Method of transmitting area-specific information on a telecommunications network

• US 20030092450A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vainikka, Jari, Juppi, Anssi
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

A method of transmitting area-specific information on a telecommunications network. The invention comprises at least one element, e.g., a weather probe, which is external to the telecommunications system and transmits local information to the telecommunications system, which independently determines in which at least one node the information should be transmitted and, after the determination, transmits this information to at least one subscriber terminal via at least one node.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information to a number of subscribers (3-4) of a telecommunications network, each of whom have a subscriber terminal (MS), which is connected to at least one node of the telecommunications network the method comprising transmitting information to the subscribers via nodes of the telecommunications network, characterized by

dividing the area covered by the telecommunications network into a number of sub-areas (AREA_—

1 . . . AREA_N);

said information being sub-area-specific information (AREA 1 . . . AREA N);

maintaining

information indicating on which sub-areas (AREA 1 . . . AREA N) the subscribers have ordered information (3-8);

information indicating to which sub-area (AREA 1 . . . AREA N) the subscriber terminals of said subscribers are connected at a given time (3-6);

information indicating the correspondence between each node and each sub-area (3-6); and

determining on the basis of said information via which nodes said sub-area-specific information is to be transmitted.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the telecommunications network is a mobile communication network, and the nodes are network elements which define cells of the coverage area of a base station.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sub-area-specific information is produced by several local transmitters (LT) and that a database (DB) indicates the local transmitter (LT) in the area of which the subscribers are.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sub-area-specific information (3-8) comprises information of different kinds and that said database (DB) also comprises information on the type of information said subscribers have ordered.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sub-area-specific information comprises information related to several time periods and said database (DB) also contains information on the period on which said subscribers has ordered information.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information is transmitted on a broadcast channel.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the information is transmitted as a group transmission.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the information is transmitted using a Mobile IP protocol.

9. An apparatus for transmitting information to a number of subscribers (3-4) of a telecommunications network, the apparatus being arranged to transmit information via nodes of the telecommunications system, characterized in that the apparatus is arranged to

divide the area covered by the telecommunications network into a number of sub-areas (AREA_—

1 . . . AREA_N);

maintain

information indicating on which sub-areas (AREA_—

1 . . . AREA_N) the subscribers have ordered information (3-8), said information being sub-area-specific (AREA_—

1 . . . AREA_N) information;

information indicating to which sub-area (AREA_—

1 . . . AREA_N) the subscriber terminals of said subscribers are connected at a given time (3-6);

information indicating the correspondence between each node and each sub-area (3-6); and

determine on the basis of said information via which nodes said sub-area-specific information is to be transmitted.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the apparatus is located in a mobile communication system.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that it is located in a home location register.

12. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that it is located in a visitor location register.

13. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that it is located in a mobile station. 35