EXHIBIT 1

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US0075993.79B2 

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,599,379 B2 

Kelly et al. (45) Date of Patent: *Oct. 6, 2009 

(54) REGISTERING STATIONS BETWEEN (58) Field of Classification Search ................. 370/331; 

PROTOCOLS 455/433 

See application file for complete search history. (75) Inventors: Michael R. Kelly, Omaha, NE (US); Bradley T. Kenyon, Omaha, NE (US); (56) References Cited 

Mark A. Gullett, Monument, CO (US) U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 

(73) Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development 6,487.286 B1 * 1 1/2002 Reaves et al. ............ 379,221.1 

Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US) 6,526,033 B1 2/2003 Wang et al. 

6,678,242 B1 1/2004 Simon ........................ 370.218 

(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 2002/0169883 A1* 1 1/2002 Bright et al. ................ TO9/230 

patent is extended or adjusted under 35 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 

U.S.C. 154(b) by 1139 days. GSM/ANSI-136 Network Interworking Specification. Phase 1, Ver 

This patent is Subject to a terminal dis- sion 3.0. Dec. 18, 2000. GAIT Interoperability Team. Apr. 11, 2007.* 

claimer. * cited by examiner 

(21) Appl. No.: 10/426,673 Primary Examiner Ayaz R. Sheikh 

Assistant Examiner—Sori A. Aga (22) Filed: Apr. 30, 2003 

(57) ABSTRACT 

(65) Prior Publication Data 

US 2004/O21861.0 A1 Nov. 4, 2004 A wireless system including a first network protocol, a second 

network protocol, and an interoperability node. The interop 

(51) Int. Cl. erability node operable on the system to register a station 

H04L 2/28 (2006.01) pending registration at one of the network protocols. 

HO41 3/16 (2006.01) 

(52) U.S. Cl. ........................ 370/401; 370/466; 370/331 16 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets 

REQUESTING 

STATION 

SERVING 

NETWORK 

INTEROP 

104-7 

SECOND 

OTHER 

NETWORK NODE 

 

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ÞZ &y

Oct. 6, 2009 US 7,599,379 B2 

202 

U.S. Patent 

 

 

 

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U.S. Patent Oct. 6, 2009 Sheet 4 of 5 US 7,599,379 B2 

 

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U.S. Patent Oct. 6, 2009 Sheet 5 of 5 US 7,599,379 B2 

s 

 

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US 7,599,379 B2 

1. 

REGISTERING STATIONS BETWEEN 

PROTOCOLS 

INTRODUCTION 

Traditionally, wireless devices could only access a network 

by utilizing eithera Voice or data connection. Currently, in the 

wireless industry, devices have been created that can utilize 

voice and/or data connections. This versatility is limited by several structural limitations within the networks to which 

these devices connect. For example, when a session is to be 

initiated by a device, the device is typically programmed to 

understand a single network protocol and therefore it cannot 

readily communicate with other networks. Additionally, some networks do not service the entire area in which a device 

may be utilized and therefore, there are times when the device 

is inaccessible on a particular network. 

With each advance of a new protocol into the industry or 

the advance of an existing protocol into a new coverage area, 

the infrastructure providing communication between devices 

must be changed to accommodate the new or newly available 

protocol. In order to change the infrastructure without requir ing all of their subscribers to purchase devices compatible with a protocol not currently available in their area, many providers are trying to update their existing infrastructure to 

Support both existing protocol and the newly available proto 

col, at least temporarily. Another approach has been to over 

lap a new protocol infrastructure over an area covered by an 

existing protocol. In this way, both, the users of the existing 

protocol and the users of the newly available protocol, can 

utilize their devices in the same or similar coverage areas. 

Based upon this approach, currently, several networks Sup 

porting voice, data, and/or video oftentimes overlap each 

other, at least partially. In this situation it could be possible for 

the device to switch from communicating with a first network 

to a second network. In some situations, it may be less expen 

sive for a user to communicate on one network versus the 

other, so it would be desirable to switch to the least expensive 

network, when possible. 

However, when two different types of networks are con 

nected and need to communicate information from one to 

another, a translator must be provided to interpret the infor 

mation from one set of network protocols to another. Cur 

rently, each time a new network is connected to the system, a 

new translator, or gateway, needs to be installed to do the 

translating from each of the existing networks connected to 

the system to and from the new network. 

