Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Usage measurement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-29
2001-12-18
Bost, Dwayne (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Usage measurement
C455S406000, C455S445000, C455S567000, C379S373040
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to wireless communication systems; and more particularly to a wireless communication system in which a distinctive ringing is employed to notify the user of a mobile unit of an increased billing rate that will be applied to an incoming call.
2. Related Art
Cellular wireless communication systems are generally known in the art to facilitate wireless communications within respective service coverage areas. Such wireless communication systems include a “network infrastructure” that facilitates the wireless communications with mobile units operating within a service coverage area. The network infrastructure typically includes a plurality of base stations dispersed throughout the service coverage area, each of which supports wireless communications within a respective cell (or set of sectors). The base stations couple to base station controllers (BSCs), with each BSC serving a plurality of base stations. Each BSC couples to a mobile switching center (MSC) which also couples to the PSTN, the Internet and/or to other MSCs.
A wireless mobile unit operating within the service coverage area communicates with one or more of the base stations. The base stations route the communications to the MSC via a serving BSC. The MSC routes the communications to another subscribing wireless unit via a BSC/base station path (which may be the same BSC/base station path when the communications are with another subscribing unit serviced by the same base station) or via the PSTN/Internet/other network to a terminating destination.
Various operating standards have been developed to standardize wireless communications. The wireless communication operating standards include, for example, the Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) standards, the Global Standards for Mobile Communications (GSM), the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Standards and the Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) standards. A standard that is employed in North America for interconnectivity of MSCs is the IS-41 standard. These operating standards set forth the technical requirements that facilitate compatible operation between equipment of differing vendors.
With advances in the structure and operation of modern wireless communication systems, the mobility provided by such systems has also advanced. For example, the user of a mobile unit may roam within most areas in the United States and be supported by a local wireless communication system. In such roaming operation, the user may access the local wireless communication system simply by operating his or her mobile unit as he or she would within his or her own service area. The local wireless communication system will service the call from or to the mobile unit. Thus, mobility has become essentially seamless to the user.
When roaming, however, the fee structure is altered for most mobile unit users. Roaming fees are typically charged on a usage basis when a mobile unit is outside of its “Home Zone” or when a call is terminated to the mobile unit outside of its Originating Rate Center. Further, toll charges are typically assessed for incoming calls that are routed to a roaming mobile unit. However, even when a user is roaming, roaming and toll charges are not always applied. For example, when the call originates from a roamer access port or another mobile unit, toll charges are often not assessed. Further, when a mobile unit receives a call from another mobile unit, roaming charges are not always applied. When receiving an incoming call, the user does not know whether toll charges will be applied or whether roaming fees will apply. It is not until the user receives his or her bill that this information is learned. Thus, the user has no control over these charges and no particular knowledge of when these charges will be assessed.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a wireless communication system in which a user has control over charges that will be applied to his or her usage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, to overcome the shortcomings of the prior systems, among other shortcomings, a wireless communication system constructed according to the present invention determines whether an increased billing rate that includes roaming fees or toll charges will be applied to an incoming call terminated to a mobile unit and provides a distinctive ringing when an increased billing rate will be applied. Typically, these charges will be applied when the mobile unit is operating outside of its Home Zone or when the mobile unit terminates a call outside of its Originating Rate Center. The user of the mobile unit may then elect to receive the call based upon the knowledge that an increased billing rate will be applied.
A wireless communication system constructed according to the present invention includes an originating mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), a serving MSC and supporting infrastructure for each MSC. Such supporting infrastructure includes a plurality of base station controllers (BSC) and a plurality of base stations. The base stations support wireless communications within respective cells to service mobile units operating in the cells.
In an operation according to the present invention, an originating mobile switching center determines an Originating Rate Center ID of an incoming call intended for a serviced mobile unit. The originating mobile switching center sends a locate request to a home location register that serves the mobile unit, the locate request including the Originating Rate Center ID. In response, the home location register forwards the Originating Rate Center ID to a serving mobile switching center in a route request.
The serving mobile switching center previously obtained the mobile unit's service profile, the service profile including the Home Zone ID and directives relating to how and when to provide distinctive ringing during call termination. One directive may require that a distinctive ringing (of a particular ring cadence) be applied when a call is terminated to the mobile unit outside of the Originating Rate Center. Another directive may require that a distinctive ringing (of a particular ring cadence) be applied when a call is terminated to the mobile unit outside of the Home Zone of the mobile unit.
In response to the route request, the serving mobile switching center pages the mobile unit and the mobile unit responds to the page. Based upon the location of the mobile unit within a respective service area, the serving mobile switching center determines whether an increased billing rate will be applied to the call. If an increased billing rate will be applied, the serving mobile switching center causes a distinctive ringing to be provided to the mobile unit. This distinctive ringing will be provided according to the directives stored in the visitor location register of the serving mobile switching center. If regular charges will be applied, a normal ringing is provided during the alert.
By specifying a particular ring cadence that will be provided to the mobile unit when a call at an increased billing rate will be terminated to the mobile unit, the mobile unit may roam to any serving mobile switching center and receive the same distinctive ringing for increased billing rate calls. Thus, the user will be presented with a consistent operation when an increased billing rate applies. Alternatively, a differing ring cadence may be applied for calls that are terminated outside of the Originating Rate Center as compared to calls that are terminated outside of the mobile unit's Home Zone. When differing billing rates apply thereto, the user of the mobile unit will be presented with multiple distinctive ring cadences for the differing increased billing calls.
Moreover, other aspects of the present invention will become apparent with further reference to the drawings and specification which follow.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4726056 (1988-02-01), An et al.
patent: 5090501 (1992-02-01), Muppidi et al.
patent: 5148472 (1992-09-01), Freese et al.
patent: 5315637 (1994-05-01),
Bost Dwayne
Contee Joy K.
Garlick Bruce
Harrison James
Nortel Networks Limited
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