Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W64/00—Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Definitions

• the field of the invention is that of mobile telecommunications networks.
• a mobile telecommunications network such as cellular networks of GSM, GPRS, UMTS type
• users have the possibility of traveling with a mobile terminal over the entire territory covered by a network to which they have subscribed, see covered by other compatible mobile telecommunications networks, this is called roaming, while retaining their ability to communicate with the mobile telecommunications network and, through it, with the outside for services or applications telephone type or other data type applications. It is also possible that a user temporarily leaves the coverage of mobile telecommunications networks, that his terminal is switched off voluntarily or, involuntarily because of the depletion of the battery.
• the term "mobile subscriber” used in this text is a literal translation of the English term "mobile subscriber” used in the GSM / GPRS / UMTS standards of 3GPP and indicates a subscription taken out with a mobile operator which gives access to its network of mobile telecommunications.
• This subscription is identified by the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI for International Mobile Subscriber Indentity) or the mobile terminal number on the integrated service digital network (MSISDN for Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network Number).
• IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Indentity
• MSISDN Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network Number
• the MSISDN does not have to be stored in the SIM card to identify the subscription, it can be stored from a correspondence between MSISDN and IMSI in the core network.
• the term "Mobile Subscriber” refers less to the person who uses the mobile telecommunications network than to the use they make of it or is able to make of it using their mobile terminal.
• a binary state of presence of a subscriber on the mobile network is defined as follows. A mobile subscriber is present on the network when he has access to its functions and therefore can be reached by external applications (voice services, data services). Conversely, the mobile subscriber is not present, that is to say absent on the network, when he does not have access to these functions and cannot be reached by external applications.
• This second state corresponds, for example, to the switched off mobile terminal or to the mobile terminal on a part of territory not covered by the mobile telecommunication network.
• This set may include, by way of nonlimiting example, at least the presence status with two values (present, not present) as described above, the means of reaching the mobile subscriber such as his current IP address, l current activity of the subscriber (mobile in standby, in communication, in WAP transfer on an X application, etc.), the location of the subscriber, etc.
• the mobility management mechanisms existing in mobile networks generate a lot of presence information. Unfortunately, these are part of the internal functioning of the network and applications external to it do not have direct access to them in the current state of the art. Such external applications cannot therefore know a priori the state of presence of a given mobile terminal.
• the application presence consists in using an explicit action either of the user, or of a specific software or agent embedded in the mobile terminal with the application in question so that it can become aware of the presence of the user and how it can be reached.
• instant messaging applications require a registration procedure where the user must enter their name and password to be able to consider it present and reachable in the service. These actions generally result in an exchange of messages on the application protocol layers between the mobile terminal and the application server.
• the mobile telecommunications network is limited to conveying the messages sent by the terminal to the application server.
• the use of application presence has some drawbacks compared to the use of presence data which can be provided directly by the mobile telecommunications network. For example, in the case of deployment, the application presence is often based on the use of a specific client embedded or downloaded in the mobile terminal. Consequently, the service is limited in this case to the terminal having said customer.
• an object of the invention is to obtain presence information directly from the mobile telecommunications network.
• This method makes it possible to communicate a state present or not present to any application server without first having to have an agent dedicated to this server for the mobile subscriber because it is based on a reaction from the network of mobile telecommunications to a signal sending whether the present or not present state is determined.
• the distinctive signal of the mobile subscriber can be of different types.
• said first signal — is a short message sent to the mobile telecommunications network intended for the mobile subscriber.
• the first step is activated during an activation of the second step by positioning a duration as a function of the present or not present state determined in the second step.
• the method comprises a waiting step activated when the second step determines the present state so as to activate the first step after expiration of the waiting.
• said first signal consists of a node interrogation of the telecommunications network on the present or not present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the reaction of the mobile telecommunications network consists then in a response from the telecommunication network node on the present or not present state of the mobile subscriber.
• said first signal consists in positioning a detection point on a node of the telecommunications network relating to any modification of the present or not present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the reaction of the mobile telecommunications network then consists of a notification of the node of the telecommunications network relating to each modification of the present or not present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the application server can be permanently informed of the status by subscription or only if necessary by request. For a subscription, a third stage activation communicating to the application server the present state, is followed by a third stage activation communicating to the application server the non-present state when the state determined in second stage changes from present to not present.
• An object of the invention is also a system for informing an application server whether or not a mobile subscriber is present on a mobile telecommunications network.