For example, when a global system for mobile communi 

cations (GSM) network is connected to another network 

(such as an ANSI network), the two networks need to be 

connected with a translator between them. Further, when a 

data network (such as the Internet) is connected to the GSM 

ANSI system, a translator needs to be interposed between the 

GSM and the data network as well as another translator 

between the ANSI and the data network. Such a GSM-ANSI 

data system then has three networks and three translators 

translating between them. 

The use of three separate translators necessitates additional 

equipment costs and involves the multiple entry of Subscriber 

information. Further, there is an increase in the number of 

network based messages passing between the different com 

ponents of the networks. 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system embodiment illus 

trating a connection between a requesting station and a num 

ber of networks. 

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FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a GSM network. 

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an ANSI network. 

FIG. 3 is a scenario diagram illustrating an embodiment of 

the communication between a GSM network and an ANSI 

network for registering a station. 

FIG. 4 is a scenario diagram illustrating another embodi 

ment of the communication between an ANSI network and a 

GSM network for registering a station. 

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment which depicts the interoperability of a number of networks. 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 

Embodiments of the present invention provide cross pro 

tocol interoperability for registering a station on a network 

regardless of the protocol of the requesting station or net 

work. In this way, a communications session can be created 

between the requesting station or network and any of a num 

ber of additional networks in which the station would require registration in order to deliver features, functionality, or Ser 

vice. 

Embodiments can be performed by software, application 

modules, and computer executable instructions operable on 

the systems and devices shown herein or otherwise. The 

invention, however, is not limited to any particular operating environment or to Software written in a particular program ming language. Software, application modules and/or com 

puter executable instructions, Suitable for carrying out 

embodiments of the present invention, can be resident in one 

or more devices or locations or in several and even many 

locations. 

Unless explicitly stated, the method embodiments 

described herein are not constrained to a particular order or 

sequence. Additionally, some of the described method 

embodiments or elements thereof can occur or be performed 

at the same point in time. 

As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate upon 

reading this disclosure, a network infrastructure can Supporta 

communications session. Communications sessions include, 

for example, data transfer, Voice transfer, video transfer, and 

a mix of data, Voice, and/or video, to name a few. 

The infrastructure embodiments are operable to initiate a 

communications session from one station (first requesting 

station) to another station (target station). A station can be any interface equipment used to receive and transmit information 

to and/or from a user. Examples of stations include mobile 

devices, handsets, or computer terminals, among others. The 

stations can be capable of registering a station on one or more 

networks. 

Registration procedures can be initiated from Stations that 

are operable on one or more of a variety of serving network 

types including, but not limited to Publicly Switched Tele 

phone Networks (PSTN), global system for mobile commu 

nications (GSM) networks, American National Standards 

Institute (ANSI) networks, Public Wireless Local Area Net 

works (PWLAN), and/or Internet Protocol (IP) networks, to name a few. 

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an interoperability connection 

according to a system embodiment. In this embodiment, a 

requesting station 101 is registered on serving network 102 

and is attempting to register in one or more other networks, 

e.g. 104-1 to 104-N. The requesting station 101 is communi 

cating through a serving network 102 and is utilizing an 

interoperability node 103. The networks 102,104-1, to 104-N 

can be of any network type. 

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The requesting station 101 is operable to interface with an 

interoperability node 103 that acts to consolidate the regis 

tration process on a number of networks by contacting the 

available additional networks 104-1 to 104-N to identify any additional actions in other protocols that are triggered by registration activities, even though the station is registered in 

another technology. 

Additionally, the serving network 102 can also be a net 

work protocol on the station 101 operable to allow the station 

101 to communicate with one or more particular networks. If 

the requesting station 101 is registered on the serving network 

102, then a protocol specific registration process for register 

ing the station 101 on the serving network 102 does not need 

to be done. 

However, if the requesting station 101 is not registered on 

the serving network 102, then in order to connect the request ing station 101 with another station over the serving network 

102, the requesting station 101 will need to be registered on 

the serving network 102. To accomplish this, the serving network 102 performs a protocol specific registration process 

that registers the requesting station 101 as an entity autho 

rized to communicate on the network 102. 

