System and method for providing information services to subscribers in a GPRS network

• US 8,155,629 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gazzard, Daryl
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/255,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/550.1, 455/419, 455/418, 455/566, 455/561, 709204-205, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing services, such as location-based services, in a GPRS network. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a database including local geographical information is stored in a BSS (Base Station System). The BSS transmits data in the database to at lease one MS on dedicated DPCHs in idle packet frames. The MS populates its database with the data while in idle mode and provides the location-based services to a subscriber using its database.

Claims

1. A mobile station for use by a subscriber for communicating with a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of distributed base station systems each configured to transmit data including both location-based data and user data within a location, the mobile station comprising:

an idle mode of operation during which the mobile station has no activated data communication sessions with the telecommunications network, the mobile station being movable between the locations of the plurality of distributed base station systems;

means for receiving location-based data transmitted within the locations of the plurality of distributed base station systems whereat the mobile station is located when the mobile station is operating in idle mode; and

means for using the location-based data received at a present location of the mobile station to provide location-based services to the subscriber;

means for activating a data communication session with the telecommunications network to obtain an identifier associated with the location-based data transmitted by one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the present location of the mobile station;

means for deactivating the data communication session after obtaining the identifier; and

means for identifying the location-based data associated with the identifier within the data transmitted by the one of the plurality of distributed base station systems transmitting location-based data within the present location of the mobile station while operating in idle mode.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing the location-based data received at the present location of the mobile station.

3. The mobile station of claim 1, further comprising:

means for replacing any location-based data received previously at a different location with location-based data received at the present location of the mobile station.

4. The mobile station of claim 1, for use by a subscriber for communicating with a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of distributed base station systems each configured to transmit data within a location on a plurality of channels comprising dedicated packet data channels, the data including both the location-based data and user data, the mobile station further comprising:

means for identifying the dedicated packet data channels of the plurality of channels transmitted by the one of the plurality of distributed base station systems transmitting data within the present location of the mobile station; and

means for monitoring the identified dedicated packet data channels for the identifier while operating in idle mode.

5. The mobile station of claim 4, further comprising:

means for terminating the monitoring of the identified dedicated packet data channels for the identifier after the location-based data has been received from the one of the plurality of distributed base station systems transmitting data in the present location of the mobile station.

6. The mobile station of claim 5, further comprising:

means for identifying the dedicated packet data channels of the plurality of channels on which data is transmitted by a different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems after the mobile station has been moved to a new location in which the different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems is transmitting data; and

means for resuming the monitoring of the identified dedicated packet data channels on which data is transmitted by the different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems for the identifier while operating in idle mode.

7. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the location-based services comprise providing a map of at least a portion of the present location at which the mobile station is located.

8. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the location-based services comprise providing information associated with a business located within the present location at which the mobile station is located.

9. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the location-based services comprise providing directions to a destination.

10. A telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of distributed base station systems each configured to transmit data within a location, the data including both the location-based data and user data; and

a plurality of mobile stations each operable in an idle mode of operation during which the mobile station has no activated data communication sessions with the telecommunications network, each of the plurality of mobile stations being movable between the locations of the plurality of distributed base station systems and configured to;

receive location-based data transmitted within the locations of the plurality of distributed base station systems whereat the mobile station is located when the mobile station is operating in idle mode; and

use the location-based data received at a present location of the mobile station to provide the location-based services to the subscriber;

wherein each of the plurality of distributed base station systems is configured to;

transmit data on a plurality of channels comprising dedicated packet data channels each comprising time slots a first portion of which are in use and a second portion of which are idle; and

transmit the location-based data in one or more of the first portion of time slots and at least a portion of the user data in one or more of the second portion of time slots.

11. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of mobile stations is configured to activate a data communication session with the telecommunications network to obtain an identifier associated with the location-based data transmitted by one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the present location of the mobile station and after obtaining the identifier, deactivate the data communication session;

and

while operating in idle mode, each of the plurality of mobile stations being further configured to use the identifier to identify the location-based data within the first portion of time slots transmitted by one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the present location of the mobile station.

12. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein the location-based data transmitted by the plurality of distributed base station systems comprises local geographical information.

13. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein for each of at least a portion of the plurality of mobile stations, the location-based services comprise providing a map of at least a portion of the present location at which the mobile station is located.

14. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein for each of at least a portion of the plurality of mobile stations, the location-based services comprise providing information associated with a business located within the present location at which the mobile station is located.

15. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein for each of at least a portion of the plurality of mobile stations, the location-based services comprise providing directions to a destination.

16. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein the plurality of distributed base station systems each store the location-based data transmitted by the base station system locally.

17. The telecommunications network of claim 16, wherein the location-based information is stored locally by each of the plurality of distributed base station systems in a database residing in the base station system.

18. The telecommunications network of claim 10, further comprising:

a central application configured to provide location-based information to each of the plurality of distributed base station systems for storage and transmission thereby.

19. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of distributed base station systems is configured to:

transmit data in Time Division Multiplexed Access (“

TDMA”

) frames over dedicated packet data channels and channels allocated on demand, at least a portion of the TDMA frames transmitted over the dedicated packet data channels comprising an idle portion; and

transmit the location-based data in one or more of the idle portions of the TDMA frames transmitted over the dedicated packet data channels.

20. The telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of distributed base station systems is configured to transmit an identifier with the location-based data,

each of the plurality of mobile stations is configured to activate a data communication session with the telecommunications network to obtain the identifier associated with the location-based data transmitted by one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the present location of the mobile station and after obtaining the identifier, deactivate the data communication session, and

each of the plurality of mobile stations is further configured to use the identifier to identify the location-based data within the data transmitted by the one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the present location of the mobile station.

21. The telecommunications network of claim 10, each of the plurality of mobile stations is further configured to store the location-based data received at the present location of the mobile station.

22. The telecommunications network of claim 10, each of the plurality of mobile stations is further configured to replace any location-based data received previously at a different location with location-based data received at the present location of the mobile station.

23. A method comprising:

storing location-based information on a plurality of distributed base station systems of a telecommunications network, the location-based information stored at each base station system being associated with an area in which the base station system is configured to transmit data;

at each of the plurality of distributed base station systems, transmitting data including the location-based data and user data within the area in which the base station system is configured to transmit data; and

at a mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network, receiving location-based data from at least one of the plurality of distributed base station systems, storing the location-based data, and using the location-based data to provide location-based services to a user of the mobile station;

activating a data communication session with the telecommunications network to obtain an identifier associated with the location-based data transmitted by one of the plurality of distributed base station systems within the area whereat the mobile station is located;

deactivating the data communication session after obtaining the identifier; and

identifying the location-based data associated with the identifier within the data transmitted by the one of the plurality of distributed base station systems transmitting location-based data within the area whereat the mobile station is located.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network is located in a first area in which data is transmitted by a first one of the plurality of distributed base station systems, the method further comprising:

at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network, monitoring the data transmitted by the first one of the plurality of distributed base station systems for location-based data and terminating the monitoring after receiving the location based-data from the first one of the plurality of distributed base station systems;

moving the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network to a second area in which a second different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems is transmitting data; and

at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network, monitoring the data transmitted by the second different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems for location-based data.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network, replacing the stored location-based data received in the first area from the first one of the plurality of distributed base station systems with location-based data received in the second area from the second different one of the plurality of distributed base station systems.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network:

generating a map using the stored location-based data.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network:

displaying information about a business using the stored location-based data.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising at the mobile station that does not have an activated data communication session with the telecommunications network:

providing directions to a destination using the stored location-based data.