Communique system for combined cellular and wireline communication networks

• US 6,829,486 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vesuvius (Vesuvius Plc)
• Inventors: McKenna, Daniel B., Graziano, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US09/773,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20020039907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/62, 455/525, 455/422.1, 455/418, 455/425, 455/424, 455/415, 455/514, 455/464, 455/503, 455/446, 455/445, 455/405, 455/420, 455/407, 455/408, 455/552.1, 370/352, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/410, 370/431, 370/457
• US Class Current: 455/464
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• 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 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The communiqué system for combined cellular and wireline communication networks operates with existing cellular and wireline communication networks to provide communiqué communication services to subscribers. The Communiqué can be unidirectional (broadcast) or bi-directional (interactive) in nature and the extent of the Communiqué 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 communiqué coverage area for the narrowcast transmissions can be hierarchical in nature and/or be composed of combinations of in-building wireless coverage areas, standard terrestrial cells, non-terrestrial cells, wireline-based 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 communiqué 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 communiqué only communication devices that are specific to communiqué reception; or MP3 audio players (essentially a radio receiver or communiqué radio); or an MPEG4 video receiver (communiqué TV); or other such specialized communication device.

Claims

1. A communiqué

system for providing communiqué

communication services to subscribers, who are equipped with a communiqué

wired subscriber device, via a wireline-based communication network that provides a plurality of communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices, comprising;

means for selecting a plurality of channels in said wireline-base communication network to provide said communiqué

communication service, comprising;

means for defining a set of said wired communication channels to provide a communiqué

communication service to at least one of;

a predetermined geographic area, a demographic population, and a subscriber interest group,

means, responsive to occurrence of an event initiation of a communiqué

communication service, for identifying a temporal and spatial extent of said communiqué

communication service,

means for translating said identified temporal and spatial extent into said set of said wired communication channels; and

means for routing communiqué

s, constituting said communiqué

communication service, from a selected program source to selected ones of said plurality of wired communication channels for concurrent transmission to a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices which are authorized to receive said communiqué and

which are served by said wireline-based communication network, on at least one of said plurality of channels, said transmission being effected concurrently to more t an one of said communiqué

wired subscriber device via said at least one channel.

2. The communiqué

system of claim 1 further comprising;

means, responsive to receipt of a communiqué

identifier from a communiqué

wired subscriber device, for interconnecting said communiqué

wired subscriber device to a selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels to enable receipt of said communiqué

s conveyed to said communiqué

wired subscriber device by said selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels.

3. The communiqué

system of claim 2 wherein said means for interconnecting comprises;

means for identifying each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices to enable the wireline-based communication network to recognize each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices.

4. The communiqué

system of claim 2 further comprising;

means for storing data representative of communiqué

device identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies a one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices.

5. The communiqué

system of claim 4 further comprising;

means, responsive to receipt of a one of said communiqué

device identifiers from a one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s, for comparing said received communiqué

device identifier with said stored communiqué

device identifiers; and

means, responsive to a match between said received communqué

device identifier and a one of said stored communiqué

device identifiers that correspond to authorization for said requested subscription-based communiqué

s, for enabling said one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to access said subscription-based communiqué

s.

6. The communiqué

system of claim 5 further comprising;

means for transmitting data received from said one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to other subscribers.

7. The communiqué

system of claim 1 wherein said means for defining further comprises;

means for dynamically updating said temporal and spatial extent.

8. The communiqué

system of claim 1 wherein said means for identifying comprises;

means for creating temporal and spatial extent of narrowcast in the content domain that comprises said communiqué

communication service.

9. The communiqué

system of claim 8 wherein said means for creating temporal and spatial extent comprises;

means for transmitting a program stream to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels; and

control signal means for transmitting program stream parsing control signals to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels to define at least one communiqué

that is excerpted from said program stream.