The interoperability node 103 acts to consolidate the reg 

istration process on several networks by contacting the avail 

able networks, such as other networks 104-1 to 104-N in this 

example, to determine if one or more of the networks are 

awaiting registration of the requesting station 101. If it is 

determined that a network, e.g. one of the other networks 

104-1 to 104-N, is awaiting registration, then the interoper ability node 103 can provide properly formatted, protocol 

specific, information to the one or more other networks 104-1 

to 104-N to complete the registration process. Additionally, 

the interoperability node 103 can provide properly formatted, 

protocol specific, information to the serving network 102 or 

to the station 101 to enable it to complete the registration 

process with the one or more other networks 104-1 to 104-N. 

With the formatted protocol information, the one or more 

other networks can then contact the requesting station regard 

less of protocol and can deliver features, functionality, and/or 

service. 

To accomplish this, the interoperability node 103 is oper 

able to communicate with a number of different networks. In 

various embodiments, the interoperability node 103 can be 

located within the requesting station 101, the serving network 

102, at an external location, such as within another network, 

e.g. networks 104-1 to 104-N, or can be independent of any 

network. 

The interoperability node 103 can contact one or more 

networks, such as 104-1 to 104-N, to determine whether a 

requesting station 101 is registered thereon. The one or more 

networks can be operable to each return either a confirmation 

that the requesting station 101 has a registration identifier 

associated with the network or reply that the requesting sta 

tion 101 is not registered on the network. 

For example, the interoperability node 103 can contact the 

first other network 104-1 to ascertain whether the requesting station 101 has a registration identifier associated with the 

network 104-1. The interoperability node is operable to check 

each network 102 and 104-1 to 104-N and can do so, for 

example, serially, by contacting each network individually 

and waiting for an answer before contacting the next network. 

The interoperability node can also check each network seri 

ally, for example, without waiting to hear an answer before 

contacting the next station. In various embodiments, the 

interoperability node can also check the networks in parallel, by signaling a message to several networks simultaneously. 

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However, the invention is not so limited and contact can be 

accomplished in any number of manners. 

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment for the regis tration of a first requesting station 201 and a second request 

ing station 205 on a number of networks. In the example 

shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a GSM network and an ANSI 

network are shown. The invention, however, is not limited to 

the two types of networks. 

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B generally illustrate a block diagram of an embodiment having first 

requesting station 201, communicating through a GSM net 

work infrastructure 202 and an interoperability node 203 to 

register the first requesting station 201 on one or both of the 

GSM network 202 and the ANSI network 204. The embodi 

ments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B also illustrate a second 

requesting station 205, communicating through an ANSI net 

work infrastructure 204. As will be discussed more herein, an 

interoperability node 203 is operable to register the second 

requesting station 205 on one or both of the ANSI network 

204 and the GSM network 202. 

Stations, as described herein, can include fixed or mobile 

devices. These stations can be a part of or interface one or 

more networks in order to provide a communications session. 

In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the networks shown are operable to be 

utilized as mobile networks and the structure of these net 

works is described in detail below. However, the invention is 

not limited to the structures shown. 

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of an interoperability connec 

tion according to a system embodiment. In this embodiment, 

a first requesting station 201 is attempting to register in one or 

more networks, e.g. 202 and/or 204. The first requesting station 201 is initially communicating utilizing a serving 

network 202. The serving network shown in FIG. 2A is a 

GSM network. However, the network 202 can be any network 

known in the art. Additionally, the serving network 202 can 

also be a network protocol operable to allow the station 201 to 

communicate with one or more particular networks. 

If the first requesting station 201 is registered on the serv 

ing network 202, then the protocol specific registration pro 

cess for registering the station 201 on the serving network 202 

does not need to be done. However, if the first requesting station 201 is not registered on the serving network 202, then 

in order to connect the first requesting station 201 with 

another station, Such as second requesting station 205, via the 

serving network 202, the first requesting station 201 must be 

registered on the serving network 202. To accomplish this, the 

serving network 202 performs a protocol specific registration 

process that registers the first requesting station 201 as an 

entity authorized to operate on the network 202. 

Network 202 is interfaced with an interoperability node as 

defined herein. A registration on a network can trigger the 

interoperability node 203 to contact one or more other avail 

able networks, such as 204, to determine whether a first 

requesting station 201 is registered thereon. The interoper 

ability node 203 can identify any additional actions in other 

protocols or networks that are triggered by the registration 

activities even though the station is registering in another 

technology. The networks each return either a confirmation 

that the first requesting station 201 has a registration identifier 

associated with the network or reply that the first requesting station 201 is not registered on the network. For example, the 

interoperability node 203 contacts the network 204 to ascer 

tain whether the first requesting station 201 has a registration 

identifier associated with the network 204. 

