Method for receiving broadcast service using broadcast zone identifier in a mobile communication system

• US 20050249142A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yong-Chang, Lim, Geun-Hwi, Kim, Yu-Chul, Son, Jung-Je, Jung, Jung-Soo, Bae, Beom-Sik, Kim, Dac-Gyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• 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 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for providing a broadcast service in a mobile communication system including a plurality of cells. The method includes transmitting broadcast program information related to available broadcast programs, broadcast-related information needed for receiving the available broadcast programs, and broadcast zone identification information, to an access terminal; and transmitting the broadcast service to the access terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing a broadcast service in a mobile communication system comprising a plurality of cells, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting broadcast program information related to available broadcast programs, broadcast-related information needed for receiving the available broadcast programs, and broadcast zone identification information to an access terminal; and

transmitting the broadcast service to the access terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast zone identification information is mapped to each cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast zone identification information comprises a broadcast zone identifier list comprising broadcast zone identifiers mapped to broadcast programs available in a corresponding cell.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting mapping information representing a broadcast zone mapped to a broadcast program requested by the access terminal, to the access terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast-related information comprises a multicast Internet protocol (IP) address, a port number, an encryption key, and a connection identifier.

6. A method for receiving by an access terminal a broadcast service while crossing over a boundary between a plurality of cells in a mobile communication system comprising the plurality of cells, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving broadcast zone identification information representing a broadcast zone to which a target cell belongs when the access terminal receiving a broadcast program in a source cell which is one of the plurality of cells, moves to the target cell; and

determining whether the access terminal has departed from its old broadcast zone, based on the broadcast zone information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of, if the access terminal departs from the old broadcast zone, informing a user of the departure from the old broadcast zone.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the system supports an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

if the access terminal departs from the old broadcast zone, transmitting a request for broadcast program reception-related information to the target cell.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of continuously receiving the broadcast program using the received broadcast program reception-related information if it is determined from the received broadcast program reception-related information that the old broadcast program is available.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

if it is determined from the received broadcast program reception-related information that the old broadcast program is unavailable, inquiring of a user whether the user desires a new broadcast program;

if the new broadcast program is not selected by the user, stopping the broadcast program;

if the new broadcast program is selected by the user, acquiring physical channel information for the new broadcast program from an access point of the target cell on a request basis, and receiving the new broadcast program using the acquired physical channel information.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of, when the access terminal departs from the old broadcast zone, attempting to receive the broadcast program in the target cell using physical channel information that was used in the source cell.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the broadcast zone identification information comprises a broadcast zone identifier mapped to the target cell.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the departure from the old broadcast zone is detected when a broadcast zone identifier of the target cell is not equal to a broadcast zone identifier of the source cell, included in the broadcast zone identification information received from the source cell.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the broadcast zone identification information comprises a broadcast zone identifier list comprising broadcast zone identifiers mapped to broadcast programs available in the target cell.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining whether the access terminal has departed from its old broadcast zone comprises the steps of:

receiving a first broadcast zone identifier list comprising a broadcast zone identifier mapped to a broadcast program provided from the source cell, and a second broadcast zone identifier list comprising broadcast zone identifiers mapped to all broadcast programs provided by the source cell; and

detecting the departure from the broadcast zone if a third broadcast zone identifier list comprising all broadcast zone identifiers received from the target cell differs from the second broadcast zone identifier list and the third broadcast zone identifier list does not comprise the first broadcast zone identifier list.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

if the access terminal departs from the old broadcast zone, updating the second broadcast zone identifier list to the third broadcast zone identifier list, and attempting to receive the broadcast program from the target cell using physical channel information from the source cell;

if the access terminal succeeds in receiving the broadcast program, continuously receiving the broadcast program in the target cell;

if the access terminal fails in receiving the broadcast program, deleting a broadcast zone identifier mapped to the broadcast program from the first broadcast zone identifier list, and transmitting a request for physical channel information for the broadcast program to the access point of the target cell; and

if the access terminal acquires the physical channel information from the access point of the target cell, continuously receiving the broadcast program in the target cell using the acquired physical channel information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

if the target cell does not provide the broadcast program, inquiring of a user whether the user desires a new broadcast program;

if the new broadcast program is not selected by the user, stopping the broadcast program; and

if the new broadcast program is selected by the user, acquiring physical channel information for the new broadcast program from the access point of the target cell on a request basis, and receiving the new broadcast program using the acquired physical channel information.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

if a third broadcast zone identifier list is different from the second broadcast zone identifier list and comprises the first broadcast zone identifier list, comparing the second broadcast zone identifier list with the third broadcast zone identifier list;

if the third broadcast zone identifier list further comprises a broadcast zone identifier in addition to the second broadcast zone identifier list, determining an entry into a new broadcast zone;

if the second broadcast zone identifier list further comprises a broadcast zone identifier in addition to the third broadcast zone identifier list, determining a departure from an old non-belonging broadcast zone;

if the access terminal has entered the new broadcast zone, inquiring of the user whether the user desires a new broadcast program available in the new broadcast zone, and if the new broadcast program is selected by the user, receiving the new broadcast program in the target cell; and

if the access terminal has departed from the old non-belonging broadcast zone but has not entered the new broadcast zone, informing the user of the departure from the old non-belonging broadcast zone.