Coordinating different types of messages sent to mobile radios in a mobile communications system

• US 6,438,375 B1
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Müller, Walter G. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Green, Miguel D.
• Application Number:
  US09/262,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343, 455/410, 455/411, 455/414, 455/426, 455/434, 455/435, 455/574, 340/7.32, 340/7.33, 340/7.38, 340/7.41, 340/7.43, 340/7.48, 370/311, 370/342, 370/337, 370/347
• US Class Current: 455/435.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention coordinates paging, network restriction, and other network-based communications (e.g., mobile measurement requests for O&M) in a mobile telecommunications network. Paging messages, network messages, and other messages may be consolidated in one message so that the mobile need only power up once to retrieve the various information provided in the one message. In one example, non-limiting embodiment, paging groups of mobile stations and network access restriction groups of mobile stations are merged into a single set of paging and network access restriction groups to which different mobile stations belong. A mobile station therefore need only process one message in order to be informed about paging and network access restriction information pertinent to that mobile station. In the example mobile groups embodiment, that one message corresponds to its consolidated paging and network access group, and the single paging and network access group message is transmitted during a specified time interval associated with the group. As a result, an idle mobile station belonging to that group need only leave a power savings sleep mode to receive that message during the specified group time interval. Otherwise, the idle mobile station can return to the power savings sleep mode to conserve its battery life.

Claims

1. A method performed by one of plural mobile radio stations communicating via a radio network, comprising:

(a) determining a time interval when the one mobile station is to receive information transmitted from the radio network;

(b) at that determined time interval, receiving a message transmission from the radio network including a first message of a first type and a second message of a second different type; and

(c) determining if any of the first message or the second message in the message transmission pertains to the one mobile station,

wherein the mobile station determines from the message transmission whether it has been paged and whether its access to the network is restricted.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein the message transmission is transmit over a paging channel, the first message includes paging information, and wherein at the determined time interval, the mobile station leaves a power savings mode of operation, the method further comprising:

determining from the message transmission if the one mobile station has been paged;

if so, responding to the page; and

if not, returning to the power savings mode of operation.

3. The method in claim 2 wherein the one mobile station belongs to one of a plurality of paging groups, each paging group being assigned a different time interval during which paging messages corresponding to that paging group are transmitted over the paging channel.

4. The method in claim 3, wherein the one mobile station belongs to one of a plurality of access groups, and the second message includes network information which indicates whether an access restriction is in effect for the one access group, the method comprising:

detecting whether the second message indicates an access restriction for the one access group, and

if so, complying with the access restriction.

5. The method in claim 4, wherein the access restriction includes a restriction on a type of access to the network over a random access channel shared by multiple mobile radios.

6. The method in claim 5 wherein the type of access includes registering from an area in the network and originating a call.

7. The method in claim 4, wherein the access restriction information includes whether a location registration operation is permitted for the one access restriction group, whether an originating call operation is permitted for the one access restriction group, whether a peak data rate is permitted for the one access restriction group, whether a peak transmission power level is permitted for the one access restriction group, whether a level of mobile subscriber priority is permitted for the one access restriction group, or whether a level of service is permitted for the one access restriction group.

8. The method in claim 2, wherein the second message includes measurement request information requesting the one mobile station to perform a measurement operation and report a measurement result to the radio network.

9. The method in claim 3, further comprising:

determining from the first message whether a page exists for the one mobile station and whether restriction information exists for the group.

10. The method in claim 9, further comprising:

if restriction information exists for the group, detecting information provided from the network that specifies the restriction information for the group, and otherwise, if restriction information does not exist for the group, entering into a power savings mode.

11. The method in claim 9, if restriction information exists for the group, detecting information included with the paging message that specifies restriction information for the one access group, and otherwise, if restriction information does not exist for the group, entering into a power savings mode.

12. The method in claim 3, further comprising:

determining the group using an identifier corresponding to the one mobile station.

14. The method in claim 1 wherein the mobile station determines from the message transmission whether it has been paged and whether its access to the network is restricted in order to conserve battery power.

13. A method performed by one of plural mobile radio stations communicating via a radio network, comprising:

(a) determining a time when the one mobile station is to receive information transmitted from the radio network;

(b) at that determined time interval, receiving a message transmission from the radio network including a first message of a first type and a second message of a second different type; and

(c) determining if any of the first message or the second message in the message transmission pertains to the one mobile station,

wherein the determining step (c) includes checking if a flag is set.

15. In a telecommunications system having a plurality of mobile radio stations communicating via a radio network, a node in the radio network performing a method, comprising:

establishing plural groups for mobile stations, each group being associated with one of plural specified time intervals;

at a first time interval associated with a first one of the groups, transmitting a first message including information relating to paging and one or more radio network restrictions pertaining to the first group of mobile stations; and

at a second time interval associated with a second one of the groups, transmitting a second message including information relating to paging and one or more radio network restrictions pertaining to the second group of mobile stations.

16. The method in claim 15, wherein the first and second messages are paging messages transmitted over a paging channel and the first and second groups are paging groups.

17. The method in claim 16, wherein the first and second groups also correspond to first and second network restriction groups.

