System for transmitting and receiving short message service (SMS) messages

• US 6,760,584 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2002
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jou, Yu-Cheun
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHARLES CHIANG
• Application Number:
  US10/290,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/67.1, 455/466, 455/500, 455/61, 455/515, 455/458, 455/455, 455/464, 455/517, 455/516, 455/88, 455/509, 455/450, 379/92.01, 370/312, 370/503, 370/430, 370/358, 370/336, 370/337, 370/329, 370/324, 370/346, 370/348, 370/355
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for accessing broadcast SMS messages over a wireless communication system. A base station transmits SMS messages periodically and aperiodically over a broadcast channel. The base station allocates periodic slots in the broadcast channel for each of the subscriber services providing the SMS messages and transmits slot parameters to mobile units. Using the slot parameter information, the mobile units periodically wake up to scan the broadcast channel. The period for each category of broadcast SMS messages may be different and the period may apply to a single broadcast channel. Messages arriving aperiodically can be queued and transmitted in pre-scheduled broadcast channel frames. Messages with inter-arrival interval greater than the specified transmission period are simply repeated.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting and receiving messages over a broadcast channel in a communication system, comprising:

generating a parameter message for transmission from a base station to a mobile unit, wherein the parameter message contains a set of transmission parameters for the broadcast channel;

determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period for the mobile unit, wherein the minimum transmission period is variable;

determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a duration that is a multiple value of the minimum transmission period, and wherein the transmission period is variable;

determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period offset, wherein the minimum transmission period offset directs the mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the minimum transmission period;

determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period offset, wherein the transmission period offset directs the mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the transmission periods;

processing the parameter message at the mobile unit;

setting a periodic wake up schedule for the mobile unit in accordance with the set of transmission parameters, wherein the mobile unit wakes up periodically in accordance with the periodic wake up schedule in order to detect a broadcast message in one of a plurality of broadcast channel frames from at least one of a plurality of subscriber message services.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmission period has a value greater than or equal to a rate at which the base station receives information from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of broadcast channel frames is reserved for an aperiodic messaging.

4. A method for transmitting and receiving messages over a broadcast channel in a communication system, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of parameter messages over the broadcast channel, wherein each of the plurality of parameter messages contains a set of transmission parameters corresponding to each mobile unit in said communication system or each set of mobile units in said communication system;

determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period, wherein the minimum transmission period is variable;

determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a duration that is a multiple value of the minimum transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a value greater than or equal to a rate at which the base station receives information from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services, and wherein the transmission period is variable;

determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period offset, wherein the minimum transmission period offset directs each mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the minimum transmission period;

determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period offset, wherein the transmission period offset directs each mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the transmission period from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services;

processing the plurality of parameter messages at each mobile unit;

setting a periodic wake up schedule for each mobile unit in accordance with the corresponding sets of transmission parameters, wherein each mobile unit wakes up periodically in accordance with the periodic wake up schedule in order to detect a message in one of a plurality of broadcast channel frames from at least one of a plurality of subscriber message services.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of broadcast channel frames is reserved for an aperiodic message.

6. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving messages over a broadcast channel in a communication system comprising:

means for generating a parameter message for transmission from a base station to a mobile unit, wherein the parameter message contains a set of transmission parameters for the broadcast channel;

means for determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period for the mobile unit, wherein the minimum transmission period is variable;

means for determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a duration that is a multiple value of the minimum transmission period, and wherein the transmission period is variable;

means for determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period offset, wherein the minimum transmission period offset directs the mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the minimum transmission period;

means for determining, for the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period offset, wherein the transmission period offset directs the mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the transmission period;

means for processing the parameter message at the mobile unit; and

means for setting a periodic wake up schedule for the mobile unit in accordance with the set of transmission parameters, wherein the mobile unit wakes up periodically in accordance with the periodic wake up schedule in order to detect a broadcast message in one of a plurality of broadcast channel frames from at least one of a plurality of subscriber message services.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the transmission period has a value greater than or equal to a rate at which the base station receives information from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of broadcast channel frames is reserved for an aperiodic messaging.

9. An apparatus for transmitting and receiving messages over a broadcast channel in a communication system, comprising:

means for transmitting a plurality of parameter messages over the broadcast channel, wherein each of the plurality of parameter messages contains a set of transmission parameters corresponding to each mobile unit in said communication system or each set of mobile units in said communication system;

means for determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period, wherein the minimum transmission period is variable;

means for determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a duration that is a multiple value of the minimum transmission period, wherein the transmission period has a value greater than or equal to a rate is the rate at which the base station receives information from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services, and wherein the transmission period is variable;

means for determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a minimum transmission period offset, wherein the minimum transmission period offset directs each mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the minimum transmission period;

means for determining, for each of the set of transmission parameters, a transmission period offset, wherein the transmission period offset directs each mobile unit to demodulate a specified broadcast channel frame during the transmission period from at least one of the plurality of subscriber message services;

means for processing the plurality of parameter messages at each mobile unit; and

means for setting a periodic wake up schedule for each mobile unit in accordance with the corresponding sets of transmission parameters, wherein each mobile unit wakes up periodically in accordance with the periodic wake up schedule in order to detect a message in one of a plurality of broadcast channel frames from at least one of a plurality of subscriber message services.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of broadcast channel frames is reserved for an aperiodic message.