Voice channel control of wireless packet data communications

• US 20060171368A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karma Automotive LLC (Wanxiang Group Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Airbiquity Incorporated
• Inventors: Moinzadeh, Kamyar, Quimby, David C., Garret, Darrin L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,508,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management

Abstract

A data session with a wireless device ordinarily cannot be initiated from the network side because the wireless device has no predetermined IP or other network address. Methods are disclosed for instead causing the wireless unit to initiate a data session with a target destination, thereby obviating the IP addressing problem. A voice call is first initiated by a requester application to a remote wireless unit. The requester transmits a request message to the remote wireless unit via the wireless voice channel using in-band techniques; preferably including a payload in the polling message that identifies the target destination. In response, the remote wireless unit initiates a packet data session with the target destination.

Claims

1. A method of polling a remote wireless station comprising the steps of:

initiating a voice call from a requester to the remote wireless unit;

after the voice call is established between the requester to the remote wireless unit, transmitting a digital polling message from the requester to the remote wireless unit via the wireless voice channel on which the voice call is established;

including a payload in the digital polling message that identifies a target resource; and

in the remote wireless unit, responsive to the digital polling message, initiating a packet data session with the target resource.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the target resource is a predetermined IP network location.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the target resource is specified by a predetermined identifier carried in the payload.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the target resource is specified by a URL carried in the payload.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the target resource is specified by a an IP address carried in the payload.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the packet data session comprises uploading data from the remote wireless unit via a wireless network packet data session.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the polling message payload further comprises at least one delivery parameter.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the delivery parameter is one of a data service, a data rate and a priority parameter.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the polling message payload further comprises identification of a type of data to be transmitted in the packet data session.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the type of data to be transmitted is location data of the remote wireless station.

11. A wireless communications system comprising:

a computer coupled to a telecommunications network;

a polling requester application executable on the computer for sending a polling message through a voice channel of the telecommunications network to a wireless remote unit;

a wireless remote unit having Wireless telecommunications capability for receiving a voice call;

the remote unit having means for recovering the polling message from the voice channel; and

the remote unit having means for initiating a data session responsive to the recovered polling message.

12. The wireless communications system of claim 11 wherein the polling requester application transmits a payload in the polling message.

13. The wireless communications system of claim 12 wherein the polling requester application identifies a target network resource in the payload.

14. The wireless communications system of claim 12 wherein the payload includes indicia of at least one data session parameter.

15. A method of uploading data from a wireless unit comprising the steps of;

receiving a voice call in the wireless unit via a wireless telecommunications network;

recovering a request message from the voice call, wherein the request message in encoded as audio frequency tones transmitted in the voice channel of the received voice call; and

responsive to the recovered request message, initiating a data session between the wireless unit and a target resource for uploading data using a digital wireless data service.

16. The method of uploading data from a wireless unit according to claim 15 and further comprising downloading data to the wireless unit in the data session.

17. The method of uploading data from a wireless unit according to claim 15 wherein the data session is initiated with a predetermined network resource in response to receiving the request message.

18. The method of uploading data from a wireless unit according to claim 17 wherein the network resource is identified by a URL or an IP address in the request message.

19. The method of uploading data from a wireless unit according to claim 15 wherein the recovered request message includes a network address of the target resource.

20. The method of uploading data from a wireless unit according to claim 15 wherein the wireless unit comprises a cell phone.