Method of preventing detonation of a mobile-terminal-triggered explosive device

• US 20070021097A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Meyer, Charles, Gaeta, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/12 Means for clearing land minefields; Systems specially adapted for detection of landmines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

When a bomb that might be triggered by a ringing mobile terminal is suspected of being located within a target zone, the base stations whose coverage areas include a critical area that surrounds and encompasses that target zone are switched into a one-way calling mode that prevents the mobile terminals within that critical area from receiving incoming calls, but still allows users of those mobile terminals to place to place outgoing calls. The one-way calling mode is effected in response to a signal received by a base station from its associated MSC that instructs it to disable its paging function, thereby preventing the mobile terminal from receiving and responding to a signal that indicates that an incoming call is present, and thus prevents the base station from sending a signal to the mobile terminal that activates its ringing circuitry.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

in response to a determination that an emergency situation is present or imminent within a critical area that surrounds and includes a target zone, sending at least one signal to disable mobile terminals that are located within the critical area from receiving incoming messages but which doesn'"'"'t prevent users of these mobile terminals from initiating and sending outgoing messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the messages are calls and the at least one signal is sent to disable the mobile terminals located within the critical area from receiving incoming calls but which doesn'"'"'t prevent users of these mobile terminals from placing calls.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein in response to the signal a base station having a coverage area that is at least in part in the critical area receives an indication to disable its paging function.

4. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication that an emergency situation is present or imminent with a target zone;

determining which base stations have coverage areas that include a critical area that surrounds and includes the target zone;

sending a signal to at least one mobile switching center associated with the determined base stations to disable mobile terminals that are located within the critical area from receiving incoming messages but which doesn'"'"'t prevent users of these mobile terminals from initiating and sending outgoing messages.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the messages are calls and the at least one signal is sent to disable the mobile terminals within the critical area from receiving incoming calls but which doesn'"'"'t prevent users of these mobile terminals within the critical area from placing calls.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein in response to the signal, the at least one mobile switching center sends an indication to each associated base station having a coverage area within the critical area to disable its paging function.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

at a base station, in response to a received signal that has been sent when an emergency situation has been determined to be present or imminent in a critical area that is located at least in part in a coverage area of the base station, disabling at least mobile terminal that is located within the base station'"'"'s coverage area into a mode of operation from receiving an incoming message but doesn'"'"'t prevent a user of the mobile terminal from sending an outgoing message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the message is a call.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of disabling comprises disabling the paging function of the base station.