Resource allocating and service providing over a wireless network

• US 20020006801A1
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Siren, Ritva
• Granted Patent: US 6,763,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/461
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A method, network element, communication device and system of allocating resources and transmitting a service to several subscribers. The system comprises a server (Srv1, Srv2) for providing a service, a wireless network (AN1-AN3) for communicating said service in channels over an air interface, and terminals (MN1, MN2) of said wireless network for receiving the service in a channel over the air interface. The system comprises a first subset of the channels allocated to individual point-to-point user channels having a single terminal as recipient, and a second subset of the channels allocated to group channels being capable of having multiple terminals as recipients.

Claims

1. A method for offering services to subscriber terminals of a wireless communication network, wherein the method comprises

allowing the users of the subscriber terminals to select between a first service to be transmitted as a point-to-point individual transmission to the subscriber terminal over the wireless network and a second service to be transmitted as group transmission to the subscriber terminal over the wireless network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first service has a certain first price and the second service has a certain second price.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second service is located at a server connected to the Internet.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first and second services are data services.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second service is one service of a set of predetermined services.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first service is any service of the user'"'"'s free choice that is available.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second service is provided to the wireless network over a data network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of allowing the user to select is done by allowing the subscriber terminal to transmit a request for a one of the first and the second service.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of allowing the user to select is done by displaying on a display of the subscriber terminal the first service as a first selectable item and the second service as a second selectable item.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises upon receiving requests for a service from different subscribers;

forming a subscriber group for a requested service;

transmitting the service to the subscribers of the formed subscriber group in a channel defined to the group for the service;

receiving service to a subscriber terminal in a channel defined to the group.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network comprises or is connected to several different wireless networks, and the step of transmitting the service over a group transmission comprises selecting a network for the transmission from the several different access networks.

12. A method according to claim 1 or 11, wherein the wireless networks comprise broadcast networks, such as DAB or DVB, and mobile communication networks with point-to-point transmission capability, such as GSM, GPRS, or UMTS.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the group forming comprises evaluating a subscription profile for each subscriber that has requested the service.

14. A method of allocating channels of a wireless network, wherein the method comprises

allocating a first subset of the channels to individual point-to-point user channels having a single recipient, and

allocating a second subset of the channels to group channels being capable of having multiple recipients.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein

said second subset of channels being allocated to a predetermined set of services, and the method further comprises

allocating a third subset of the channels to group channels being capable of having multiple recipients, said third subset of channels being for any available service, the service being freely selectable by the user until all channels of said third subset of channels are reserved by at least one user.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and second subset of the channels is allocated for services located at a server being in functional connection with the network.

17. A network element for assisting allocation and transmission of a service from a server to at least two subscribers in a network, wherein the unit comprises:

means for keeping information on available services,

means for receiving requests from subscriber terminals of a wireless network for one of said available services,

means for configuring transmission of the service over one of a group transmission and an individual point-to-point transmissions, the transmission mode being dependent on at least one of the particular service requested and information on preferred transmission mode in the request transmitted by the subscriber terminal.

18. A network element according to claim 17, wherein the network comprises or is connected to several different wireless access networks, and the network element is adapted to select a wireless access network out of a plurality of available wireless access networks.

19. A network element according to claim 17, wherein the network element is integrated or co-located with a gateway connecting a first network, to which the server is connected and a second network which is common to the wireless access networks.

20. A network element according to claim 17, wherein the network element is integrated or co-located with a server which provides the requested service.

21. A communication device for receiving an allocated service via a wireless network having a number of channels for communication over the air interface, wherein the device comprises:

means for selecting between a first service to be transmitted as a point-to-point individual transmission to the subscriber terminal over the wireless network and a second service to be transmitted as group transmission to the subscriber terminal over the wireless network, and

a transceiver for sending a request to receive one of the first and second service as a response to a performed selection.

22. A system comprising a server for providing a service, a wireless network for communicating said service in channels over an air interface, and terminals of said wireless network for receiving the service in a channel over the air interface, wherein the system comprises

a first subset of the channels allocated to individual point-to-point user channels having a single terminal as recipient, and

a second subset of the channels allocated to group channels being capable of having multiple terminals as recipients.