Satellite telecommunication system with storage of messages in electronic mailboxes

• US 7,020,136 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Nibbeling, Henricus Theodorus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US09/807,112
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 370389-397, 370/473, 370/470, 370/465, 370/316, 370/338, 370/524, 379/88.15, 379/67.1, 379/418, 379/412.1, 379/245, 379/198, 379/88.26, 455/459, 455/12.1, 455/445, 455/188.1, 455/513, 455/406, 455/428, 455/13.4, 358/408, 358/435, 340/988, 340/961, 340/7.6
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18567 Arrangements for providing additional services to the basic mobile satellite telephony service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

Telecommunications system, particularly for exchanging telecommunication traffic between fixed and mobile users, such as lorry drivers, by way of a satellite communication network, such as the Inmarsat system, built up from several telecommunication satellites which are operatively coupled, by way of radio transmission links, to one or more earth stations. The earth stations are operatively connected, by way of a service centre, to an earth communication network built up from fixed and/or mobile telecommunication networks, messages received from users by way of the satellite communication network being stored in electronic mailboxes at the service centre.

Claims

1. Method for exchanging telecommunication traffic between users in a telecommunications system, comprising a satellite communication network, built up from several telecommunication satellites which are operatively coupled, by way of radio transmission links, to one or more earth stations, which earth stations are operatively connected, by way of a service center, to an earth communication network built up from fixed and/or mobile telecommunication networks, characterized in that messages having an address code short to such a degree that no complete network address can be included, and received in the service center from users by way of the satellite communication network, are stored in electronic mailboxes, said messages being distributed among the mailboxes on the basis of an address code or part thereof, by way of at least one lookup table and the address code referring to a reference included in the lookup table.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that messages received from a group of users are stored in a common mailbox.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that messages from users associated with a telecommunication operator are stored in a common mailbox.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in a common mailbox, messages are stored distributed over separate mailboxes.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a mailbox is selected on the basis of said address code included in a message received and an identification code associated with the user in question.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the lookup table comprises at least a first and a second address block, the one address block referring to a user-specific mailbox and the other address block referring to a mailbox common to a group of users, a mailbox in question being selected from the first or second address block on the basis of the address code received.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the lookup table comprises a third address block in which references are included relating to a group of most recently transmitted messages.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the lookup table comprises a fourth address block in which references are included relating to services to be rendered to a user, a service in question being selected on the basis of the address code received.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the lookup table comprises consecutively numbered references, the first address block referring to the first references having the lowest sequence numbers, the second address block referring to the next 32 references, the third address block referring to the still following 32 references, and the fourth address block referring to the 32 references having the highest sequence numbers.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the messages stored in a mailbox may be transmitted to an authorized user on demand.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the messages stored in a mailbox are transmitted automatically to an authorized user, in clusters of messages, if so required.

12. Method according to claim 1, characterized by a user'"'"'s account associated with an electronic mailbox, for crediting thereto the costs involved in receiving, storing and transmitting messages.

13. Device for exchanging, in a telecommunications system, telecommunication traffic between users, which telecommunications system comprises a satellite communication network, built up from several telecommunication satellites which are operatively coupled, by way of radio transmission links, to one or more earth stations, which earth stations are operatively connected, by way of a service center, to an earth communication network built up from fixed and/or mobile telecommunication networks, characterized by control means for storing in electronic mailboxes messages, having an address code being short to such an extent that no complete network address can be included and received in the service center from users by way of the satellite communication network, the control means distributing said messages among the mailboxes on the basis of an address code or part thereof, by way of a lookup table and the address code referring to a reference included in the lookup table.

14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for storing, in a common mailbox, messages received from a group of users.

15. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for selecting a mailbox on the basis of said address code included in a message received and an identification code associated with a user in question, the control means comprising an identification-code-related lookup table provided with references to mailboxes for selecting said reference or mailbox, as the case may be, on the basis of said address code and identification code received.

16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the lookup table comprises at least a first and a second address block, the one address block referring to a user-specific mailbox and the other address block referring to a mailbox common to a group of users, the control means being arranged for selecting, from the first or second address block on the basis of an address code received, an individual or common mailbox in question for storing a message received therein.

17. Device according to claim 16, characterized in that the lookup table comprises a third address block, in which references are included which relate to a group of most recently transmitted messages, the control means being arranged for selecting a message on the basis of an address code received.

18. Device according to claim 17, characterized in that the lookup table comprises a fourth address block, in which references are included which relate to services to be rendered to a user, the control means being arranged for selecting a service in question on the basis of an address code received.

19. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for, if so requested, transmitting to an authorized user messages stored in a mailbox.

20. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for automatically transmitting, to an authorized user, messages stored in a mailbox.

21. Device according to claim 19, characterized in that the control means are arranged for erasing stored messages after the transmission thereof from the mailbox.

22. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the mailboxes and the control means are mounted in the service center.

23. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for storing, by way of a transmission link, messages received in remotely located mailboxes.

24. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the control means are arranged for tariffing services rendered to a user.

25. Telecommunication unit, comprising user interface means and transmission means for exchanging telecommunication traffic between users in a telecommunications system, comprising a satellite communication network, built up from several telecommunication satellites which are operatively coupled, by way of radio transmission links, to one or more earth stations, which earth stations are operatively connected, by way of a service center, to an earth communication network built up from fixed and/or mobile telecommunication networks, a message transmitted by the transmission means having an address code being short to such an extent that no complete network address can be included, and the messages received in the service center from users by way of the satellite communication network being stored in electronic mailboxes, the transmission means being arranged for distributing said messages among the mailboxes on the basis of an address code or part thereof by way of a lookup table and the address code referring to a reference included in the lookup table.

26. Telecommunication unit according to claim 25, characterized in that the transmission means are arranged for transmitting an address code selected from a first or second address block, comprising address codes which refer to a user-specific electronic mailbox or a common electronic mailbox for storing therein a message transmitted by the transmission means.

27. Telecommunication unit according to claim 26, characterized in that the transmission means are arranged for transmitting an address code selected from a third address block, comprising references relating to a group of most recently transmitted messages, or a fourth address block, comprising references relating to services to be rendered to a user.