Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Special service
Utility Patent
1998-11-25
2001-01-02
Eisenzopf, Reinhard J. (Department: 2745)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Special service
C455S517000, C455S185100, C455S001000, C340S905000
Utility Patent
active
06169894
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to telecommunication systems, and more particularly, to an apparatus, method and system for mobile or wireless broadcast of information specific to a geographic region or locality.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Commuters and travelers often receive radio broadcasts for a large, metropolitan area. These broadcasts may contain information pertinent to such an entire metropolitan area, such as traffic reports during rush hour. These traffic reports, however, typically cover an entire metropolitan area, and are only available during specific broadcast intervals, such as every ten minutes. Such information is also typically very general, and may not specifically pertain or apply to the precise area in which the commuter or traveler is currently, at that moment in time.
A typical broadcast in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, for example, may include general traffic information for portions of freeways and highways in and out of downtown Chicago, along with information pertaining to traffic along highways in the suburbs and the greater tri-state area. Other geographic areas within the broadcast region of metropolitan Chicago, however, may not receive any information specifically pertinent to their geographic region. For example, a commuter in Gary, Indiana will typically receive Chicago traffic information, not traffic information relevant to the stretches of highway within the city of Gary.
In addition, such information is typically quite general, and does not include information for smaller geographic regions. For example, a commuter may want to know that traffic along a local main road is particularly slow, whereas this information is completely irrelevant to a commuter as little as a few miles away.
As a consequence, a need remains for an apparatus, method and system that may provide or broadcast information to a given geographic region, in which the information is also specific to that geographic region. Such information may include geographically specific information such as traffic reports, sightseeing interests, weather conditions, or any other information specific to the local geographic region. Such an apparatus, method and system should also provide different or varying information from region to region. In addition, such an apparatus, method and system should be user friendly, user transparent, cost effective, and capable of implementation in existing communication systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, geographically specific information is broadcast over specific channels within a specific geographic region, such as within the broadcast region of a specific cellular transceiver. Such information will, in general, vary from region to region, and will vary over time. When accessed, such information is broadcast to mobile units, such as cellular telephones, which are within the given region at any given time. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, such access and broadcast are user initiated, by the user dialing a specific sequence or number designated by the service provider for this particular type of service.
The various embodiments of the present invention allow multiple mobile units to utilize the same broadcast channel having the geographically specific information in the given region. As a consequence, to avoid potential interference, in the preferred embodiments the reverse (transmit) voice channels of such mobile units are muted, and other multiparty features disabled, during such broadcast sessions.
Specific hand-off procedures are also provided, as a mobile unit may traverse multiple geographic regions and receive different and varied information during any particular broadcast session. In addition, depending upon whether a given geographic region provides such a broadcast, a hand-off procedure may not occur, with the broadcast channel retained by the current transmitter.
The preferred system for mobile broadcast of information specific to a geographic region includes, first, a plurality of serving sites located in a corresponding plurality of geographic areas, the plurality of serving sites having a first serving site, with a switching center coupled via a plurality of trunk lines to the plurality of serving sites. The switching center, when operative, includes program instructions to receive from the first serving site a first request from a first mobile unit for an information broadcast feature in a first geographic area served by the first serving site, such as the reception of a designated feature code entered by a user. The switching center then determine whether a broadcast channel providing the information broadcast feature is currently in use in the first geographic area; and when the broadcast channel is not currently in use in the first geographic area, the switching center connects a trunk line having the requested information broadcast feature to the broadcast channel and directs the first serving site to provide power to a transmitter in the first serving site. The switching center includes further instructions to direct the first serving site to transmit a directive to the first mobile unit to a frequency of the broadcast channel in the first geographic area, and to mute a transmit voice channel of the first mobile unit.
The switching center includes further instructions to monitor whether any mobile unit of a plurality of mobile units is receiving the broadcast channel in the first geographic area, such as by keeping a count of receiving mobile units, and when there are no mobile units of the plurality of mobile units receiving the broadcast channel in the first geographic area, to direct the first serving site to remove power to the transmitter of the broadcast channel in the first serving site.
For a potential hand-off, the switching center also includes further instructions to monitor the SAT signal strength of the first mobile unit. When the SAT signal strength of the first mobile unit received by the first serving site is below a predetermined level, the switching center includes further instructions to transmit a request to a plurality of adjacent serving sites of the plurality of serving sites, in a corresponding plurality of geographic areas, to determine the SAT signal strength of the first mobile unit as received by a corresponding transceiver within each of the plurality of adjacent serving sites; to select an adjacent serving site of the plurality of adjacent serving sites as a target serving site, and when selected, to transmit a hand-off directive to the target serving site; the switching center including further instructions to determine a second broadcast channel providing an information broadcast feature in a second geographic area served by the target serving site, and to direct the first serving center to transmit a directive to the first mobile unit to a frequency of the second broadcast channel.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
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McCormick Mark Alan
Williams Leslie Joseph
Appiah Charles N.
Eisenzopf Reinhard J.
Gamburd Nancy R.
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
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