Method and apparatus for controlling reception of multimedia broadcast/multicast services at a mobile station

• US 20070086437A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Racha, Renuka, Terry, Stephen, Wang, Peter, DiFazio, Robert, Menon, Narayan
• Application Number:
  US11/284,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20070086437A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling reception of multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) at a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) are disclosed. In order to control reception of an unwanted service of the MBMS, the WTRU is enabled or disabled for receiving MBMS in accordance with a user input. The unwanted service may be blocked at an application layer or at a lower layer. Either all services or a selected individual service may be blocked. The selection may be based on a type or priority of the content. The selection may be overridden for providing a certain service. To block the unwanted service, reception of an MBMS announcement message is disabled. Alternatively, an MBMS identity is prevented from being passed to a lower layer or is passed with a flag indicating that the unwanted service of the MBMS should not be processed.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system including a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a radio access network (RAN) through which multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) are provided, a method for controlling reception of the MBMS at the WTRU, the method comprising:

(a) a user entering an input for configuring reception of the MBMS via a user interface of the WTRU; and

(b) configuring the WTRU in accordance with the user input such that an unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) if the user wants to change the user input and reconfigure the WTRU for receiving and blocking different services of the MBMS.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by an MBMS application layer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked at a lower layer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the lower layer is either a medium access control layer or a physical layer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein all of the MBMS are blocked.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether a service of the MBMS is unwanted.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the determination of the unwanted service is based on a type of content of the service.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the determination of the unwanted service is based on a priority of the content of the service.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the unwanted service is overridden.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by disabling reception of an MBMS announcement message.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by preventing an MBMS identity that is necessary for reception of the unwanted service from being passed to a lower layer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by passing an MBMS identity of the unwanted service to a lower layer with a flag indicating that the unwanted service should not be processed.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the physical layer processing of a channel carrying the MBMS is reduced or eliminated when the channel does not carry an MBMS announcement message.

15. In a wireless communication system including a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a radio access network (RAN) through which multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) are provided, the WTRU being capable of controlling reception of the MBMS at the WTRU, the WTRU comprising:

a user interface configured to accept an input from a user for configuring reception of the MBMS; and

an MBMS application entity configured to perform MBMS application control in accordance with the user input such that an unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked.

16. The WTRU of claim 15 further comprising an MBMS application layer, wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked at the MBMS application layer.

17. The WTRU of claim 15 further comprising a lower layer, wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked at the lower layer.

18. The WTRU of claim 15 wherein the user selects an unwanted service of the MBMS based on a type of content of the service.

19. The WTRU of claim 18 wherein the user selects the unwanted service of the MBMS based on a priority of the content of the service.

20. The WTRU of claim 17 wherein the selection of the unwanted service made by the user is overridden.

21. The WTRU of claim 15 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by disabling reception of an MBMS announcement message.

22. The WTRU of claim 15 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by preventing an MBMS identity that is necessary for reception of the unwanted service from being passed to a lower layer.

23. The WTRU of claim 15 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by passing an MBMS identity of the unwanted service to a lower layer with a flag indicating that the unwanted service should not be processed.

24. The WTRU of claim 15 wherein the physical layer processing of a channel carrying the MBMS is reduced or eliminated when the channel does not carry an MBMS announcement message.

25. In a wireless communication system including a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a radio access network (RAN) through which multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) are provided, an integrated circuit (IC) incorporated in the WTRU which is capable of controlling reception of the MBMS at the WTRU, the IC comprising:

a user interface configured to accept an input from a user for configuring reception of the MBMS; and

an MBMS application entity configured to perform MBMS application control in accordance with the user input such that an unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked.

26. The IC of claim 25 further comprising an MBMS application layer, wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked at the MBMS application layer.

27. The IC of claim 25 further comprising a lower layer, wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked at the lower layer.

28. The IC of claim 25 wherein the user selects an unwanted service of the MBMS based on a type of content of the service.

29. The IC of claim 28 wherein the user selects the unwanted service of the MBMS based on a priority of the content of the service.

30. The IC of claim 27 wherein the selection of the unwanted service made by the user is overridden.

31. The IC of claim 25 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by disabling reception of an MBMS announcement message.

32. The IC of claim 25 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by preventing an MBMS identity that is necessary for reception of the unwanted service from being passed to a lower layer.

33. The IC of claim 25 wherein the unwanted service of the MBMS is blocked by passing an MBMS identity of the unwanted service to a lower layer with a flag indicating that the unwanted service should not be processed.

34. The IC of claim 25 wherein the physical layer processing of a channel carrying the MBMS is reduced or eliminated when the channel does not carry an MBMS announcement message.

35. In a wireless communication system including a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a radio access network (RAN) through which multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) are provided, a method for controlling reception of content of the MBMS at the WTRU, the method comprising:

(a) a user entering an input for defining undesired content of the MBMS via a user interface of the WTRU;

(b) monitoring the MBMS for undesired content based on the user input;

(c) detecting undesired content of the MBMS;

(d) correlating the undesired content to an MBMS identifier; and

(e) configuring the WTRU to block content associated with the MBMS identifier until the MBMS identifier is no longer correlated to the undesired content.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the undesired content includes objectionable or undesired words or phrases.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the undesired content includes words or phrases indicating an undesirable source.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the content is undesired if it contains an amount of data that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein the content is undesired if it contains a certain type of content.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the certain type of content includes video clips or particular file formats.

41. The method of claim 35 wherein the MBMS identifier is correlated with the undesired content for a predetermined time duration.

42. In a wireless communication system including a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a radio access network (RAN) through which multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) are provided, a method for controlling reception of content of the MBMS at the WTRU, the method comprising:

(a) a user entering an input for defining undesired content of the MBMS via a user interface of the WTRU;

(b) monitoring the MBMS for undesired content based on the user input;

(c) detecting undesired content of the MBMS; and

(d) configuring the WTRU to block the undesired content.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the undesired content includes objectionable or undesired words or phrases.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the undesired content includes words or phrases indicating an undesirable source.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the content is undesired if it contains an amount of data that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the content is undesired if it contains a certain type of content.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the certain type of content includes video clips or particular file formats.