Method and apparatus for communicating using wireless control channels

• US 7,474,899 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeris.Net
• Inventors: Balasubramaniam, Saraswathi
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches, Randy
• Application Number:
  US10/172,476
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/445, 455/417, 455/427, 455/430, 455/435.1, 455/456.1, 455/436, 455/450, 455/403, 455/67.1, 455/452, 455/424, 455/458
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13092 Scanning of subscriber lines, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting messages between a communicator and a central monitoring station using a wireless control channel, bypassing voice channels comprising, receiving a message at a communicator the message comprising application specific data, encoding the message along with a call origination trigger in a call origination control message to invoke forwarding of the encoded message and the encoded call origination trigger by a serving system upon detecting the call origination trigger. Transmitting the call origination control message to the serving system over the wireless control channel. The serving system detects the call origination trigger, and forwards the call origination trigger and the encoded message over a communications channel to a central monitoring station in response to detecting the call origination trigger. The central station decodes the encoded message to retrieve the application specific data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a communicator from a remote sensing device, the message comprising application data that is unrelated to call control;

encoding in a control message

the received message comprising application data,

an identifier of the communicator, and

a trigger to invoke forwarding of the encoded message and the encoded trigger by a serving system of a telecommunications network, the trigger associated with a remote feature control request;

transmitting the encoded control message to the serving system of the telecommunications network over a control channel, bypassing voice channels;

detecting at the serving system of the telecommunications network the trigger in the encoded control message;

identifying, based on the detected trigger, a second trigger active at the serving system of the telecommunications network; and

in response to identifying the active second trigger, transmitting an origination request message over a communications channel to a central monitoring station, the origination request message including the trigger and the message comprising application specific data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second trigger is activated at the serving system in response to a central monitoring station.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the central monitoring station decoding the encoded message to retrieve the application data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the encoded control message to the serving system of a telecommunications network comprises transmitting the encoded control message to a serving mobile switching center (hereafter MSC) in a cellular radio telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the trigger in the encoded control message includes detecting the call origination trigger at the serving MSC, and wherein transmitting the origination request message includes transmitting over at least one inter cellular serving area link between the serving MSC and the central monitoring station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the inter cellular serving area link between the serving MSC and the central monitoring station operates according to the signaling system 7 (SS7) protocol standard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the second trigger active at the serving system comprises the serving system comparing the detected trigger with origination triggers stored in a Visitor Location Register (hereafter VLR), the VLR receiving the triggers from a Home Location Register (hereafter HLR).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote sensing device comprises an alarm system, and receiving the message at the communicator comprises receiving data specifying a status of an alarm system at the communicator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises a tracking system, and receiving the message at the communicator comprises receiving tracking data from the tracking system at the communicator.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a utility meter, and receiving the message at the communicator comprises receiving a reading from the utility meter at the communicator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a two-way paging device, and receiving the message at the communicator comprises receiving a response to a page from a two-way paging device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a process controller, and receiving the message at the communicator comprises receiving process data from the process controller.

13. A method comprising:

inserting a message comprising application data that is unrelated to call control in a control message to be transmitted by a cellular mobile radio (hereafter CMR) communications device;

encoding in the control message

a mobile identification number (hereafter MIN) identifying the CMR communications device, and

a trigger to invoke forwarding of the encoded message by a serving mobile switching center (hereafter MSC), the trigger associated with a remote feature control request; and

transmitting the encoded control message to the serving MSC over a control channel of a cellular telecommunications network, bypassing voice channels;

analyzing the transmitted control message at the serving MSC and detecting the trigger;

determining based on the detected trigger that a second trigger is active at the serving MSC;

in response to determining that the second trigger is active, forwarding the trigger and the message comprising application data to a central monitoring station over an inter cellular serving area network channel determined by the MIN using an OriginationRequest Invoke (hereafter ORREQ) message;

receiving the ORREQ message including the application data message at the central monitoring station; and

extracting the application data message from the ORREQ message.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein extracting the application data message from the ORREQ message comprises forwarding the application data message to an application service provider.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

transmitting the message from a remote sensing device to the CMR communications device, and

receiving the message at the CMR communications device prior to inserting the message in the call origination control message to be transmitted by the CMR.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sensing device comprises an alarm system, and receiving the message at the CMR communications device comprises receiving data specifying a status of an alarm system at the CMR communications device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sensing device comprises an tracking system, and receiving the message at the CMR communications device comprises receiving tracking data from the tracking system at the CMR communications device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a utility meter, and receiving the message at the CMR communications device comprises receiving readings from the utility meter at the CMR communications device.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a two-way paging device, and receiving the message at the CMR communications device comprises receiving a response to a page at the CMR communications device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote sensing device comprises a process controller, and receiving the message at the CMR communications device comprises receiving process data at the CMR communications device.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the message comprises a response to a command from the central monitoring station.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the message comprises any one message from a group consisting of a digitized audio message, and a digitized video message.

23. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a communicator from a remote sensing device, the message comprising application data that is unrelated to call control;

encoding the received message along with an identifier of the communicator and a trigger in a control message, the encoding the trigger to invoke forwarding of the encoded message by a satellite switching center upon detecting the call origination trigger;

transmitting the encoded control message to the satellite switching center over a control channel, bypassing voice channels;

detecting the trigger at the satellite switching center;

identifying, based on the detected trigger, a second trigger active at the satellite switching center; and

in response to identifying the active second trigger, forwarding the trigger and the encoded message over a communications channel to a central monitoring station using a call origination request message; and

decoding the encoded message to retrieve the application data.

24. A method comprising:

receiving via a control channel an encoded control message from a communicator, the encoded control message including

application data that is unrelated to call control,

an identifier of the communicator, and

a trigger associated with a remote feature control request;

detecting the trigger in the encoded control message;

identifying, based on the detected trigger, that a second trigger is active; and

in response to identifying the active second trigger, transmitting an origination request message over a communications channel to a central monitoring station, the origination request message including the trigger and the message comprising application specific data.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving a message from the central monitoring station; and

activating the second trigger in response to the message received from the central monitoring station.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a machine-accessible medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a machine, cause said machine to perform operations including

receiving a message from the central monitoring station;

activating a second trigger in response to the message received from the central monitoring station;

receiving from a cellular mobile radio (CMR) communications device an encoded control message including

application data that is unrelated to call control,

an identifier of the CMR, and

a first trigger associated with a remote feature control request;

detecting the first trigger in the encoded control message;

identifying, based on the detected first trigger, that the second trigger is active; and

in response to identifying that the second trigger is active, transmitting an origination request message over a communications channel to the central monitoring station, the origination request message including the first trigger and the message comprising application specific data.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving from a communicator an encoded control message including

application data that is unrelated to call control,

an identifier of the communicator, and

a trigger associated with a remote feature control request;

means for detecting the trigger in the encoded control message;

means for identifying, based on the detected trigger, that a second trigger is active; and

means, responsive to the identifying the active second trigger, for transmitting an origination request message over a communications channel to a central monitoring station, the origination request message including the trigger and the message comprising application specific data.