System and Method for Using Subscriber Role Information in a Mobile Communication System

• US 20110014923A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: David Loftus, Srdjan Krco
• Inventors: Krco, Srdjan, Loftus, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

Data stored about user equipment, such as mobile phones, that is stored in a Home Location Register of a cellular voice network communications system, is augmented with supplemental information and is communicated to an active user in the network upon request emanating from a Visitor Location Register with which the requesting user is associated. Supplemental characteristic information includes, for example, the function, position, rank, responsibility level, etc., that each user has, and what group the user is affiliated with. The user may also use shortcodes to choose which other user to call based on that user'"'"'s supplemental characteristic information.

Claims

1. A wireless, cellular voice network including at least one communications system and a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices, each connected to a respective current one of communications systems, in which each communications system:

provides communication between the UE devices;

stores data relating to an identity of each UE device actively connected to the respective communications system;

stores, in a primary register, information about each UE device that is primarily associated with that respective communications system; and

stores, in a second register information about each UE device that is not primarily associated with that respective communications system, but that is currently active within a service area of that communications system;

wherein each primary and second register stores at least one entry indicating a supplemental characteristic information of each of a plurality of subscribers actively connected to one of the communications systems; and

the wireless, cellular voice network further includes an auxiliary role distribution component that receives from the second register the supplemental characteristic information of each of the subscribers actively connected to any one of the communications systems and that transmits the supplemental characteristic information to a requesting UE device upon request from the second register with which a requesting UE device is currently associated.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein:

the communication systems are configured according to any Global System for Mobile (GSM) standard, the General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), the 3G or the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard;

the primary register is a Home Location Register;

the second register is a Visitor Location Register; and

the UE devices are mobile telephones.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the supplemental characteristic information indicates a role performed by a user of each UE device.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein each role corresponds to a category of responsibility of emergency personnel.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the communications system(s) is a transportable, distributed, cellular, wireless, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), self-contained, autonomous voice network system.

6. The network of claim 1, further comprising:

an entry in the corresponding primary register of each participating UE device designating whether that UE device is a participating UE device;

wherein the participating UE devices are fewer in number than all of the UE devices actively connected to any of the communications systems.

7. The network of claim 3, further comprising:

a node that senses a request by any of the participating UE devices to establish communication with any other of the participating UE devices based on its supplemental characteristic information; and

an automatic role distribution component that automatically selects from among the set of participating UE devices one participating UE device with which to establish communication.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the automatic role distribution component automatically selects the selected participating UE device also as a function of the geographical positions of the participating UE devices.

9. The network of claim 7, wherein the node senses the request to establish communication in the form of a shortcode.

10. A method for providing cellular voice communications between a plurality of users via respective user equipment (UE) devices each connected to at least one communications system, in which:

each communications system

provides communication between the UE devices;

stores data relating to an identity of each UE device actively connected to the respective communications system;

stores, in a primary register, information about each UE device that is primarily associated with that respective communications system; and

stores, in a second register information about each UE device that is not primarily associated with that respective communications system, but that is currently active within a service area of that communications system;

the method comprising;

storing, in each primary and second register, at least one entry indicating a supplemental characteristic information of each of a plurality of subscribers actively connected to one of the communications systems;

sensing a request originating from the second register of one of the UE devices for information identifying not only which of a set of participating UE devices are currently connected to at least one of the communications systems, but also their supplemental characteristic information; and

transmitting to the requesting UE device the requested information.

11. The method of claim 10, further:

comprising;

automatically transmitting to the set of participating UE devices information identifying both the requesting UE device and its supplemental characteristic information, and thereafter including the requesting UE device in the set of participating UE devices.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

designating which UE devices are participating UE devices by setting an entry in the corresponding primary register of each participating UE device,

wherein the participating UE devices are fewer in number than all of the UE devices actively connected to any of the communications systems.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sensing a request by any of the participating UE devices to establish communication with any other of the participating UE devices based on its supplemental characteristic information;

automatically selecting from among the set of participating UE devices one participating UE device with which to establish communication; and

automatically establishing communication between the requesting participating UE device and the automatically selected participating UE device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically selecting the selected participating UE device as a function of its geographical position.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically selecting the selected participating UE devices as a function of its position in a predetermined hierarchy arranged at least partially according to the supplemental characteristic information of each participating UE device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the request to establish communication is in the form of a shortcode entered by a user into the user'"'"'s UE device.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein:

each communication system is configured as a transportable, distributed, cellular, wireless, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), self-contained, autonomous voice network system;

the primary register is a Home Location Register;

the second register is a Visitor Location Register (VLR);

the UE devices are mobile telephones; and

the supplemental characteristic information indicates a role performed by a user of each UE device.

18. A Visitor Location Register (VLR) within a wireless, cellular voice network of at least one communications system configured according to any of the Global System for Mobile (GSM), the General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), the 3G or the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standards,

in which the VLR stores information about each of a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices, that are not primarily associated with the VLR but that are currently active within a service area of a VLR-associated one of the communications system(s);

said VLR wherein;

the VLR is configured to retrieve and store at least one entry indicating a pre-assigned role of each of a plurality of subscribers actively connected to one of the communications systems; and

the VLR is configured to receive and process requests by any of the UE'"'"'s connected to the VLR for connection to any other UE on the basis of the pre-assigned role of the subscriber associated with the other UE.

19. The VLR according to claim 18, wherein the VLR is configured to retrieve the at least one entry for each UE from a Home Location Register (HLR) with which each UE is respectively and primarily associated.

20. (canceled)

21. A Home Location Register (HLR) within a wireless, cellular voice network of at least one communications system configured according to any of the Global System for Mobile (GSM), the General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), the 3G or the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standards,

in which the HLR is configured to store information about each of a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices that are primarily associated with the HLR;

and

the HLR is configured to store not only primary information of each of the HLR-associated UE'"'"'s but also at least one entry indicating a pre-assigned role of a respective user of each of the HLR-associated UE'"'"'s.

22. The HLR according to claim 21, wherein the HLR is configured to receive and respond to a request from a Visitor Location Register for both the primary information for a UE currently active within a service area of the VLR and also the role assigned to the user of that UE.

23. (canceled)

24. A user equipment (UE) device operable within a wireless, cellular voice network of at least one communications system that is configured according to any of the Global System for Mobile (GSM), the General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), the 3G or the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standards, in which:

the UE device is primarily associated with a Home Location Register in which is stored primary information concerning the UE; and

the UE device is configured to request connection with other UE'"'"'s within the communications system as a function of their primary information;

wherein;

each respective UE is associated with a pre-assigned role of a respective intended user; and

the UE is further configured to request connection with other UE'"'"'s within the communications system also as a function of pre-assigned roles of intended users of the other UE'"'"'s.

25. (canceled)