Mobile communication system for home-zone service and method thereof

• US 6,671,506 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yun-Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US09/449,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/408, 455/426, 455/462, 455/465, 455/552, 455/554, 455/555, 455/456.4
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7435 Location dependent, e.g. Bussiness or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A mobile communication system for providing a home zone service and a method thereof. In the mobile communication system, a home zone signal generator generates a home zone signal, a mobile radio terminal receives the home zone signal and determines whether the mobile radio terminal is currently within or outside a home zone based on the strength of the home zone signal, and a base station communicates with the mobile radio terminal. A visitor location register temporarily stores a first and a second telephone numbers of a subscriber, wherein each telephone number represents different charge rates. A mobile exchange receives a call information, a mobile identification number, and the home zone in/out information from the base station and selects one of the first and second telephone numbers of a subscriber corresponding to the mobile identification number and the home zone in/out information. A billing center receives the call information and one of the selected first and the second telephone numbers from the mobile exchange and generates a service charge for the call connection.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system for providing a different billing scheme for a call connection to a subscriber, comprising:

means for generating a home zone signal defining a boundary of home zone;

a mobile terminal for receiving the home zone signal and for determining whether the mobile terminal is currently located within the boundary of the home zone;

a base station for communicating information signals with the mobile terminal;

a visitor location register for temporarily storing a first telephone number and a second telephone number of the subscriber;

a mobile exchange unit for receiving the call information, a mobile identification number, and the home zone signal from the base station and for selecting one of the first telephone number and the second telephone number of the subscriber in response to the mobile identification number and the home zone signal; and

,

billing means for generating a service charge to the subscriber in response to the call information and one of the first telephone number and the second telephone number selected by the mobile exchanges,

wherein a predetermined area that defines the boundary of the home is variable for each individual subscriber by a signal strength setting of the means for generating a home signal.

2. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the means for generating the home zone signal generates the home zone signal via a reverse link.

3. The mobile communication system of claim 2, wherein the means for generating the home zone signal generates the home zone signal in the form of a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) frequency band.

4. The mobile communication system of claim 2, wherein the means for generating the home zone signal generates the home zone signal in the form of a PCS (Personal Communication Service) frequency band.

5. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the mobile exchange unit includes a cell list having a PN information of at least one adjacent base station initially assigned to cover the home zone signal generator for determining whether the mobile terminal is within the boundary of the home zone that is covered by the base station initially assigned to cover the home zone signal generator.

6. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the means for generating the home zone signal is capable of selectively generating a plurality of home zone signals in a given frequency band and one of the plurality of the home zone signals is mutually assigned between the generating means and the mobile terminal to avoid any interference from neighboring generating means.

7. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal informs the base station in the event that the mobile terminal fails to receive the home zone signal during an initial call set-up or during the call connection via a reverse channel.

24. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal notifies a subscriber during a call that a position of the mobile terminal with respect to being one of inside and outside the home zone boundary has changed.

25. The mobile communication system according to claim 24, wherein the mobile terminal notifies a subscriber by at least one of an audio and a visual notification.

8. A mobile communication system for providing a different billing scheme for a call connection to a subscriber, comprising:

a home zone signal generator for generating a home zone signal defining a boundary of a home zone, wherein a predetermined area that defines the boundary of the home zone is variable according to an individual subscriber;

a base station;

a mobile terminal for receiving the home zone signal from the home zone signal generator and for transmitting the detected home zone signal to the base station indicating whether the mobile terminal is currently located within the boundary of the home, the mobile terminal comprising;

signal separator means for separating a signal received from the home zone signal generator and a signal received from the base station;

a home zone signal detector coupled to the output of the signal separator means for detecting the output signal from the signal separator;

modulating means coupled to the output of the home zone signal detector for modulating the detected home zone signal; and

,

transmitting means coupled to the output of the modulating means for processing the modulated home zone signal and for transmitting the processed home zone signal to the base station via an antenna.

9. The mobile communication system of claim 8, wherein the home zone signal generator selectively transmits a plurality of modulated home zone signals in a given frequency band.

10. The mobile communication system of claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal further includes a signal mode changer coupled to the home zone signal detector for selecting one of the modes to which the home zone signal generator can detect the incoming home zone signal from the home zone signal generator.

11. The mobile communication system of claim 8, wherein the mobile radio terminal further includes a buzzer for producing an alarm signal to the subscriber indicating that the mobile terminal is located within a home zone upon detecting the home zone signal.

12. The mobile communication system of claim 11, wherein the buzzer generates an audible sound.

13. The mobile communication system of claim 11, wherein the buzzer comprises a light emitting diode to produce a light signal to the subscriber upon detecting the home zone signal.