As noted above, the network example shown in FIG. 2A is a GSM network 202. The GSM network 202 embodiment of 

FIG. 2A illustrates a first requesting station 201 communi 

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US 7,599,379 B2 

5 

cating with a mobile switching center (MSC) 212 through a 

GSM air interface 207 with a base station 206, for example, 

via RF signals receivable by antenna 210. The heart of wire 

less telecommunications networks. Such as the examples 

shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, is the MSC that is connected to a 

plurality of base stations dispersed throughout the geographic 

area serviced by the network. 

The geographic area serviced by a wireless telecommuni 

cations network is partitioned into a number of spatially dis 

tinct areas called “cells. Each MSC is responsible for, among 

other things, establishing and maintaining calls between sta 

tions, such as between a mobile device and a wireline termi 

nal, which is connected to the system via local and/or long distance networks. An MSC is a telephone switch specialized for wireless and mobility support. An MSC performs various 

functions, including mobility management, call handoffs, 

call admission, call control, resource allocation, and so forth. 

In FIG. 2A, whenever a station, e.g. mobile device 201, 

activates or roams into a new MSC coverage area (i.e., the 

“cell” for which the MSC is responsible), the new MSC 

becomes the serving MSC 212. The station 201 transmits its 

stored identity to the new serving MSC via a base station 206. 

As shown in FIG. 2A, the subscriber identity information is 

transmitted over a radio channel 208 in a format compliant 

with an air interface standard and detected by an antenna 210 

of base station 206. 

Base station 206, in turn, transmits the subscriber identity information to the serving MSC 212, such as for example via 

a communication line. The procedures and protocol for com 

munication between the base station 206 and the MSC 212 

have also been standardized. For an identification of industry 

standards relating to these communications, reference is 

made to TIA/EIA/IS634-A., “MSC-BS Interface for Public 

Wireless Communication Systems.” 

In order to provide mobile service to the newly registered 

mobile device 201, the serving MSC 212 transmits a Mobile 

Application Part (MAP) based signal. Such as a registration 

update signal (GSM message), to a home location register 

(HLR) 216 via a signaling link Such as a signaling transfer 

point (STP) 214. An STP is a node in the signaling system 7 

(SS7) telephone network that routes messages between 

exchanges and between exchanges and databases that hold 

subscriber and routing information. An HLR is one such 

database in a cellular system that contains all the Subscribers 

within the provider's home service area. The data in the HLR 

is requested and transferred via SS7 to a visitor location 

register (VLR) 222 in the new area. 

In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the STP214 can also route 

the MAP based signal to a gateway MSC 218. The SS7 

network sets up and tears down the call, handles all the rout 

ing decisions and Supports all modem telephony services, 

such as local number portability (LNP). LNP allows a tele 

phone subscriber to port his/her phone number when that 

subscriber relocates to a different region of the country, even 

when the local area code may be different. The voice switches 

known as service Switching points (SSPs) query service con 

trol point (SCP) 213 databases using STPs as packet switches. 

Accessing databases using a separate signaling network, 

e.g. SS7, enables the system to more efficiently obtain static 

information Such as the services a customer has signed up for 

and dynamic information Such as ever-changing traffic con 

ditions in the network. In addition, a Voice circuit is not tied up until a connection is actually made between both parties. 

There is an international version of SS7 standardized by the 

ITU, and national versions determined by each country. For 

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example, ANSI governs the US standard for SS7, and Telcor 

dia (Bellcore) provides an extension of ANSI for its member 

companies. 

The MAP based signal typically signaled over SS7 informs 

the HLR216 of the network address associated with the MSC 

212 currently serving the mobile device 201 and also requests 

requisite subscriber information for providing mobile service 

to the roaming mobile device 201. The HLR 216 updates its 

database to store the network address representing the serving 

MSC 212 and also copies the requested subscriber informa 

tion to the VLR 222 associated with the serving MSC 212. 

The network address representing the serving MSC 212 

stored in the HLR 216 is later utilized by the mobile network 

to reroute any incoming call intended for the mobile device 

201 to the serving MSC 212. 

