Enhanced call delivery system for roaming cellular subscribers

Claim 1

An enhanced call delivery system, Follow Me Roaming Plus (FMR Plus), for delivering telephone calls to a roaming cellular subscriber, enabling said subscriber to receive calls placed to his MIN in his home system service area, said enhanced system having seamless interoperability with call delivery systems which do not participate in said enhanced call delivery system, comprising: a central telecommunications system processor capable of handling network applications for said enhanced call delivery system; a plurality of mobile telephone switches located in the service areas of a plurality of cellular telephone systems which participate in said enhanced call delivery system, each of said mobile telephone switches connected via a direct communications link to said central telecommunications system processor; a plurality of registers in said central telecommunications system processor for storing data bases of system information, individual switch information, and subscriber information, said registers including: a general location register in said central telecommunications system processor, said general location register containing a data base of all information necessary for validation of known roamers, whereby validation and registration is accomplished without reference to the home switch; a home location register within said general location register containing a data base of all information necessary for communication with all cellular switches of all cellular providers in said network; a visiting location register within said general location register containing a data base of all information necessary for communication with all roaming cellular subscribers registered in said system; a data base of routing information for location of home carriers in said general location register, whereby end-to-end validation and registration can be accomplished for previously unknown roamers; an Input/Output Gateway (FIG) to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and inter-system communication with the host processor of cellular systems which participate in a second call delivery system, Follow Me Roaming (FMR), having a subset of the features of said enhanced system; at least one intersystem gateway to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and inter-system communication with cellular systems which participate in at least one third call delivery system; means to enable said central telecommunications system processor of said enhanced call delivery system to communicate with each of said switches of said enhanced system, and through said gateways to the central processors of said second and third call delivery systems, and through said central processors to individual switches of said second and third call delivery systems, to provide to the switches of the home and visited service areas of a roaming cellular subscriber: (1) the identity of the current visited system switch of a roaming cellular subscriber known to his home system; (2) the financial responsibility of the roaming cellular subscriber; (3) a valid roamer service profile in said visited system; and (4) call delivery to a validated roaming cellular subscriber in the service area of said visited switch.

Claim 4

A method for enhanced call delivery, for delivering telephone calls to a roaming cellular subscriber, enabling said subscriber to receive calls placed to his MIN in his home system service area, having seamless interoperability with call delivery systems which do not participate in an enhanced call delivery system, comprising: connecting a plurality of mobile telephone switches located in the service areas of a plurality of cellular telephone systems which participate in an enhanced call delivery system, via a direct communications link to a central telecommunications system processor; storing in said central telecommunications system processor for storing data bases of system information, individual switch information, and subscriber information; storing a data base of routing information for location of home carriers in a general location register in said database, whereby end-to-end validation and registration can accomplished for previously unknown roamers; providing an Input/Output Gateway to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and intersystem communication with the host processor of cellular systems which participate in a second call delivery system, having a subset of the features of said enhanced system; providing at least one intersystem gateway to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and intersystem communication with cellular systems which participate in at least one third call delivery system; enabling said central telecommunications system processor of said enhanced call delivery system to communicate with each of said switches of said enhanced system, and through said gateways to the central processors of said second and third call delivery systems, and through said central processors to individual switches of said second and third call delivery systems, to provide to the switches of the home and visited service areas of a roaming cellular subscriber: (1) the identity of the current visited system switch of a roaming cellular subscriber known to his home system; (2) the financial responsibility of the roaming cellular subscriber; (3) a valid roamer service profile in said visited system; and (4) call delivery to a validated roaming cellular subscriber in the service area of said visited switch.

Claim 5

A method for enhanced call delivery, for delivering telephone calls to a roaming cellular subscriber, enabling said subscriber to receive calls placed to his MIN in his home system service area, having seamless interoperability with call delivery systems which do not participate in an enhanced call delivery system, comprising: connecting a plurality of mobile telephone switches located in the service areas of a plurality of cellular telephone systems which participate in an enhanced call delivery system, via a direct communications link to a central telecommunications system processor; storing in said central telecommunications system processor for storing data bases of system information, individual switch information, and subscriber information; storing a data base of routing information for location of home carriers in a general location register in said database, whereby end-to-end validation and registration can accomplished for previously unknown roamers; providing an Input/Output Gateway to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and intersystem communication with the host processor of cellular systems which participate in a second call delivery system, having a subset of the features of said enhanced system; providing at least one intersystem gateway to and from said central telecommunications system processor for translation of messages and intersystem communication with cellular systems which participate in at least one third call delivery system; enabling said central telecommunications system processor of said enhanced call delivery system to communicate with each of said switches of said enhanced system, and through said gateways to the central processors of said second and third call delivery systems, and through said central processors to individual switches of said second and third call delivery systems, to provide to the switches of the home and visited service areas of a roaming cellular subscriber: (1) the identity of the current visited system switch of a roaming cellular subscriber known to his home system; (2) the financial responsibility of the roaming cellular subscriber; (3) a valid roamer service profile in said visited system; and (4) call delivery to a validated roaming cellular subscriber in the service area of said visited switch.