RADIO MODULE, APPLICATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN APPLICATION DEVICE THAT EXCHANGES APPLICATION DATA VIA A CELLULAR RADIO COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20140378122A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telit Cinterion Deutschland GmbH
• Original Assignee: Gemalto M2M GmbH (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Breuer, Volker, Westerkowsky, Frank, Rook, Jrg, Schultz, Michael, Denzin, Florian
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

An application device exchanges application data via a cellular radio communication network with an application server. The application device has a memory providing write access for a control entity associated with the network. The application device receives an information element from a network management node operated by the control entity. The information element is indicative of regulation information that defines at least one time span or point in time that can be used for transmission of application exchange data between the application device and the application server. The application device receives an instruction from the network management node to store the regulation information in the device memory, and stores the regulation information. The application device subsequently initiates transmission of the application exchange data between the application device and the application server only at an allowed time that is in accordance with the stored regulation information.

Claims

1. A method for operating an application device that exchanges application data via a cellular radio communication network with an external application server operated by an application provider, the application device comprising a device memory, wherein the method comprises:

the application device receiving an information element, the information element being indicative of regulation information, which defines at least one time span or point in time defined in terms of a week, a day or a time of day, that can be used for an up- or download transmission of application exchange data between the application device and the application server;

the application device receiving an instruction to store the regulation information comprised in the information element in the device memory and storing the regulation information correspondingly; and

the application device subsequently initiating a up- or download transmission of the application exchange data between the application device and the application server only at the at least one allowed time that is in accordance with the regulation information stored in the device memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a radio module is connected with an application module and wherein the device memory is a memory of the radio module and/or a subscriber identification module and/or of the application module, wherein:

the radio module receives the information element from a cellular network management node operated by the control entity,

the radio module receives the instruction from a cellular network management node, to store regulation information comprised in the information element in the device memory, and stores the regulation information correspondingly, and

the radio module forwards the regulation information to the application module and/or the application server, and wherein

a up- or download transmission of the application exchange data between the application device and the application server is subsequently initiated via the radio module only at the at least one allowed time that is in accordance with the regulation information stored in the device memory.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the radio module of the application device receives the information element via a management-channel communication between the cellular network management node and the subscriber identification module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the regulation information comprises tariff information associated with the information element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tariff information assigns a transmission cost-rate to a time span and/or point in time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein for an upload transmission, a first transmission regulation information is provided, and for a download transmission, a second transmission regulation information is provided, and wherein the first and second transmission regulation information are different.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interface layer is provided as a direct access means from an application module through a radio module to a subscriber identification module.

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12. A radio module for wireless communication of data within a cellular radio communication network, the radio module being configured:

to receive an information element from a cellular network management node operated by a control entity associated with the cellular radio communication network,

to extract from the information element, regulation information that defines at least one time span or point in time defined in terms of a week, a day or a time of day, that can be used for an up- or download transmission of application exchange data between the application device and the application server via the cellular radio communication network;

to receive an instruction from the cellular network management node to initiate storage of the regulation information comprised in the information element in a device memory providing write access for only a control entity associated with a cellular radio communication network, and

to initiate storing of the regulation information correspondingly,

wherein the device memory is a memory of the radio module and/or a subscriber identification module and/or of an application module connected to the radio module.

13. The radio module of claim 12, which is configured to additionally extract, from the information element, tariff information associated with the regulation information.

14. The radio module of claim 12, which is configured to receive the information element via a management channel communication between the cellular network management node and the subscriber identification module.

15. (canceled)

16. An application device for generating and exchanging application exchange data via a cellular radio communication network with an external application server operated by an application provider, the application device comprising:

a radio module, and an application module which is connected with the radio module, wherein

the radio module (120) is configured to communicate with the application server via at least one cellular network node operated by a control entity of a cellular radio communication network, and

the application module is configured to initiate an up- or download transmission of the application data between the application device and the application server and/or the cellular communication network only at a time that is in accordance with the regulation information stored in memory of the application device.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. A method for operating a cellular network management node in a cellular radio communication network, wherein the method comprises:

the cellular network management node generating at least one information element indicative of regulation information, which defines at least one time span or point in time defined in terms of a week, a day or a time of day, that can be used for an up- or download transmission of application exchange data between an application device subscribed to an application server and the application server, which is associated with an application provider, via the cellular radio communication network (300);

the cellular network management node initiating an up- or download transmission of the information element between the application device and the application server along with an instruction to the at least one application device to store regulation information comprised in the information element in a device memory providing write access for only a control entity associated with the cellular radio communication network to the memory, wherein the device memory is a memory of a radio module and/or a subscriber identification module and/or of an application module of the application device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

the cellular network management node maintaining a subscriber group database that assigns respective group identifiers to different sets of application devices subscribed to the cellular communication network, and

the cellular network management node generating different information elements comprising different regulation information for application devices assigned to different group identifiers.

20. (canceled)

22. A cellular network management node of a cellular radio communication network, comprising:

a traffic scheduling unit configured to generate at least one information element, the information element being indicative of regulation information, which defines at least one time span or point in time defined in terms of a week, a day or a time of day, that can be used for an up- or download transmission of application exchange data between an application device subscribed to the cellular radio communication network and the application server, which is assigned to an application provider, via the cellular radio communication network;

a network management unit which is configured to send the information element to the at least one application device along with an instruction to store the regulation information in a device memory providing write access for only a control entity associated with a cellular radio communication network, in particular wherein the device memory is a memory of a radio module and/or a subscriber identification module and/or of an application module of the application device.

23. The cellular network management node of claim 22, further comprising

a subscriber group management unit, which is configured to store and maintain a subscriber group database that assigns respective group identifiers to different sets of application devices subscribed to the cellular communication network, wherein

the traffic scheduling unit is configured to generate different information elements comprising different regulation information for application devices assigned to different group identifiers.

24. (canceled)