Wireless message courier

• US 6,721,305 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Greenwood, Michael Corey, Liu, Te-Kai, Maruyama, Kiyoshi, Chan, Shun-Shing
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US09/169,354
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/404, 455/421, 455/456, 455/11.1, 455/9, 455/15, 455/445, 455/515, 455/517, 455/7, 455/440, 455/412.1, 455/13.1, 370/392, 370/328, 370/338, 370/349, 370/310, 370/389
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A system and method for delivering electronic messages over a wireless cellular communications network when the sender of a message is out of the coverage area of any cell within the network. With this method the message is broadcast repeatedly until a mobile wireless courier receives the message when it is range and stores the message. When the courier is within range of a base station of the cellular communication network, it then transmits the stored message to the base station for transmission to a requested destination.

Claims

1. In a cellular communication system having at least one cell, with each cell comprising at least one base station for providing communication to wireless units in said each cell, a method for transmitting an electronic message from a requesting wireless mobile unit when said requesting wireless unit is out of communication range of any of said base stations, said method comprising:

a. broadcasting said electronic message over at least a wireless communications channel from said requesting wireless mobile unit;

b. receiving said electronic message at a receiving wireless mobile unit;

c. storing said electronic message at said receiving wireless mobile unit until said electronic message can be transmitted to one of said base stations,

d. periodically checking whether said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of one of the base stations; and

e. transmitting said stored electronic message from said receiving wireless unit to a requested destination via said cellular communication system by communicating said stored electronic message to one of said base stations only when said receiving wireless unit is within communications range of one of said base stations.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said electronic message comprises location information about a current location of said requesting wireless mobile unit.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said electronic message comprises a unique identification number of a user of said requesting wireless mobile unit, an address of said destination, and a message body.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said requesting wireless mobile unit receives location information about its current location.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein an acknowledgment is transmitted from said receiving wireless mobile unit, indicating reception of said electronic message by said receiving wireless mobile unit.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said requesting wireless mobile unit repeatedly broadcasts said electronic message over said wireless communications channel, and wherein said requesting wireless mobile unit ceases broadcasting said electronic message when acknowledgments are received from a minimum number of receiving wireless mobile units, and wherein each acknowledgment indicates reception of said electronic message by one of said receiving wireless mobile units.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said electronic message is transmitted to said requested destination via a wired network from a base station of said cellular communication system.

8. In a cellular communication system being divided into a plurality of cells having a plurality of base stations, wherein each cell includes a base station for providing communication to communication units in said cells, a method for delivering an electronic message from a sender to a destined entity via a mobile unit, said electronic message comprising a unique identification number of said sender, an address of said destined entity, and a message body, said destined entity being in communication with said cellular communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

a. repeatedly broadcasting said electronic message over a first wireless communication channel from said sender;

b. receiving said broadcast message at a receiving wireless mobile unit, and storing said electronic message in said receiving wireless mobile unit'"'"'s local storage device until said electronic message can be transmitted to one of said base stations;

c. periodically checking whether said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of one of the base stations; and

d. transmitting said stored message to said destined entity via said cellular communication system when said receiving wireless mobile unit enters a cell of said cellular communication system only when said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of the base station of said cell.

9. In a cellular communication system being divided into a plurality of cells having a plurality of base stations, wherein each cell includes a base station for providing communication to communication units in said cells, a method for delivering an electronic message from a sender to a destined entity via a mobile unit, said destined entity being in communication with said cellular communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving said sender'"'"'s location information from a device which can locate the present position of said sender, and including said location information in said electronic message;

b. repeatedly broadcasting, by said sender, said electronic message over a first wireless communication channel;

c. receiving said broadcast message at a receiving wireless mobile unit, and storing said electronic message in it'"'"'s local storage device until said electronic message can be transmitted to one of said base stations;

d. periodically checking whether said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of one of the base stations; and

e. said receiving wireless mobile unit delivering said stored message to said destined entity via said cellular communication system when said receiving wireless mobile unit enters a cell of said cellular communication system only when said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of the base station of said cell.

10. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps to transmit an electronic message from a requesting wireless mobile unit when said requesting wireless mobile unit is out of communication range of any base station of a cellular communication system having at least one cell, with each cell comprising at least one base station for providing communications to wireless units in said each cell, said method comprising:

a. receiving an electronic message at a receiving wireless mobile unit, said electronic message having been broadcast by said requesting wireless mobile unit over at least a wireless communications channel;

b. storing said electronic message at said receiving wireless mobile unit until said electronic message can be transmitted to one of said base stations;

c. periodically checking whether said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of one of the base stations; and

d. transmitting said stored electronic message from said receiving wireless mobile unit to a requested destination via said cellular communication system by communicating said stored electronic message to one of said base stations only when said receiving wireless mobile unit is within communications range of one of said base stations.

11. A cellular communication system comprising:

a. a plurality of cells, each cell comprising at least one base station for providing wireless communication to wireless units in said each cell;

b. a first wireless transmitter for broadcasting an electronic message from a requesting wireless mobile unit when said requesting wireless mobile unit is out of communication range of any of said base stations, wherein said wireless transmitter is contained in said requesting wireless mobile unit;

c. a storage device for storing said broadcasted electronic message when received by a receiving wireless mobile unit until said electronic message can be transmitted to one of said base stations, wherein said storage device is contained in said receiving wireless mobile unit;

d. means for periodically checking whether said receiving wireless mobile unit is within range of one of the base stations; and

e. a second wireless transmitter for transmitting said stored electronic message from said receiving wireless mobile unit to a requested destination via said cellular communication system by communicating said stored electronic message to one of said base stations only when said receiving wireless mobile unit is within communications range of one of said base stations.