connection is released or following RRC
connection failure.
[0035] The establishment of an RRC connection and Signaling Radio
Bearers (SRB) between a mobile station and UTRAN (RNC) is initiated
by a request from higher layers (non-access stratum) on the mobile
station side. In a network-originated case, the establishment is
preceded by an RRC Paging message. The UTRAN (RNC) may respond with
an RRC Connection Set-up message including a dedicated physical
channel assignment for the mobile station (move to the Cell-FACH
state), or a command to instruct the mobile station to use common
channels (move to the Cell_FACH state).
[0036] FIG. 3 shows exemplary logical channel assignments and
signaling procedures of an apparatus originated communication
request in the GSM system. In the GSM system, a Call Control (CC),
comprises procedures to establish, control, and terminate a
communication service, and is an element of Connection Management
(CM). When a mobile station plans to originate a communication
service, such as a voice call service, the CC entity first requests
a Mobility Management (MM) connection from the local MM entity
(Phase 1) via a Random Access Channel (RACH). For a standard call,
the mobile station may need to register with the wireless network,
whereas for an emergency call, registration is only optionally
required. That is, an emergency call may be established on an
un-enciphered Radio Resource (RR) connection from a mobile station
that has not registered with the wireless network. The BSS in the
wireless network may assign a Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel
(SDCCH) or a Traffic Channel (TCH) via an Immediate Assignment
carried in the Access Grant Channel (AGCH). After the processes of
sending out a CM-service request (Phase 2), authentication (Phase
3) and ciphering (Phase 4) with the MSC via the SDDCH is completed,
an MM connection is established. After successful establishment of
the MM connection and activation of the user data encryption, the
service-requesting CC entity is informed. Thus, the signals on the
connection desiring to connect to the CC entity in the Mobile
Switching Center MSC (SETUP). The MSC may respond to the connection
request in several ways. The MSC may indicate with a message Call
Proceeding (Phase 5-1) that the call request has been accepted and
that all the necessary information for the setup of the call is
available. Otherwise, the call request may be declined with a
message Release Complete. Next, the mobile station receives the
Alert message (Phase 5-2) when the MSC is trying to connect to the
called party. As soon as the called party receives the Alert
message and accepts the call, the mobile station receives an Assign
Command and a dedicated channel will be assigned after the mobile
station responds to an Assignment Complete message via a Fast
Associated Control Channel (FACCH) (Phase 5-3). The mobile station
next responds with a Connect Acknowledge message after receiving
the Connect message from the MSC (Phase 5-4), and the traffic
channel, successfully established on the TCH and the mobile
station, may now begin to communicate with the called party. It is
to be noted that the CC procedure of the WCDMA or TD-SCDMA system
is similar to that of GSM system and is not further described for
brevity.
[0037] In addition, the CC in the GSM system has a number of
special conditions, especially to account for the limited resources
and properties of the radio channel. In particular, the call
request of the mobile station can be entered into a queue (call
queuing), if there is no immediately free TCH for the establishment
of the call. The maximum waiting time, a call may have to wait for
assignment of a TCH can be adjusted according to operator
requirements. Furthermore, the point at which the TCH is actually
assigned can be chosen. For example, the traffic channel can be
assigned immediately after acknowledging the call request (CALL
PROCEEDING), also referred to as early assignment. On the other
hand, the call can be first processed completely and the assignment
occurs only after the targeted subscriber is being called, also
referred to as late assignment or Off-Air Call Setup (OACSU). The
OACSU may avoid unnecessary allocation of a TCH if the called party
is not available. On the other hand, there is the probability that
after a successful call request signaling procedure, no TCH can be
allocated for the calling party before the called party accepts the
call, and thus the call cannot be completely switched through and
is broken off.
[0038] Mobile-originated (MO) SMS messages are transported from a
mobile station to a Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), and may be
destined to mobile users, subscribers on a fixed network, or
Value-Added Service Providers (VASPs), also known as
application-terminated. Mobile-terminated (MT) SMS messages are
transported from the SMSC to the destination mobile station.
[0039] In the GSM system, a completely established MM connection is
required for the transport of SMS messages, which again presumes an
existing RR connection with LAPDm protection on an SDCCH or SACCH.
An SMS transport Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is transmitted with an
RP-DATA message between an MSC and MS using the Short Message Relay
Protocol (SM-RP). Correct reception is acknowledged with an RP-ACK
message from the SMS service center (mobile-originated SMS
transfer). In a WCDMA or TD-SCDMA system, before transport of SMS
messages, an RRC connection has to be successfully established.
