Method and system for expanding the data capacity of a cellular network control channel

• US 6,311,056 B1
• Filed: 05/21/1998
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Numerex Corporation (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cellemetry, LLC (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sandidge, Jere T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US09/082,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/414, 455/412, 455/557, 455/404, 455/556, 455/552, 455/458
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

Expanding the data carrying capacity of a forward control channel of a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system. By utilizing data fields that would otherwise be unused in a conventional data message system, an operation identifier can be transmitted to a data reporting device. The forward control channel carries control messages which are capable of causing cellular devices to perform certain communications functions. An Order Code data field within the control message defines the functionality of the message. By utilizing the Order Code data fields to invoke the message waiting functionality of the control message, and replacing the message waiting data with an operation identifier, the data carrying capacity of the forward control channel is increased. An external device connected to the data reporting device can be caused to perform an operation defined by the operation identifier. The operation identifier can define an operation specified from a list of available operations. For cellular communications devices that are responsive to more than one mobile identification number (MIN), the range of operations that can be processed by a control unit is greatly expanded.

Claims

1. In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular mobile radiotelephones within coverage areas of the array of cells, a data message system for communicating a control message, comprising:

a mobile switching center (MSC) for communicating the control message via a forward control channel of the CMR system, the control message comprising an operation identifier defining an operation selected from a plurality of operations wherein the operation identifier is positioned within a selected data field of the control message, the selected data field corresponding to a Message Waiting Count data field for maintaining a Message Waiting Count, the operation identifier corresponding to at least a portion of the Message Waiting Count; and

a plurality of data reporting devices, each responsive to receiving the control message via the forward control channel and for performing the operation defined by the operation identifier, wherein the operation is one of the operations that can be performed by each of the data reporting devices.

2. The data message system of claim 1, wherein the control message is a Message Waiting Indicator control message and wherein the control message contains an Order Code data field operative to designate the control message as a Message Waiting Indicator control message.

3. The data message system of claim 1, further comprising a data message gateway for supplying the operation identifier to the MSC via a first communications link.

4. The data message system of claim 3, further comprising a data service provider functionally connected to the data message gateway, the data message gateway being further operative to receive an operation request from the data service provider, via a second communications link, to translate the operation request into the operation identifier, and to forward the operation identifier to the MSC, via the first communications link.

5. The data message system of claim 1, wherein the data reporting device is operative to perform a correlative process by matching the operation identifier to the operation.

6. The data message system of claim 5, wherein each data reporting device has a memory storage unit and is simultaneously responsive to a control message containing any one of a plurality of mobile identification numbers (MINs) stored in the memory unit.

7. The data message system of claim 6, wherein each data reporting device has a different correlative process for each MIN to which the data reporting device is responsive.

8. The data message system of claim 5, wherein the correlative process comprises matching the operation identifier to the operation by accessing a look-up table.

9. The data message system of claim 5, wherein the correlative process comprises extracting an operation parameter from the operation identifier.

10. The data message system of claim 1, further comprising at least one external device associated with each of the data reporting devices, the external device operative to perform the operation.

11. The data message system of claim 10, further comprising at least one control unit associated with each of the data reporting devices for performing a correlative process, matching the operation identifier to the operation.

12. In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular mobile radiotelephones within coverage areas of the array of cells, a data message system for communicating an operation identifier defining an operation to be performed by a plurality of external devices, the data message system comprising:

a plurality of data reporting devices, each for receiving a control message via a forward control channel containing an operation identifier, and for forwarding the operation identifier to at least one of the external devices, thereby causing the external device to perform the operation;

a mobile switching center (MSC) for communicating the control message via the forward control channel of the CMR system, in response to receiving the operation identifier from a data message gateway, via a first communication link, the MSC operative to transmit the operation identifier within a Message Waiting Count field of the control message; and

wherein the operation is one of a plurality of available operations that can be performed by each of the external devices.

13. The data message system of claim 12, wherein the CMR system has a mail messaging system and wherein the control message comprises a data field for a Message Waiting Count, the operation identifier corresponding to at least a portion of the Message Waiting Count data field.

14. The data message system of claim 12, wherein each data reporting device is responsive to a control message containing any one of a plurality of mobile identification numbers (MINs).

15. The data message system of claim 14, wherein the data reporting device is operative to perform a correlative process by matching the operation identifier to the operation.

16. The data message system of claim 14, wherein the data reporting device is operative to perform a correlative process by extracting an operation parameter from the operation identifier.

17. The data message of claim 16, wherein each MIN has a unique correlative process, and wherein the data reporting device will perform the unique correlative process corresponding to the MIN contained in the control message.

18. The data message system of claim 12, wherein the data reporting device comprises a cellular communications device and a control unit functionally connected between the cellular communications device and the external device, the control unit operative to convert the operation identifier received from the cellular communications device into a format suitable for processing by the external device.

19. The data message system of claim 18, wherein the control unit performs a correlative process by matching the operation identifier to the operation.

20. In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular mobile radiotelephones within coverage areas of the array of cells, a mobile switching center (MSC) for communicating a control message via a forward control channel, and a plurality of data reporting devices for controlling a plurality of external devices, a method for communicating within the control message an operation identifier to be performed by an external device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an operation request from a data service provider;

translating the operation request into the operation identifier;

transmitting the operation identifier to the MSC;

converting the operation identifier into a format that is suitable for transmission to at least one of the data reporting devices, via the forward control channel;

transmitting the operation identifier to at least one of the data reporting devices via the forward control channel within a Message Waiting Count data field of the control message; and

causing at least one of the external devices to perform the operation.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

examining an Order Code data field of the control message to determine whether the control message contains the operation identifier within the Message Waiting Count data field.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

extracting the operation identifier from the Message Waiting Count data field.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

extracting an operation parameter from the Message Waiting Count data field.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of:

performing a correlative process to match the operation identifier to the operation.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

accessing a look-up table to perform the correlative process.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the data reporting devices are responsive to control messages containing any one of a plurality of mobile identification numbers (MIN), the method further comprising the step of:

performing a unique correlative process for each MIN to which the data reporting device is responsive.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

in response to a failure of the correlative process to match the operation identifier to the operation, performing a default response.