Method for providing a service for monitoring the movement of subscribers amongst the coverage areas of the mobile cellular communication networks and a system for carrying out said method

• US 20110263247A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eyeline Communications CIS, LLC
• Original Assignee: Eyeline Communications CIS, LLC
• Inventors: Gumirov, Vitaliy Shamilovich, Smelov, Aleksey Vladislavovich
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and system for providing additional services to the subscribers of a mobile cellular communication network, in particular to methods and systems providing travelling subscribers with a service of monitoring, according to their wish, their movement amongst the coverage areas of the mobile cellular communication networks and informing third persons about said movements. The inventive method and system for carrying out said method make it possible to provide the travelling subscribers of the mobile cellular communication networks (MCC) with a service for monitoring their movements between the MCC networks of GSM and UMTS standards, or between the segments of said networks and for informing the recipients selected by the subscriber or another authorised person about the arrival of the subscriber at a new place. Said service requires neither to additionally modify nor update the existing infrastructure of the MCC networks or to introduce additional functionality into the infrastructure elements. Owing to the automatic monitoring and information, said service dispenses the subscribers, upon their arrival at a new place, with the necessity of calling the relatives or sending short SMS to them about that. It is particularly important that the service enables disabled persons (blind, deaf-and-dumb persons and persons suffering from hand and finger arthritis diseases, etc) to inform, without problems, the relatives about their arrival at destination.

Claims

1. A method for providing a service for monitoring the movement of subscribers amongst the coverage areas of the mobile cellular communication (MCC) networks, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting an application from an initiator of the application for the service to be provided through the Internet using a specialized website, through the SS7 signalization system using the SMS short message service, or the USSD supplementary services request protocol;

(b) processing the application data and verifying the accuracy of the application parameters;

(c) conducting the monitoring service;

(d) processing the monitoring results; and

(e) informing the recipients about the monitoring results, wherein networks of GSM and UMTS standards are used, verification of the accuracy of the application parameters comprising checking the presence of the subscriber'"'"'s destination and time of the subscriber'"'"'s arrival at destination;

monitoring being conducted in accordance with the schedule drawn up on the basis of the application data by sending a short SMS message to the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number at the time specified;

awaiting subsequently a message signal from the subscriber'"'"'s home location registry confirming the subscriber'"'"'s registration in the MCC network and then requesting for the address of the current serving visiting location registry;

using the home database to retrieve the name of the geographic location at the address of the current serving visiting location registry;

verifying during the processing of the monitoring results whether the name of the scheduled destination indicated by the application initiator is identical to the name of the geographic place obtained as a result of monitoring, and whether the scheduled time of arrival given in the application is identical to the registration time of the subscriber'"'"'s mobile terminal in the network; and

informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the SMS short message service, or the MMS multimedia message service, or the e-mail electronic mail service, or the HTTP hypertext transfer protocol.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application for the service to be provided is accepted through the Internet using a specialized website, or through the SMS short message service, or by sending a USSD request.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein verification of the accuracy of the application comprises verification of the destination indicated, time given for the subscriber'"'"'s arrival at destination, and addresses of the recipients for monitoring results to be sent to.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein verification of the accuracy of the application comprises verification of the accuracy of the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number indicated by sending an SMS message with a test code at that address.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a short SMS message is sent to the subscriber if the name of the geographic place received at the address of the current serving visiting location registry is not identical to the scheduled destination given by the application initiator to inform the subscriber about the unsuccessful monitoring attempt.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the waiting time for the message signal from the subscriber'"'"'s home location registry is limited to a preset time out.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a short SMS message is sent to the subscriber upon expiry of the waiting time for the message signal from the subscriber'"'"'s home location registry to inform the subscriber about the unsuccessful monitoring attempt.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a short SMS message is sent to the subscriber after the recipients have been informed about the monitoring results, said short SMS message containing a report on the notifications sent.

9. A system for providing a service for monitoring the movements of subscribers amongst the coverage areas of the mobile cellular communication (MCC) networks, comprising a unit to accept monitoring applications;

a basic service logic unit;

a unit interacting with a signaling network; and

a monitoring data output unit, wherein the application acceptance unit comprises a monitoring request analyzer that verifies the presence and accuracy of the subscriber'"'"'s destination and the time of the subscriber'"'"'s arrival at destination;

the basic service logic unit comprises a monitoring instruction processor and a monitoring instruction database to draw up and use a monitoring schedule and start up the monitoring procedure at a specified time in accordance therewith;

a territorial position database that verifies conformity of the address of the geographic place received from the current serving visiting location registry with the geographic place indicated by the application initiator upon placing the application;

the unit interacting with the signaling network comprising a monitoring instruction processor and an MAP interface module that uses operations of sending a short SMS message, activating a waiting flag in the home location registry, and receiving a message signal from the home location registry on an update of the subscriber'"'"'s location to mark the time of registration of the monitoring object in a new coverage area;

the monitoring data output unit comprising an notification instruction processor, an MAP interface module informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the SMS short message service if the monitoring data output unit is connected directly to the SS7 signaling network;

an SMPP interface module informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the SMS short message service if an SMS message is sent through an outside SMS message transmission center;

an MM7 interface module informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the MMS multimedia message service;

an SMTP interface module informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the e-mail electronic mail service; and

an HTTP interface module informing the recipients about the monitoring results through the HTTP hypertext transfer protocol.