Delivering a message to a mobile device in a mobile communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10285029-B2
Application number	US-201715634052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 27, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A method is provided for delivering a message to a mobile device (MTC) in a mobile communication network. Furthermore, a switch center (GMSC) is provided for delivering a message to a mobile device (MTC) in a mobile communication network and to a mobility management entity (MME) for delivering a message to a mobile device (MTC) in a mobile communication network. Moreover, a mobile device (MTC) is provided for receiving a message in a mobile communication network and to a database (HLR/HSS) of the mobile communication network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for delivering a message to a mobile device in a mobile communication network, comprising the following method steps:
receiving and storing a movement information element indicating if the mobile device (MTC) is a stationary device by a responsible mobility management entity (MME) of the mobile communication network, via which the mobile device (MTC) has access to the mobile communication network and/or by a database (HLR/HSS) of the mobile communication network, wherein the database (HLR/HSS) comprises subscriber information of subscribers of the mobile communication network;
receiving a message (MT message) to be delivered to the mobile device (MTC) at a switch center (GMSC) of the mobile communication network;
checking if the responsible mobility management entity (MME) is known by the switch center (GMSC); and
if the responsible mobility management entity (MME) is known forwarding the received message (MT message) together with the movement information element, if the movement information element is available at the switch center (GMSC), to the responsible mobility management entity (MME);
if the responsible mobility management entity (MME) is unknown by the switch center (GMSC), sending an interrogation request from the switch center (GMSC) to the database (HLR/HSS) to acquire the responsible mobility management entity (MME), and acquiring the movement information element of the mobile device (MTC) if the movement information element is available at the database (HLR/HSS);

after acquiring the responsible mobility management entity (MME), preferably together with the movement information element, forwarding the message (MT message) and the movement information element, if the movement information element is available at the switch center (GMSC), from the switch center (GMSC) to the responsible mobility management entity (MME);
receiving the forwarded message (MT message) and, if forwarded by the switch center (GMSC), the movement information element at the responsible mobility management entity (MME);
checking if the movement information element is available at the responsible mobility management entity (MME), and if the movement information element is not available at the responsible mobility management entity (MME) acquiring the movement information element by the responsible mobility management entity (MME) and after acquiring the movement information element transmitting the movement information element to the switch center (GMSC); and
delivering the message (MT message) from the responsible mobility management entity (MME) to the mobile device (MTC) if the mobile device is reachable or, if the mobile device (MTC) is not reachable and the mobile device (MTC) is a stationary device, storing the message (MT message) by the responsible mobility management entity (MME) and delivering the stored message upon the mobile device (MTC) is waking up from the responsible mobility management entity (MME) to the mobile device (MTC).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the switch center (GMSC) stores the movement information element of the mobile device (MTC) in a database of the switch center (GMSC) together with the responsible mobility management entity (MME) upon receiving the movement information element.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the movement information element is stored by the responsible mobility management entity (MME) upon receiving the movement information element.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein if the mobile device (MTC) is not reachable the responsible mobility management entity (MME) sends a response (device not reachable) to the switch center (GMSC), wherein upon reception of the response (device not reachable) the switch center (GMSC) sets a timer indicating the time after which the mobile device (MTC) is reachable.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the switch center (GMSC) stores the timer in a database of the switch center (GMSC).

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the switch center (GMSC) stores the timer in the database together with the message (MT message), the responsible mobility management entity (MME) and the movement information element of the mobile device (MTC).

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein upon receipt of a further message (MT message 2 ) to be delivered to the mobile device (MTC) at the switch center (GMSC) of the mobile communication network, the further message (MT message 2 ) is forwarded to the responsible mobility management entity (MME) after the expiration of the timer.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile device (MTC) sends a reachability indicator to the responsible mobility management entity (MME) shortly before entering or upon leaving a sleep mode, wherein the reachability indicator contains a reachability information element indicating if the mobile device (MTC) is reachable, and wherein the responsible mobility management entity (MME) stores the received reachability information element (device reachability information).

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein upon receiving the interrogation request the database (HLR/HSS) of the mobile communication network transmits routing information needed for the delivery of the message (MT message) and, if available, the movement information element indicating if the mobile device (MTC) is a stationary device from the database (HLR/HSS) to the mobile device (MTC).

Assignees

• Vodafone Gmbh

Inventors

• Lu Yang
• Wild Peter
• Kulakov Alexej
• Caldenhoven Juergen

Classifications

• H04W4/70 Primary

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• H04W8/08

  Mobility data transfer · CPC title