Accordingly, whenever a telecommunications Subscriber 

dials a telephone number for the mobile device 201, the HLR 

216 is queried by the mobile network to determine the current 

location of the mobile device 201. Utilizing the stored net 

work address in HLR 216 representing the serving MSC 212, 

the HLR 216 requests a roaming number from the serving 

MSC 212 in response to the receipt of the query signal. The 

roaming number provided by the serving MSC 212 is then 

used by the telecommunications network to route the incom 

ing signal towards the serving MSC 212. The serving MSC 

212 then pages the mobile device 201 and accordingly estab 

lishes a voice connection with the mobile device 201, if 

available. 

If the mobile device 201 roams out of the serving MSC 212 

coverage area and into another MSC 224 coverage area, MSC 

212 will hand-off the communication to MSC 224 and base 

station 226. To ensure compatibility between two MSCs, the 

procedures and protocol for the format and transmission of 

messages have been standardized. 

In the example of mobile device call delivery, a visited 

network tracks the location of a roaming user and a visitor 

location register (VLR) reports that location information via 

a control network to the home location register (HLR) of the 

home network. Control networks may include ANSI/IS-41 

and GSM MAP types of networks, among others. An authen 

tication center (AC) in a home network can be used for user 

registration and authentication, e.g., checking to see, among 

other things, if the user has made payments. When a call, 

relayed from the PSTN to the home mobile switching center 

(MSC) is to be delivered to a subscriber, the home MSC 

consults the HLR to determine the current whereabouts of the 

subscriber, e.g. the current serving/visited MSC, and the call 

is then directed via links and the PSTN to the visited MSC 

currently serving the device. 

Embodiments of the invention provide an interoperability 

node 203 to act as a registrar of a station on a number of 

networks. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the 

first requesting station 201 will, through the serving network 

202, ask the interoperability node 203 to check to see if the 

first requesting station 201 is registered on the networks 202 

and/or 204. The registration with one or more networks can 

also triggeran interoperability node to identify any additional 

actions that may be waiting to be performed on the one or more networks. 

The interoperability node 203 can be an independent unit 

as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2A, or can be a part of one of the networks 202 or 204 or station 201. If located 

within a network such as 202 or 204, the interoperability node 

203 can be independent or can be integrated with another 

element of the network such as the HLR, SCP, or STP. How 

ever, the location of the interoperability node is not so limited. 

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In FIG. 2B, an ANSI network 204 includes a second 

requesting station 205 communicating with an MSC 232 

through an ANSI air interface 237 with a base station 236 

having an antenna 240. As with the first requesting station 201 

of FIG. 2A, whenever a second requesting station, e.g. 205, 

activates or roams into a new MSC 264 coverage area (i.e., the 

“cell” for which the MSC is responsible), the new MSC 264 

becomes the serving MSC. The station 205 transmits its 

stored identity to the new serving MSC 264 via a base station 

266. 

As shown in FIG. 2B, the subscriber identity information can be transmitted over a radio channel 208 in a format 

compliant with an air interface standard, e.g. ANSI/IS-41, 

and detected by an antenna 240 of base station 236. Base 

station 236, in turn, can transmit the subscriber identity infor 

mation to the serving MSC 232. 

In order to provide mobile service to the newly registered 

mobile device 205, as the serving MSC 232, can transmit a 

MAP based signal. Such as a registration notification signal 

(IS-41 message) to an HLR 246 via a signaling link Such as an 

STP 244. The data in the HLR can be requested and trans 

ferred via SS7 to a VLR 262 in the new area. 

In the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the STP 244 can be oper 

able to route the MAP based signal to a gateway MSC 248. 

The SS7 network can set up and tear down the call, handle all 

the routing decisions, and Support all modem telephony Ser 

vices, such as LNP. The SSPs can query SCP243 databases 

using STPs as packet Switches. 

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the first 

requesting station 201 can communicate through the serving 

network 202 and can gain registration in a second network 

204 via an interoperability node 203. The interoperability 

node 203 can also signal each of the other networks, e.g. 

second network 204 to trigger any actions that waiting are on 

the network 204 and directed to the station 201. For example, the network 204 may be waiting to signal a text message to 

station 201. The interoperability node can trigger the signal 

ing of the text message from the network 204 to the station 

201. 

Additionally, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the connection of 

a second requesting station 205 to the system. Similarly, this 

second requesting station 205 can gain registration on both 

the GSM 202 and ANSI 204 networks through utilization of 

the interoperability node 203 as described herein. 

