Method for managing mobile station facilities
View Patent ↗A method for managing facilities of a first mobile station in a mobile communication system, in which multiple alternative subscriber profiles can be defined for mobile stations, including establishing a connection to a predetermined service control function, inputting information required for identification of the first and a second mobile station to the service control function, retrieving first mobile station's subscriber data from the first mobile station's subscriber register, forming a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station based on the subscriber data retrieved from the first mobile station's subscriber register such that calls can be made with the second mobile station using the first mobile station's subscriber data, and storing reference to the second mobile station for the first mobile station in the subscriber register such that calls terminating at the first mobile station are forwarded to the second mobile station.
1. A method for managing facilities of a first mobile station in a mobile communication system, in which multiple alternative subscriber profiles can be defined for mobile stations, comprising:
establishing a connection to a predetermined service control function,
inputting information required for identification of the first and a second mobile station to the service control function,
retrieving subscriber data of the first mobile station from a subscriber register of the first mobile station,
forming a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber data retrieved from the subscriber register of the first mobile station such that calls can be made with the second mobile station by using the subscriber data of the first mobile station, and
storing a reference to the second mobile station for the first mobile station in said subscriber register such that calls terminating at the first mobile station will be forwarded to the second mobile station.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising establishing said connection to the service control function from the second mobile station, and:
transmitting at least an identification code associated with the first mobile station from the second mobile station to the service control function,
checking on the basis of the subscriber data of the first mobile station whether the transmitted identification code is right, and
forming a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station, and storing a reference to the second mobile station in said subscriber register only if said checking indicates that the transmitted identification code is right.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
retrieving information on the mobile station services from the subscriber register of the first mobile station, and
storing the information on said services in a subscriber register of the second mobile station, whereby a subscriber profile according to the subscriber identity of the first mobile station is formed for the second mobile station, the subscriber profile having the first mobile station services available.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising storing an indicator in the subscriber register of the first mobile station, indicating that the interface has been transferred into the subscriber profile of the second mobile station, whereby said subscriber register reports in response to a subscriber data inquiry of the first mobile station that the first subscriber is not known in the subscriber register.
5. A method for managing facilities of a first mobile station in a mobile communication system, in which multiple alternative subscriber profiles can be defined for mobile stations, comprising:
establishing a connection to a predetermined service control function,
sending information required for identification of the first and a second mobile station to the service control function,
retrieving subscriber data of the first mobile station from a subscriber register of the first mobile station,
forming a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber data retrieved from the subscriber register of the first mobile station, such that calls can be made with the second mobile station by using the subscriber data of the first mobile station, and
storing a reference to the second mobile station for the first mobile station in said subscriber register such that calls terminating at the first mobile station will be forwarded to the second mobile station.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5 , comprising establishing said connection to the service control function from the second mobile station, and by the first and the second mobile station being mobile stations of different mobile communication networks, whereby a reference to the second mobile communication network is stored for the first mobile station in a network element of the first mobile communication network.
7. A method as claimed in claim 5 , comprising storing in an SRF element or PDN network element said reference for the first mobile station to the second mobile station.
8. A mobile communication system which comprises:
at least a first and a second mobile station,
a subscriber register which maintains at least subscriber data of the first mobile station,
memory means which maintain information on subscriber profiles of the second mobile station, and
a service control function comprising means for:
retrieving the subscriber data of the first mobile station from the subscriber register of said first mobile station,
forming a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber data retrieved from said subscriber register, such that calls can be made with the second mobile station by using the subscriber data of the first mobile station, and
storing a reference to the second mobile station for the first mobile station in said subscriber register such that calls terminating at the first mobile station will be forwarded to the second mobile station.
9. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the service control function comprises means for identifying the first mobile station on the basis of information that is conveyed from the second mobile station, and that said information is conveyed from the second mobile station to the service control function in connection with a call made to a predetermined service number with the second mobile station, whereby the service control function identifies the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber identity A relating to said call, and the first mobile station on the basis of DTMF signals conveyed from the second mobile station during the call.
10. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the service control function comprises means for identifying the first mobile station on the basis of information conveyed from the second mobile station, and that said information is conveyed from the second mobile station to the service control function by a text message sent with the second mobile station to a predetermined service number, whereby the service control function identifies the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber identity A relating to the text message and the first mobile station on the basis of a telephone number included in the text message.
11. A mobile communication system as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein said mobile communication system is a GSM system.
12. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
said mobile communication system comprises a variety of subscriber registers and a register, in which a reference to the mobile station subscriber register in question is stored in association with the MSISDN number of each mobile station, and that
the service control function comprises means for controlling said register such that the reference stored in association with the MSISDN number of the first mobile station refers to the subscriber register of the second mobile station.
13. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein:
said mobile communication system comprises a variety of subscriber registers,
said mobile communication system comprises at least one routing mobile services switching centre comprising means for transmitting a subscriber data inquiry to one of said several subscriber registers on the basis of an analysis made of the MSISDN number relating to the call to be routed, and that
the service control function comprises means for controlling said routing mobile services switching centre such that the analysis of the MSISDN number of the first mobile station made by the routing mobile services switching centre indicates that the subscriber data inquiry must be transmitted to the subscriber register of said second mobile station.
14. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the system comprises a WAP server in data transmission connection with the service control function, the WAP server comprising means for receiving information that is conveyed from the second mobile station in a format according to the WAP protocol, and for inputting the received information to the service control function in order to establish a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station.
15. A service control function which is in data transmission connection with a mobile communication system comprising a mobile services switching centre, at least a first and a second mobile station, a subscriber register which maintains at least the subscriber data of the first mobile station, and memory means which maintain information on subscriber profiles of the second mobile station, wherein the service control function comprising means for:
retrieving the subscriber data of the first mobile station from the subscriber register of said first mobile station,
storing in said memory means a new subscriber profile for the second mobile station on the basis of the subscriber data retrieved from said subscriber register, and
storing a reference to the second mobile station for the first mobile station in said subscriber register.
16. A service control function as claimed in claim 15 , wherein:
said mobile communication system comprises a variety of subscriber registers and a register, in which a reference to the mobile station subscriber register in question is stored in association with the MSISDN number of each mobile station, and that
the service control function comprises means for controlling said register such that the reference stored in association with the MSISDN number of the first mobile station refers to the subscriber register of the second mobile station.