Communique subscriber handoff between a narrowcast cellular communication network and a point-to-point cellular communication network

• US 6,681,115 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vesuvius, Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKenna, Daniel B., Graziano, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/902,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20020028690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/466, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/432, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/439, 455/442, 455/443, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/449, 455/403, 455/458, 455/422.1, 455/446, 455/3.04, 340/825.22, 340/825.26, 340/825.27, 340/7.46, 340/7.48, 340/7.47, 375/62, 375/63
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/142 over the same radio air interface technology
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The communique system for cellular communication networks operates with existing cellular communication networks to provide communique communication services to subscribers. The Communique can be unidirectional (broadcast) or bidirectional (interactive) in nature and the extent of the Communique can be network-wide broadcast or narrowcast, where cells and/or cell sectors are grouped to cover a predetermined geographic area or demographic population or subscriber interest group to transmit information to subscribers who populate the target audience for the narrowcast transmissions. The grouping of cells to form the communique coverage area for the narrowcast transmissions need not be contiguous and can comprise dynamic combinations of contiguous and non-contiguous cells. In addition, the Communique transmission to an individual subscriber can be managed using the hand off capability of the cellular communication network. Thus, if the subscriber roams out of the narrowcast coverage area, the communique transmission to the subscriber is extended from the narrowcast coverage area via an “umbilical” connection on a point-to-point basis using the existing capabilities of the cellular communication network. This enables uninterrupted service for the subscriber even if the subscriber does not continue to remain within the narrowcast coverage area.

Claims

1. A communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising:

processor means for selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network;

router means for routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and

cellular communication means, responsive to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, for extending said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.

2. The communique system of claim 1 further comprising:

content manager means for identifying a plurality of cell sites adapted to serve said subscribers; and

content migration means for establishing communication connections from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected cells.

3. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said cellular communication means establishes a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells.

4. The communique system of claim 3 further comprising;

transmitter means for transmitting information, constituting said communique from said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to said one wireless subscriber device via a selected one of a plurality of wireless communication channels in said at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

5. The communique system of claim 3 wherein said cellular communication means further comprises:

control means for terminating said communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells upon completion of transmission of communiques.

6. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said cellular communication means comprises:

communique location register means for determining whether a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiqué

s to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells is authorized for said one wireless subscriber device.

7. The communique system of claim 1 further comprising:

authorization means for enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said information via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

8. The communique system of claim 7 wherein said authorization means comprises:

subscriber identification means for identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

9. The communique system of claim 8 wherein said subscriber identification means comprises:

subscriber address means for assigning a common MIN as said communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

10. The communique system of claim 7 wherein said authorization means comprises:

registration means for registering at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to uniquely identify said at least one wireless subscriber device; and

channel assigning means for authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communique.

11. The communique system of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitter means, responsive to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming into a coverage area of said selected cells and receiving said communique via a one to one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells, for transmitting said communique to said one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels in said selected cells.

12. A method of operating a communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising:

selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected plurality of cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network;

routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and

extending, in response to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

identifying a plurality of cell sites adapted to serve said subscribers; and

establishing communication connections from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected cells.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

establishing a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells to transmit, communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

transmitting information, constituting said communique, from said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to said one wireless subscriber device via a selected one of a plurality of wireless communication channels in said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of extending said communique further comprises:

terminating said communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells upon completion of transmission of communiques.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of extending said communique comprises:

determining whether a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells is authorized for said one wireless subscriber device.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said information via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said step of enabling comprises:

identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of identifying comprises:

assigning a common MIN as said communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said step of enabling comprise:

registering at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to uniquely identity said at least one wireless subscriber device; and

authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communique via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting, in response to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming into a coverage area of said selected cells and receiving said communique via a one to one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells, said communique to said one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels in said selected cells.