System and method for over the air programming of mobile stations

• US 6,215,994 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Paul, Gahagen, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, BLANE J
• Application Number:
  US09/148,129
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/551, 455/557, 455/519, 455/565
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile station is provided for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air. The mobile station includes a memory storing user preference information, a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information, and a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal. The mobile station is remote from a master control unit selectively activatible for transmitting the over-the-air information including select user preference information input at the master control unit.

Claims

1. A mobile station for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, said mobile station comprising:

a memory storing user preference information including group phone number information and standard phone number information wherein the group phone number information includes group phone numbers and an alphanumeric identifier associated with each group phone number;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the group phone number information in the memory and to change the standard phone number information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal.

2. A mobile station for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, said mobile station comprising:

a memory storing user preference information including group phone number information and standard phone number information wherein the group phone number information stored in the memory includes group phone numbers and a roam receive enable flag and a roam origination enable flag for each group phone number, said roam receive enable flag selectively enabling/disabling receipt of a call at the mobile station from the group phone number with which it is associated, and said roam origination enable flag selectively enabling/disabling origination of a call at the mobile station to the group phone number with which it is associated;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the group phone number information in the memory and to change the standard phone number information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal.

3. A mobile station for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, said mobile station comprising:

a memory storing user preference information including group phone number information and standard phone number information wherein the standard phone number information stored in the memory includes standard phone numbers;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information restricting the ability of the mobile station to place and/or receive calls to and from selected numbers; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the group phone number information in the memory and to change the standard phone number information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal.

4. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive over-the-air information signals across an R-data transport network.

5. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein the standard phone number information further includes an alphanumeric identifier associated with each standard phone number.

6. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein the user preference program is also adapted to add and delete group phone numbers to the memory responsive to a received user information signal.

7. A mobile station for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, said mobile station comprising:

a memory storing user preference information, the user preference information including group phone number information and standard phone number information and the group phone number information including group phone numbers;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the group phone number information and the standard phone number information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal and to add and delete group phone numbers to the memory responsive to a received over-the-air information signal, wherein a selected amount of the memory is allocated for storing the group phone number information, and said user preference program is adapted to increase the selected amount of memory allocated responsive to a received over-the-air information signal with added group phone numbers.

8. A mobile station for transmitting and receiving communication signals over the air, said mobile station comprising:

a memory storing user preference information including receive lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to receive incoming calls from a first set of selected numbers, and dial lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to place outgoing calls to a second set of selected numbers;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal including user preference information; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to user preference information in a received over-the-air information signal including changing the receive lock and dial lock user preference information responsive to a received over-the-air information signal.

9. The mobile station of claim 8, wherein the user preference information stored in the memory includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, and wherein the user preference program is adapted to change the group phone number information and to change the standard phone number information responsive to a received user information signal.

10. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the group phone number information stored in the memory includes group phone numbers.

11. A system for selectively controlling the ability of a mobile station to place and/or receive calls, said system comprising:

a master control unit selectively activatable for transmitting an over-the-air information signal including select user preference information defining the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls; and

a mobile station remote from the master control unit including

a memory including a selected amount allocated to storing user preference information for the mobile station;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal from the master control unit; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to select user preference information in an over-the-air information signal received from the master control unit and to change the selected amount of memory allocated to storing user preference information responsive to a change in the user preference information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the master control unit transmits the over-the-air information signal across an R-data transport network.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the user preference information includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, and

the user preference program is adapted to change the group phone number information and the standard phone number information in the memory responsive to a received information signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the group phone number information includes group phone numbers.

15. A system for selectively controlling the ability of a mobile station to place and/or receive calls, said system comprising:

a master control unit selectively activatable for transmitting an over-the-air information signal including select user preference information defining the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls including group phone number information and standard phone number information, said group phone number information including group phone numbers and a roam receive enable flag and a roam origination enable flag for each group phone number; and

a mobile station remote from the master control unit including

a memory storing user preference information for the mobile station;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal from the master control unit; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to select user preference information in an over-the-air information signal received from the master control unit, including changing the group phone number information and the standard phone number information in the memory responsive to a received information signal, wherein said roam receive enable flag selectively enables/disables receipt of a call at the mobile station from the group phone number with which it is associated, and said roam originate enable flag selectively enables/disables origination of a call at the mobile station to the group phone number with which is it associated.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the master control unit comprises:

a user controllable input device for selectively inputting user preference information defining the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls; and

a messaging center receiving the user preference information input from the user controllable input device and transmitting the over-the-air information signal, including the user preference information, to the select mobile station.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user controllable input devices comprises a computer having a display, a memory, a user input apparatus for controlling operation of the computer, and a user preference reconfigure program.

18. A system for selectively controlling the ability of a mobile station to place and/or receive calls, said system comprising:

a master control unit selectively activatible for transmitting an over-the-air information signal including select user preference information defining the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls to and from selected numbers; and

a mobile station remote from the master control unit including

a memory storing user preference information for the mobile station;

a receiver adapted to receive an over-the-air information signal from the master control unit; and

a user preference program in the mobile station adapted to change the user preference information in the memory according to select user preference information in an over-the-air information signal received from the master control unit;

wherein the user preference information stored in the memory includes receive lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to receive incoming calls from said selected numbers, and dial lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to place outgoing calls to said selected numbers., and the user preference program is adapted to change the receive and dial lock user preference information responsive to a received information signal.

19. A method of automatically changing user preference information stored in the memory of a mobile station for use in a wireless communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an over-the-air information signal including user preference information which includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, said mobile station allocating a selected amount of memory for storing the group phone number information, and

(b) automatically changing the group phone number information and/or the standard phone number information responsive to the received user information signal, including automatically changing the selected amount of memory responsive to the received user information signal.

20. A method of automatically changing user preference information stored in the memory of a mobile station for use in a wireless communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an over-the-air information signal including user preference information wherein the user preference information stored in the memory includes receive lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to receive incoming calls from a first set of selected numbers, and dial lock user preference information selectively settable to restrict the mobile station'"'"'s ability to place outgoing calls to a second set of selected numbers; and

(b) automatically changing the receive lock and dial lock user preference information in the memory responsive to the received user preference signal according to the user preference information in the received over-the-air information signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the user preference information stored in the memory includes group phone number information and standard phone number information, and wherein step (b) comprises the step of automatically changing the group phone number information and/or the standard phone number information responsive to the received user information signal.

22. A method of selectively controlling the ability of a mobile station to place and/or receive calls, the mobile station including a memory storing user preference information, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, at a master control unit, an over-the-air information signal including select user preference information restricting the ability of a select mobile station to place and/or receive calls to and from selected numbers;

receiving, at the select mobile station, the transmitted over-the-air information signal including the select user preference information; and

automatically changing the user preference information in the memory according to the select user preference information in the received over-the-air information signal; and

restricting the ability of the select mobile station to place and/or receive calls to and from the selected numbers.