Communique wireless subscriber device for a cellular communication network

• US 6,954,641 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• 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): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US09/774,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455418-419, 455/422.1, 455/450, 455424-425, 455/432.3, 455433-434, 455/435.2, 455/2.01, 455/3.02, 455/3.04, 455/435.3, 455/454, 455/455, 455/456.6, 455/463, 455/464, 455514-520, 455/403, 455/466, 455/457, 455406-408, 455/500, 455/552, 455/503, 340 746- 748, 340/825.25, 340/825.26, 340/825.27
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The wireless subscriber device that is operable in a 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 bi-directional (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 wireless subscriber 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. The wireless subscriber devices can either be mobile wireless communication devices in the traditional mobile subscriber paradigm, or the fixed wireless communication devices in the more recent wireless product offerings. Furthermore, these communique communication services can be free services, subscription based services, or toll based services, while the data propagation can be based on push, pull and combinations of push/pull information distribution modes.

Claims

1. A communiqué

wireless subscriber device for providing communiqué

services to subscribers, 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, said cellular communication network transmitting communiqué

s on at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels, said communiqué

wireless subscriber device comprising;

means for communicating on a wireless basis with at least one of said plurality of cell sites;

means for storing a communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier that is not unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

means for storing a communiqué

identifier that is not unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

means for registering said communiqué

wireless subscriber device with said cellular communication network using said communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier, and

means, responsive to said registration and a selection by said subscriber using said communiqué

identifier, for selecting at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels corresponding to said selection to receive, concurrently with more than one of plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said communiqué

s that are transmitted by said cell sites on said selected at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

2. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting comprises;

means for identifying said at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels based on said communiqué

identifier; and

means for activating said means for communicating to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

3. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 1 wherein said means for selecting comprises;

means for transmitting said communiqué

identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to enable receipt of said communiqué

s wirelessly conveyed to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device by said at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

4. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 3 wherein said means for selecting further comprises;

means for receiving data from said cellular communication network that identifies said at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and

means for activating said means for communicating to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

5. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 4 further comprising;

means for storing a communiqué

device identifier that uniquely identifies said communiqué

wireless subscriber device.

6. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 5 further comprising;

means for transmitting said communiqué

device identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s.

7. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 6 further comprising;

means for activating said means for communicating to transmit data to said cell sites for transmission to other subscribers.

8. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 4 further comprising;

means for storing subscriber profile data in a memory; and

means for filtering said received communiqué

s using said subscriber profile data.

9. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 8 wherein said means for filtering comprises;

means for parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said communiqué

identifier.

10. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 8 wherein said means for filtering comprises;

means for storing subscriber profile data indicative of program content interests for a subscriber; and

means for parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said subscriber profile data.

11. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 1 further comprising;

means for measuring an immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.

12. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 11 further comprising;

means for transmitting data to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites indicative of said measured immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.

13. A method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device for providing communiqué

services to subscribers, 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, said cellular communication network transmitting communiqué

s on at least one of plurality of wireless communication channels, said communiqué

wireless subscriber device comprising the steps of;

communicating on a wireless basis with at least one of said plurality of cell sites;

storing a communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier that is unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

storing a communiqué

identifier that is not unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

registering said communiqué

wireless subscriber device with said cellular communication network using said communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier; and

selecting, in responsive to said registration and a selection by said subscriber using said communiqué

identifier, at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels corresponding to said selection to receive, concurrently with more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said communiqué

s that are transmitted by said cell sites on said selected at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

14. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 13 wherein said step of selecting comprises;

identifying said at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels based on said communiqué

identifier; and

activating said means for communicating to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

15. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 13 wherein said step of selecting comprises;

transmitting said communiqué

identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to enable receipt of said communiqué

s wirelessly conveyed to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device by said at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

16. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 15 wherein said step of selecting further comprises;

receiving data from said cellular communication network that identifies said at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and

activating said means for communicating to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

17. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 16 further comprising the step of;

storing a communiqué

device identifier that uniquely identifies said communiqué

wireless subscriber device.

18. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 17 further comprising the step of;

transmitting said communiqué

device identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s.

19. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 18 further comprising the step of;

activating said step of communicating to transmit data to said cell sites for transmission to other subscribers.

20. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 16 further comprising the steps of;

storing subscriber profile data in a memory; and

filtering said received communiqué

s using said subscriber profile data.

21. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 20 wherein said step of filtering comprises;

parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said communiqué

identifier.

22. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 20 wherein said step of filtering comprises;

storing subscriber profile data indicative of program content interests for a subscriber; and

parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said subscriber profile data.

23. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 13 further comprising the step of;

measuring an immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.

24. The method of operating a communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 23 further comprising the step of;

transmitting data to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites indicative of said measured immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.

25. A communiqué

wireless subscriber device for providing communiqué

services to subscribers, 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, said cellular communication network transmitting communiqué

s on at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels, said communiqué

wireless subscriber device comprising;

transceiver means for communicating on a wireless basis with at least one of plurality of cell sites;

wireless subscriber device identifier means for storing a communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier that is unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

profile memory means for storing a communiqué

identifier that is not unique to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device;

channel selection means for registering said communiqué

wireless subscriber device with said cellular communication network using said communiqué

wireless subscriber device identifier; and

control means, responsive to said registration and a selection by said subscriber using said communiqué

identifier, for selecting at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels corrresponding to said selection to receive, concurrently with more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said communiqué

s that are transmitted by said cell sites on said selected at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

26. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 25 wherein said control means comprises;

means for identifying said at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels based on said communiqué

identifier; and

means for activating said means for communicating to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

27. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 25 wherein said control means comprises;

spoofing means for transmitting said communiqué

identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to enable receipt of said communiqué

s wirelessly conveyed to said communiqué

wireless subscriber device by said at least one of said plurality of cell sites.

28. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 27 wherein said control means further comprises;

administrative control means for receiving data from said cellular communication network that identifies at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and

channel select means for activating said transceiver means to receive said communiqué

s on said identified at least one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.

29. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 28 further comprising;

profile memory means for storing a communiqué

device identifier that uniquely identifies said communiqué

wireless subscriber device.

30. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 29 further comprising;

MIN means for transmitting said communiqué

device identifier to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites to request access to subscription-based communiqué

s.

31. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 30 further comprising;

channel select means for activating said transceiver means to transmit data to said cell sites for transmission to other subscribers.

32. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 28 further comprising;

profile memory means for storing subscriber profile data in a memory; and

content parsing means for filtering said received communiqué

s using said subscriber profile data.

33. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 32 wherein said content parsing means comprises;

means for parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said communiqué

identifier.

34. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 32 wherein said content parsing means comprises;

profile memory means for storing subscriber profile data indicative of program content interests for a subscriber; and

means for parsing program content of said received communiqué

s pursuant to a predefined content definition contained in said subscriber profile data.

35. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 25 further comprising;

biometric means for measuring an immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.

36. The communiqué

wireless subscriber device of claim 35 further comprising;

voice data switch means for transmitting data to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites indicative of said measured immutable physical characteristic of a subscriber.