Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Special service
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-09-25
Trost, William (Department: 2746)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Special service
C455S414200, C455S413000, C455S418000, C455S419000, C455S422100, C455S550100, C455S406000, C455S421000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295447
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Mobile wireless communication is becoming increasingly important for providing safety, convenience, improved productivity, and simple conversational pleasure to subscribers of wireless communications services. One prominent mobile wireless communication option is cellular communication. Cellular phones, for instance, can be found in cars, briefcases, purses, and even pockets. With the proliferation of cellular phone use, cellular phone subscribers are clamoring for new features. However, for cellular phone system providers to offer cellular phone subscribers new services, cellular wireless networks must typically be adapted (e.g., modified or augmented) before subscribers are given access to new and/or expanded services.
Referring now to
FIG. 1
of the drawings, an exemplary cellular wireless network, such as a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)
100
, will be described. The PLMN
100
is composed of a plurality of areas
105
, each with a Mobile Services Switching Center (MSC)
110
and an integrated Visitor Location Register (VLR)
115
therein. The MSC/VLR areas
105
, in turn, include a plurality of Location Areas (LA)
120
, which are defined as that part of a given MSC/VLR area
105
in which a Mobile Station (MS) (terminal)
125
may move freely without having to send update location information to the MSC/VLR
110
that controls the LA
120
. Each LA
120
is divided into a number of cells
130
. The MS
125
is the physical equipment, e.g., a car phone, a computer with a wireless link, or other portable phone, used by mobile subscribers to communicate with the cellular network
100
, each other, and users outside the subscribed network, both wireline and wireless.
The MSC
110
is in communication with at least one Base Station Controller (BSC)
135
, which, in turn, is in contact with at least one Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
140
. The BTS
140
is the physical equipment, illustrated for simplicity as a radio tower, that provides radio coverage to the geographical part of the cell
130
for which it is responsible. It should be understood that the BSC
135
may be connected to several base transceiver stations
140
, and may be implemented as a stand-alone node or integrated with the MSC
110
. In either event, the BSC
135
and the BTS
140
components, as a whole, are generally referred to as a Base Station System (BSS)
145
.
With further reference to
FIG. 1
, the PLMN Service Area or wireless network
100
includes a Home Location Register (HLR)
150
, which is a database maintaining all subscriber information, e.g., user profiles, current location information, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers, and other administrative information. The HLR
150
may be co-located with a given MSC
110
, integrated with the MSC
110
, or alternatively can service multiple MSCs
110
, the latter of which is illustrated in FIG.
1
.
The VLR
115
is a database containing information about all of the Mobile Stations
125
currently located within the MSC/VLR area
105
. If an MS
125
roams into a new MSC/VLR area
105
, the VLR
115
connected to that MSC
110
will request data about that MS
125
from the HLR database
150
(simultaneously informing the HLR
150
about the current location of the MS
125
). Accordingly, if the user of the MS
125
then wants to make a call, the local VLR
115
will have the requisite identification information without having to reinterrogate the HLR
150
. In the aforedescribed manner, the VLR and HLR databases
115
and
150
, respectively, contain various subscriber information associated with a given MS
125
.
Increasingly, mobile service subscribers are using their MS
125
as much as, or even more than, a traditional wireline phone. As a result, wireless service subscribers are demanding value-added features from their wireless communication systems providers. Examples of such features include voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, call barring, and multi-party calling services. Existing wireless communication systems, however, are deficient inasmuch as such systems only offer subscribers the ability to turn any available service either on or off. The service options heretofore available cannot be configured or tailored further according to a subscriber's desires or needs.
Because the competition between telecommunication providers is increasing at a rapid pace, network operators are looking for new and innovative services which will distinguish their network from the ones of their competitors. The present invention provides flexible and innovative features that today's customers expect and demand by providing a common framework for configurable features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The deficiencies of the prior art are overcome by the method and system of the present invention. For example, as heretofore unrecognized, it would be beneficial if subscribers could tailor a feature as desired, instead of merely being able to turn a feature option on or off. In fact, it would be beneficial if subscribers could specify one or more conditions such that when an associated logical expression is evaluated to “TRUE”, a specified action of a given feature is undertaken.
The present invention achieves these beneficial objectives with a method and system in which a subscriber may subscribe to one or more (e.g., a set of) features (e.g., such as SSs) with a telecommunications provider (e.g., a wireless service provider). The subscriber may turn “ON” all or a subset of the total set of features. In this context, turning a feature “ON” implies that the feature is ready to be executed. Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, the subscriber may specify one or more parameters (e.g., conditions) under which a given feature is to be executed. When a call event occurs, the relevant telecommunications network evaluates a logical expression that includes variables corresponding to each of the specified conditions.
If (i) the specified conditions (regardless of whether the number of specified conditions is one, ten, etc.) are such that the logical expression for the given feature is “TRUE” and (ii) the feature is “ON”, then the network executes the feature and may further perform a specified task related to the executed feature. If (i) one or more of the specified conditions are such that the logical expression is not “TRUE” or (ii) the given feature is not “ON”, then the network does not execute the feature. The network preferably evaluates a logical expression at least for each feature to which the subscriber has subscribed and that the subscriber has turned “ON”. In an alternative embodiment, the network evaluates a logical expression directed toward specified conditions only after determining that a given feature is turned “ON”.
The above-described and other features of the present invention are explained in detail hereinafter with reference to the illustrative examples shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the described embodiments are provided for purposes of illustration and understanding and that numerous equivalent embodiments are contemplated herein.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5966653 (1999-10-01), Joensuu et al.
patent: 6055424 (2000-04-01), Tornqvist et al.
patent: 6131024 (2000-10-01), Boltz
Bilger Jeff
Reichelt Martin
Ericsson Inc.
Ferguson Keith
Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C.
Trost William
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