A method for signalling in a telecommunication system

Claim 2

In a telecom system having functionality separated into basic functionality comprising basic services and supplementary functionality comprising supplementary services, and including a mobile telecom system including mobiles and mobile services switching centres, which are able to communicate with each other, a method for performing signalling between a mobile station and a mobile services switching centre with regard to handling operations of interest to supplementary services, wherein supplementary service procedures, being descriptions of forward and back message information components, are defined by a protocol by means of rules specifying said procedures as operations, said components including data specific to an operation and only known within a corresponding supplementary service, and each operation in a supplementary service is identified by an operation code included in each forward message information component and including a value to which corresponds a certain operation and which is specified in said protocol and normally identifies a supplementary service receiving a supplementary service operation, said method comprising using a support functionality in the mobile services switching centre for performing the steps of a) analysing, at receipt of a forward message information component in an operation invoked by the the mobile station, said component for identifying the value of operation code included therein and thereby the corresponding operation and a receiving supplementary service of a requested supplementary service operation, b) performing syntax check on the data included in said component specific to the operation in question and only known within said identified receiving supplementary service, c) giving said component to said supplementary service, d) sending on request of the supplementary service a response to the mobile station that has invoked the operation.

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1, comprising analysing in said component in step a) also a further parameter explicitly identifying said supplementary service.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 1, comprising sending components included in auxiliary information elements in call related messages for commonly controlling supplementary services, and in messages for non-call related supplementary service procedures, said auxuliary elements being able to carry an arbitrary number of components belonging to different operations, performing step a) by analysing, at receipt of a an auxiliary information element in the mobile services switching centre, in an operation invoked by the mobile station, said auxiliary information element for identifying a forward message information component included therein, analysing said component for identifying the value of operation code included therein and thereby the corresponding operation and a receiving supplementary service of a requested supplementary service operation.

Claim 5

The method according to claim 1, comprising performing step a) so as to allow new supplementary services to be sent for as a result of the analysis without affecting the analysis proper, so that it is possible to include new operation codes in the analysis and thereby identify new supplementary services.

Claim 6

The method according to claim 3, comprising repeating in step a), in case more than one component is included in said auxiliary information element, said analysing of a component until all receiving supplementary services have been identified and have received said component.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 1, comprising forming said response in step d) either as a positive response, a message that the operation cannot be carried through, or a rejection due to the syntax of the operation having not been correctly formulated.

Claim 8

The method according to claim 1, comprising forming said response by the supplementary service itself.

Claim 9

The method according to claim 1, comprising further using said support functionality for performing on request of a supplementary service in a mobile services switching centre, which desires to send a forward message information component regarding an operation to a mobile station, the steps of e) allocating an identification value for the operation, f) sending said component in a relevant message to the mobile station.

Claim 12

The method according to claim 9, comprising sending components included in auxiliary information elements in call related messages for commonly controlling supplementary services, and in messages for non-call related supplementary service procedures, said auxuliary elements being able to carry an arbitrary number of components belonging to different operations, incorporating said forward message information component in said auxiliary information element desired to be sent to a mobile station, performing step e) by analysing, in case a response arrives from the mobile station in the form of back message information component included in the auxiliary information element, said operation identification value in said back message information component for identifying the service that invoked the operation.

Claim 13

The method according to claim 10, comprising allocating said identification value for each active operation.

Claim 14

In a telecom system having functionality separated into basic functionality comprising basic services and supplementary functionality comprising supplementary services, and including a mobile telecom system including mobiles and mobile services switching centres, which are able to communicate with each other, a method for performing signalling between a mobile station and a mobile services switching centre with regard to handling operations of interest to supplementary services, wherein supplementary service procedures, being descriptions of forward and back message information components, are defined by a protocol by means of rules specifying said procedures as operations, said components including data specific to an operation and only known within a corresponding supplementary service, and each operation in a supplementary service is identified by an operation code included in each forward message information component and including a value to which corresponds a certain operation and which is specified in said protocol and normally identifies a supplementary service receiving a supplementary service operation, said method comprising using a support functionality in the mobile services switching centre for performing on request of a supplementary service in a mobile services switching centre, which desires to send a forward message information component regarding an operation to a mobile station, the steps of g) allocating an identification value for the operation, h) sending said component in a relevant message to the mobile station.

