GROUP COMMUNICATION WITH A LOGICAL GROUP OF WIRELESS DEVICES OPERATING IN DIFFERENT NETWORKS

• US 20170251342A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rajesh Bhalla, ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Bhalla, Rajesh
• Application Number:
  US15/516,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20170251342A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A server in a communication network performs group communication with a logical group of wireless devices by reserving network bandwidth, e.g., a logical identifier, that identifies a logical group of devices, tracking current locations of the member devices and delivering a message to the group based on individualized communication methods using the tracked locations of the member devices.

Claims

1. A method implemented at a network-side server in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

reserving a network resource that identifies a logical group of wireless devices;

tracking current locations and identities of devices that are members of the logical group of devices; and

delivering a group message to members of the logical group of devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource comprises a temporary mobile group identification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reserving the network resource includes:

transmitting a request to broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) to reserve a group identification; and

receiving the group identification from the BM-SC.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource is reserved a priori based on an operator policy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking current locations includes:

receiving information about a user device'"'"'s location from the user device'"'"'s subscription information in a home subscriber server (HSS) for the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

delivering the message, for a first user device that is currently located in a service area provides a broadcast multicast service, using an eMBMS delivery procedure; and

delivering the message, for a second user device that is currently outside of the service area that provides the broadcast multicast service, using a short messaging service (SMS) delivery procedure.

7. A communication apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing instruction; and

a processor for reading the instructions from the memory and implementing a method, comprising;

reserving a network resource that identifies a logical group of wireless devices;

tracking current locations and identities of devices that are members of the logical group of devices; and

delivering a group message to members of the logical group of devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network resource comprises a temporary mobile group identification.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reserving the network resource includes:

transmitting a request to broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) to reserve a group identification; and

receiving the group identification from the BM-SC.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network resource is reserved a priori based on an operator policy.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tracking current locations includes:

receiving information about a user device'"'"'s location from the user device'"'"'s subscription information in a home subscriber server (HSS) for the user device.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the method further includes:

delivering the message, for a first user device that is currently located in a service area provides a broadcast multicast service, using an eMBMS delivery procedure; and

delivering the message, for a second user device that is currently outside of the service area that provides the broadcast multicast service, using a short messaging service (SMS) delivery procedure.

13. A communication network comprising a network-side server and a plurality of user equipment (UEs),

wherein the UEs are configured to form a logical group of devices and wherein the network-side server is configured to:

reserve a network resource that identifies the logical group;

track current locations of UEs that are members of the logical group; and

facilitate delivery of a group message to members of the logical group.

15. The communication network of claim 13, wherein the network resource includes a group identification address.

14. (canceled)

16. A communication server comprising:

a memory configured to store data and instructions; and

a processor configured to read the instructions from the memory and to implement a method at a network-side server in a wireless communication network, the instructions comprising;

code for reserving a network resource that identifies a logical group of wireless devices;

code for tracking current locations and identities of devices that are members of the logical group of devices; and

code for delivering a group message to members of the logical group of devices.

17. The communication server of claim 16, wherein the network resource comprises a temporary mobile group identification.

18. The communication server of claim 16, wherein the code for reserving the network resource includes:

code for transmitting a request to broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) to reserve a group identification; and

code for receiving the group identification from the BM-SC.

19. The communication server of claim 16, wherein the network resource is configured to be reserved a priori based on an operator policy.

20. The communication server of claim 16, wherein the code for tracking current locations includes:

code for receiving information about a user device'"'"'s location from the user device'"'"'s subscription information in a home subscriber server (HSS) for the user device.

21. The communication server of claim 16, further including:

code for delivering the message, for a first user device that is currently located in a service area provides a broadcast multicast service, using an eMBMS delivery procedure; and

code for delivering the message, for a second user device that is currently outside of the service area that provides the broadcast multicast service, using a short messaging service (SMS) delivery procedure.