Radioelectric protection method for a zone against the use of mobile telephones

• US 7,477,891 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pinault, Francis, Rousseau, Didier, Brandon, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/959,749
• Time in Patent Office: 3,218 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/417, 455/413, 455/404.1, 455/426.1, 455/439, 455/445, 455/461, 455/462, 455/466, 455/41.2, 455/422
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

The present invention contains a priority base station (20) placed in a sensitive area (19) to restrict unwanted calls using mobile telephones (5-7). In one example, the base station is a priority base station where a mobile telephone has a preference for the type of base station that it represents. The priority base station then exclusively manages communication with the mobile telephones to neutralize their sending-receiving.

Claims

1. A method of protecting an area against radio transmission to and from mobile telephones, in which method:

base stations send incoming calls to mobile telephones,

mobile telephones send outgoing calls to base stations, and

a priority base station is placed in the area and neutralizes access to mobile telephones therein,

characterized in that the priority base station is able to identify itself to mobile telephones regardless of their account characteristics.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the mobile telephones send and receive in accordance with a particular protocol,

in that particular protocol, to send calls to and receive calls from a mobile telephone, a base station recognizes a characteristic of that mobile telephone indicating that it belongs to a mobile telephone network to which that base station belongs, and

in the priority base station, the results of said recognition are set aside and the call with the mobile telephone is managed in all cases.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that:

the protocol is a CTS protocol that accommodates public base stations and private base stations,

the characteristic is recognized in a public base station,

an acceptance characteristic is recognized in a private base station, and

in a priority base station, the results of said recognition are set aside and the call with the mobile telephone is managed in all cases.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the priority base station communicates with mobile telephones that are in said area by means of a Bluetooth short-range radio communication protocol.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the priority base station sends to mobile telephones in said area a disconnection message in respect of the radio network to which they are connected.

6. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the priority base station is connected to the switched public network and manages communication with mobile telephones in said area.

7. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that

the priority base station sends the mobile telephone a message indicating its private base station status, and

the mobile telephone interprets said message and switches automatically to use of said private base station.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, for neutralizing calls, use of the mobile telephone is switched from a public mode to a private mode as a function of a priority stored in the mobile telephone.

9. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the priority base station is a public base station able to identify itself to all mobile telephones within its coverage, regardless of the public network to which they are connected, the priority base station being adapted to manage communication with said mobile telephones.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the priority base station includes means for indicating its priority status to said mobile telephones so that the mobile telephones switch automatically to use of said priority base station.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, to neutralize outgoing calls, an unavailability message is sent.

12. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, to neutralize incoming calls, they are transferred to a voicemail service.

13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that

an up-to-date list is maintained of mobile telephones managed by the priority base station,

incoming messages are stored in a voicemail memory, and

incoming messages concerning them stored while the mobile telephones were in the coverage of the priority base station are transmitted to them when they are no longer in said coverage.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterized in that the messages are stored in a voicemail memory of the priority base station.

15. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, to neutralize calls, information on the nature and/or the conditions of neutralization is sent to an absent party.

16. A method of protecting an area against radio transmission to and from mobile telephones, the method comprising:

detecting at least one of an incoming call to a mobile telephone located within an area to be protected and an outgoing call from said mobile telephone made from within said area, wherein said detecting step is performed by a priority base station placed within said area to be protected; and

neutralizing communication access to said mobile telephone within said area to be protected during said at least one of said incoming call and said outgoing call, wherein said neutralizing step is performed by said priority base station, and wherein said neutralizing step is performed regardless of account characteristics associated with said mobile telephone.

17. A method according to claim 16, characterized in that:

the mobile telephones send and receive in accordance with a particular protocol,

in that particular protocol, to send calls to and receive calls from a mobile telephone, a base station recognizes a characteristic of that mobile telephone indicating that it belongs to a mobile telephone network to which that base station belongs, and

in the priority base station, the results of said recognition are set aside and the call with the mobile telephone is managed in all cases.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that:

the protocol is a CTS protocol that accommodates public base stations and private base stations,

the characteristic is recognized in a public base station,

an acceptance characteristic is recognized in a private base station, and

in a priority base station, the results of said recognition are set aside and the call with the mobile telephone is managed in all cases.

19. A method according to claim 16, characterized in that the priority base station communicates with mobile telephones that are in said area by means of a Bluetooth short-range radio communication protocol.

20. A method according to claim 16, characterized in that, to neutralize calls, information on the nature and/or the conditions of neutralization is sent to an absent party.