• the system is remarkable in that it comprises: first means for sending a first signal distinctive of the mobile subscriber to the mobile telecommunications network; - of second .. means. to determine a binary state present or not present as a function of a reaction of the mobile telecommunications network to said first signal; third means for communicating to the application server the state determined by the second means.
• FIG. 1 shows the mobile telecommunications network of Figure 1 with implementation of the invention
• Figures 3 to 5 show process steps according to the invention.
• a mobile communicating device 1 communicates with a mobile telecommunication network 3 by exchanging high frequency signals with radio relays 2 connected to the mobile telecommunication network 3 by an access network infrastructure.
• An application server 4 is - linked to the mobile telecommunications network 3 by a core network infrastructure.
• the application server 4 hosts applications of the electronic messaging or other type, for which the communicating mobile devices 1 host a corresponding agent.
• An agent corresponding to an application hosted in the application server 4 is a part of an application program which, from the communicating mobile device 1, exchanges directly with the application hosted in the application server 4 via the radio relay. 2 and the mobile telecommunication network 3.
• the communicating mobile device 1 when the communicating mobile device 1 is in radio communication with the radio relay 2 of the mobile telecommunication network 3, the corresponding agent located in the communicating mobile device 1, transmits a signal to the application server 4 to notify of its presence, the application which is hosted there.
• the corresponding agent located in the communicating mobile device 1 transmits a signal to the application server 4 to notify of its presence, the application which is hosted there.
• FIG 2 there is a mobile device 'communicating 1, a radio relay 2, and a conventional mobile telecommunications network 3 such as those shown in Figure 1.
• Application servers 7, 8, host applications for which it is not necessary for the communicating mobile device 1 to contain a corresponding agent.
• a presence detection system 5 is connected, on the one hand, to the mobile telecommunications network 3 and, on the other hand, to an IP type network 6.
• the network 6 connected to the server 7, 8, allows the system 5 to communicate with these application servers.
• the system 5 interfaces with the mobile telecommunications network 3 to obtain information on the presence of the mobile subscribers by means particular which will be described later in this presentation. Interfaces with the application servers using standard protocols on the IP network, the system 5 processes requests from the various application servers in a centralized manner in order to deliver presence information to them on mobile subscribers.
• the system 5 can also perform other functions such as that of implementing techniques for optimizing access to the mobile telecommunications network by means of ante memory (cache in English), of carrying out authorization checks, issue billing tickets.
• the application servers 7, 8 use presence information which they obtain from the presence detection system 5 to provide various services to the communicating mobile device 1.
• the presence detection system 5 is capable of managing at least two types of exchange with the application servers 7, 8, implementing for each, the method now described with reference to Figures 3 and.
• FIG. 3 shows steps of the presence detection method executed in the system 5 to respond to requests for the presence of a mobile subscriber at an instant t received from an application server 7, 8.
• a step 9 of initialization in request mode triggered for example when the system 5 is put into service, places the system 5 in a listening step 10.
• the system — S is listening on the network 6, for requests received from one of the servers 7, 8.
• a transition 11 takes the system 5 from step 10 to a step 12. The transition 11 is validated by a reception of request received from one of the servers 7, 8 by the network 6.
• the request which validates the transition 11, is distinctive of the server which issued it and of the mobile terminal number MSISDN for which the server in question requests the presence state on the mobile communication network 3.
• the system 5 consults the presence state of the MSISDN. Means used by the system 5 to obtain the presence state of the MSISDN are explained later in the description.
• a present state of the MSISDN validates a transition 13.
• a validation of transition 13 takes the system 5 from step 12 to a step 15.
• the system 5 sends over the network 6, a response to the application server which issued the request, to inform it of the presence of the mobile subscriber identified by the MSISDN.
• step 16 the system 5 sends on the network 6 a response intended for the server which emitted the request to inform it of the absence or not presence of the mobile subscriber identified by the MSISDN.
• step 15 or step 16 the system 5 remains in step 10 listening pending a new request for the presence of a server for the same or another mobile subscriber.
• the request issued by the application server can also be non-specific to a given MSISDN but by type example - for request - all - the -MSL-SDN -at JJatat present.
• the response provides a list of MSISDNs present.
• FIG. 4 shows steps of the presence detection method executed by the system 5 to inform application servers 7, 8 of the state of presence of mobile subscribers permanently within the framework of a subscription.