Claim 15

In a telecom system having functionality separated into basic functionality comprising basic services and supplementary functionality comprising supplementary services, and including a mobile telecom system including mobiles and mobile services switching centres, which are able to communicate with each other, a method for performing signalling between a mobile station and a mobile services switching centre with regard to handling operations of interest to supplementary services, wherein supplementary service procedures, being descriptions of forward and back message information components, are defined by a protocol by means of rules specifying said procedures as operations, said components including data specific to an operation and only known within a corresponding supplementary service, and each operation in a supplementary service is identified by an operation code included in each forward message information component and including a value to which corresponds a certain operation and which is specified in said protocol and normally identifies a supplementary service receiving a supplementary service operation, said method comprising using a support functionality in the mobile services switching centre for performing on request of a supplementary service in a mobile services switching centre, which desires to send a forward message information component regarding an operation to a mobile station, the steps of g) allocating an identification value for the operation, h) sending said component in a relevant message to the mobile station.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 13, comprising sending components included in auxiliary information elements in call related messages for commonly controlling supplementary services, and in messages for non-call related supplementary service procedures, said auxuliary elements being able to carry an arbitrary number of components belonging to different operations, incorporating said forward message information component in said auxiliary information element desired to be sent to a mobile station, performing step i) by analysing, in case a response arrives from the mobile station in the form of back message information component included in the auxiliary information element, said operation identification value in said back message information component for identifying the service that invoked the operation.

Claim 19

The method according to claim 13, comprising allocating said identification value for each active operation.

Claim 20

In a telecom system having functionality separated into basic functionality comprising basic services and supplementary functionality comprising supplementary services, and including a mobile telecom system including mobiles and mobile services switching centres, which are able to communicate with each other, a method for performing signalling between a mobile station and a mobile services switching centre with regard to handling operations of interest to supplementary services, wherein supplementary service procedures, being descriptions of forward and back message information components, are defined by a protocol by means of rules specifying said procedures as operations, said components including data specific to an operation and only known within a corresponding supplementary service, and each operation in a supplementary service is identified by an operation code included in each forward message information component and including a value to which corresponds a certain operation and which is specified in said protocol and normally identifies a supplementary service receiving a supplementary service operation, said method comprising sending said components included in auxiliary information elements in call related messages for commonly controlling supplementary services, and in messages for non-call related supplementary service procedures, said auxuliary elements being able to carry an arbitrary number of components belonging to different operations, using a support functionality in the mobile services switching centre for A) analysing at receipt of an auxiliary information element in the mobile services switching centre, in an operation invoked by the mobile station, said auxiliary information element for identifying a forward message information component included therein, analysing said forward message information component for identifying the value of operation code included therein and thereby a receiving supplementary service of a requested supplementary service operation, performing syntax check of the data included in the identified operation specific to the operation in question and only known within said identified receiving supplementary service, giving said component to said supplementary service, sending on request of the supplementary service a response to the mobile station that has invoked the operation, B) performing on request of a supplementary service in a mobile services switching centre, which desires to send a forward message information component regarding an operation to a mobile station, the steps of allocating an identification value for the operation, incorporating this component in said auxiliary information element, sending it in a relevant message to the mobile station, analysing, in case a response arrives from the mobile station in the form of back message information component included in the auxiliary information element, said operation identification value in said back message information component for identifying the service that invoked the operation, and sending said received component to the service thus identified.

Claim 21

In a telecom system having functionality separated into basic functionality comprising basic services and supplementary functionality comprising supplementary services, and including a mobile telecom system including mobiles and mobile services switching centres, which are able to communicate with each other, a method for performing signalling between a mobile station and a mobile services switching centre with regard to handling operations of interest to supplementary services, wherein supplementary service procedures, being descriptions of forward and back message information components, are defined by a protocol by means of rules specifying said procedures as operations, said components including data specific to an operation and only known within a corresponding supplementary service, and each operation in a supplementary service is identified by an operation code included in each forward message information component and including a value to which corresponds a certain operation and which is specified in said protocol and normally identifies a supplementary service receiving a supplementary service operation, said method comprising sending said components included in auxiliary information elements in call related messages for commonly controlling supplementary services, and in messages for non-call related supplementary service procedures, said auxuliary elements being able to carry an arbitrary number of components belonging to different operations, using a support functionality in the mobile services switching centre for A) analysing at receipt of an auxiliary information element in the mobile services switching centre, in an operation invoked by the mobile station, said auxiliary information element for identifying a forward message information component included therein, analysing said forward message information component for identifying the value of operation code included therein and thereby a receiving supplementary service of a requested supplementary service operation, performing syntax check of the data included in the identified operation specific to the operation in question and only known within said identified receiving supplementary service, giving said component to said supplementary service, sending on request of the supplementary service a response to the mobile station that has invoked the operation, B) performing on request of a supplementary service in a mobile services switching centre, which desires to send a forward message information component regarding an operation to a mobile station, the steps of allocating an identification value for the operation, incorporating this component in said auxiliary information element, sending it in a relevant message to the mobile station, analysing, in case a response arrives from the mobile station in the form of back message information component included in the auxiliary information element, said operation identification value in said back message information component for identifying the service that invoked the operation, and sending said received component to the service thus identified.