Method and system for the control of voting by telephone

• US 20010005670A1
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Published: 06/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teliasonera Finland Oyj (Telia Company AB)
• Original Assignee: Teliasonera Finland Oyj (Telia Company AB)
• Inventors: Lahtinen, Pasi
• Granted Patent: US 6,768,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/2.01
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1041 Televoting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling

Abstract

A system and method for controlling telephone voting in a digital mobile communication network that includes a plurality of mobile subscriber communication stations provides for automated, statistically-appropriate control of telephonic voting via such mobile stations. Using a polling server, a predetermined initial proportion of the mobile stations is authorized to concurrently transmit a vote by transmitting a voting authorization to the authorized mobile stations over a control channel from the polling server. A voting application stored in or associated with each mobile station monitors the control channel and enables transmission of a vote from a mobile station only after the authorization has been received by that mobile station. The invention thereby accommodates and assures the staggered transmission of votes in a telephonic poll so as to avoid overloading of the network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling telephonic voting in a digital mobile communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations through which voting is carried out from the mobile stations, comprising the steps of:

calculating, by a polling server connected to the network, a statistical reliability of the telephonic voting, and determining from the calculated statistical reliability a proportion of the plural mobile stations to be concurrently authorized to transmit a vote to the polling server;

transmitting, over a predetermined control channel, a voting authorization to the mobile stations in said determined proportion of the plural mobile stations; and

using a voting application of the plural mobile stations, monitoring the predetermined control channel and enabling transmission of a vote from an authorized mobile station when the voting authorization has been received by the authorized mobile station as determined by the channel-monitoring voting application.

2. A method in accordance with

claim 1

, wherein the predetermined control channel is a Cell Broadcast channel.

3. A method in accordance with

claim 1

, wherein the transmitted voting authorization is provided using a predetermined protocol.

4. A method in accordance with

claim 1

, further comprising the step of transmitting, from an authorized mobile station, a vote as one of a Short Message Service message and an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message.

5. A method in accordance with

claim 1

, wherein the digital mobile communication network comprises a GSM network.

6. A system for controlling telephonic voting in a digital mobile communication network that includes a plurality of mobile stations through which voting is carried out from the mobile stations, comprising:

a polling server connected to the network for calculating a statistical reliability of the telephonic voting and for determining, from the calculated statistical reliability, a proportion of the plural mobile stations to be concurrently authorized to transmit a vote to the polling server;

a control channel for transmitting a voting authorization to the mobile stations in said determined proportion of the plural mobile stations; and

a voting application of the plural mobile stations for monitoring the control channel and enabling transmission of a vote from an authorized mobile station when the voting authorization has been received by the authorized mobile station as determined by the channel-monitoring voting application.

7. A system in accordance with

claim 6

, wherein the control channel comprises a Cell Broadcast channel.

8. A system in accordance with

claim 6

, wherein the transmitted voting authorization is provided using a predetermined protocol.

9. A system in accordance with

claim 6

, wherein a vote is transmitted from an authorized mobile station using one of a Short Message Service message and an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message.

10. A system in accordance with

claim 6

, wherein the digital mobile communication network comprises a GSM network.