Method for suppressing use of a mobile phone and protecting against interference field in an area in a wireless communication network

• US 8,509,818 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Schork, Karl, Willimowski, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US12/864,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20110045815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 4554561-458, 455410-411, 455417-421, 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for suppressing use of a mobile phone network (10) in an area (15), wherein at least part of the area (15) is covered by a first position area (30), a testing unit (16) suppresses a connection (62, 62′, 62′) to the mobile phone network (10) for a terminal device (20,20′,20′) within the first position area (30) depending on at least one rule, a second position area (40) borders the first position area (30) at least in some areas, a position is determined for a terminal device (20, 20′, 20′) within the second position area (40), the testing unit (16) suppresses a connection (62,62′,62) of the terminal device (20,20′,20′) at a position within the area (15) and the testing unit (16) enables a connection (62, 62′, 62) of the terminal device (20,20′, 20) at a position outside the area (15), a third position area (50) that borders the second position area (40) at least in some areas, and the testing unit (16) enables a connection (62, 62′, 62′) of a terminal device (20,20′,20′) within the third position area (50).

Claims

1. Method for suppressing use of a mobile communications network in an area, the method comprising:

at least a part of the area being covered by a first position area,

a checking unit suppresses a connection to the mobile communications network for a terminal device inside the first position area as a function of at least one rule,

a second position area borders the first position area at least in some regions,

a position is determined for a terminal device inside the second position area,

the checking unit suppresses a connection of the terminal device at a position inside the area and

the checking unit enables a connection of the terminal device at a position outside the area,

a third position area borders the second position area at least in some regions, and

the checking unit enables a connection of the terminal device inside the third position area, wherein

the first position area is spanned by at least a first base station, the second position area is spanned by at least a second base station, and the third position area is spanned by at least a third base station, and

the position is determined for the terminal device only when the terminal device is inside the second position area.

2. Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second and/or the third base station is one of the following:

a BTS (Base Transceiver Station) or a Node B.

3. Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the checking unit is integrated in a core network of the mobile communications network, and such that the checking unit is integrated in a BSC (Base Station Controller) or RNC (Radio Network Controller) of the mobile communications network, and at least the first and/or the second and/or the third base station are connected to the BSC and/or the RNC such that the first and the second and the third base station are connected to the BSC or the RNC.

4. Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein prior to the set up of the connection, the terminal device intercepts a signaling channel that the first and/or the second and/or the third base station send over the signaling channel.

5. Method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first and/or the second and/or the third base station send network-specific parameters over the signaling channel and the signaling channel is a broadcast control channel (BCCH).

6. Method, as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, in accordance with the rule, an identification code of the terminal device is compared with a list, and the connection to the mobile communications network is enabled with an identification code that is filed in a list.

7. Method, as claimed in claim 6,

wherein the identification code exhibits an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) and/or an MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber Integrated Service Digital Network Number).

8. Method, as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the position of the terminal device is found according to one of the following methods:

determination of the cell ID, location area code (LOC), timing advance, U-TDOA (Uplink Time Difference of Arrival), network supported GPS, OTDOA (Observed Time Difference of Arrival), OTDOA-IPDL (Observed Time Difference of Arrival-Idle Period Downlink) or OTDOA software blanking.

9. Method, as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the position of the terminal device is determined by measuring at least one network variable, and the network variable is a field strength and/or a runtime.

10. Method, as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the terminal device measures the network variable, the terminal device transmits the network variable to the mobile communications network, and the mobile communications network uses the network variable to find the position of the terminal device, and, the position of the terminal device is determined in the checking unit.

11. Method, as claimed in claim 9,

wherein at least one of the network variables for a plurality of base stations is measured inside the second position area at a plurality of locations.

12. Method, as claimed in claim 11,

wherein the terminal device for a plurality of base stations measures at least one network variable, and the terminal device transmits the network variables to the mobile communications network and/or the checking unit, and the network variables are compared with the measured network variables in order to find the location.

13. Method, as claimed in claim 9, wherien the measurement of the network variable is carried out by means of the terminal device after the passage of a period of time, and wherein the network variable is transmitted to the mobile communications network in the framework of a report.

14. Method, as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the measurement of the network variable is initiated by the checking unit, and the measurement of the network variable is initiated by a command of the checking unit to the terminal device, and wherein the command is a part of a SIM toolkit (SIM Application Toolkit).

15. Method, as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the method is integrated into a CAMEL structure (Customized Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic).

16. Method, as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the mobile communications network is operated according to at least one of the following standards:

4G, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and/or GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

18. Checking unit for suppressing use of a mobile communications network in an area, the checking unit comprising:

a communications means and an evaluation means,

a connection to a terminal device configured to be set up by means of the communications means,

the evaluation means configured to determine the location of the terminal device in a first, second or third position area in such a manner that

the checking unit suppresses, as a function of at least one rule, a connection to the mobile communications network for a terminal device inside the first position area, where at least a part of the area is covered by the first position area,

a position configured to be determined for a terminal device inside the second position area,

the checking unit configured to suppress a connection of the terminal device at a position inside the area, and the checking unit configured to carry out a connection of the terminal device at a position outside the area, where the second position area borders the first position area at least in some regions,

the checking unit configured to carry out a connection of a terminal device inside the third position area, where the third position area borders the second position area at least in some regions, wherein

the first position area is spanned by at least a first base station, the second position area is spanned by at least a second base station, and the third position area is spanned by at least a third base station, and

the position is determined for the terminal device only when the terminal device is inside the second position area, and

said checking unit is operable according to the method as claimed in claim 1.

17. Checking unit for suppressing use of a mobile communications network in an area, the checking unit comprising:

a communications means and an evaluation means,

a connection to a terminal device configured to be set up by means of the communications means,

the evaluation means configured to determine the location of the terminal device in a first, second or third position area in such a manner that

the checking unit suppresses, as a function of at least one rule, a connection to the mobile communications network for a terminal device inside the first position area, where at least a part of the area is covered by the first position area,

a position configured to be determined for a terminal device inside the second position area,

the checking unit configured to suppress a connection of the terminal device at a position inside the area, and the checking unit configured to carry out a connection of the terminal device at a position outside the area, where the second position area borders the first position area at least in some regions,

the checking unit configured to carry out a connection of a terminal device inside the third position area, where the third position area borders the second position area at least in some regions, wherein

the first position area is spanned by at least a first base station, the second position area is spanned by at least a second base station, and the third position area is spanned by at least a third base station, and

the position is determined for the terminal device only when the terminal device is inside the second position area.