Method for contacting a subscriber to multiple wireless bearer services

• US 6,480,720 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1999
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Luna, Michael, Coan, William Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/353,241
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/552, 455/553, 455/458, 455/414, 455/434, 455/415, 455/422, 455/403, 455/525, 455/450, 340/2.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.4, 340/825.03, 340/7.27, 340/7.45, 370/449
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for contacting a wireless user who subscribes to several bearer services. The wireless user may be active on only a single bearer service at any given time. The present invention discloses a method for contacting the wireless user by sending alert messages over each of the wireless bearer services in turn until the user is contacted.

Claims

1. A method for contacting a subscriber at a wireless communicator capable of selecting between a plurality of wireless communication bearer services, comprising:

a. selecting a first wireless communication bearer service from said plurality of wireless communication bearer services;

b. sending a notification message to said wireless communicator via said selected wireless communication bearer service;

c. waiting a predetermined amount of time for a response from said wireless communicator indicating that said notification message was received;

d. if said predetermined amount of time elapses before a response is received;

i. selecting a wireless communication bearer service from the remaining unselected wireless communication bearer services of said plurality of wireless communication bearer services; and

ii. repeating steps b through d.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one analog bearer service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one digital bearer service.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one voice bearer service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one data bearer service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first wireless communication bearer service is the wireless bearer service on which said subscriber was most recently successfully contacted.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is predetermined by said subscriber.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is predetermined by the provider of the service.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is based on the prior rate of success in contacting said subscriber for each bearer service.

10. A method for contacting a subscriber at a wireless communicator capable of selecting between a plurality of wireless communication bearer services, comprising:

selecting a first wireless communication bearer service from said plurality of wireless communication bearer services;

repeating the following steps until a response is received from said wireless communicator or until a connection has been attempted on each of said plurality of wireless communication bearer services;

i. sending a notification message to said wireless communicator via said selected wireless communication bearer service;

ii. waiting a predetermined amount of time for a response from said wireless communicator indicating that said notification message was received; and

iii. if said predetermined amount of time elapses before a response is received, selecting a wireless communication bearer service from the remaining unselected wireless communication bearer services of said plurality of wireless communication bearer services.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

if no response is received from said wireless communicator on any of said plurality of bearer services, storing a request to attempt to contact said wireless communicator at a future time.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

if no response is received from said wireless communicator on any of said plurality of bearer services, repeating said selecting and said repeating steps.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one analog bearer service.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said plurality of wireless communication bearer services includes at least one digital bearer service.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein said first wireless communication bearer service is the wireless bearer service on which said subscriber was most recently successfully contacted.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is predetermined by said subscriber.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is predetermined by the provider of the service.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the order in which said wireless communication bearer services are selected is based on the prior rate of success in contacting said subscriber for each bearer service.