10. The communiqué

system of claim 1 for providing communiqué

communication services to said subscribers, who are further equipped with a wireless subscriber device, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of wireless communication devices in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, said communiqué

system further comprising;

means for selecting at least one of said plurality of cell sites to provide a communiqué

communication service; and

means for routing communiqué

s constituting said communiqué

communication service from a selected program source to said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites for transmission via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

11. The communiqué

system of claim 10 further comprising;

means for enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said communiqué

s via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

12. The communiqué

system of claim 11 wherein said means for enabling comprises;

means for identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscribe devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

13. The communiqué

system of claim 12 wherein said means for identifying comprises;

means, responsive to said plurality of wireless devices each having a unique identifier comprising a MIN, for assigning a common MIN as said communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable th cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

14. The communiqué

system of claim 12 wherein said means for enabling comprises;

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

means for authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communiqué

.

15. A method of providing communiqué

communication services to subscribers, who are equipped with a communiqué

wired subscriber device, via a wireline-based communication network that provides a plurality of communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices, comprising the steps of;

selecting a plurality of channels in said wireline-based communication network to provide said communiqué

communication service, comprising;

defining a set of said wired communication channels to provide a communiqué

communication service to at least one of;

a predetermined geographic area, a demographic population, and a subscriber interest group,

identifying, in response to occurrence of an event initiation of a communiqué

communication service, a temporal and spatial extent of said communiqué

communication service,

translating said identified temporal and spatial extent into said set of said wired communication channels; and

routing communiqué

s, constituting said communiqué

communication service, from a selected program source to selected ones of said plurality of wired communication channels for concurrent transmission to a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices which are authorized to receive said communiqué and

which are served by said wireline-based communication network, on at least one of said plurality of channels, said transmission being effected concurrently to more than one of said communiqué

wired subscriber device via said at least one channel.

16. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 15 further comprising the step of;

interconnecting, in response to receipt of a communiqué

identifier from a communiqué

wired subscriber device, said communiqué

wired subscriber device to a selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels to enable receipt of said communiqué

s conveyed to said communiqué

wired subscriber device by said selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels.

17. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 16 wherein said step of interconnecting comprises;

identifying each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices to enable the wireline-based communication network to recognize each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices.

18. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 16 further comprising the step of;

storing data representative of communiqué

device identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies a one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices.

19. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 18 further comprising the steps of;

comparing, in response to receipt of a one of said communiqué

device identifiers from a one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s, said received communiqué

device identifier with said stored communiqué

device identifiers; and

enabling, in response to a match between said received communiqué

device identifier and a one of said stored communiqué

device identifiers that correspond to authorization for said requested subscription-based communiqué

s, said one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to access said subscription-based communiqué

s.

20. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 19 further comprising the step of;

transmitting data received from said one of said plurality of communiqué

wireless subscriber devices to other subscribers.

21. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of defining further comprises;

dynamically updating said temporal and spatial extent.

22. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 15 wherein said step of identifying comprises;

creating temporal and spatial extent of narrowcast in the content domain that comprises said communiqué

communication service.

23. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 22 wherein said step of creating temporal and spatial extent comprises;

transmitting a program stream to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels; and

transmitting program stream parsing control signals to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels to define at least one communiqué

that is excerpted from said program stream.

24. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 15 for providing communiqué

communication services to said subscribers, who are further equipped with a wireless subscriber device, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of wireless communication devices in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, said method further comprising the steps of;

selecting at least one of said plurality of cell sites to provide a communiqué

communication service; and

routing communiqué

s constituting said communiqué

communication service from a selected program source to said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites for transmission via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

25. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 24 further comprising the step of;

enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber device to receive said communiqué

s via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

26. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 25 wherein said step of enabling comprises;

identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

27. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 26 wherein said step of identifying comprises;

assigning, in response to said plurality of wireless devices each having a unique identifier comprising a MIN, a common MIN as said communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

28. The method of providing communiqué

communication services of claim 26 wherein said step of enabling comprises;

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

authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communiqué

.

