Method and system for invoking simultaneous ringing

• US 7,277,735 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Oh, Dae-Sik, Yarkosky, Mark L., Walton, Vicki L., Morris, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US10/829,740
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455416-417, 4554561-4566, 455518-520, 455/453.3, 455/414.2, 455/41.2, 455/74, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 455/425, 455/500, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/432.3, 455/517, 455/526, 455/550.1, 455/554.2, 455/553.1, 455/556.2, 4554351-4353, 455560-561, 455/567
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A method and system for simultaneous ringing in a wireless communication system. Upon receipt of a request to connect a call to a given wireless communication device (WCD), a switch or other entity will determine that the given WCD subscribes to a simultaneous ringing service and will identify one or more other WCDs to simultaneously ring. The switch or other entity will then determine which of those one or more WCDs, if any, are currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD and will then simultaneously ring the given WCD and each of the other WCDs, if any, that is determined to be operating in the same wireless coverage area.

Claims

1. A method of responding to a request to connect a call to a given wireless communication device (WCD) that is operating in a wireless coverage area, the method comprising:

determining that the given WCD subscribes to a simultaneous ringing service and identifying one or more other WCDs to simultaneously ring in accordance with the service;

making a determination of which of the one or more other WCDs are currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD, wherein the wireless coverage area is a given cellular coverage area selected from the group consisting of (i) one or more given cell sectors in a cellular communication system and (ii) one or more given cells in a cellular communication system; and

simultaneously ringing the given WCD and each of the one or more other WCDs that is, according to the determination, currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising carrying out the method in a mobile switching center.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the given WCD comprises a cellular telephone and each of the one or more other WCDs also comprises a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the given WCD comprises a mobile WCD, and at least one of the one or more other WCDs comprises a fixed WCD.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the given WCD subscribes to a simultaneous ringing service comprises referring to a profile record for the given WCD.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying one or more other WCDs to simultaneously ring in accordance with the service comprises identifying the one or more other WCDs by reference to the profile record.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

maintaining in the profile record, for the given WCD, a list of the one or more other WCDs to simultaneously ring in accordance with the service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the one or more other WCDs are currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD comprises:

determining which wireless coverage area the given WCD is currently operating in; and

for each of the one or more other WCDs, determining whether the WCD is operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the given cellular coverage area is a Base Station Controller (BSC) serving area in a cellular communication system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the given cellular coverage area is a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) serving area in a cellular communication system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously ringing the given WCD and each of the one or more other WCDs, if any, that is determined to be operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD comprises:

sending a page message for the call to both the given WCD and sending a page message for the call respectively to each of the one or more other WCDs determined to be operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD.

12. A simultaneous ringing system for use in a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

a stored profile record for a given wireless communication device (WCD) that is currently operating in a given wireless coverage area, the stored profile record indicating that the given WCD subscribes to a simultaneous ringing service and indicating one or more other WCDs to simultaneously ring in accordance with the service; and

service logic executable, in response to receipt of a request to connect a call to the given WCD, (i) to refer to the profile record so as to identify the one or more other WCDs, (ii) to determine which of the one or more other WCDs are currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD, the wireless coverage area being a given cellular coverage area selected from the group consisting of (i) one or more given cell sectors in a cellular communication system and (ii) one or more given cells in a cellular communication system, and (iii) to simultaneously ring the given WCD and each of the one or more WCDs that is determined to be currently operating in the same wireless coverage area as the given WCD.

13. The simultaneous ringing system of claim 12, wherein the stored profile record resides in a visitor location register.

14. The simultaneous ringing system of claim 12, wherein the given WCD comprises a cellular telephone and each of the one or more other WCDs also comprises a cellular telephone.

15. The simultaneous ringing system of claim 12, wherein the given WCD comprises a mobile WCD, and at least one of the one or more other WCDs comprises a fixed WCD.

16. The simultaneous ringing system of claim 12, wherein the given cellular coverage area is a Base Station Controller (BSC) serving area in a cellular communication system.

17. The simultaneous ringing system of claim 12, wherein the given cellular coverage area is a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) serving area in a cellular communication system.