In this embodiment, the station 205 can communicate with 

network 204 to complete a protocol specific registration pro 

cess. The information from that process can also be submitted 

to the interoperability node 203 to be dispersed to other net 

works, such as network 202, or information about the regis tration process for other networks, such as network 202, can 

be supplied to the interoperability node 203, the station 205, 

or to network 204 to enable the station 205 to be registered on 

other networks, e.g. network 202. 

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the information 

exchange between network entities regarding the registration 

of a station. In FIG.3, a GSM network is communicating with 

an ANSI network through an interoperability node. In this 

embodiment, eachhorizontal arrow represents a communica 

tion within or between networks and the communication 

arrows are read from top to bottom. 

In the embodiment shown in FIG.3, the station (not shown) is registered on a GSM network and is seeking registration on 

an ANSI network. Once the registration is performed on the 

ANSI network, the connection is handed off to the ANSI 

network. In this embodiment, a message initiating registra 

tion, e.g. REGISTRATION, is initiated by the requesting 

station (not shown) to the MSC 312 of the GSM network. An 

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update location message, e.g. UPDLOC, is forwarded to the 

GSM HLR of a combined GSM HLR/ANSI HLR shown in 

FIG. 3 and described below. 

In the embodiment shown in FIG.3, the GSMHLR and the 

ANSIHLR are combined in GSMHLR/ANSIHLR303. This 

combined entity GSM HLR/ANSI HLR 303 includes an 

interoperability node that translates information between the 

at least two HLRs (there are two shown in this example, but 

those skilled in the art will understand that a number of HLRs 

can be combined or that an HLR can have an interoperability 

node that can translate between two or more HLRs. If the 

GSM HLR and the ANSI HLR are independent elements, an 

interoperability node is interposed between the HLRs, can be 

resident in one of the HLRs, or independent. 

The GSM HLR signals for the GSM MSC 312 to insert 

subscriber data, e.g. INSERT SUBDATA, for performing the 

registration process. The GSM MSC 312 acknowledges the 

request and signals the GSM HLR with subscriber data, e.g. 

INSERT SUBDATAACK. 

Since the networks can communicate differently at this 

stage of their communication, e.g. operate according to dif 

ferent protocols, the interoperability node can translate the 

message such that the information communicated to the 

ANSI HLR is receivable and understandable, e.g. properly 

formatted in the protocol of the ANSI network. If a single 

HLR is acting as both the GSM HLR and the ANSI HLR, as 

it is in the example of FIG. 3, then this message can be 

signaled internally or may not need to be signaled. 

The message is translated by the interoperability node con 

necting the GSM HLR with the ANSI HLR. The GSM HLR 

signals the GSMMSC 312 that the request for registration has 

been received and signals the necessary information to the 

GSM MSC 312 for the station to register on the ANSI net 

work, e.g. UPD LOCACK. 

The station then contacts the ANSI MSC 332 to request registration thereon, e.g. REGISTRATION. The ANSI MSC 

332 provides a notice of the request for registration to the 

ANSI HLR, e.g. REG. NOT. 

A notice of the registration result is signaled from the ANSI 

HLR to the ANSI MSC332, e.g. REG. NOT. RET. RESULT. 

The ANSI MSC 332 updates the registration information and 

forwards it to the station and the hand-off is completed. 

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the information 

exchange between network entities regarding the registration 

ofa station. In this figure, an ANSI network is communicating with a GSM network through an interoperability node. 

In the embodiment shown in FIG.4, the station (not shown) is registered on an ANSI network and is seeking registration 

on a GSM network. Once the registration is performed on the 

GSM network, the connection is handed off to the GSM 

network. In this embodiment, a message requesting registra 

tion, e.g. REGISTRATION, is initiated by the requesting 

station (not shown) to the MSC 432 of the ANSI network. A 

notice of the registration request message, e.g. REG. NOT, is 

forwarded to the ANSIHLR of a combined GSMHLR/ANSI 

HLR shown in FIG. 4 and described below. 

In the embodiment shown in FIG.4, the ANSIHLRand the 

GSMHLR are combined in GSMHLR/ANSI HLR403. This 

combined entity GSM HLR/ANSI HLR 403 includes an 

interoperability node that translates information between the 

HLRs as previously described with respect to FIG. 3. 

The message is translated by the interoperability node con 

necting the GSM HLR with the ANSI HLR to obtain the 

information necessary for registering in the GSM network. 

