System, method, and apparatus for distinguishing between different group calls

• US 6,405,050 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Amirijoo, Shahrokh, Feltner, Charles M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/218,831
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/519, 455/445, 455/463, 455/550, 455/557, 455/415, 455/516, 455/521, 455/527, 370/330, 370/261, 370/384, 340/825.44, 340/825.36, 340/7.51, 340/3.55, 340/7.21, 340/7.22, 340/7.46, 340/825.65, 379/45, 379/265
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for transmitting and receiving group calls are illustrated. The group call register includes a counter value which identifies particular calls. The counter value is transmitted in the notification message, thereby identifying both the group and the group call. After the subscriber finishes listening to the group call, the subscriber can cause the mobile station to store the group identification number and the counter value in the group call history memory to prevent being alerted of the same group call in the event that the call is repeated. Additionally, the mobile station establishes a point-to-point call to an acknowledgment center and transmits the group identification number as well as the counter value. The group identification number and the counter value are stored in the acknowledgement center, thereby establishing a record of mobile stations that have listened to particular calls.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a group call at a mobile station, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a notification message on a control channel, said notification message comprising a first indicator identifying a particular group, and a second indicator and a counter value identifying said group call;

examining said second indicator and the counter value;

examining contents of a group call history memory forming a portion of said mobile station; and

rejecting a subsequent group call as having already been received if said contents of said group call history memory include said examined second indicator and the counter value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

examining said first indicator identifying said particular group; and

examining the contents of a group identification number memory forming a portion of said mobile station; and

rejecting said group call if said contents of said group identification number memory do not comprise said first indicator identifying said particular group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving said group call if said contents of said group call history memory do not include said examined second indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of receiving said group call further comprises the step of:

storing said second indicator in said group call history memory.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of receiving said group call further comprises the steps of:

establishing a call to an acknowledgment center; and

transmitting said first indicator and said second indicator from said mobile station to said acknowledgment center.

6. A mobile station for receiving group calls, said mobile station comprising:

a group call history memory for storing first indicators and counter values, each one of said first indicators identifying a particular group call;

detection means for detecting a notification message on a control channel, said notification message comprising a first identifier and a counter value identifying a particular group call; and

rejecting means for rejecting a subsequent group call as having already been received if the first indicator and the counter value of said group call history memory matches one of said first indicators and counter values.

7. The mobile station of claim 6, further comprising:

a group identification number memory for storing second indicators, each one of said second indicators identifying a particular group;

wherein said notification message further comprises a second identifier identifying a particular group; and

wherein said rejection means rejects said group call when said second identifier does not match one of said second indicators in the group identification number memory.

8. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein said group call history memory further comprises:

storing means for storing said first identifier if said first identifier does not match one of said first indicators and said second identifier matches said second indicators.

9. The mobile station of claim 7, further comprising:

call establishing means for establishing a call to an acknowledgment center; and

transmission means for transmitting said first identifier and said second identifier from said mobile station to said acknowledgment center.

10. A group call register, said group call register comprising:

a plurality of group identification numbers, each one of said plurality of group identification numbers identifying a particular group;

a plurality of cell identifiers, each one of said plurality of cell identifiers identifying a particular cell, wherein a portion of said plurality of cell identifiers are associated with each of said plurality of group identification numbers; and

a plurality of indicators identifying a particular group call, wherein each of said plurality of indicators is associated with a particular group identification number of said plurality of group identification numbers, each of said plurality of indicators comprising a counter that is configured to identify the number of times the particular group call has been previously transmitted.

11. The group call register of claim 10, further comprising:

incrementing means for incrementing the counter, responsive to establishing group call by a particular group identified by said one of said plurality of group identification numbers associated with said counter.

12. A method for transmitting a group call to mobile stations within a group, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to establish a group call from a mobile station associated with a particular group;

retrieving a record from a group call register, said record comprising one or more cell identifiers identifying one or more cells forming a group call area;

retrieving counter information from said group call register, said counter information comprising a counter identifying the number of times the group call has been transmitted;

encapsulating a group identification number and a group call identifier in a notification message, said group call identifier identifying said group call; and

transmitting said notification message to a plurality of mobile stations.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of transmitting further comprises the step of:

transmitting said notification message over a control channel in each of said one or more cells forming said group call area.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of encapsulating further comprises the step of:

encapsulating said group identification number and said counter information in the notification message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

incrementing said counter, responsive to said step of retrieving said record.

16. The method for a subscriber to handle a notification message which is in the form of a group call to a particular group of subscribers, said group call being associated with a group call register, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a counter value relating to each notification message, said notification message identifying the group and the group call;

establishing a group call history to create stored information relating to the group and the group call for each notification message which has already been received by a specific subscriber;

searching said stored information to find out if a subsequent group call to said specific subscriber is a repeat; and

if affirmative, ingnoring the subsequent group call.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

establishing a call with an acknowledgment center to acknowledge listening to the group call if the group call is not a repeat, said establishing said call increments said counter value.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the stored information relating to the group and the group call for each notification message is stored for a predetermined amount of time.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein if said step of searching said stored information to find out if said subsequent group call is a repeat is not affirmative, said method further comprises the step of:

storing information related to the group and the group call of the notification messages not previously received in said group call history, thus indicating in further searching that said notification message has been received.