• the system 5 listens to any new subscription received by the network 6, by a man-machine interface (not shown) connected to the system 5 to specify subscriptions from application servers and mobile subscribers or consultation of subscription tables internal to the system 5.
• a transition 19 is validated by each subscription identified for a determined server and a mobile subscriber identified by an MSISDN.
• Each transition validation 19 activates a step 20 in which the system 5 consults the presence state of the mobile subscriber identified by the MSISDN as part of the subscription having validated the transition 19.
• the system 5 loops back to the step 18 listening for any other subscription.
• a present state of the mobile subscriber validates a transition 21.
• a state not present or absent from the mobile subscriber validates a transition 22.
• a validation of the transition 21 activates a step 23 in which the system 5 sends a notification of presence of the mobile subscriber to the server concerned by the subscription.
• a validation of the transition 22 activates a step 24 in which the system 5 sends a notification of non-presence or absence to the application server concerned by the subscription.
• a new absent state validates a transition 25 and a new present state validates a transition 26.
• transition 25 activates step 24 and after step 24 transition 26 activates step 23 so that the server concerned by the subscription is constantly informed of the presence state of the mobile subscriber.
• the system 5 optionally adds to the presence notification other contextual data relating to the mobile subscriber, called presence information.
• the present embodiment describes a method for detecting the presence state of a mobile subscriber by sending invisible SMS applicable in networks of GSM / GPRS / UMTS type. Other techniques can be used to extract the presence information from the core of mobile networks 3.
• the invisible SMS technique has the advantage of being very simple to implement and compatible with all GSM / GPRS / networks.
• UMTS currently deployed. Recommendation TS 123.040 of 3 GPP, version 5.5.1 of September 2002, defines how perform a -service -of- short message- (SMS).
• chapter 9.2.2.1 describes basic types of configuration of SMS message headers to act on the mode of delivery of the message.
• the TP-DCS data coding scheme parameter. Coding-Scheme which identifies the coding scheme in the user data of the transfer protocol.
• the parameter TP-DCS contains eight bits whose recommendation 3GPP TS 23.038 defines in chapter 4, behaviors of delivery of SMS messages according to the values to zero or to one of these eight bits numbered from zero to seven.
• the inventors have selected in the 3GPP TS 23.038 V3.3.0 (2000-01) recommendation, setting the TP-DCS parameter to the hexadecimal value C0. So the value 1100 of bits 7 through
• bits 4 of the TP-DCS parameter has the effect that the mobile discards the contents of the message by presenting at most one indication to the user.
• the values of bits 2 to 0 have no particular effect for the invention, given that the value of bit 2 at zero is imposed in chapter 4 of the above-mentioned recommendation TS 23.038.
• the zero value of bits 1 and 0 relates to waiting for a voicemail message, it will be understood that any other value of bits 1 and 0 has no effect on the implementation of the invention. Selecting a value from the group of four indication bits to trigger a discard. message content and selecting the value of the indication activation bit to make 1-!
• SMS-C short message services
• An “alert-SC” procedure allows the mobile telecommunications network to inform the SMS-C of the registration in the network of a mobile subscriber who is absent at the time of sending a short message so that the latter he can try again to deliver the pending messages.
• This event notification is made through the MAP-alert-SC message sent by the HLR to the SMS-C (cf. 3 GPP TS 29.002 V3.14.0 2002-09 chapter 12.5).
• This functionality is exploited by the present invention to detect the registration of a subscriber in the network after a period of absence.
• the presence detection method uses the sending of invisible SMS to subscribers whose presence must be detected.
• the SMS-C ensures the delivery of SMS in GSM / GPRS / UMTS networks and acts as an entry point to the core of the mobile network for the presence detection system.
• the interface and the dialogue protocol between the system 5 and the SMS-C are specific to each operator (UCP and SMPP are the most common).
• an initialization step 27 specific to each MSISDN by default places the mobile subscriber concerned in an absent state defined by a step 28.
• Each activation of step 28 simultaneously activates a step 29 in which the system 5 sends an SMS to the mobile subscriber.
• the SMS is of the invisible type as defined above so as not to disturb the user of the mobile.
• the SMS indicates in header that it has a lifetime Ti at the end of which the SMS is destroyed by the SMS-C if it has not been received by the mobile subscriber. So that the SMS-C can control the reception of the message by the mobile, the SMS message is of the type with acknowledgment of receipt notified to the SMS-C by the mobile.