29. A communiqué

system for providing communiqué

communication services to subscribers, who are equipped with a communiqué

wired subscriber device, via a wireline-based communication network that provides a plurality of communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices, comprising;

communiqué

manager means for selecting a plurality of channels in said wireline-based communication network to provide said communiqué

communication service, comprising;

program database means for defining a set of said wire communication channels to provide a communiqué

communication service to at least one of;

a predetermined geographic area, a demographic population, and a subscriber interest group,

coverage area means, responsive to occurrence of an event initiation of a communiqué

communication service, for identifying a temporal and spatial extent of said communiqué

communication service,

program parsing means for translating said identified temporal and spatial extent into said set of said wired communication channels; and

program manager means for routing communiqué

s, constituting said communiqué

communication service, from a selected program source to selected ones of said plurality of wired communication channels for concurrent transmission to a plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices which are authorize to receive said communiqué and

which are served by said wireline-based communication network, on at least one of said plurality of channels, said transmission being effected concurrently to more than one of said communiqué

wired subscriber device via said at least one channel.

30. The communiqué

system of claim 29 further comprising;

communiqué

location register means, responsive to receipt of a communiqué

identifier from a communiqué

wired subscriber device, for interconnecting said communiqué

wired subscriber device to a selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels to enable receipt of said communiqué

s conveyed to said communiqué

wired subscriber device by said selected one of said plurality of wired communication channels.

31. The communiqué

system of claim 30 wherein said communiqué

location register means comprises;

means for identifying each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices to enable the wireline-based communication network to recognize each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices.

32. The communiqué

system of claim 30 wherein said communiqué

location register means comprises;

memory means for storing data representative of communiqué

device identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies a one of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices.

33. The communiqué

system of claim 32 further comprising;

means, responsive to receipt of a one of said communiqué

device identifiers from a one of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s, for comparing said received communiqué

device identifier with said stored communiqué

device identifiers; and

means, responsive to a match between said received communiqué

device identifier and a one of said stored communiqué

device identifiers that correspond to authorization for said requested subscription-based communiqué

s, for enabling said one of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber device to access said subscription-based communiqué

s.

34. The communiqué

system of claim 33 further comprising;

transmitter means for transmitting data received from said one of said plurality of communiqué

wired subscriber devices to other subscribers.

35. The communiqué

system of claim 29 wherein said program database means further comprises;

means for dynamically updating said temporal and spatial extent.

36. The communiqué

system of claim 29 wherein said coverage area means comprises;

program database means for creating temporal and spatial extent of narrowcast in the content domain that comprises said communiqué

communication service.

37. The communiqué

system of claim 36 wherein said program database means comprises;

program transmitter means for transmitting a program stream to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels; and

control signal means for transmitting program stream parsing control signals to said plurality of wired subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of channels to define at least one communiqué

that is excerpted from said program stream.

38. The communiqué

system of claim 29 for providing communiqué

communication services to said subscribers, who are further equipped with a wireless subscriber device, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels, each of which serves a plurality of wireless communication devices in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, said communiqué

system further comprising;

temporal spatial communiqué

manager means for selecting at east one of said plurality of cell sites to provide a communiqué

communication service; and

program manager means for routing communiqué

s constituting aid communiqué

communication service from a selected program source to said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites for transmission via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices served by said selected at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

39. The communiqué

system of claim 38 further comprising;

communiqué

location register means for enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said communiqué

s via said on of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

40. The communiqué

system of claim 39 wherein said communiqué

location register means comprises;

means for identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscribe devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

41. The communiqué

system of claim 40 wherein said means for identifying comprises;

spoofing means, responsive to said plurality of wireless devices each having a unique identifier comprising a MIN, for assigning a common MIN as said communiqué

address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices without requiring a unique identity for each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

42. The communiqué

system of claim 40 wherein said communiqué

location register means comprises;

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

wireless subscriber device authorization means for authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communiqué

.