Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Programming control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-04
2001-04-10
Urban, Edward F. (Department: 2746)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Programming control
C455S519000, C455S551000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215994
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward programming of mobile communication stations and, more particularly, toward programming mobile stations with user specific information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Programming of mobile stations is fairly well known. Upon purchasing a mobile station (e.g., a cellular phone), the user generally takes the phone to a service provider (Cellular One, U.S. Cellular, etc.) to have it activated. Upon the user opening an account, the service provider will program the user's phone with NAM (Number Assignment Module) information to configure the phone to operate within the system provided by the service provider. Once activated, if the user wishes to add enhanced features offered by the service provider, or to delete enhanced features for which the user has already subscribed, the user must take the mobile station to the service provider and have the enhanced features added to, or deleted from, his/her account.
Mobile stations also generally have the ability to receive NAM information over the air via an R-Data transport mechanism. NAM information is generally categorized into various levels, with only certain information transmittable, for security and other reasons, to the mobile station over the air. Transmission of NAM information over the air is not level dependent, but rather depends on the particular type of NAM information being sent. As previously noted, the NAM information generally controls how the mobile station interacts and accesses the cellular communication system within which it operates, such as, but not limited to, an IS-136 system.
For instance, a user purchasing a mobile station (e.g., a cellular phone) from a vendor may wish to activate his/her phone without having to physically take the phone to a service provider (Cellular One, U.S. Cellular, etc.) for activation. The service provider's service shop may be located geographically too far away from the user, or the user may simply not have the time to take the phone in and have it activated. The user has the option of contacting the service provider by phone, other than the purchased cellular phone, providing a credit card number and having the service provider activate their cellular phone over the air. Activation consists of the service provider basically downloading, over the air, the NAM information configuring the phone to interact within its system. This saves the user the time and inconvenience of having to physically travel to the service provider's service shop. Certain of the downloaded NAM information may also be changed in a similar manner. However, as previously noted, not all NAM information is transmittable over the air.
In the case of a company providing mobile stations such as cellular phones to its employees for work use, the company may not wish the employee to originate or receive calls when the employee takes a mobile station out of its home system, i.e., is roaming. Alternatively, the company may wish the employee to originate or receive only certain calls when the employee takes a mobile station out of its home system. Currently, the company must instruct the employee to physically bring the mobile station in to its service shop to have the mobile station reconfigured accordingly, since this type of user preference information is menu driven. This may provide great inconvenience to both the company and employees who are remotely located.
The same inconvenience is present for parents who may purchase mobile stations for their family members, i.e., their children. The parent of a child who is away at college and who is abusing his/her parents' generosity by making 900# calls, long distance calls, and the like, may have no choice other than to continue incurring these charges or have the service provider disable the phone. Since mobile stations are extremely helpful in emergency situations where a person may not have access to a conventional wire-line telephone, a parent may be hesitant in having the phone disabled, and may simply continue incurring the charges rung up by his/her child.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-mentioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A mobile station is provided for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, the mobile station including a memory storing user preference information a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information, and a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal.
In one form, the receiver is adapted to receive over-the-air information signals across an R-data transport network.
In another form, the user preference information stored in the memory includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, and the user preference program is adapted to change the group phone number information and to change the standard phone number information responsive to a received user information signal.
In other forms, the group phone number information stored in the memory includes group phone numbers and alphanumeric identifiers associated with each group phone number.
In another form, the group phone number information further includes a roam receive enable flag and a roam origination enable flag for each group phone number, the roam receive enable flag selectively enabling/disabling receipt of a call at the mobile station from the group phone number with which it is associated, and the roam origination enable flag selectively enabling/disabling origination of a call at the mobile station to the group phone number with which it is associated.
In other forms, the standard phone number information stored in the memory includes standard phone numbers and alphanumeric identifiers associated with each standard phone number.
In another form, the user preference program is also adapted to add and delete group phone numbers to the memory responsive to a received user information signal.
In still another form, a preselected amount of the memory is allocated for storing the group phone number information, and the user preference program is adapted to increase the selected amount of memory allocated responsive to a received user information signal with added group phone numbers.
In yet another form, the user preference information stored in the memory includes receive lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station's ability to receive incoming calls, and dial lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station's ability to place outgoing calls, and the user preference program is adapted to change the receive lock and dial lock user preference information responsive to a received user preference signal.
A system is also provided for selectively controlling the ability of a mobile station to place and/or receive calls, the system including a master control unit selectively activatible for transmitting an over-the-air information signal including select user preference information defining the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls. A mobile station remote from the master control unit includes a memory storing user preference information for the mobile station, a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal from the master control unit, and a user preference program adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to select user preference information received in an over-the-air information signal from the master control unit.
In one form, the master control unit transmits the over-the-air information signal across an R-data transport network.
In another form, the user preference information includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, and the user preference program is adapted to change the group phone number informatio
Gahagen Thomas
Schmidt Paul
Ericsson Inc.
Jackson Blano J.
Urban Edward F.
Wood Phillips VanSanten Clark & Mortimer
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