Service means to provide a service to a user, method realized by such a service means and a telecommunication network including such a service means

• US 6,397,072 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1999
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Peters, Marco Johannes Hubertus, Vosters, Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US09/456,240
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403,414,421,422,426,432,433,435,456,457,459,552,575,450
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system (SP) to provide a service to a user of a first terminal (T1) of a telecommunication network includes a retriever (RET) to retrieve from storage, in accordance with a coverage area (Ai), a location information (LOC-A2) that is associated by the information storage with the coverage area (Ai). The coverage area (A2) is one of a set of coverage area'"'"'s (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6) of the universal mobile telecommunication system. Each one (A2) of the coverage areas (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6) is, respectively, associated with a location information (LOC-A2) of a set of location information (LOC-A1, LOC-A2, LOC-A3, LOC-A4, LOC-A5, LOC-A6). In the event the terminal (T1) is located within such a coverage area (A2), the first terminal (T1) is enabled to access the predefined universal mobile telecommunication service. The system further includes a first determiner (DET1) adapted to select, upon receiving an initiation signal (INIT) from the system, a selected location information (LOC-A2) based upon predefined rules and upon one or more location information (LOC-A2, LOC-A3) that are retrieved from storage. The first determiner (DET1) furthermore provides the selected location information (LOC-A2) to forwarder (FORW) which is coupled to the retriever (RET). The forwarder (FORW) is enabled to forward the selected location information (LOC-A2) to the user. Thereby, the transportation of the first terminal (T1) to the selected coverage area (A2) according to the forwarded selected location.

Claims

1. A system for providing a service to a user of a first terminal (T1) of a telecommunication network, said user desiring to use a predefined universal mobile telecommunication service of a universal mobile telecommunication system, characterized in that said system includes:

an information retriever (RET) retrieving at least one location information (LOC-A2) from information storage (MEM) corresponding to at least one location coverage area (A2) belonging to a system coverage area of said universal mobile telecommunication system, said system coverage area comprising at least one location coverage area (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6) and said information storage associating each said location coverage area with a respective location information such that, when said first terminal (T1) is located within a particular location coverage area (A2) said first terminal (T1) is enabled to access said predefined universal mobile telecommunication service, said retriever thereby providing at least one retrieved location information (LOC-A2) to a first determiner (DET1);

said first determiner (DET1) being coupled to said information retriever (RET) and being adapted to select, upon receiving an initiation signal (INIT) from said system, a selected location information (LOC-A2) based upon predefined rules and based upon the at least one location information (LOC-A2, LOC-A3) retrieved from said information storage (MEM), and to provide said selected location information (LOC-A2) to a forwarder; and

said forwarder (FORW) being coupled to said first determiner (DET1) and enabled to forward said selected location information (LOC-A2) to said user and to thereby enable transportation of said first terminal (T1) to said selected coverage area (A2) according to said forwarded selected location information (LOC-A2) and to thereby enable said first terminal (T1) to access said predefined universal mobile telecommunication service.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said system further includes said information storage (MEM) storing at least one relation between one of said at least one location coverage area (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6) and one of said at least one location information (LOC-A1, LOC-A2, LOC-A3, LOC-A4, LOC-A5, LOC-A6).

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said information retriever (RET), said first determiner (DET1), and said forwarder (FORW) are included in a service provider and that said forwarder includes:

a generator (GEN) coupled to said first determiner (DET1) to generate a service message (SERV(LOC-A2)) including said selected location information (LOC-A2); and

a transmitter (TR) coupled between said generator (GEN) and an output (OUT) of said system to transmit said service message (SERV(LOC-A2)) via said telecommunication network to a second terminal (T2) of said user and to thereby enable said second terminal (T2) to receive said service message (SERV(LOC-A2)) and to generate an output (OUT(LOC-A2)) including said selected location information (LOC-A2) towards said user.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that said second terminal (T2) is realized by said first terminal (T1).

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said system is included in a second terminal (T2) of said user and that said forwarder (FORW) includes an output circuit (OUT) coupled to said retriever (RET) to generate an output (LOC-A2) towards said user that includes said selected location information (LOC-A2).

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that said second terminal (T2) is realized by said first terminal (T1).

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said system further includes a second determiner (DET2) adapted to determine an actual first terminal location (LOC-T1) and to provide said actual first terminal location (LOC-T1) to said first determiner (DET1) whereby said first determiner is further adapted to base said selection also upon said actual first terminal location (LOC-T1).

8. A telecommunication network, characterized in that said telecommunication network includes a system according to claim 1.

9. The telecommunication network according to claim 8, characterized in that said telecommunication network is a mobile network.

10. A method to be executed by a system in order to provide a service to a user of a first terminal (T1) of a telecommunication network, said user desiring to use a predefined universal mobile telecommunication service of a universal mobile telecommunication system, characterized in that said method includes the steps of:

at least one location information (LOC-A1, LOC-A2, LOC-A3, LOC-A4, LOC-A5, LOC-A6).

storing in an information storage (MEM) at least one relation between at least one location coverage area (A2) belonging to a system coverage area of a universal mobile telecommunication system and a location information (LOC-A2) said location coverage area belonging to a system coverage area of said universal mobile telecommunication system and each location coverage area being associated with a respective location information such that in the event said first terminal (T1) is located within one coverage area (A2) said first terminal (T1) is thereby enabled to access said predefined universal mobile telecommunication service;

retrieving from said information storage, in accordance with a coverage area (A2), at least one location information (LOC-A2) according to said stored relation and providing thereby at least one retrieved location information (LOC-A2);

selecting, upon receiving of an initiation signal (INIT) said stem, a selected location information (LOC-A2) based upon predefined rules and based upon the at least one location information (LOC-A2, LOC-A3) retrieved; and

forwarding said selected location information (LOC-A2) to said user in order to enable transportation of said first terminal (T1) to said selected coverage area (A2) associated with said forwarded selected location information (LOC-A2) and to thereby enable said first terminal (T1) to access said predefined universal mobile telecommunication service.