Methods and systems for connecting isolated networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110751-B2
Application number	US-201615392529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 28, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for connecting isolated networks. One method includes storing, in a database of a network core, information related to a first set of communication devices associated with a first radio access network and a second set of communication devices associated with a second radio access network. The method further includes communicating between the network core and a transceiver of the first radio access network via an interface. The method further includes communicating, via the interface, between the network core and a virtual transceiver that represents an actual transceiver of the second radio access network.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of connecting isolated networks, the method comprising:
storing, in a database of a network core of a first radio access network, information related to a first set of communication devices associated with the first radio access network and a second set of communication devices associated with a second radio access network,
each of the first radio access network and the second radio access network being a first type of network in which the communication devices associated with each network communicate using a first communications protocol,
the first radio access network having a first coverage area that does not overlap with a second coverage area of the second radio access network such that the communication devices associated with the first radio access network are unable to communicate with the communication devices associated with the second radio access network using the first communications protocol;

communicating between the network core and a transceiver of the first radio access network via an interface;
communicating, via the interface, between the network core and a virtual transceiver that represents an actual transceiver of the second radio access network; and
communicating between the virtual transceiver and the second radio access network via a third radio access network using a second communications protocol that is different than the first communications protocol, the third radio access network being a second type of network that is different than the first type of network, the third radio access network having a third coverage area that overlaps at least a portion of the first coverage area and the second coverage area.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from a transmitting communication device included in the first set of communication devices, a communication message intended for a recipient communication device included in the second set of communication devices;
wherein communicating, via the interface, between the network core and the virtual transceiver that represents the actual transceiver of the second radio access network includes identifying the virtual transceiver from a plurality of virtual transceivers based on the recipient communication device being attached to the actual transceiver of the second radio access network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating between the virtual transceiver and the second radio access network via the third radio access network includes converting communication messages between the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein converting communication messages between the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol includes converting communication messages from Long Term Evolution voice coding to land mobile radio coding, wherein a first bit rate of the Long Term Evolution voice coding is different than a second bit rate of the land mobile radio coding.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first type of network is a Long Term Evolution network and the second type of network is a land mobile radio narrowband network.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
storing, in a second database of a second network core of the second radio access network, the information related to the first set of communication devices associated with the first radio access network and the second set of communication devices associated with the second radio access network;
communicating between the second network core and a second transceiver of the second radio access network via a second interface;
communicating, via the second interface, between the second network core and a second virtual transceiver that represents a second actual transceiver of the first radio access network, the second interface and the interface operating according to the first communications protocol; and
communicating between the second virtual transceiver and the first radio access network via the third radio access network using the second communications protocol.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network core comprises an evolved packet core and the first radio access network and the second radio access network comprise Long Term Evolution networks.

8. A communications system for connecting isolated networks, the communications system comprising:
a network core of a first radio access network including a database storing information related to a first set of communication devices associated with the first radio access network and a second set of communication devices associated with a second radio access network,
wherein each of the first radio access network and the second radio access network is a first type of network in which the communication devices associated with each network communicate using a first communications protocol,
wherein the first radio access network includes a first coverage area that does not overlap with a second coverage area of the second radio access network such that the communication devices associated with the first radio access network are unable to communicate with the communication devices associated with the second radio access network using the first communications protocol;

a first virtual transceiver representing an actual transceiver of the second radio access network;
an interface configured to allow communications between the network core and a transceiver of the first radio access network and between the network core and the first virtual transceiver; and
a third radio access network configured to allow communications between the first virtual transceiver and the second radio access network using a second communications protocol that is different than the first communications protocol, wherein the third radio access network is a second type of network that is different than the first type of network, and the third radio access network includes a third coverage area that overlaps at least a portion of the first coverage area and the second coverage area.

9. The communications system of claim 8 , further comprising a protocol-to-protocol converter configured to convert communication messages between the first communications protocol associated with the network core and the second communications protocol associated with the third network.

10. The communications system of claim 9 , wherein the protocol-to-protocol converter converts communication messages from Long Term Evolution voice coding to land mobile radio coding, wherein a first bit rate of the Long Term Evolution voice coding is different than a second bit rate of the land mobile radio coding.

11. The communications system of claim 8 , wherein the first type of network comprises a Long Term Evolution network and the second type of network comprises a land mobile radio narrowband network.

12. The communications system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a second network core of the second radio access network including a second database storing the information related to the first set of communication devices associated with the first radio access network and the second set of communication devices associated with the second radio access network;
a second virtual transceiver representing a second actual transceiver of the first radio access network; and
a second interface configured to allow communications between the second network core and a second transceiver of the second radio access network and between the second network core and the second virtual transceiver, wherein the second interface and the interface operate according to the first communications protocol;
wherein the third radio access ne

Assignees

• Motorola Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Ofir Gabi
• Gotman Rony
• Shperling Itzhak
• Zadok Danny

Classifications

• H04J13/00

  Code division multiplex systems (for frequency hopping H04B1/713) · CPC title

• H04M7/123

  where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04M7/1225 Primary

  Details of core network interconnection arrangements · CPC title