WAP push over cell broadcast

• US 7,426,203 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Justin, Mikan, Jeffrey Clinton, Tuthill, Carolyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US11/265,597
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 370/278, 370/282, 370/322, 370/338, 370328-329, 370/341, 370/348, 370/350, 370/390, 370/395.53, 370/401, 370/432, 455/3.01, 455/403, 4554141-4143, 455/422.1, 455/424, 455/428, 455433-434, 455450-4522, 455/464, 455/466, 455/509, 455516-517, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/558, 455/422
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A system provides push services and information to mobile stations via broadcast messages. The broadcast messages are made on predetermined cell broadcast channels, which are associated with an inbox on the mobile stations. Contained within the messages are Uniform Resource Locators (URL) that, when accessed, provide multimedia and other rich content to the mobile station. The system allows wireless carriers to provide features such as Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) push operations via cell broadcast to many mobile stations in a geographic area without the need to individual address messages to the mobile stations.

Claims

1. A method of receiving pushed services and information at a mobile station, said pushed services and said information being received via a cell broadcast channel, said cell broadcast channel being sub-divided into a plurality of channels, each sub-divided channel having an assigned priority including one of a high priority and a low priority for said information and further indicating a geographic region of broadcast, said geographic region of broadcast being predetermined by said high priority information, each mobile station having an associated home subscriber server for recording mobile station location and subscriber profile data including sub-divided channel specification data, each main station including a push inbox, said method comprising:

the mobile station listening to said broadcast channel comprising said sub-divided channel having said high priority, said sub-divided channel being broadcast within the geographic region in which said mobile station is presently located;

receiving a high priority message on said broadcast channel;

placing the content of said high priority message in said inbox;

monitoring said inbox for a uniform resource locator;

receiving a command to navigate to said uniform resource locator;

connecting to said uniform resource locator to obtain further high priority information responsive to said command; and

combining said further high priority information and said high priority message content into one message for display;

said display message content providing access to said services and said information as specified at said home subscriber server and being of interest within said geographic area.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, said message comprising a single cell broadcast message that is to be received by all mobile stations in said predetermined geographic region of broadcast at a time certain.

3. The method of claim 1, said messages being sent in multiple parts, said method further comprising combining said multiple parts into a single message at said mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

listening to a plurality of broadcast channels; and

associating at least one of said broadcast channels with said inbox.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said services and said information comprise multimedia information including text data and image data.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, said command being initiated automatically by said mobile station.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, said command comprising click input.

8. A system for delivering high priority content via a wireless network to a mobile station using a broadcast mechanism, comprising

a push proxy gateway (PPG) for sending said high priority content to said mobile station, said PPG being a proxy between a wired and said wireless network to facilitate said high priority content delivery, said PPG further determining a geographic region of broadcast dependent on said high priority content;

a short message peer to peer (SMPP) router that receives a first SMPP message from said push proxy gateway and converts said SMPP message to a cell broadcast message and a second message from a content supplier; and

a cell broadcast center that pushes content in said cell broadcast message on a predetermined cell broadcast channel to said mobile station within said geographic region of broadcast, said cell broadcast channel being sub-divided into a plurality of channels, each sub-divided channel having an assigned priority including one of a high priority and a low priority and indicating said geographic region of broadcast, said geographic region of broadcast being predetermined by said high priority content, said mobile station for receiving said high priority content and for placing said high priority content of said cell broadcast message in an inbox, for monitoring said inbox for a uniform resource locator and for receiving a command to navigate to said uniform resource locator and for combining further high priority content received at said uniform resource locator and said high priority content into one message for display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said high priority content is communicated to all mobile stations within said predetermined geographic region of broadcast as a single message at a certain time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said high priority content is placed in an inbox on said mobile station in accordance with said predetermined cell broadcast channel.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein additional content is accessed via a said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) contained in said cell broadcast message responsive to a said command, said accessed content being combined with said high priority content for display at said mobile station.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said high priority content is multimedia content displayed on said mobile station.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, said command being initiated automatically by said mobile station.

14. A mobile station as recited in claim 11, said command comprising click input.

15. A mobile station for receiving pushed services and information from a wireless network source, said mobile station comprising mobile equipment, a subscriber identity module and a push inbox, said subscriber identity module including an international mobile subscriber identity uniquely identifying a subscriber, said pushed services and said information being received via a cell broadcast channel, said cell broadcast channel being sub-divided into a plurality of channels, each sub-divided channel having an assigned priority including one of a high priority and a low priority for said information and further indicating a geographic region of broadcast, said geographic region of broadcast being predetermined by said high priority information, said mobile station having an associated home subscriber server for recording mobile station location and subscriber profile data including sub-divided channel specification data:

the mobile station listening to a broadcast channel comprising said sub-divided channel having said high priority, said sub-divided channel being broadcast within the geographic region in which said mobile station is presently located;

receiving a high priority message on said broadcast channel;

placing the content of said high priority message in said push inbox;

monitoring said push inbox for a uniform resource locator;

receiving a command to navigate to said uniform resource locator;

connecting to said uniform resource locator to obtain further high priority information responsive to said command; and

combining said further high priority information and said high priority message content into one message for display;

said display message content providing access to said services and said information as specified at said home subscriber server and being of interest within said geographic area.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, said command being initiated automatically by said mobile station.

17. A mobile station as recited in claim 15, said command comprising click input.