• Step 29 arms, together with the sending of the short message SMS, a time counter t.
• a transition 30 is validated when the time t exceeds the value i without the SMS-C having received an acknowledgment of receipt notified by the mobile.
• the validation of the transition 30 can be carried out in different ways. In a first possible way, the time counter resides in the SMS-C.
• step 35 the SMS-C according to the first way or the system 5 according to the second way explained above, arms the time counter t so as to validate a transition 36 when the time t exceeds the duration T 3 .
• a validation of one of transitions 34, 36 or 37 has the effect of disarming a previous .arming of any time counter.
• a transition - 3-7 - following "steps - ⁇ 32 - and 35, is validated when the short message is delivered to the mobile subscriber.
• a validation of the transition 37 activates steps 32 and 33 again. validation of the transition 30 to a "result of steps 28 and 29 or the transition 36 as a result of steps 32 and 35, active Repeat steps 28 and 29.
• the system 5 comprises first means which make it possible to send a signal to the mobile telecommunications network 3. It is for example a conventional type interface between the system 5 and a node of the network 3.
• the first means are of the software type designed to generate short messages with a header configured so that the short messages are not visible to the operator and trigger an acknowledgment transmission by the mobile terminal to the SMS-C upon receipt.
• the system 5 comprises second means in software, micro programmed or dedicated micro circuit form which, for example executing steps and transitions 27 to 37, determine a binary state present or not present as a function of a reaction from the mobile telecommunications network.
• the reaction of the network 3 is constituted by an acknowledgment of reception retransmitted by the SMS-C to the system 5 which, informed that the message is delivered, validates the transitions 31 and 37 which activate step 32 corresponding to the present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the reaction of the network 3 is destruction of the message by the SMS-C.
• the system 5 does not receive an acknowledgment of receipt within the expiration period or receives an acknowledgment of non-delivery, validates the corresponding transition 30 or 36 which activates step 38 corresponding to the non-present state of the mobile subscriber .
• the reaction of the network 3 is constituted by an acknowledgment of reception retransmitted by the SMS-C to the system 5 which , informed that the message is delivered, validates the transition 31 which activates step 31- corresponding to the present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the reaction of the network 3 is destruction of the message by the SMS-C.
• the system 5 does not receive an acknowledgment of receipt within the expiration time T 3 or receives an acknowledgment of non-delivery, validates the transition 36 which activates step 38 corresponding to the non-present state of the mobile subscriber.
• the lifetime i of the invisible SMS sent by the system 5 in the non-present state is of high value.
• the waiting time T 2 fixes a frequency for probing the state present by the system 5. Its value is a compromise between the need to limit the ⁇ "traffic" between the system 5 and the network 3 and the need for the application server to be rapidly informed of a mobile subscriber who leaves the present state.
• T 3 of invisible SMS sent by system 5 in the present state is of low value, a mobile subscriber present being supposed to send an acknowledgment quickly. Latency resulting from the waiting time T 2 , it is recommended to choose a lifetime T 3 less than the waiting time T 2.
• the system 5 comprising first and second technical means for extracting from the mobile telecommunications core, the state of presence of a subscriber, the system 5 finally comprises third means for communicating to the application server 7,8 the extracted state, these means for example comprising a protocol interface for transmitting, on the network 6, the presence information to the application server. ication must itself have the dual protocol interface with system 5 to make the best use of presence information.
• a short message intended for the mobile subscriber as a distinctive signal sent to the network 3 has the advantage of easy implementation. However, this is not the only distinctive signal possible.
• the VLR Visitor Location Register
• the VLR Visitor Location Register managing the subscriber then notifies the presence detection system 5 which acts in CSE according to the CAMEL nomenclature, at each change of state.
• the application servers of the IP world maintain a unique interface with the mobile communication network, namely system 5 which lists the presence and non-presence states of the mobiles. communication, thus facilitating deployment.
• system 5 by centralizing the presence information relating to mobile subscribers, provides a cache function for the application servers.
• the system 5 avoids untimely soliciting the mobile communication network when several application servers need to access the presence information.

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• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

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• 2003
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• 2004
  • 2004-07-02 US US10/564,949 patent/US20060209740A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-07-02 EP EP04767565A patent/EP1647158A2/de not_active Withdrawn
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