Multiplex communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-16
2001-05-29
Kizou, Hassan (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Special services
Conferencing
C455S416000, C455S445000, C455S456500, C455S518000, C455S519000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240069
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems and methods for establishing a group call to mobile subscribers within a group, and specifically to establishing a group call to those mobile subscribers within the group that are within a particular area.
2. Background and Objects of the Present Invention
Cellular telecommunications is one of the fastest growing and most demanding telecommunications applications ever. Today it represents a large and continuously increasing percentage of all new telephone subscriptions around the world. A standardization group, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), was established in 1982 to formulate the specifications for the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) digital mobile cellular radio system.
With reference now to
FIG. 1
of the drawings, there is illustrated a GSM Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), such as wireless network
10
, which in turn is composed of a plurality of areas
12
, each with a Mobile Services Center (MSC)
14
and an integrated Visitor Location Register (VLR)
16
therein. The MSC/VLR areas
12
, in turn, include a plurality of Location Areas (LA)
18
, which are defined as that part of a given MSC/VLR area
12
in which a mobile station (MS)
20
may move freely without having to send update location information to the MSC/VLR area
12
that controls the LA
18
. Each Location Area
12
is divided into a number of cells
22
. Mobile Station (MS)
20
is the physical equipment, e.g., a car phone or other portable phone, used by mobile subscribers to communicate with the wireless network
10
, each other, and users outside the subscribed network, both wireline and wireless.
The MSC
14
is in communication with at least one Base Station Controller (BSC)
23
, which, in turn, is in contact with at least one Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
24
. The BTS
24
is the physical equipment, illustrated for simplicity as a radio tower, that provides radio coverage to the geographical part of the cell
22
for which it is responsible. It should be understood that the BSC
23
may be connected to several BTSs
24
, and may be implemented as a stand-alone node or integrated with the MSC
14
. In either event, the BSC
23
and BTS
24
components, as a whole, are generally referred to as a Base Station System (BSS)
25
.
With further reference to
FIG. 1
, the PLMN Service Area or wireless network
10
includes a Home Location Register (HLR)
26
, 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
26
may be co-located with a given MSC
14
, integrated with the MSC
14
, or alternatively can service multiple MSCs
14
, the latter of which is illustrated in FIG.
1
.
The VLR
16
is a database containing information about all of the Mobile Stations
20
currently located within the MSC/VLR area
12
. If a MS
20
roams into a new MSC/VLR area
12
, the VLR
16
connected to that MSC
14
will request data about that Mobile Station
20
from its home HLR database
26
(simultaneously informing the HLR
26
about the current location of the MS
20
). Accordingly, if the user of the MS
20
then wants to make a call, the local VLR
16
will have the requisite identification information without having to reinterrogate the home HLR
26
. In the aforedescribed manner, the VLR and HLR databases
16
and
26
, respectively, contain various subscriber information associated with a given MS
20
.
Currently, additional subscriber services can be provided by adding an overlay to an existing cellular network
10
. One such service is a group call, which utilizes a group call services (GCS) node (not shown) to set up the group calls. A member of the group can dial a specific number associated with the group, which triggers the MSC/VLR
14
/
16
to route the call to the GCS. The GCS can then set up a call to each member of the group and tie the calls together in a manner similar to a conference call.
Conventionally, the GCS sets up a call to all group members regardless of their location. This can lead to a group conference in which the members are dispersed over a large area, which can be a disadvantage in the situation where the initiator of the group call needs to reach only members of the group within a certain area. For example, if the group is a service company and the initiator of the group call needs to get in touch with members of the group who are located near a required service area, the initiator of the group call may prefer to only set up a call to those group members close to the service area in order to facilitate a quicker response time to the problem and to avoid interrupting those group members not able to reach the desired service area.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to define and implement location-based group services within a cellular network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to telecommunications systems and methods for defining location-based group services, which can be implemented within a Group Call Services (GCS) node associated with a cellular network. When a group call is initiated, the GCS can send a positioning request to a Mobile Location Center (MLC), requesting the MLC to locate the group members within a specified area. The specified area can be defined by the group number or the location can be prompted by the GCS. For each group member, the position of the mobile terminal associated with that group member is determined, and the call is set up only to those members which meet the specified area criteria. If none can be located within the specified area, the area can be expanded at the callers request.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5293644 (1994-03-01), Barry et al.
patent: 5797100 (1998-08-01), Dettner
patent: 5943619 (1999-08-01), Coyne et al.
patent: 5953400 (1999-09-01), Rosenthal et al.
patent: 6002932 (1999-12-01), Kingdom et al.
patent: 6006097 (1999-12-01), Hornfeldt et al.
patent: 6097942 (2000-08-01), Laiho
patent: WO 95/35001 (1995-12-01), None
Alperovich Vladimir
Ray Dipankar
Ericsson Inc.
Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C.
Kizou Hassan
Mehra Inder Pal
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