The ANSI HLR provides a registration return result signal, 

e.g. REG. RET. RESULT, including appropriate information 

for the station to perform the registration process. 

Case 2:23-cv-00445-JRG Document 1-2 Filed 09/27/23 Page 11 of 13 PageID #: 36
US 7,599,379 B2 

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The station then contacts the GSM MSC 412 to request registration thereon, e.g. REGISTRATION. The GSM MSC 

412 provides a request for an updated location/registration to 

the GSM HLR, e.g. UPD. LOC. 

The GSM HLR signals for the GSM MSC 412 to insert 

subscriber data, e.g. INSERT SUBDATA, for performing the 

registration process. The GSM MSC 412 acknowledges the 

request and signals the GSM HLR with subscriber data, e.g. 

INSERT SUBDATAACK. 

The GSMHLR signals the GSMMSC412 that the request 

for registration has been received and that registration has 

been performed, e.g. UPD LOCACK. The GSM MSC 412 

updates the registration information and forwards it to the 

station and the hand-off is completed. 

FIG. 5 illustrates the communication between several net 

works through an interoperability node. In the example 

shown, a requesting station (not shown), registered on a first 

network (labeled GSM) 502, is attempting to register on one 

of a number of other networks present. In the embodiment of 

FIG. 5, three other networks are shown, including 504-1, 

504-2, and 504-N (labeled ANSI, WEB, and OTHER). How 

ever, the invention is not limited to the number and/or the 

types of networks illustrated in FIG. 5. Networks 504-1 to 

504-N represent other networks which may be available to the 

station. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, networks 504-1 to 

504-N all have an interface capability to interface with the 

interoperability node 503. In this embodiment, the first net 

work 502 signals the interoperability node 503 to register in one or more of the other networks 504-1 to 504-N. The 

interoperability node 503 contacts the one or more networks 

504-1 to 504-N to identify if the requesting station is regis 

tered on one or more of the networks. 

Each contacted network responds either confirming that 

the station is registered or that it is not or even if registration 

is available for the station on a particular network. If the 

station is not registered, the network, e.g. 504-1, performs a 

protocol specific registration process with either the station 

itself, the first network 502, or the interoperability node 503. 

The network, e.g. 504-1, then signals registration information 

to either the station itself, the first network502, or the interop erability node 503. 

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, this information can include 

one or more identifiers, such as telephone numbers, Sub 

scriber identification numbers, domain names, IP addresses, 

and/or actions to be taken on the network, among others. The 

registration information can also include status information, 

for example, or whether the station or network is busy, among 

others. This list, however, is not exhaustive and more or less 

than all of the information listed can be provided in various 

embodiments. 

Embodiments of the interoperability node 503 can be oper 

able to map all identifiers received from the different net 

works, i.e. 502 and 504-1 to 504-N, to each other to thereby provide a listing of possible network connections available 

for the requesting station. 

Embodiments of the interoperability node 503 can provide 

all or some of the information described above, e.g. informa 

tion from all networks that are not busy, to the serving net 

work 502 or station in an appropriate format to successfully 

confirm the registration on the one or more other networks, 

e.g. 504-1 to 504-N. In various embodiments, this communi 

cation can be conducted through the interoperability node 

503, where the node 503 translates information such that the 

networks can understand each other. 

Additionally, one or more of the first requesting station, 

serving network 502, and/or interoperability node 503 can be 

operable to determine a preferred connection based upon the 

10 

15 

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30 

35 

40 

45 

50 

55 

60 

65 

10 

one or more network registrations. Some criteria that can be 

utilized to evaluate the preferred connection can include 

speed of communication through a particular network, cost of 

transmission, and quality of transmission, among others. 

The communication can also be conducted directly 

between the station and the one or more networks on which 

the station is to be registered. In various embodiments, a 

translation protocol can, for example, be signaled from the 

interoperability node 503 to a station or a particular network, 

e.g. 504-1, to allow the requesting station to communicate 

with the particular network. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, 

network 504-1 is illustrated signaling directly to the first 

network, e.g. GSM network502. In various embodiments, the 

ANSI network can be signaling its registration information to 

GSM network 502. However, the invention is not so limited. 

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and 

described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appre ciate that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same 

techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments 

shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adap 

tations or variations of various embodiments of the invention. 

