US6144857A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cellular communications systems
Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
•
Filing: 1997-06-27
•
Granted: 2000-11-07
•
Expires: 2017-06-27
Abstract
Abstract In a mobile telephone network, a home location register (HLR) is provided with one or more cascaded home location registers to which some of the subscribers are allocated so as to share the workload in processing the subscriber information requests that are involved in the setting up of calls. Routing of requests to the correct HLR is simplified by routing all such requests to the original or master HLR and forwarding only those requests for which data is stored on one of the back-up or cascaded HLRs. This avoids the need for changes in the existing system routing plan. In a further embodiment two HLRs may form a mutually boosting pair.
Inventors
- 👤 David Price
- 👤 Ronald James Maginley
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 17:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W8/00; H04W8/02; H04W8/04; H04W8/08; H04W8/12; H04W92/00; H04W92/02; H04W92/16; H04W92/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
A method of processing subscriber information requests in a cellular communications network incorporating a first, primary home location register and a second, auxiliary home location register, each said home location register providing data storage exclusively for a respective set of subscribers, each said subscriber being allocated to either one or the other of the primary and auxiliary home locations registers, the method including routing every said request directly to the primary home location register irrespective of which of the primary or auxiliary home location registers contains data relating to the particular subscriber for whom the request is being made, responding to the request from the primary home location register to the request when the subscriber data relating to that request is stored on the primary home location register, and, when the subscriber data is not stored on the primary home location register, forwarding the request from the primary home location register to the auxiliary home location register so as to respond to that forwarded request directly from the auxiliary home location register.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
172 words
A method of processing subscriber information requests in a cellular communications network incorporating a first, primary home location register and a second, auxiliary home location register, each said home location register providing data storage exclusively for a respective set of subscribers, each said subscriber being allocated to either one or the other of the primary and auxiliary home locations registers, the method including routing every said request directly to the primary home location register irrespective of which of the primary or auxiliary home location registers contains data relating to the particular subscriber for whom the request is being made, responding to the request from the primary home location register to the request when the subscriber data relating to that request is stored on the primary home location register, and, when the subscriber data is not stored on the primary home location register, forwarding the request from the primary home location register to the auxiliary home location register so as to respond to that forwarded request directly from the auxiliary home location register.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein communication with the home location registers is effected from a mobile switching centre via a fixed network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed network employs common channel signalling, and wherein all said requests are routed via a point code allocated to the first home location register.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein, after a first response in a transaction from a said further home location register, further messages relating to the same transaction are routed directly to the said further home location register.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the relative numbers of subscribers allocated to the first or to the one or more further home location registers are adjusted whereby to provide substantial balancing of the workloads of the respective registers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein each said request re-routed from the first to a said further home location register is provided with an indicator that the request has been re-routed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein rerouting of a request to a said further home location register is effected from the global title of that further home location register.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first and one said further home location registers form a mutually boosting pair.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
173 words
A cellular mobile communications system incorporating a first, primary home location register and a second, auxiliary home location register, each said home location register providing data storage exclusively for a respective set of subscribers, each said subscriber being allocated to either one or the other of the primary and auxiliary home location registers, wherein the system is arranged to route every said request directly to the primary home location register irrespective of which of the primary or auxiliary home location registers contains data relating to the particular subscriber for whom the request is being made, wherein the primary home location register incorporates means for responding to the request when the subscriber data relating to that request is stored on the primary home location register and means for forwarding the request from the primary home location register to the auxiliary home location register when the subscriber data for that request is not stored on the primary home location register so as to respond to that forwarded request directly from the auxiliary home location register.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
173 words
A cellular mobile communications system incorporating a first, primary home location register and a second, auxiliary home location register, each said home location register providing data storage exclusively for a respective set of subscribers, each said subscriber being allocated to either one or the other of the primary and auxiliary home location registers, wherein the system is arranged to route every said request directly to the primary home location register irrespective of which of the primary or auxiliary home location registers contains data relating to the particular subscriber for whom the request is being made, wherein the primary home location register incorporates means for responding to the request when the subscriber data relating to that request is stored on the primary home location register and means for forwarding the request from the primary home location register to the auxiliary home location register when the subscriber data for that request is not stored on the primary home location register so as to respond to that forwarded request directly from the auxiliary home location register.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein communication with the home location registers is effected from a mobile switching centre or a visitors location register via a fixed network.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the mobile switching centre has means for attaching to every request message a signalling point code corresponding to the network address of the first home location register.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first and a said further home location registers form a mutually boosting pair.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-11-07 | 2004-05-08 | 2004-11-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-11-07 | 2008-05-08 | 2008-11-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-11-07 | 2012-05-08 | 2012-11-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |