Over the air user zone assignment for wireless telephony systems

• US 20040018835A1
• Filed: 07/16/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patrick Jay Walsh, Theodore James Myers
• Original Assignee: Patrick Jay Walsh, Theodore James Myers
• Inventors: Walsh, Patrick Jay, Myers, Theodore James
• Application Number:
  US10/621,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20040018835A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method of defining a user zone for a mobile user terminal in a wireless communication system including a network controller providing communication services to a plurality of mobile user terminals. The method includes the steps of locating a user terminal within the wireless communication system, referencing at least one user-selected vector from the user terminal location, and transmitting the vector information to the network controller. The network controller, in turn, generates a user zone associated with the user terminal as a function of the vector information such that the user zone defines a geographic region wherein the user terminal can access communication services of the communication system without incurring out-of-network fees. In one aspect of the invention, the user terminal includes a GPS receiver for determining the location of the user terminal and providing a reference for the user-selected vectors defining the desired user zone.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system including a network controller providing communication services to a plurality of mobile user terminals, a method of defining user zones associated with each of said user terminals comprising the steps of:

locating a user terminal within said wireless communication system;

referencing at least one user-selected vector from said user terminal location;

transmitting said vector information to said network controller; and

generating at the network controller, a user zone associated with said user terminal as a function of said vector information, said user zone defining a geographic region wherein said user terminal can access said communication services of said communication system without incurring out-of-network fees.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of locating a user terminal within said wireless communication system includes the step of receiving at the user terminal global positioning system (GPS) signals and providing coordinates indicating location of the user terminal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of providing coordinates indicating location of the user terminal includes the step of displaying the location of the user terminal referenced to a map on a display of the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of referencing at least one user-selected vector from said user terminal location includes the step of referencing a plurality of vectors from said user terminal location, each of said vectors providing a distance and angle measurement referenced from a predetermined direction from the location of the user terminal, and wherein the step of generating at the network controller, a user zone associated with said user terminal as a function of said vector information includes the step of connecting each end point defined by each of said vectors to form said user zone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of referencing at least one user-selected vector from said user terminal location includes the step of referencing a vector representing a radius (r) from said user terminal location, and wherein the step of generating at the network controller, a user zone associated with said user terminal as a function of said vector information includes the step of defining a circle about said user terminal of radius r to form said user zone.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said network controller is a mobile switching center.

7. A wireless communication system comprising, in combination:

a network controller for processing communication data transmitted to, and received from, a plurality of mobile user terminals;

at least one of said mobile user terminals including a global position system (GPS) receiver for locating said user terminal within said wireless communication system and a user display for defining a preferred user zone;

said network controller including a processor for generating a user zone associated with each of said user terminals as a function of the defined preferred user zone, said user zone defining a geographic region wherein said user terminal can access said communication services of said communication system without incurring out-of-network fees.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7 wherein the network controller is a mobile switching center.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 7 wherein said communication data includes voice and data information.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 7 wherein said mobile user terminal includes means for inputting at least one user-selected vector referenced from said user terminal location, said at least one vector being used to generate said user zone.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 7 wherein said mobile user terminal includes a stylus in operative communication with said display, said stylus being used to referencing at least one user-selected vector from said user terminal location, said at least one vector being used to generate said user zone.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein said display includes a map referencing the position of the user terminal with respect to at least one landmark.

13. In a geographic region serviced by at least two wireless communication service providers, each of said service providers having a wireless communication system including a network controller providing communication services to a plurality of mobile user terminals, a method of requesting communication services within a user-defined user zone comprising the steps of:

locating a user terminal within said geographic region serviced by at least two wireless communication service providers;

referencing at least one user-selected vector from said user terminal location;

transmitting from said user terminal, said vector data to said wireless communication service providers; and

receiving from at least one of said wireless communication service providers a quote for services within a user zone defining a geographic region as a function of said vector information.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of transmitting from said user terminal a request for voice communication services to said wireless communication service providers.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of transmitting from said user terminal a request for data transmission services to said wireless communication service providers.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of receiving from at least one of said wireless communication service providers a quote for services includes a quote for voice communication services.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of receiving from at least one of said wireless communication service providers a quote for services includes a quote for data transmission services.