System and method for providing services based on broadcasted system information

• US 6,138,002 A
• Filed: 12/18/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Bhatia, Ranjit, Alperovich, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, SHEILA B
• Application Number:
  US08/993,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/517, 455/457, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 455/38.4, 455/407, 455/406, 455/408, 455/419, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method for enabling a subscriber to determine the current time period, e.g., peak or off-peak, for that subscriber based upon the broadcasted system date and time prior to answering or placing a call on a mobile terminal. The Mobile Station (MS), or a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card within the MS, can be programmed with the relevant time periods for that subscriber, e.g., dates and hours for peak and off-peak time periods. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a time period application within the SIM card receives the system information from the air interface and compares it with the stored time period information associated with the subscriber to determine the current time period. The SIM card can then instruct the MS to display the current time period, along with the amount of air time usage associated with that time period.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for determining a current one of time period information for a given one of a plurality of mobile terminals in wireless communication with a mobile services center, said telecommunications system comprising:

a memory located within said telecommunications system for storing said time period information containing information on at least one peak or off peak time period associated with said given mobile terminal;

a base station system in wireless communication with said given mobile terminal and connected to said mobile services center, said base station system broadcasting system information identifying at least the current system time; and

a time period application within said telecommunications system for receiving said broadcasted system information, comparing said time period information stored within said memory with said broadcasted system information and determining said current time period information for said given mobile terminal.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said memory and said time period application are located within said given mobile terminal.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said given mobile terminal comprises a display, said broadcasted system information including the time of day, said time period application instructing said given mobile terminal to display the time of day on said display.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said given mobile terminal comprises a display, said current time period information being displayed on said display.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 2, further comprising a counter application within said given mobile terminal, said counter application managing at least one counter within said given mobile terminal.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 5, wherein said counter application resets said at least one counter when said broadcasted system information equals a reset time stored within said memory, said reset time corresponding to the beginning of a current billing cycle.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 6, wherein said counter application increments said at least one counter based upon the amount of air time usage of said given mobile terminal.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said current time period information corresponds to a peak time period, said at least one counter corresponding to the amount of air time usage for said given mobile terminal during said peak time period for said current billing cycle, the amount of air time usage for said peak time being displayed on a display on said given mobile terminal.

9. The telecommunications system of claim 7, wherein said current time period information corresponds to an off-peak time period, said at least one counter corresponding to the amount of air time usage for said given mobile terminal during said off-peak time period for said current billing cycle, the amount of air time usage for said off-peak time period being displayed on a display on said given mobile terminal.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said broadcasted system information is selected from the group consisting of:

the time of day, day of week, date, time zone, and holiday information.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said current time period information corresponds to a peak time period.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said current time period information corresponds to an off-peak time period.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said memory is a subscriber identity module, said time period application being implemented in said subscriber identity module.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said memory within said given mobile terminal has a JAVA platform stored therein, said base station system sending a JAVA script to said given mobile terminal to be implemented by said JAVA platform, said JAVA script containing said time period application.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 2, further comprising an alarm application within said given mobile terminal, said alarm application instructing said given mobile terminal to ring when a programmed time equals said broadcasted system information.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 2, further comprising an air time accumulation application within said given mobile terminal, said broadcasted system information including an air time accumulation indicator, said air time accumulation application receiving said air time accumulation indicator and instructing said given mobile terminal to display said air time accumulation indicator.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said broadcasted system information is sent by said base station system over a Broadcast Control Channel.

18. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising a home location register connected to said mobile services center, said memory being located within said home location register.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 18, wherein said time period application is located within said mobile services center, said time period information being forwarded to said mobile services center from said home location register, said current time period information being sent to said base station system for transmittal of said current time period information to said given mobile terminal.

20. The telecommunications system of claim 18, wherein said time period application is located within said base station system, said time period information being forwarded to said base station system from said home location register via said mobile services center, said base station system transmitting said current time period information to said given mobile terminal.

21. A method for determining a current one of time period information for a given one of a plurality of mobile terminals in wireless communication with a mobile services center within a telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing said time period information associated with said given mobile terminal within a memory located within said telecommunications system;

broadcasting system information, by a base station system in wireless communication with said given mobile terminal, said base station system being connected to said mobile services center;

receiving said broadcasted system information, by a time period application within said telecommunications system;

comparing, by said time period application, said broadcasted system information with said time period information stored within said memory; and

determining, by said time period application, said current time period information based on said step of comparing.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said memory and said time period application are located within said given mobile terminal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said broadcasted system information includes the time of day, and further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

displaying, using said time period application, the time of day on a display on said given mobile terminal.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

displaying, using said time period application, said current time period information on a display on said given mobile terminal.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

resetting at least one counter within said given mobile terminal, using a counter application within said given mobile terminal, when said broadcasted system information equals a reset time stored within said memory, said reset time corresponding to the beginning of a current billing cycle.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, after said step of resetting, the step of:

incrementing, using said counter application, said at least one counter based upon the amount of air time usage of said given mobile terminal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said current time period information corresponds to a peak time period, said at least one counter corresponding to the amount of air time usage for said given mobile terminal during said peak time period for said current billing cycle, and further comprising, after said step of incrementing, the step of:

displaying, on a display on said given mobile terminal, the amount of air time usage for said peak time period.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said current time period information corresponds to an off-peak time period, said at least one counter corresponding to the amount of air time usage for said given mobile terminal during said off-peak time period for said current billing cycle, and further comprising, after said step of incrementing, the step of:

displaying, on a display on said given mobile terminal, the amount of air time usage for said off-peak time period.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein said broadcasted system information includes the time of day, day of week, date, time zone, and holiday information.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein said current time period information corresponds to a peak time period.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein said current time period information corresponds to an off-peak time period.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein said memory is a subscriber identity module, said time period application being implemented in said subscriber identity module.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein said memory within said given mobile terminal has a JAVA platform stored therein, and further comprising, before said step of receiving, the step of:

sending, by said base station system, a JAVA script to said given mobile terminal to be implemented by said JAVA platform, said JAVA script containing said time period application.

34. The method of claim 22, further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

instructing, by an alarm application within said given mobile terminal, said given mobile terminal to ring when a programmed time equals said broadcasted system information.

35. The method of claim 22, further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of:

instructing, by a call generator application within said given mobile terminal, said given mobile terminal to place a call to a predefined number when a programmed time equals said broadcasted system information.

36. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of broadcasting is performing by sending said broadcasted system information, by said base station system, over a Broadcast Control Channel.

37. The method of claim 21, wherein said memory is located within a home location register connected to said mobile services center.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said time period application is located within said mobile services center, and further comprising, before said step of determining, the step of:

forwarding, by said home location register, said time period information to said mobile services center; and

further comprising, after said step of determining, the steps of;

sending, by said mobile services center, said current time period information to said base station system; and

transmitting, by said base station system, said current time period information to said given mobile terminal.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said time period application is located within said base station system, and further comprising, before said step of determining, the step of:

forwarding, by said home location register, said time period information to said base station system via said mobile services center; and

further comprising, after said step of determining, the step of;

transmitting, by said base station system, said current time period information to said given mobile terminal.