Patent ID: 7860520

Claim:
A method for issuing paging messages, comprising: determining, by a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)/Visited Location Register (VLR), whether an Access Restriction Data (ARD) information of a Mobile Station (MS) is stored in the VLR, wherein the ARD information indicates types of networks accessed by the MS; if the ARD information is stored in the VLR, determining, by the MSC/VLR, the types of networks accessed by the MS according to the ARD information stored in the VLR; if the ARD information is not stored in the VLR, inquiring, by the MSC/VLR, about a version information submitted by the MS; determining that the MS accesses a Second Generation Mobile Communication System network (2G network) if the version of the MS is the one before R99; inquiring, by the MSC/VLR, about an access capability of the MS in a data structure for storing attributes of the MS in the VLR according to an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)/Mobile Station International Integrated Service Digital Network Number (MSISDN) of the MS if the version of the MS is the R99 or the one after R99; and determining that the MS only accesses the 2G network if the MS is only capable of accessing the 2G network; determining that the MS only accesses a Third Generation Mobile Communication System network (3G network) if the MS is only capable of accessing the 3G network; and determining that the MS accesses both the 2G and 3G networks if the MS is capable of accessing both the 2G and 3G networks, wherein the data structure for storing the attributes of MS in the VLR comprises IMSI number, the MSISDN, subscription information, and the access capability; issuing, by the MSC/VLR, paging messages on a Base Station Controller (BSC) and terminating the process if the MS only accesses the 2G network; issuing, by the MSC/VLR, paging messages on a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and terminating the process if the MS only accesses the 3G network; and issuing, by the MSC/VLR, paging messages on both the BSC and RNC if the MS accesses both the 2G network and the 3G network.