IP Library Granted Patent US 8,498,401
Granted Patent B2
US 8,498,401 · App. 13/188,373 · Granted Jul 30, 2013

Mobile-to-mobile call determination

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,498,401
App. No.
13/188,373
Granted
Jul 30, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and systems for determining call types are described herein. An intelligent node is configured to determine whether a call is a mobile-to-mobile call between subscribers of a telecommunication service provider based on a response to a request from the intelligent node. The intelligent node may further be configured to send a state request to an interconnecting network of the telecommunication service provider. A node of the interconnecting network determines whether a serving subscriber identifier is included in a routing database of that node. If the identifier is not included, the node responds with an error message. If the identifier is included, the node communicates with a relay function and responds to the request with a state received from the relay function. The intelligent node may also be configured to send an ENUM query and receive an identifier of the telecommunication service provider associated with the serving subscriber.

Claims (34)

1. A system comprising:

a Service Control Function (SCF) node including a processor and executable instructions configured to be operated by the processor to determine whether a call is a mobile-to-mobile call between subscribers of a telecommunication service provider by:

sending a subscriber state request specifying an identifier of a serving subscriber of the call to a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) network, and

determining that the call is a mobile-to-mobile call if a response to the subscriber state request indicates success; and

a Signaling Transfer Point (STP) node of the SS7 network including a processor and executable instructions configured to be operated by the processor to:

determine whether the serving subscriber identifier is included in a routing database of the STP node,

in response to determining that the serving subscriber identifier is included in the routing database, communicating with a relay function and responding to the subscriber state request with a default state indicated by the relay function, the relay function being used in place of a subscriber database of the telecommunication service provider, and

in response to determining that the serving subscriber identifier is not included in the routing database, responding to the subscriber state request with an error message.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relay function is a Mobile Application Part (MAP) signaling relay function of the system that receives requests from the STP node and provides the default subscriber state in answer to the requests.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the serving subscriber identifier is a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network (MSISDN) number.

4. A method comprising:

receiving, by a node of an interconnecting network, a request specifying an identifier of a serving subscriber of a call;

determining, by the node, whether the serving subscriber identifier is included in a routing database of the node;

in response to determining that the serving subscriber identifier is not included in the routing database, responding to the request with an error message; and

in response to determining that the serving subscriber identifier is included in the routing database, communicating with a relay function and responding to the request with a state indicated by the relay function, the relay function being used in place of a subscriber database and the state indicated by the relay function enabling a call type determination for the call.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the error message enables a determination that the call is not a mobile-to-mobile call.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein communicating with the relay function comprises sending the request to the relay function and receiving a response from the relay function.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the responding to the request with the state indicated by the relay function comprises sending the response from the relay function as the response to the request.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the relay function is a Mobile Application Part (MAP) signaling relay function that receives requests and provides a default state in answer to the requests.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the node is a Signaling Transfer Point (STP) and the interconnecting network is a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) network.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the subscriber database includes home location registers (HLR) and visitor location registers (VLR) of a telecommunication service provider and the routing database maps subscribers of the telecommunication service provider to the HLRs.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the request is a MAP Any Time Interrogation (MAP ATI) request received from an intelligent node.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the intelligent node determines the call type based on the response received from the node.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the intelligent node conditionally reserves funds at a charging system based on whether the call is determined to be a mobile-to-mobile call.

14. A method comprising:

sending, by an intelligent node, an Electronic Number (ENUM) query specifying an identifier of a serving subscriber of a call;

receiving, in response, by the intelligent node, an identifier of a telecommunication service provider associated with the serving subscriber; and

determining, by the intelligent node, whether the call is a mobile-to-mobile call based at least in part on the telecommunication service provider identifier.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the intelligent node is a service control function (SCF) node.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the intelligent node sends the ENUM query in place of a request to a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) network for a subscriber state.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the ENUM query is directed to an ENUM routing function of a telecommunication service provider.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ENUM routing function is associated with a database mapping telecommunication subscriber identifiers to telecommunication service provider identifiers.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the determining comprises determining whether the telecommunication service provider identifier included in the response is associated with a calling party of the call.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising conditionally reserves funds at a charging system based on whether the call is determined to be a mobile-to-mobile call.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2022
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: IBSV LLC; LAYER3 TV, LLC; PUSHSPRING, LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; SPRINTCOM LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM LLC
Reel/Frame 062595/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 2, 2020
From: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ISBV LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; CLEARWIRE LEGACY LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM L.P.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
Reel/Frame 053182/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2020
From: DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; IBSV LLC
Reel/Frame 052969/0381 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2020
From: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; IBSV LLC; METROPCS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.; METROPCS WIRELESS, INC.; T-MOBILE SUBSIDIARY IV CORPORATION; LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.
Reel/Frame 052969/0314 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 30, 2016
From: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
To: DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
Reel/Frame 041225/0910 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 17, 2015
From: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; METROPCS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.; T-MOBILE SUBSIDIARY IV CORPORATION
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 037125/0885 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2011
From: SHAFIQUE, MUHAMMAD
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 026631/0842 →