Method and devices for transmitting short messages

• US 6,230,020 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kantola, Janne, Koivula, Minna
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/456,593
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/461, 455/412, 455/564, 455/422, 340/825.44, 340/825.02, 340/565, 340/550
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

A method and a mobile station by which a call can be initiated during the transmission of a set of short messages for making the initiation of the call more surely successful, because all mobile networks do not support the initiation of a call in the middle of the transmission of short messages but, instead, most of them support the transmission of short messages in the middle of an ongoing call. The mobile station temporarily ends the transmission (430) of short messages and waits until the end (450) of the transmission of a first short message before it begins the initiation (460) of a call with a mobile network. After beginning the creation of the call with the mobile network, the mobile station will begin the transmission (470) of the short messages that remained unsent, to the mobile network.

Claims

1. A method for initiating a wireless call with a mobile station, comprising the steps in the mobile station of:

receiving a call initiation command from a user;

checking whether a transmission of a short message is going on and, if yes, further performing the following steps in the mobile station of;

holding the initiation of the call and the transmission of new short messages;

after the transmission of said short message has ended, holding the initiation of the call until a data transfer channel used for transferring the short message has been released, after which;

continuing the initiation of the call by sending a call initiation command to a mobile network; and

ending said holding of the initiation of the transmission of short messages.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of

monitoring signals sent to the mobile station by the mobile network for detecting the release of the data transfer channel used for the transfer of a short message.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein

release of the data transfer channel used for the transfer of a short message is estimated to have been carried out after a specific delay following the completion of said ongoing transmission of the short message.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission of short messages that remained untransmitted due to the prevention of the transmission of short messages will be started after the transmission of the call initiation command by beginning the creation of the data transfer channel to be used for the transmission of short messages.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of ending said holding of the initiation of the transmission of short messages further comprises the steps of a transmitting the new short message that remain untransmitted over the data transfer channel.

8. A mobile station according to claim 5, comprising a timer for waiting for a specific delay after the transmission of a short message has ended before sending said call initiation command.

9. A mobile station according to claim 5, wherein

said prevention means are arranged to be ended by said holding after the mobile station has sent said call initiation command to the mobile network.

10. A mobile station according to claim 5, wherein

said inspection means are arranged to detect said ending of the transmission of a short message due to the arrival of a signal from the mobile network informing of the release of the data transfer channel used for the transmission of the short message to be received by said radio transmitter-receiver.

11. A mobile station according to claim 5, wherein

in response to the use of said calling means, said radio transmitter-receiver is arranged to transmit said call initiation command without waiting for the ending of the transmission of the short message.

6. A mobile station comprising:

A radio transmitter-receiver and an antenna for transmitting a short message via a mobile network to a second user terminal,

calling means for giving a call initiation command,

holding means for holding the initiation of the transmission of short messages in response to the giving of said initiation signal,

indication means for indicating the ongoing transmission of a short message and for indicating the ending of such transmission of a short message,

a radio transmitter-receiver for transmitting a call initiation command in response to the indication of the ending of the transmission of a short message following said call initiation signal, and

in response to the transmission of said call initiation command, said holding means are arranged to end said holding.

7. A mobile station according to claim 6, comprising:

a PDA part for inputting at least one piece of information by a user of the mobile station,

a memory for receiving and storing said information,

connecting means for transferring said information from said memory to said radio transmitter-receiver, and

said radio transmitter-receiver is arranged to transmit said information in the form of a short message.

12. A method for initiating a wireless call with a mobile station which is also capable of transmitting short messages, comprising the steps of:

initiating a call initiation command;

checking whether a transmission of a short message is going on and, when it is,

holding the initiation of the call and the transmission of new short messages, and after the transmission of the short messages has ended;

holding the initiation of the call until a data transfer channel used for transferring the short message has been released, after which;

continuing the initiation of the call by sending a mobile network the call initiation command; and

ending the holding of the initiation of the transmission of short messages;

wherein the transmission of short messages that remained untransmitted due to the prevention of the transmission of short messages will be started after the transmission of the call initiation command.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of monitoring signals sent to the mobile station by a mobile network for detecting the release of the data transfer channel used for the transfer of the short message.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the release of the data transfer channel used for the transfer of the short message is estimated to have been carried out after a specific delay following the completion of the ongoing transmission of the short message.

15. A mobile station comprising:

a radio transmitter-receiver and an antenna for transmitting a short message via a mobile network to a second user terminal;

a calling device for giving a call initiation command;

a holding unit for holding an initiation of the transmission of short messages in response to the call initiation signal;

an indication device for indicating an ongoing transmission of a short message and for indicating an ending of the transmission of a short message;

a radio transmitter-receiver for transmitting a call initiation command in response to the indication of the ending of the transmission of a short message following the call initiation command;

wherein in response to the transmission of the call initiation command, the holding unit is adapted to end the holding;

a PDA part for inputting at least one piece of information by a user of the mobile station;

a memory for receiving and storing the information;

a connection for transferring the information from the memory to the radio transmitter-receiver, and wherein the radio transmitter-receiver is arranged to transmit the information in the form of a short message.

16. A mobile station according to claim 15, further comprising a timer for waiting for a specific delay after the transmission of a short message has ended before sending the initiation command.

17. A mobile station according to claim 15, wherein the holding of the initiation of short messages is to be ended by the holding unit after the mobile station has sent the call initiation command to the mobile network.

18. A mobile station according to claim 15, wherein an inspection device is adapted to detect an ending of the transmission of a short message due to an arrival of a signal from the mobile network informing of a release of a data transfer channel used for the transmission of the short message to be received by the radio transmitter-receiver.