Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2004-06-01
Trost, William (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S456200, C455S422100, C455S411000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745037
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for protection of a limited local area against electromagnetic radiation, in particular the electromagnetic radiation that occurs when a mobile radio terminal is transmitting. The invention further relates to a radio station and to a mobile radio terminal.
Modern cellular mobile radio systems, such as the popular GSM system, are comprised of a large number of mobile switching centers that are networked to one another and produce access to a fixed network PSTN. Furthermore, the mobile switching centers are each connected to at least one base station controller. Each base station controller is in turn connected to at least one base station (base transmitting/receiving station). Such a base station is a radio station which can set up a radio link to other radio stations, so-called mobile stations (mobile radio terminals) via a radio interface.
For the purposes of this application, the term radio station also covers a base station, a (mobile radio) transmitting/ receiving device, a base transmitting/receiving station, and a radio station which at least partially operates on the principle of a base transmitting/receiving station for one or more mobile radio systems and has appropriate transmitting, receiving and processing devices.
The physical transmission resources for the radio path are assigned to logic mobile radio channels in accordance with a defined scheme and using a multiple access method such as a TDMA, FDMA, or a CDMA method. In principle, there are two types of logic mobile radio channel: signaling channels for transmitting signaling information, and traffic channels for transmitting wanted data, i.e. useful data. The logic mobile radio channels may be assigned to a specific link between a base station and a mobile station. Data can be transmitted between the mobile stations and the base station associated with these mobile stations by means of radio-frequency electromagnetic waves.
In many cases, this may be undesirable, particularly if these electromagnetic waves can interfere with other sensitive electronic equipment. For example, it is possible for the complex electronics in modern aircraft to be interfered with by the use of mobile telephones by passengers flying in the aircraft, which may lead to difficulties in controlling the aircraft. Some airlines and regulatory agencies therefore ban the use of mobile telephones. Currently, passengers are made aware of these dangers by a corresponding announcement and they are requested not to use their mobile telephones. In most cases the mobile telephones are then switched off manually by the mobile-telephone users. This prior art procedure is very complex and, naturally, quite unreliable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method of protecting a limited local area against electro-magnetic radiation emitted by mobile radio terminals, a corresponding radio station and a mobile radio terminal, which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which allows a limited local area to be protected against electromagnetic radiation in a simple, efficient and reliable manner.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of protecting a limited local area against electro-magnetic radiation emitted by mobile radio terminals, which comprises:
emitting signaling information with a transmitting device about a location area associated with the transmitting device;
causing, upon a reception and processing in a mobile radio terminal, an emission of second signaling information for updating the location area of the mobile radio terminal;
receiving the second signaling information with a receiving device; and
processing the second signaling information for detecting mobile radio terminals that are not switched off.
The invention is accordingly based on the idea of deliberately emitting signaling information in the area to be monitored in order to synthetically create conditions which force the mobile radio terminals to be detected to transmit signaling information, and processing of this signaling information leads to detection of mobile radio terminals which are not switched off.
If a radio station transmits signaling information over the location area associated with the radio station, whose reception and processing in a mobile radio terminal forces signaling information to be emitted in order to update the location area, then it is possible for mobile radio terminals which are not switched off to be actively required to emit signaling information by means of which they can easily be detected. Already known signaling procedures can be used for this purpose.
The invention makes it possible, simply and reliably, to identify whether or not there are any mobile radio terminals that are not switched off in an area to be monitored, and allows appropriate measures to be taken to protect a limited local area against electromagnetic radiation.
Mobile radio terminals also exist which interchange information with the mobile radio system at specific time intervals even in the standby mode. For the purposes of this application, switching off thus also means that the mobile radio terminal is switched to a state in which it can no longer emit any signals which could lead to significant interference with other electronic equipment.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the processing step comprises displaying information about the mobile radio terminals that are not switched off.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the emitting step comprises emitting with the transmitting device a plurality of different signaling information items corresponding to different mobile radio systems, and the receiving step comprises receiving with the receiving device a plurality of different signaling information items corresponding to different mobile radio systems.
In other words, the radio station is operated at least partially on the principle of a base transmitting/receiving station for different mobile radio systems.
This means that the invention may be used in different countries, and mobile radio terminals of all persons and of the corresponding different mobile radio systems can be detected in monitoring areas which are generally entered by an international population (airports).
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the transmitting device transmits, after a fixed or variable time interval, signaling information about a changed location area associated with the transmitting device.
It is thus possible even for a mobile radio terminal which has already been detected and is switched on again after having first been switched off to emit signaling information relating to the change in the location area.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the transmitting device and/or the receiving device is/are not connected to switching centers.
Advantageously, the radio station operates at least partially on the principle of a base transmitting/receiving station of a mobile radio system that is not to be connected to switching centers. This means that the radio station can be designed to be technically very simple, cheap, and even to be portable.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the transmitting device and the receiving device are integrated in a base transmitting/receiving station which at least partially operates on a principle of different mobile radio systems.
In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the signaling information emitted by the transmitting device is received only with those mobile radio terminals that have a specific physical relationship with the transmitting device.
This has the advantage that the only mobile radio terminals which are detected are those located in the area monitored by the invention.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the method further compr
Neumann Peter
Sasse Jörg
Greenberg Laurence A.
Le Danh
Locher Ralph E.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Stemer Werner H.
LandOfFree
Method of protecting a limited local area against... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of protecting a limited local area against..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of protecting a limited local area against... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3312354