18. The method in claim 17, wherein the first and second network restriction groups are radio network access restriction groups, and wherein an access restriction restricts access to the radio network over a random access channel shared by multiple mobile radios.

19. The method in claim 18, wherein the access restriction includes whether a location registration operation is permitted for an access restriction group, whether an originating call operation is permitted for an access restriction group, whether a peak data rate is permitted for an access restriction group, whether a peak transmission power level is permitted for an access restriction group, whether a level of mobile subscriber priority is permitted for an access restriction group, or whether a level of service is permitted for an access restriction group.

20. The method in claim 15, further comprising:

determining if a page exists for one of the mobile stations in the first group;

indicating in the first message that a page message should be read by the mobile stations in the first group;

determining if a network restriction exists for a mobile station in the first group; and

indicating in the first message that a network restriction exists for a mobile station in the first group.

21. The method in claim 20 wherein the indicating steps include setting one or more flags.

22. The method in claim 20, further comprising:

including in the first message a network restriction that exists for the first group.

23. The method in claim 20, further comprising:

including the network restriction in a broadcast message transmitted over a broadcast channel different than the paging channel.

24. A mobile radio station for communicating in a telecommunications system via a radio network, comprising:

a battery to provide power to the transceiver circuitry and the electronic data processing and control circuitry,

transceiver circuitry configured to transmit and receive information with the radio network;

electronic data processing and control circuitry configured to determine a time when the radio network sends a message transmission over a radio channel including first and second different types of messages pertaining to the mobile station, and at that determined time to control the transceiver circuitry to receive the message transmission on the radio channel including the first and second types of messages, process the received message transmission, detect the first and second different types of messages pertaining to the mobile station, and determine whether the second message contains a network access restriction, and if not, power down to a power savings mode of operation to conserve power stored in the battery.

25. The mobile station in claim 24,

wherein the message transmission is sent on a paging channel, and

wherein at the determined time, the mobile station leaves the power savings mode of operation to enter an active mode of operation during which the electronic data processing and control circuitry determines from the first message if the mobile station has been paged, and if not, powers down to the power savings mode of operation to conserve power stored in the battery.

26. The mobile station in claim 25, wherein also at the determined time, the electronic data processing and control circuitry is configured to determine whether the second message contains a network access restriction, and if not, power down to the power savings mode of operation to conserve power stored in the battery.

27. The mobile station in claim 25, wherein if the electronic data processing and control circuitry determines that the second message contains a network access restriction, the electronic data processing and control circuitry is configured to process the second message further to identify the network access restriction.

28. The mobile station in claim 25, wherein the mobile station belongs to a group corresponding to one of a plurality of paging groups and the message transmission is received on a paging channel.

29. The mobile station in claim 28 wherein the group also corresponds to one of a plurality of network restriction groups.

30. The mobile station in claim 29 wherein the second message indicates whether an access restriction is in effect for the group, and the access restriction includes a restriction on a type of access to the radio network over a random access channel shared by multiple mobile radios.

31. The mobile station in claim 30, wherein the type of access includes registering from an area in the network and originating a call.

32. The mobile station in claim 29, wherein the second message includes whether a location registration operation is permitted for the one access restriction group, whether an originating call operation is permitted for the one access restriction group, what a peak data rate is permitted for the one access restriction group, or what a peak transmission power level is permitted for the one access restriction group.

33. In a telecommunications system having a plurality of mobile radio stations communicating via a radio network, a radio network, comprising:

means for determining mobile stations that belong to first and second paging groups, each paging group being associated with one of plural specified time intervals;

means for transmitting, at a first paging time interval associated with the first paging group, a first single message transmission corresponding to the first paging group including information relating to paging and one or more radio network access commands pertaining to the first group of mobile stations; and

means for transmitting, at a second paging time interval associated with the second paging group, a second single message transmission corresponding to the second paging group including information relating to paging and one or more radio network access commands pertaining to the second group of mobile stations.

34. The radio network in claim 33, wherein the means for determining determines first and second radio network access restriction groups corresponding to the first and second paging groups, and wherein an access restriction restricts access to the radio network over a random access channel shared by multiple mobile radios.

35. The radio network in claim 33, further comprising:

means for determining if a page exists for one of the mobile stations in the first paging group;

means for indicating in the first message that a page message should be read by the mobile stations in the first paging group;

means for determining if a network restriction exists for a mobile station in the first group; and

means for indicating in the first message that a network restriction exists for a mobile station in the first paging group.

36. The radio network in claim 33, wherein the one or more radio network access commands directs mobile stations in the corresponding paging group to read a system broadcast message.

37. In a telecommunications system having a plurality of mobile radio stations communicating via a radio network, a method of coordinating first and second types of radio messages by providing a network message group to which a mobile station belongs so that when the mobile station receives and processes a single message transmission corresponding to that network message group, the mobile station receives in the single message both first and second types of radio messages pertinent to the mobile station.

38. The method in claim 37, wherein the message corresponding to the network message group is transmitted during a specified time interval, and wherein the mobile station leaves a power savings mode to receive the message during the specified time interval.

39. The method in claim 37, wherein the first type of radio message is a paging message.

40. The method in claim 39, wherein the second type of radio message is a radio access restriction message.

41. The method in claim 39, wherein the second type of radio message is a radio network access command.