Mobile cellular radio

• US 20020006792A1
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratos Global Ltd. (Inmarsat PLC)
• Original Assignee: Stratos Global Ltd. (Inmarsat PLC)
• Inventors: Allaway, Andrew Wayne, Usher, Martin Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

An interface (52) is provided between a satellite telephone system (4) and a cellular telephone system (5) for allowing calls to a user'"'"'s cellular telephone to be diverted to a satellite telephone handset (25) when the user is unable to use his cellular telephone, for example when on board an aircraft (2) fitted with a satellite telephone system (20). The user inserts a card (which may be the SIM of his mobile phone, or a card compatible with existing satellite telephone equipment) into a suitable reader in the satellite telephone (20), which causes the satellite ground station'"'"'s card verification system (42) to connect to a host cellular network (50).

The host cellular network has an interface unit (520 which emulates the operation of a normal base station, so that the host cellular system (50) acts as if the mobile user'"'"'s terminal is roaming on the host network, but is currently “busy”. The interface (52) also resets the user'"'"'s existing call diversion instructions so that when the host cellular system (5) receives a busy tone from the base station emulator (52), it routes calls to the directory number of the terminal (20).

Data messages originally formatted for transmission over the cellular telecommunications network for generation of a display on a display unit of a cellular telephone, can instead be transmitted over the satellite network for display on the information and entertainment system of the aircraft by replacing the address information in the original data message by address information appropriate to the selected display unit to generate an amended data message. A new data message is created, addressed to the server of the information display system and having the amended data message as payload. The onboard server has means for converting the amended data message into control instructions suitable to display the information content of the data message on the information display unit identified in the amended data message.

Claims

1. A method of converting data messages originally formatted for transmission over a first telecommunications network for generation of a display on a display unit of a first type, such that messages can be transmitted over another telecommunications network for display by a selected display unit of a second type forming part of a server-based information display system, comprising:

replacing the address information in the original data message by address information appropriate to the selected display unit to generate an amended data message;

creating an amended data message addressed to the server of the information display system and having the amended data message as payload; and

having the server convert the amended data message into control instructions suitable to display the information content of the data message on the selected display unit.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data message is originally formatted for transmission over a cellular telephone network for display by a cellular telephone handset.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data message is generated by the cellular switching system in response to a message being deposited in a call answering system.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

prior to transmission of the amended data message to the server, creating an alerting data message indicative of the presence of the original data message, addressed to the server of the information display system, and carrying address information appropriate to the selected display unit, thereby causing the server to generate control instructions suitable to display an alerting message on the selected display unit; and

forwarding the amended original data message to the server in response to an instruction from a termination point associated with the selected display unit.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the amended data message includes password data; and

when the server receives the amended data message, the server causes the selected display unit to indicate the presence of a data message, and display data of the amended data message only if the server receives a predetermined input from a user terminal associated with the selected display unit.

6. An apparatus for converting an original data message formatted for transmission over a first telecommunications network for generation of a display on a display unit of a first type, such that information of the data message can be transmitted over another telecommunications network for display by a selected display unit of a second type forming part of a server-based information display system, comprising:

a unit configured to receive and store an address for the selected display unit; and

a unit configured to replace address information in the original data message by address information appropriate to the selected display unit and to create a message addressed to the server of the information display system and having the amended data message as a payload.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a unit configured to create an alerting data message indicative of the presence of the original data message, addressed to the server of the information display system, and carrying address information appropriate to the selected display unit to cause the server to generate control instructions suitable to display an alerting message on the information selected display unit; and

a unit configured to forward the amended data message to the selected server in response to an instruction from a termination point associated with the selected display unit.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a unit configured to generate password data that causes the server to withhold at least a portion of the information of the data message.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data message is originally formatted for transmission over a cellular telephone network for display by a cellular telephone handset.

9. A server configured for use in a first telecommunication system to receive a data message initiated in a second telecommunication system, said data message initially formatted for routing to a destination in the second telecommunication system and display on a first display type but re-routed to the server in response to identification information provided to a terminal in the first telecommunication system, said data message having been reformatted for transmission in the first telecommunication system, said server configured to further reformat the data message into control instructions suitable to display information content of the data message on a display unit of a second display type identified in the reformatted data message.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the server is further configured to cause a display unit to indicate the presence of a data message, and to respond to a predetermined input from a user terminal associated with the display unit of the second display type to display the data message, the predetermined input being a password associated with data in the data message.