Method for operating a cellular telecommunication network, and method for operating a personal cellular telecommunication device

• US 8,170,587 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Celltick Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Celltick Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Daniel, Ronen, Baron, Uri, Wellingstein, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, ALEXANDER J.
• Application Number:
  US11/798,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20070218865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/403, 709/219, 340/7.52, 370/473
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• 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

Abstract

For use in a cellular telecommunications network including a plurality of individually addressable Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) providing bidirectional signal coverage over a predefined geographical area, capable of transmitting Point-To-MultiPoint (PTMP) messages over a Point-To-MultiPoint Service (PTMPS) functionality, and capable of transmitting Point-To-Point (PTP) messages, streaming of a substantially continuous stream of mostly different content, at least some interactive display messages on at least one personal cellular telecommunications device prior to their automatic discarding irrespective of their having been displayed or not.

Claims

1. A cellular telecommunications method including

a) receiving a plurality of individual, interactive display messages by a personal cellular telecommunications device without any action by a user of said device, said device having a display screen that normally displays an idle screen, and each interactive message having mostly different content from the other plurality of interactive display messages and said interactive display messages enabling a user of said device to activate a point to point transmission response mechanism of at least two different types of transmission response mechanisms from the list of:

a voice call;

an SMS;

an internet session;

an e-mail; and

a facsimile transmission;

b) temporarily storing each of said received interactive display messages in a dynamic storage buffer contained in said telecommunications device;

c) if an idle screen is being displayed, streaming individual ones of said stored interactive display messages from said dynamic storage buffer for display on at least a portion of said display screen, displaying each said interactive display message, and allowing selection of at least one of said transmission response mechanisms for responding to said displayed interactive message from among said plurality of different types of transmission response mechanisms displayed on said display screen;

d) interrupting said displaying of said streaming interactive display message to display a non-idle activity specific screen; and

e) automatically discarding interactive display messages from said dynamic storage buffer in accordance with a display message discard scheme irrespective of an interactive display message having been displayed on the display screen or not, wherein for at least some display messages, an out-of-date display message is automatically and silently discarded if it satisfies the condition that T_CLOCK−

T_RECEIVE>

T_DISCARD where T_CLOCK is the clock time of the personal cellular telecommunications device, T_RECEIVE is the time of receipt of the display message at the personal cellular telecommunications device, and T_DISCARD is a predetermined time interval, and an incomplete message is automatically and silently discarded prior to its display.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least two different types of point-to-point transmission response mechanisms are displayed in a menu in response to subscriber activation of a dedicated response means integrally provided in a display message.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards undisplayed interactive display messages from the dynamic storage buffer on a First In First Out basis.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards displayed interactive display messages from the dynamic storage buffer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a PTP display message ready for display is displayed on the display screen in preference to a PTMP display message ready for display.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the entire handling of an interactive display message from its receipt through to its being automatically discarded is a completely silent process irrespective of whether the interactive display message was displayed on the display screen or not.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interactive display messages are sent by a cellular broadcasting service consisting of a substantially continuous stream of PTMP display messages for streaming display on a plurality of personal cellular telecommunications devices.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interactive display messages are sent by a cellular broadcasting service consisting of a substantially continuous stream of PTP display messages for streaming display on a particular personal cellular telecommunications device.

9. A computer program encoded into a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a personal cellular telecommunications device so that the personal cellular telecommunications device programmed in this way when executing the program is configured to carrying out a method as claimed in claim 1.

10. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a personable cellular telecommunications device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the personal cellular telecommunications device for carrying out a method as claimed in claim 1.

11. A computer-readable smart card having encoded thereon a program, said smart card operable with a personal cellular telecommunications device so that the program, when executed by the personal cellular telecommunications device, configures the personal cellular telecommunications device to carry out a method as claimed in claim 1.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein T_DISCARD is a discard time associated with the interactive display message.

24. The cellular telecommunications method of claim 1, further comprising displaying said plurality of transmission response mechanisms on said display screen based upon activation of a request for more information by a user of the device.

25. The cellular telecommunications method of claim 24, wherein said request for more information by a user of the device is activated by an activation means selected from the group consisting of:

pushbutton activation, voice activation, or touchpad activation.