It is to be understood that the above description has been made 

in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combina 

tion of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not 

specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill 

in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of 

the various embodiments of the invention includes any other 

applications in which the above structures and methods are 

used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the 

invention should be determined with reference to the 

appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to 

which such claims are entitled. 

It is emphasized that the Abstract is provided to comply 

with 37 C.F.R.S 1.72(b) requiring an Abstract that will allow 

the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical 

disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will 

not be used to limit the scope of the claims. 

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are 

grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of 

streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not 

to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodi 

ments of the invention require more features than are 

expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following 

claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all 

features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the follow 

ing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Descrip 

tion, with each claim standing on its own as a separate 

embodiment. 

What is claimed: 

1. A wireless system, comprising: 

multiple different network protocols; and 

an interoperability node operable on the system to: 

communicate with the multiple different network proto 

cols; 

consolidate the registration process on the multiple dif 

ferent network protocols; and 

register a station pending registration at one of the mul 

tiple different network protocols by: identifying a particular protocol specific registration 

process from a number of protocol specific regis 

tration processes; utilizing the particular protocol specific registration 

process to directly access information from a net 

work being signalled; and 

completing the particular protocol specific registra 

tion process based upon the accessed information. 

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US 7,599,379 B2 

11 

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interoperability node 

is operable to identify additional actions triggered, by the 

registration of the station, in one or more of the multiple 

different network protocols wherein the station is not regis 

tered. 

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interoperability node 

is operable to alert the station that the station has been regis 

tered in one of the multiple different network protocols. 

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interoperability node 

is operable to communicate a compatible registration format 

to the station. 

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interoperability node 

is operable to complete the protocol specific registration pro 

cess with one of the multiple different network protocols. 

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the multiple different 

network protocols are each operable to communicate directly 

with a station once registration has been achieved. 

7. A wireless architecture, comprising: 

a first network type operable to communicate with a sta 

tion; and 

an interoperability node operable on the architecture to: 

communicate with multiple different network protocols: consolidate the registration process on multiple different 

network protocols; and 

register a station in one or more other network types by: identifying a particular protocol specific registration 

process from a number of protocol specific regis tration processes; utilizing the particular protocol specific registration 

process to directly access information from a net 

work being signaled; and 

completing the particular protocol specific registra 

tion process based upon the accessed information. 

8. The wireless architecture of claim 7, wherein the 

interoperability node is registered within a service control 

point (SCP) in an American National Standards Institute 

(ANSI) network type. 

9. The wireless architecture of claim 7, wherein the 

interoperability node is registered within a signal transfer 

point (STP) in an American National Standards Institute 

(ANSI) network type. 

10. The wireless architecture of claim 7, wherein the 

interoperability node is registered within a service control 

point (SCP) in a global system for mobile communications 

(GSM) network type. 

11. The wireless architecture of claim 7, wherein the 

interoperability node is operable to complete the protocol 

specific registration process with one of the other network 

types. 

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12 

12. A wireless architecture, comprising: 

a global system for mobile communications (GSM) net 

work operable to connect to a mobile device; 

a voice network operable to connect to a mobile device; 

a data network operable to connect to the mobile device: 

and 

logic means operable on the architecture to: 

communicate with the GSM, Voice and data network; 

consolidate the registration process on the GSM, voice 

and data networks; and 

register a station with one or more of the GSM, voice and 

data networks by: identifying a particular protocol specific registration 

process from a number of protocol specific regis 

tration processes; utilizing the particular protocol specific registration 

process to directly access information from a net 

work being signaled; and 

completing the particular protocol specific registra 

tion process based upon the accessed information. 

13. The architecture of claim 12, wherein logic means 

includes logic means operable to communicate that the sta 

tion has been registered on one of the GSM, voice and data 

networks. 

14. A method for wireless operation between a voice net 

work and a data network, comprising: interfacing a global system for mobile communications 

(GSM) network, a voice network, and a data network to 

an interoperability node; 

signaling the interoperability node to register a station at 

one of the GSM, Voice and data networks: 

identifying a particular protocol specific registration pro 

cess from a number of protocol specific registration 

processes; 

utilizing the particular protocol specific registration pro 

cess to directly access information from the network at 

which the station is to be registered; completing the particular protocol specific registration 

process based upon the accessed information; and 

signaling to the interoperability node that the station has 

been registered. 

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further 

includes alerting the station that the registration has been 

achieved. 

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further 

includes transmitting a compatible registration format to the 

station. 

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