Communique system with hierarchical communique coverage areas in cellular communication networks

• US 6,684,076 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• 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): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US09/756,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20020037734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.3, 455/449, 455/502, 455/503, 455/422.1, 455/450, 455/445, 455/410, 455/426.2, 455/452.1, 340/3.52, 340/7.26, 340/7.27, 340/7.46, 340/7.47, 340/7.48, 370/320, 370/322, 370/324, 370/329, 370/335, 370/342, 370/350
• US Class Current: 455/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The communique system for cellular communication networks that 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 can be hierarchical, using combinations of in-building wireless coverage areas, standard terrestrial cells, non-terrestrial cells, orchestrated in a hierarchical manner. The content of these transmissions can be multi-media in nature and comprising a combination of various forms of media: audio, video, graphics, text, data and the like. The subscriber terminal devices used to communicate with the communique system for cellular communication networks are typically full function communication devices that include: WAP enabled cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, Palm Pilots, personal computers, and the like or special communique only communication devices that are specific to communique reception; or MP3 audio players (essentially a radio receiver or communique radio); or an MPEG4 video receiver (communique TV); or other such specialized communication device.

Claims

1. A communique system for providing a communique, constituting a 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 a 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;

means for organizing said plurality of cells into at least two groups, each of said groups being assigned to a level in a hierarchical communique coverage area containing at least two levels; and

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

2. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said means for organizing comprises:

means for assigning a plurality of said subscribers to each of said groups.

3. The communique system of claim 2 wherein said means for organizing further comprises:

means for assigning a subscriber to at least two of said group.

4. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said means for routing comprises:

means for simultaneously routing said information to at least two of said groups in said hierarchical communique coverage area, wherein at least two of said groups are at different levels in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

5. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said means for organizing comprises:

means for assigning cells to two of said groups at different levels of said hierarchical communique coverage area to create overlapping spatial coverage areas for said two of said groups.

6. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said means for organizing comprises:

means for assigning cells to said groups to provide group in each of said at least two levels no greater spatial coverage than groups at levels that are hierarchically higher in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

7. The communique system of claim 1 wherein said means for organizing comprises:

authorization means for enabling subscribers to receive communiques from said groups in at least two of said levels in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

8. The communique system of claim 1 further comprising:

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

means for establishing communication connections from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected at least on of said plurality of cells.

9. The communique system a claim 8 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises an in-building wireless communication system, said means for establishing communication connections comprises:

means for establishing a wireline communication connection from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system to transmit communiques.

10. The communique system of claim 9 wherein said means for establishing communication connections further comprises:

means for terminating said wireline communication connection from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system upon completion of transmission of communiques.

11. The communique system of claim 8 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises an in-building wireless communication system operating asynchronously with respect to others of said cell sites, said means for establishing communication connections comprises:

means for asynchronously transmitting communiques, from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system via said established communication connections.

12. The communique system claim 8 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises a dynamically configured wireless network operating asynchronously with respect to others of said cell sites, said means for establishing communication connections comprises:

means for asynchronously transmitting communiques, from said communique system to said dynamically configured wireless network via said established communication connections.

13. The communique system claim 8 wherein said communiques comprising said communique communication service comprise bursty data transmissions, said means for establishing communication connections comprises:

means for establishing a communication connection from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected at least one of said plurality of cells of duration sufficient to transmit communiques.

14. The communique system claim 13 wherein said means for establishing communication connections further comprises:

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

17. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 10 wherein said step of organizing further comprises:

assigning a subscriber to at least two of said groups.

15. A method 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 plural 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 a 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;

organizing said plurality of cells into at least two groups, each of said groups being assigned to a level in a hierarchical communique coverage area containing at least two levels; and

routing data constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with cells in a selected one of said at least two groups for concurrent transmission wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by cells in said selected one of said at least two groups, 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.

16. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of organizing comprises:

assigning a plurality of said subscribers to each of said groups.

18. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of routing comprises:

simultaneously routing said information to at least two of said groups in said hierarchical communique coverage area, wherein at least two of said groups are at different levels in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

19. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of organizing comprises:

assigning cells to two of said groups at different levels of said hierarchical communique coverage area to create overlapping spatial coverage areas for said two of said groups.

20. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of organizing comprises:

assigning cells to said groups to provide groups in each of said at least two levels no greater spatial coverage than groups at levels that are hierarchically higher in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

21. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of organizing comprises:

enabling subscribers to receive communiques from said groups in at least two of said levels in said hierarchical communique coverage area.

22. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

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 at least one of said plurality cells.

23. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 22 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises an in-building wireless communication system, said step of establishing communication connections comprises:

establishing a wireline communication connection from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system to transmit communiques.

24. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 23 wherein said step of establishing communication connections further comprises:

terminating said wireline communication connection from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system upon completion of transmission of communiques.

25. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 22 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises an in-building wireless communication system operating asynchronously with respect to others of said cell sites, said step of establishing communication connections comprises:

asynchronously transmitting communiques, from said communique system to said in-building wireless communication system via said established communication connections.

26. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 22 wherein at least one of said cell sites comprises a dynamically configured wireless network operating asynchronously with respect to others of said cell sites, said step of establishing communication connections comprises:

asynchronously transmitting communiques, from said communique system to said dynamically configured wireless network via said established communication connections.

27. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 22 wherein said communiques comprising said communique communication service comprise bursty data transmissions, said step of establishing communication connections comprises:

establishing a communication connection from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected at least one of said plural of cells of duration sufficient to transmit communiques.

28. The method for providing communique communication services of claim 27 wherein said step of establishing communication connections further comprises:

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