12. A method of operating a cellular telecommunications network comprising:

a) providing a plurality of interactive display messages that are to be received by a personal cellular telecommunications device having a display screen and that are to be handled automatically by said telecommunications device from the receipt of the interactive display message to the discarding of the interactive display message without any action by a user of said telecommunications device, said provided interactive display messages having mostly different content and being for a streaming display only on at least a part of an idle screen of said display screen of said telecommunications device, said interactive display messages enabling a user to of said device to activate a point to point transmission response mechanism of at least two different types of transmission response mechanisms from the list of;

a voice call;

an SMS;

an internet session;

an e-mail; and

a facsimile transmission, said display messages further being of a type that can be automatically stored in and discarded from a dynamic storage buffer contained in the telecommunications device and that also permits the enabling of a user of said telecommunications device to activate a point to point transmission response mechanism that is integrally provided in said interactive display message;

b) said telecommunications device receiving a plurality of individual, interactive display messages, temporarily storing each of said received interactive display messages in said dynamic storage buffer, and if an idle screen is being displayed, streaming individual ones of said stored interactive display messages from said dynamic storage buffer for display on at least a portion of said display screen, displaying said streamed interactive display message, and allowing selection of at least one of said transmission response mechanisms for responding to said displayed interactive message from among said plurality of different types of transmission response mechanisms displayed on said display screen, and interrupting said displaying of said streamed interactive display message to display a non-idle activity specific screen, and automatically discarding interactive display messages from said dynamic storage buffer in accordance with a display message discard scheme irrespective of an interactive display message having been displayed on the display screen or not;

c) broadcasting over a particular programming channel a stream of said provided interactive display messages by one or more of a plurality of individually addressable Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) that are part of said cellular telecommunications network, each said BTS providing bidirectional signal coverage over a predefined geographical area and capable of transmitting Point-To-MultiPoint (PTMP) messages over a PTMP Service functionality and capable of transmitting and receiving Point-To-Point (PTP) messages, said interactive display messages being broadcast without consideration of their being received, being displayed, being retained or being discarded on a telecommunications device that has received said interactive display messages; and

d) receiving a response message from a telecommunications device as a result of a user of said telecommunications device activating a transmission response mechanism that has been enabled by one of the broadcasted interactive display messages wherein for at least some display messages, an out-of-date display message is automatically and silently discarded if it satisfies the condition that T_CLOCK−

T_RECEIVE>

T_DISCARD where T_CLOCK is the clock time of the personal cellular telecommunications device, T_RECEIVE is the time of receipt of the display message at the personal cellular telecommunications device, and T_DISCARD is a predetermined time interval, and an incomplete message is automatically and silently discarded prior to its display.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the at least two different types of response mechanisms are displayed in a menu on a personal cellular telecommunications device in response to subscriber activation of a dedicated response means integrally provided in an interactive display message.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting streams interactive display messages at the rate of between one interactive display message about every 5 seconds to one interactive display message about every 5 minutes.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting streams interactive display messages at the rate of between one interactive display message about every 5 seconds to one interactive display message about every 2 minutes.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting includes simultaneously transmitting at least two streams of different interactive display messages, and further comprising the step of providing a programming channel allocation scheme for determining the stream of interactive display messages to be transmitted at each BTS.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the interactive display messages are sent by a cellular broadcasting service consisting of a substantially continuous stream of PTMP display messages for streaming display on a plurality of personal cellular telecommunications devices.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the interactive display messages are sent by a cellular broadcasting service consisting of a substantially continuous stream of PTP display messages for streaming display on a particular personal cellular telecommunications device.

19. The cellular telecommunications network as claimed in claim 12 wherein the cellular telecommunications network is a GSM network and the display messages are of the SMS Class 2 type.

20. A computer program encoded into a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a cellular telecommunications network so that the cellular telecommunications network when executing the program carries out a method in accordance with claim 12.

21. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a cellular telecommunications network tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the cellular telecommunications network for carrying out a method in accordance with claim 12.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein T_DISCARD is a discard time associated with the interactive display message.

26. The method of operating a cellular telecommunications network of claim 12, further comprising displaying said plurality of transmission response mechanisms on said display screen based upon activation of a request for more information by a user of the device.

27. The method of operating a cellular telecommunications network of claim 26, wherein said request for more information by a user of the device is activated by an activation means selected from the group consisting of:

pushbutton activation, voice activation, or touchpad activation.