[0040] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for
transmitting mobile originated (MO) requests by a mobile station
with a first subscriber identity card and a second subscriber
identity card (e.g cards A and B of FIG. 2A or 2B), which is
performed when executing software/firmware code by a processor of
the mobile station (e.g. 230 of FIG. 2A or 330 of FIG. 2B),
according to an embodiment of the invention. For a mobile station
equipped with dual RF modules and Baseband chips respectively
connected to dual subscriber identity cards as shown in FIG. 2A, or
a single RF module and a single Baseband chip connected to dual
subscriber identity cards as shown in FIG. 2B, two cells are camped
on by the mobile stations with IMSIs stored in the inserted
subscriber identity cards. When a user desires to make an MO voice
or data call, or transmit an SMS message to a called party, one of
the inserted subscriber identity cards is selected/determined. The
selection may be preset by a configuration setting, or selected via
interaction with a man-machine interface (MMI) by a user. The MMI
may comprise screen menus and icons, command language and online
help displayed on a display of the mobile station with at least one
input device of a touch panel, physical keys on a key pad, buttons,
dragging jogs and the similar. By using input devices of the MMI,
users may manually touch, press, click, rotate or move the input
devices to operate the mobile station. Referring to FIG. 5, for
example, a contact item captioned "Mellisa" is selected from a
Contact menu, corresponding to a mobile phone or telephone number.
And then, an option item of "New Call" is selected from an Option
menu to indicate a desire to make an MO voice call. Subsequently,
another option item of "2.sup.nd CARD" is selected from a
subscriber identity card menu to indicate a determined subscriber
identity card.
[0041] Referring back to FIG. 4, first, a specific subscriber
identity card is determined from the first and second subscriber
identity cards (step S402). Next, an MO request is sent to a called
party through a camped on cell with the determined subscriber
identity card, where details of MO call request signaling may refer
to the above description (step S404). After that, it is determined
whether the MO request has succeeded (step S406). A normal
operation is performed when the MO request has succeeded (step
S408). The normal operation is performed to handle voice or data
communications between the mobile station and the called party, ex.
to transmit a SMS message to the called party via a SMS service
center or establish a call to the called party. Otherwise, a
fallback mechanism is performed when the MO request has been
rejected (i.e. the MO request has failed).
[0042] In the fallback mechanism, a failure cause of the rejected
MO request is first analyzed according to its return code and it is
determined whether the failure is caused by the called party (step
S410). For example, if the failure cause of the MO request is
caused by the called party, it may be due to unavailability of the
called party, rejection or not answering of the MO request, or
others. In addition, the failure of the MO request may be caused by
other reasons as listed as follows. For an example, with a single
RF module and a single Baseband chip, the single RF and Baseband
resources may be occupied by another subscriber identity card,
other than the determined subscriber identity card as described
above. For another example, in the GSM system, the LAPDm or RR
connection between the mobile station and a BSS for the determined
subscriber identity card may not be successfully established, or
the MM connection may not be successfully set up because the MO
request may not be supported or granted by an MSC. For still
another example, in the WCDMA system, the RRC connection between
the mobile station and a BSS for the determined subscriber identity
card may not be successfully established, or the MM connection may
not be successfully set up because the MO request may not supported
or granted by a UTRAN (RNC). For still another example, the
determined subscriber identity card may be rejected to issue the MO
request because of the Fix Dial Number (FDN) bar, the advice of
charging (AoC) exceeding a predetermined limit or the remaining
quota is lower than a predetermined limit. If so (i.e. the failure
cause is caused by the called party), an idle mode is entered (step
S412); otherwise, it is further determined whether a retry process
is required (step S414). In an embodiment of step S412, a message
such as "No user response" or others, may be further displayed on a
display device of the mobile station when the failure cause is
caused by the called party. In an embodiment of step S414, a dialog
may be displayed on a display device to ask a user whether to make
another MO request with another subscriber identity card. It is
determined that the retry process is required when the user decides
to make another MO request with another subscriber identity card.
If so, another MO request is sent to the called party through the
same or a different camped-on cell with another subscriber identity
card when the retry process is required, where details of MO call
request signaling may refer to the above description (step S416),
for example, the processor may use another subscriber identity card
to make an MO call with the same number corresponding to the called
party again. Otherwise, an idle mode is entered (step S412).
[0043] In another embodiment, the retry process may be
automatically performed according a pre-configured setting, wherein
the pre-configured setting may be set via interaction with an MMI
by a user in advance. For example, if the pre-configured setting is
set and the failure of the MO request is determined to have not
been caused by the called party, the processor may automatically
and directly send another MO request through the same or a
different camped-on cell with another subscriber identity card, so
that step S414 may be omitted.
[0044] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. Those who are skilled in this
technology can still make various alterations and modifications
without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.
Therefore, the scope of the present invention shall be defined and
protected by the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *