Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Auxiliary data signaling
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-20
2001-02-13
Bost, Dwayne D. (Department: 2744)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Auxiliary data signaling
C455S517000, C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188909
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a communicator comprising means for displaying and processing an information card containing information, and means for sending the information on the information card, using radio communication, when the transmission includes an information card identifier and a destination identifier. The present invention also concerns a method for forming a transmission message from the information on the information card, wherein the information on the information card, the information card identifier, and the destination identifier are placed in the transmission message.
In digital mobile communications systems, as in the GSM system, it is possible to send so-called short messages. In the GSM system, this is known as the SMS (Short Message Service). Thus, in addition to telephone calls and data transfer, the GSM system also provides, in the form of a short message service, a paging system-like service. However, the short message service known from the GSM system is considerably more advanced than an ordinary paging system. By means of a mobile station, text messages can be both received from and transmitted to a second mobile station. One of the advantages of the short message service of the GSM system is also that the short message can be sent or received at the same time as an ordinary circuit-coupled communication is open, e.g., during a call. Thus, the sending of a short message does not keep the mobile station engaged in case of a possible incoming call.
The advantage of short messages as compared to telephone calls is that they can be sent to a receiver although the receiver cannot be contacted at the time the message is being transmitted. This has been implemented by dividing the transmission of the short message, from a first mobile station to a second mobile station, into two parts as illustrated in FIG.
1
: from a transmitting mobile station MS
1
to a SM-SC (Short Message Service Centre), wherein the short message is stored and sent further to the actual destination, i.e., to a receiving mobile station MS
2
, as soon as contacted. In
FIG. 2
, the connection of the short message service centre SM-SC to a mobile station system has been illustrated in more detail. Below, the transmission and flow of short messages between different interfaces, known for prior art, will be discussed by referring to
FIGS. 1-5
.
The structure of a mobile station system and connections for transmitting short messages are illustrated in FIG.
2
. Mobile stations MS are connected to base stations BTS by means of radio communication. The base stations BTS are further connected, through a so-called Abis interface, to a base station controller BSC, which controls and manages several base stations. The entity formed by a number of base stations BTS (typically, by a few dozen base stations) and a single base station controller BSC, controlling the base stations, is called a base station system BSS. Particularly, the base station controller BSC manages radio communication channels and handovers. On the other hand, the base station controller BSC is connected, through a so-called A interface, to a mobile services switching centre MSC, which co-ordinates the formation of connections both from and to mobile stations. A further connection is made, through the mobile service switching centre MSC, to outside the mobile communications network. The aforementioned short message service centre SM-SC is coupled to the mobile services switching centre MSC.
When a user wants to send a short message by means of the mobile station MS
1
(FIG.
1
), he/she writes a message to be transmitted (using a user interface of the mobile station) and gives the phone number of the mobile station MS
2
, i.e., an identifier of the mobile station MS
2
, whereto the message is going to be transmitted. In addition, the mobile station should have the contact information, i.e., the phone number of the short message service centre SM-SC. Normally, this has been stored in the memory of the mobile station, in which case it is not necessary to separately input the phone number in connection with the sending of each short message. Thus, when sending a short message, the message goes from the mobile station MS to the base station BTS, and from there, through the base station controller BSC and the mobile services switching centre MSC, further to the short message service centre SM-SC. The short message is stored at the short message service centre SM-SC, wherefrom it will be sent further to the receiving mobile station MS
2
, in which case the route of the message is the same as in transmission, but in the opposite direction. The short message service centre SM-SC will be informed whether or not the mobile station MS
2
has received the short message. Thus, it can re-send the short message, if the mobile station MS
2
has not received it for some reason.
By means of the short message service SMS of the GSM system, it is possible to send, at a time, a message the maximum length of which is 160 characters. The characters are seven-bit ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) characters and, therefore, the maximum length of a message in bits is 1,120 bits, i.e., 140 bytes. Ordinary mobile stations, as the one illustrated in
FIG. 3
, have a small display and an advanced keyboard by means of which it is possible to write short messages, i.e., input different types of alpha-numeric characters. The received message is displayed on the display of the mobile station, which enables the display of alpha-numeric characters, as illustrated in FIG.
3
.
As is well known, transmissions in the GSM system have been divided into frames. When the length of a message to be transmitted exceeds the permissible maximum length of a frame FR, the message M must be segmented into parts M
1
-M
4
, and sent in several frames FR
1
-FR
4
, as illustrated in
FIG. 4
a.
In reception, the mobile station reconstructs the message M, divided into several frames FR
1
-FR
4
, as illustrated in
FIG. 4
b.
At a radio interface (FIG.
2
), the maximum length of a frame is normally 168 or 184 bits and, therefore, a short message, the maximum length of which is 1,120 bits, must be segmented into several frames.
FIG. 5
illustrates a frame, a so-called LAPDm frame (Link Access Protocol for the Dm channel), to be transmitted at a radio interface, which has normally been divided into three fields. The first field is an address field ADD, which contains the address of the destination of the message (i.e., a receiving mobile station identifier), given in several bytes. In the GSM system, signalling messages are also transmitted within corresponding LAPDm frames. In radio communication, there can simultaneously be two message flows independent of each other: signalling messages and short messages. These two different flows are separated from each other by means of a service access point identifier SAPI to be added to the address field ADD. Its value can be 3, indicating signalling, or 0, indicating a short message. The second field is a control field CTRL, which contains the sending frame and receiving frame numbers N(S) and N(F). The third field is a data field INFO, containing the actual information, which contains a maximum of 168 bits of information, i.e., the contents of the actual short message.
As illustrated in
FIG. 3
, the user interface of present mobile stations is rather limited, because it has mainly been designed for calls. At present, communicators are being developed which, in addition to ordinary mobile station functions, also have data processing facilities, which enable, e.g., the maintenance of a notebook, and the sending of a fax message and electronic mail. This type of communicator has been presented in Patent Publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,656, comprising a user interface having a traditional alpha-numeric keyboard-like keyboard with which it is easier to type, e.g., text messages. In the publication in question, the keyboard has been implemented by means of a touch display.
Publication WO 94/23394 pres
Alanara Seppo
Decker Peter
Gustafsson Patrik
Isomursu Pekka
Kaartinen Kalevi
Bost Dwayne D.
Gelin Jean A
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
Perman & Green LLP
LandOfFree
Communication network terminal supporting a plurality of... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Communication network terminal supporting a plurality of..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Communication network terminal supporting a plurality of... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2609386