14. A mobile communication system for providing a different billing scheme for a call connection to a subscriber, comprising:

a home zone signal generator for generating a home zone signal defining a boundary of home zone, wherein a predetermined area defining the boundary of the home is variable according to a specific subscriber;

a base station for communicating information signals;

a mobile terminal for receiving the home zone signal from the home zone generator and the information signals from the base station and for transmitting the home zone signal to the base station indicating whether the mobile terminal is currently located within the boundary of the home, the mobile terminal comprising;

an antenna for transmitting/receiving the information signals to/from the base station;

a reception filter coupled to the antenna for removing signals beyond a given reception frequency band from the received information signals received from the antenna;

a duplexer coupled to the output of the reception filter for separating the signals received from the reception filter into a signal transmitted from the base station and a signal transmitted from the home zone signal generator;

a frequency down-converter coupled to the output of the duplexer for down-converting the signal generated from the home zone signal generator via the duplexer;

a home zone signal detector coupled to the output of the frequency-down converter for detecting the home zone signal from the down-converted signal;

a signal mode changer coupled to the home zone signal detector for selectively changing a signal mode to match the frequency of the home zone signal generated from the home zone signal generator;

a buzzer coupled to the output of the home zone signal generator for producing an alarm to the subscriber if the home zone signal is detected by the home zone signal detector;

a modulator coupled to the output of the home zone signal generator for modulating the detected home zone signal and for modulating a transmission signal from the subscriber to the base station;

a frequency up-converter coupled to the output of the modulator for up-converting the output signal from the modulator;

a transmission power amplifier for amplifying the output signal from the frequency up-converter; and

,

a transmission filter coupled to the output of the transmission power amplifier for filtering the amplified signal beyond a given transmission frequency band to prevent interference with a different frequency band when the amplified signal is transmitted to the base station via the antenna.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the service charge for the firs telephone number is substantially different from the service charge for the second telephone number.

17. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step (4) comprises the step of selecting the first telephone number if the home zone signal is detected by the mobile terminal, and selecting the second telephone number if the home zone signal is not detected by the mobile terminal.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the steps (2), (3), and (4) are performed before the call connection.

19. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the steps (2), (3), and (4) are performed after the call connection.

20. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the call information represents a duration of the call connection including different time intervals representing switching the time duration between the in/out of the home zone by the mobile terminal during the call connection.

22. The home zone service method of claim 20, wherein the first telephone number is selected for the call duration for the inside home zone and the second telephone number is selected for the call duration for the outside home zone.

26. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

(6) notifying the subscriber when a the service charge generated in step (5) changes because a location of the mobile terminal has crossed the home boundary.

15. A method for providing a different billing scheme for a call connection in a mobile communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) assigning a first telephone number and a second telephone number to a subscriber and storing the first and the second telephone numbers in a visitor location register;

(2) detecting a home zone signal defining a boundary of a home zone from a home zone signal generator by a mobile terminal, wherein a predetermined area that defines the boundary of the home zone is variable according to the subscriber, and wherein the home zone signal indicates whether the mobile terminal is located within the boundary of the home zone;

(3) transmitting a call information, a mobile identification number, and the home zone signal to a mobile exchange by the base station and checking the information of the base station based on the signal from an access and reverse traffic channel to determine the location of the base station;

(4) selecting one of the first and the second telephone numbers of the subscriber stored in the visitor location register in response to the received mobile identification number and the detected home zone signal by the mobile exchange; and

,

(5) generating a service charge in response to the call information and one of the selected first and the second telephone numbers received from the mobile exchange.

21. A method for providing a different billing scheme for a call connection in a mobile communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a first telephone number and a second telephone number to a subscriber and storing the first and the second telephone numbers in a visitor location register;

(b) determining whether a mobile terminal has received a home zone signal from a home zone signal generator and transmitting the received home zone signal to a base station by the mobile terminal;

(c) detecting whether the mobile terminal move in/out of the boundary of the home zone during the call connection;

(d) in the event that the mobile terminal does not move in/out of the home zone during the call connection,

(d)(i) transmitting information signals including a duration of the call connection, a mobile identification number, and the received home zone signal to a mobile exchange by the base station;

(d)(ii) selecting one of the first and the second telephone numbers stored in the visitor location register corresponding to the mobile identification number and the home zone signal by the mobile exchange;

(d)(iii) generating a service charge in response to the duration of the call information and one of the selected first and the second telephone numbers received from the mobile exchange; and

,

(e) in the event that the mobile terminal moves in/out of the boundary of the home zone during the call connection,

(e)(i) transmitting respective duration of the call connection for each inside the home zone and outside the home zone, the mobile identification number, and respective home zone in/out signal to the mobile exchange by the base station;

(e)(ii) selecting one of the first telephone number and the second telephone number stored in the visitor location register in response to the home zone in/out signal by the mobile exchange; and

,

(e)(iii) generating a service charge in response to the respective duration of the call connection and each selected first telephone number or the second telephone number received from the mobile exchange.

23. The home zone service method of claim 21, wherein the service charge for the call connection for the inside home zone is substantially less than the service charge for the outside home zone.