System and method for inhibiting features for wireless terminals

• US 7,567,803 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Ragin, Enoch Jr., Geck, Bertram, Zaniolo, Luiz Cesar, Lima, Robinson Osmar, Marcon da Rocha, Francisco Olympio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; John J
• Application Number:
  US09/967,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20030073427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,860 Days
• Field of Search: 455/415, 455/419, 455/417, 455/565, 455/433, 455/410, 455/411, 455/463, 455/414, 455/418, 455/403, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/422.1, 455/434, 455/450, 455/456.3, 455/445, 455/567, 455/412.2, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.1, 455/423, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/435.3, 455/435.2, 455/435.1, 455/420, 455/452.1, 455/517, 455/515, 455/528, 455/67.11, 455/68, 455/516
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method is presented for the restricting features in a wireless network. A database contains representations of rules that restrict the features of terminals connected to a base station. For an incoming communication, a determination is made as to which terminal is associated with the call, and a database is accessed to look up rules governing restrictions on the terminal and/or the base station connected to the terminal; the terminal is then activated depending on the restrictions. For outgoing communication, when a signal associated with a request for an outgoing communication is received from a terminal, a database is accessed to look up rules governing restrictions; the terminal is connected for outgoing communication depending on whether the restrictions allow it.

Claims

1. A system for restricting features in a wireless network, comprising:

at least one base station;

at least one wireless terminal wirelessly connectable to one or more base stations and wirelessly connected to said at least one base station, each base station operative in communicating an incoming communication directed to, and an outgoing communication originated by, each wirelessly connected wireless terminal; and

a base station rules database comprising representations of the base station rules restricting features of said each wirelessly connected wireless terminal wirelessly connected to a respective said each base station, wherein any restriction for said each wirelessly connected wireless terminal is dependent on the base station rules corresponding to a respective base station,

wherein said respective base station applies said base station rules to communications responsive to communications between wirelessly connected wireless terminals and said respective base station and location of each of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals, and

wherein the base station restricts features depending at least on whether a communication is incoming or outgoing and the base station selectively prevents incoming communications from reaching ones of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals while allowing outgoing communications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station restricts features depending at least on the time of day.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station restricts features depending at least on the priority of said each of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station restricts features depending at least on whether a communication is designated as an emergency.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one wirelessly connected wireless terminal is a wireless telephone.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein the base station prevents at least one wireless terminal from ringing while wirelessly connected to said respective base station.

7. The system in claim 1, wherein each respective base station determines from said base station rules database whether to apply the rules for each wirelessly connected terminal responsive to wireless connection to said each respective base station, but otherwise are independent of the location of said each wirelessly connected terminal.

8. The system in claim 1, wherein the base station further restricts features responsive to the specific wirelessly connected wireless terminal.

9. The system in claim 1 wherein the restriction on features includes a restriction invoked by said each base station independent of the specific identity of the wirelessly connected wireless terminal.

10. A method for the restriction of features in a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

determining which one of a plurality of terminals is associated with an incoming communication, and whether the one of a plurality of terminals is connected to a base station that is selectively operative in communicating incoming communications directed to the one of a plurality of terminals;

accessing, in response to the incoming communication and in event of the one of a plurality of terminals being connected to said base station, at least one database to look up base station rules governing restriction on the base station connected to the one of a plurality of terminals, the look up base station rules governing restriction on the base station being independent of a specific identity of the one of a plurality of terminals;

accessing at least one database to look up terminal rules governing restriction on an wirelessly connected terminal; and

activating the one of a plurality of connected terminals if allowed, wherein allowance depends at least on the look up terminal rules governing restriction on the base station in the base station rules, and wherein the allowance is responsive to the database to look up terminal rules governing restriction on the terminal in the terminal rules.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of accessing the at least one database to look up the base station rules governing restriction on the one of a plurality of terminals, and wherein the allowance depends at least on the restriction on the one of a plurality of terminals.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the allowance does not depend on the location of the at least one terminal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the allowance depends at least on whether the communication is designated as an emergency.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the restriction on the base station is time-dependent.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the allowance depends at least on the format of communication.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one of a plurality of terminals is a wireless telephone in a private wireless network.

17. The system in claim 10, wherein the restriction on the base station is that the base station may not cause the one of a plurality of terminals to ring.

18. A system for restricting features in a wireless network, comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

at least one wireless terminal wirelessly connectable to said plurality of base stations and wirelessly connected to one of said plurality of base stations;

a base station rules database with representations of rules for restriction on at least two base stations, the rules of restriction indicating whether or not each base station subjects a communication received by the base station rules database to a restriction that is independent of a specific identity of a communication originating device and independent of the specific identity of a communication destination device, wherein at least one of the communication originating device and the communication destination device is said at least one wireless terminal within a coverage area of said one; and

wherein said base station rules database is accessed responsive to communications between wirelessly connected wireless terminals and respective ones of said plurality of base stations and location of each of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals, and

wherein the respective ones of the plurality of base stations restrict features depending at least on whether a communication is incoming or outgoing and the respective ones selectively prevent incoming communications from reaching ones of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals while allowing outgoing communications.

19. A system for restricting features in a wireless network, comprising:

at least one base station;

at least one wireless terminal wirelessly connectable to and wirelessly connected to said at least one base station, each base station operative in communicating an incoming communication directed to, and an outgoing communication originated by, each wirelessly connected wireless terminal located within a given range of said each base station; and

a base station rules database comprising representations of the base station rules for individually restricting features provided by each said at least one base station to each connected said at least one wireless terminal wirelessly, wherein restriction on features depends at least on whether a communication is designated as an emergency and independent of any information about said each at least one wireless terminal, and wherein said base station rules database is accessed responsive to communications between wirelessly connected wireless terminals and respective base stations and location of each of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals within a given range of a respective base station, and

wherein the respective base stations restrict features depending at least on whether a communication is incoming or outgoing and selectively prevent incoming communications from reaching ones of said wirelessly connected wireless terminals while allowing outgoing communications.

20. A method for the restriction of features in a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

determining which one of a plurality of wireless terminals is associated with an incoming communication, and whether the one of a plurality of terminals is wirelessly connected to a base station that is selectively operative in communicating incoming communications directed to the one of a plurality of wireless terminals;

accessing, in response to incoming emergency communication to the one of a plurality of wireless terminals wirelessly connected to said base station, at least one database to look up base station rules governing restriction on the base station wirelessly connected to the one of a plurality of wireless terminals;

accessing at least one database to look up terminal rules governing restriction on the wirelessly connected terminal; and

selectively activating the one of a plurality of wireless terminals responsive to the emergency communication being designated an emergency, and further responsive to restriction on the terminal in the terminal rules.

21. A method for the restriction of features in a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

accessing at least one database to look up base station rules governing restriction on a base station in response to the base station receiving a signal from a wirelessly connected terminal associated with a request for an outgoing emergency communication by the wirelessly connected terminal;

accessing at least one database to look up terminal rules governing restriction on the wirelessly connected terminal; and

selectively connecting the wirelessly connected terminal for the outgoing emergency communication responsive to the emergency communication being designated as an emergency, and further responsive to restriction on the terminal in the terminal rules.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein allowance is provided for communications not designated emergency further responsive to restrictions including whether the wirelessly connected terminal is inside a predetermined room.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the restriction on the base station is time-dependent.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein allowance is provided for communications not designated emergency further responsive to restrictions including the format of communication.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the wirelessly connected terminal is a wireless telephone in a private wireless network.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein allowance is provided for communications not designated emergency further responsive to restrictions independent of the location of the wirelessly connected terminal.