Subscriber unit for a cellular communication system

• US 20080020786A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Parekh, Devan, Stuart, Julie, Staddon, Simon, Smith, Alan Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A subscriber unit, for a cellular communication system, is arranged to store data representing a message to be transmitted together with data representing specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message. The subscriber unit responds to the specified conditions being met by transmitting the message. The specified conditions may be dictated by the network or by the user of the subscriber unit or by a combination of the two, and include time, date, location, and network loading.

Claims

1. A subscriber unit for a cellular communication system, which subscriber unit is arranged to store data representing a message to be transmitted together with data representing specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message, and to respond to the specified conditions being met by transmitting the message.

2. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specified conditions include a time, and the subscriber unit is arranged to monitor the time of day and to transmit the message at the specified time.

3. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specified conditions include a day, and the subscriber unit is arranged to monitor the date and to transmit the message on the specified day.

4. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specified conditions include a location, and the subscriber unit is arranged to monitor its location and to transmit the message at the specified location.

5. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specified conditions include loading on the network.

6. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving signals from a cellular network; and

a processor for decoding the received signals to extract data therefrom, for responding to the data when the same represents control information, and for storing the data when the same represents a message.

7. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a user interface, responsive to the processor, for outputting an indication of arrival of a message.

8. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor is responsive to user manipulation of the user interface to generate a message for transmission.

9. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the user interface comprises a display for displaying messages and a keypad.

10. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

a message store for storing data representing messages generated for transmission;

a message data store for storing data representing the specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message; and

,

a transmitter for transmitting messages stored in the message store;

and wherein the processor is operable to transfer the data from the message store to the transmitter for transmission thereby.

11. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a position processor for processing position signals received by the receiver to determine the geographical location of the subscriber unit.

12. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a separate position data receiver for receiving the position data.

13. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a position database in which position data representing the geographical location of the subscriber unit is stored.

14. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein data representing the specified conditions is compared with data in the position database in order to determine whether to transmit a message.

15. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising specifying means for enabling the conditions to be specified by a user of the unit.

16. A subscriber unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means responsive to conditions specified by a network.

17. A method of preparing a message for transmission in a cellular communication system, in which method data representing a message to be transmitted is stored in a subscriber unit together with data representing specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message, and the message is transmitted when the specified conditions are met.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the specified conditions include a time, and the method further comprises monitoring the time of day;

and transmitting the message at the specified time.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the specified conditions include a day, and the method further comprises monitoring the date;

and transmitting the message on the specified day.

20. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the specified conditions include a location, and the method further comprises monitoring the location of the subscriber unit and transmitting the message when the subscriber unit is at the specified location.

21. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the specified conditions comprise any two or more of the conditions defined in claims 18 to 20.

22. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

receiving signals from a cellular network;

decoding the received signals to extract data therefrom;

responding to the data when the same represents control information; and

storing the data when the same represents a message.

23. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising outputting an indication of arrival of a message.

24. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

storing data representing messages generated for transmission;

storing data representing the specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message; and

transmitting the stored messages.

25. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising processing received position signals to determine the geographical location of the subscriber unit.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising storing position data representing the geographical location of the subscriber unit.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, further comprising comparing data representing the specified conditions with stored position data in order to determine whether to transmit a message.

28. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising enabling a user of the unit to specify the conditions.

29. A method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising enabling a network to specify the conditions.

30. A method of transmitting a message in a cellular network, the method comprising:

generating message data representing a message to be transmitted;

storing the message data;

generating condition data defining one or more specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message represented by the message data;

storing the condition data;

determining when said one or more specified conditions are satisfied; and

transmitting the message represented by the message data when said one or more specified conditions are satisfied.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the specified conditions include a time, and the method further comprises:

monitoring the time of day; and

transmitting the message at the specified time.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the time is defined as a time when network loading is low, the method further comprising monitoring loading on a network.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, further comprising transmitting the message when the network loading is low.

34. A method as claimed in claim 30, further comprising transmitting the message during a network-defined off-peak period.

35. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the specified conditions include a day, and the method further comprises:

monitoring the date; and

transmitting the message on the specified day.

36. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the specified conditions include a location, and the method further comprises monitoring the location of the subscriber unit and transmitting the message when the subscriber unit is at the specified location.

37. A method as claimed in claim 30, further comprising enabling a user of the unit to specify the conditions.

38. A method as claimed in claim 30, further comprising enabling a network to specify the conditions.

39. An apparatus for transmitting a message in a cellular network, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating message data representing a message to be transmitted;

means for storing the message data;

means for generating condition data defining one or more specified conditions associated with the transmission of the message represented by the message data;

means for storing the condition data;

means for determining when said one or more specified conditions are satisfied; and

means for transmitting the message represented by the message data when said one or more specified conditions are satisfied.

40. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the specified conditions include a time, and the apparatus further comprises:

means for monitoring the time of day; and

means for transmitting the message at the specified time.

41. An apparatus as claimed in claim 40, wherein the time is defined as a time when network loading is low, the apparatus further comprising means for monitoring loading on a network.

42. An apparatus as claimed in claim 41, further comprising means for transmitting the message when the network loading is low.

43. An apparatus as claimed in claim 41, further comprising means for transmitting the message during a network-defined off-peak period.

44. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the specified conditions include a day, and the apparatus further comprises:

means for monitoring the date; and

means for transmitting the message on the specified day.

45. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the specified conditions include a location, and the apparatus further comprises means for monitoring the location of the subscriber unit;

and

means for transmitting the message when the subscriber unit is at the specified location.

46. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, further comprising specifying means for enabling the conditions to be specified by a user of the unit.

47. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, further comprising means responsive to conditions specified by a network.