Status indicator control for cellular mobile telephone system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for use in a cellular mobile telephone system wherein voice and data signals are communicated between a mobile station and a base station, said mobile station being a subscriber to a home system, said mobile station being provided with a status indicator to indicate if the base station with which said mobile station is communicating is included in said home system and said mobile station having stored therein system identification data identifying said home station, said mobile station being operable in an idle mode, wherein the mobile station receives control messages including system identification data and transmits control messages including mobile station identification data, and said mobile station being operable in an active mode to transmit and receive voice signals, said apparatus comprising system ID detecting means at said mobile station for detecting if the system identification data received in a control message identifies said home system, status activating means for activating said status indicator in response to said system ID detecting means, status order control message sensing means for sensing receipt of an indicator status order control message, override means responsive to the sensed indicator status order control message for selectively activating or deactivating said status indicator as determined by said indicator status order control message notwithstanding said system ID detecting means, and indicator status order control message transmit means at said base station for selectively transmitting said indicator status order control message to said mobile station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a cellular mobile telephone system wherein a mobile station is provided with a status indicator which provides a HOME indication when the mobile station communicates with a base station in its home system and a ROAM indication when the mobile station communicates with a base station in a "visited" system, the particular indication that is provided by the mobile station is dependent upon the system identification data (SID) that is received from the base station with which the mobile station communicates. The mobile station also includes a status order control message sensor for sensing an indicator status order control message transmitted by the base station which serves to selectively activate or deactivate the status indicator at the mobile station, notwithstanding that the indicator had been activated previously by the received SID. Thus, whether the mobile station is idle or active, that is, even when voice data is communicated between the mobile station and a base station, a change in the HOME/ROAM status of the mobile station is indicated.
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Citations
22 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for use in a cellular mobile telephone system wherein voice and data signals are communicated between a mobile station and a base station, said mobile station being a subscriber to a home system, said mobile station being provided with a status indicator to indicate if the base station with which said mobile station is communicating is included in said home system and said mobile station having stored therein system identification data identifying said home station, said mobile station being operable in an idle mode, wherein the mobile station receives control messages including system identification data and transmits control messages including mobile station identification data, and said mobile station being operable in an active mode to transmit and receive voice signals, said apparatus comprising system ID detecting means at said mobile station for detecting if the system identification data received in a control message identifies said home system, status activating means for activating said status indicator in response to said system ID detecting means, status order control message sensing means for sensing receipt of an indicator status order control message, override means responsive to the sensed indicator status order control message for selectively activating or deactivating said status indicator as determined by said indicator status order control message notwithstanding said system ID detecting means, and indicator status order control message transmit means at said base station for selectively transmitting said indicator status order control message to said mobile station.
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10. In a cellular mobile telephone system wherein several mobile stations move into and through service cells that are serviced by respective base stations, and wherein adjacent cells are serviceable by different service providers such that a mobile station located in a first service cell that is serviced by a service provider to which the mobile station subscribes is a HOME mobile station and said mobile station is a ROAMING mobile station when it moves into a service cell that is serviced by a service provider to which said mobile station does not subscribe, the method of indicating whether the mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station comprising the steps of transmitting from the base station serving the service cell in which said mobile station is located to said mobile station a system identification code representing the service provider for that service cell;
- determining if said mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station as a function of the transmitted system identification code;
returning from said mobile station to the serving base station a mobile station identification code representing the identity of said mobile station;
selectively transmitting from said serving base station to said mobile station a status indicator message representing that said mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station notwithstanding a determination made as a function of the transmitted system identification code; and
indicating at said mobile station the HOME/ROAM status of said mobile station as represented by said status indicator message. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- determining if said mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station as a function of the transmitted system identification code;
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16. Apparatus for indicating whether a cellular telephone mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station as it moves into and through service cells that are serviced by different base stations, and wherein adjacent cells are serviceable by different service providers whereby said mobile station is a HOME mobile station when located in a service cell that is serviced by a service provider to which the mobile station subscribes and said mobile station is a ROAMING mobile station when located in a service cell that is serviced by a service provider to which the mobile station does not subscribe, said apparatus comprising:
- system ID detecting means for detecting system identification data transmitted by a base station and for determining if said system identification data identifies the service provider to which the mobile station subscribes;
status indicating means responsive to said system ID detecting means for providing a HOME indication if said system identification data identifies the service provider to which the mobile station subscribes and for providing a ROAMING indication if said system identification data identifies a service provider to which the mobile station does not subscribe;
status order control message sensing means for sensing receipt from said base station of an indicator status order control message which represents that said mobile station is a HOME or ROAMING mobile station notwithstanding a determination made by said system ID detecting means; and
override means responsive to the received indicator status order control message for selectively overriding the indication provided by said status indicating means. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- system ID detecting means for detecting system identification data transmitted by a base station and for determining if said system identification data identifies the service provider to which the mobile station subscribes;
Specification