Transmitting data to a group of receiving devices

• US 20060034202A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kuure, Pekka, Vimpari, Markku
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13242 Broadcast, diffusion, multicast, point-to-multipoint (1 : N)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• 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

Abstract

A data transmission method transmits data to a group of receiving communication devices in a communication system comprising at least one cellular network. The method includes defining, by an application server situated beyond a cellular network, a group of receiving communication devices in the cellular network, the application server having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network. The method also includes receiving, in a broadcast/multicast network entity configured to provide broadcast and multicast services in the cellular network, data to be transmitted from the application server to the group. The method also includes transmitting the data from the broadcast/multicast network entity to the group using broadcast and/or multicast transmission. Furthermore, a network entity in a cellular network and a communication system are provided configured to implement the method.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data to a group of receiving communication devices in a communication system comprising at least one cellular network, the method comprising:

defining, by an application server situated beyond a cellular network, a group of receiving communication devices in the cellular network, the application server having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network;

receiving, in a broadcastlmulticast network entity configured to provide broadcast and multicast services in the cellular network, data to be transmitted from the application server to the group; and

transmitting the data from the broadcast/multicast network entity to the group using at least one of broadcast and multicast transmission.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the group comprises signalling between the application server and the broadcastlmulticast network entity for a multimedia broadcastlmulticast service establishment.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the group comprises providing the application server with multicast address information from the broadcast/multicast network entity.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the group comprises providing the application server with multicast address information by a cellular client of a communication device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the group comprises sending an invitation from the application server to selected communication devices in the cellular network to become a member of the group, the invitation comprising multicast address information.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of defining the group comprises including, by the application server, multicast address information into a media negotiation answer when responding to a group join request from successive members of a group.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the step of transmitting the data to the communication devices comprises transmitting the data to the selected communication devices which have accepted to become a member of the group.

8. A method according to claim 5, further comprising transmitting the data from the application server using point-to-point transfer to the selected communication devices which have not accepted to become a member of the group.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving the data from an application server operating beyond a Gi interface.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving the data from an Internet Protocol application server.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving the data from a push to talk over cellular server.

12. A broadcastlmulticast network entity in a cellular network, the broadcastlmulticast network entity configured to:

receive data to be transmitted from an application server situated beyond the cellular network and having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network; and

transmit the data to a group of communication devices in the cellular network using at least one of broadcast and multicast transmission, wherein the group is defined by the application server.

13. A network entity of claim 12, configured to receive the data to be transmitted from a push to talk over cellular server.

14. A communication system comprising:

an application server situated beyond a cellular network and having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network, the application server configured to define a group of receiving devices in the cellular network; and

a broadcastlmulticast network entity in the cellular network, the broadcastlmulticast network entity configured to receive data to be transmitted from the application server and to transmit the data to communication devices in the cellular network using at least one of broadcast and multicast transmission.

15. A communication system according to claim 14, the application server and the broadcast/multicast network entity configured to signal between each other for a multimedia broadcastlmulticast service establishment.

16. A communication system according to claim 14, the broadcastlmulticast network entity configured to provide the application server with multicast address information.

17. A communication system according to claim 14, the application server configured to receive multicast address information from a cellular client of a communication device.

18. A communication system according to claim 14, the application server configured to send an invitation to selected communication devices in the cellular network to become a member of the group, the invitation comprising multicast address information.

19. A communication system according to claim 14, the application server configured to include multicast address information into a media negotiation answer when responding to a group join request from successive members of a group.

20. A communication system according to claim 18, the broadcast/multicast network entity configured to transmit the data to the communication devices which have accepted to become a member of the group.

21. A communication system according to claim 18, the application server configured to transmit the data using point-to-point transfer to the communication devices which have not accepted to become a member of the group.

22. A communication system according to claim 14, the application server configured to operate beyond a Gi interface.

23. A communication system according to claim 22, the application server comprising an Internet Protocol application server.

24. A communication system according to claim 23, the application server comprising a push to talk over cellular server

25. A communication system configured to:

define, by an application server situated beyond a cellular network, a group of receiving communication devices in the cellular network, the application server having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network;

receive, in a broadcast/multicast network entity configured to provide broadcast and multicast services in the cellular network, data to be transmitted from the application server to the group; and

transmit the data from the broadcastlmulticast network entity to the group using at least one of broadcast and multicast transmission.

26. A communication system comprising:

defining means for defining, by an application server situated beyond a cellular network, a group of receiving communication devices in the cellular network, the application server having no visibility to locations of receiving devices in the cellular network;

receiving means for receiving, in a broadcastlmulticast network entity configured to provide broadcast and multicast services in the cellular network, data to be transmitted from the application server to the group; and

transmitting means for transmitting the data from the broadcastlmulticast network entity to the group using at least one of broadcast and multicast transmission.