Filtering of broadcast SMS messages

• US 8,849,321 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Qu, Hai, Uchida, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US12/631,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.06, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 455/466, 455/418, 455/419, 455/90.2, 455/414.1, 455/3.02, 340/7.32, 1/1, 705/64
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Techniques for filtering broadcast SMS messages at a mobile station based on network configuration, user configuration, and/or user preferences. In one method, a broadcast message is initially received, and one or more filtering criteria are applied to the received broadcast message. The filtering criteria are defined by settings stored in a removable module (e.g., the R-UIM) coupled to the receiver. The received broadcast message is then processed if it is not filtered out by the one or more filtering criteria. The one or more filtering criteria may include (1) those imposed by a service provider and defined in a network configuration setting, (2) those determined by the mobile user and defined in a user configuration setting, (3) those selected by the mobile user based on user preferences, which allow for filtering of broadcast messages based on service category, language, and priority, or (4) any combination of the above.

Claims

1. A method of filtering broadcast messages at a mobile station in a wireless communication network, comprising:

receiving a short messaging service message originating from a service provider indicative of network configuration settings specifying filtering of reception of broadcast messages to be programmed at the mobile station;

sending a message to the service provider indicating whether the network configuration settings have been successfully programmed at the mobile station;

receiving a broadcast message after the network configuration settings previously transmitted by the service provider have been programmed at the mobile station and if a broadcast service is enabled based on the network configuration settings and a user preference setting;

applying filtering criteria to the received broadcast message, wherein the filtering criteria are defined by the network configuration settings and the user preference setting for controlling the broadcast service on the mobile station; and

allowing reception of the broadcast messages while consulting the filtering criteria imposed by the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria include user-determined filtering criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user-determined filtering criteria are defined by a user configuration setting that indicates all broadcast messages are to be received, no broadcast messages are to be received, or only broadcast messages for entries programmed in a service table are to be received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria include user-selected filtering criteria for user preferences.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user-selected filtering criteria allow for filtering of broadcast messages based on service category, language, priority, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user-selected filtering criteria apply to entries programmed in a service table.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each entry in the service table corresponds to a unique combination of service category and language.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting for a duplicate of the received broadcast message, and wherein the received broadcast message is only processed if a duplicate is not detected.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

consulting the network configuration settings and a user preference setting to enable or disable reception of the broadcast message.

10. A method of filtering broadcast messages at a mobile station in a communication network, comprising:

receiving a short messaging service message originating from a service provider indicative of network configuration settings specifying filtering of reception of broadcast messages to be programmed at the mobile station;

sending a message to the service provider indicating whether the network configuration settings have been successfully programmed at the mobile station;

receiving a broadcast message after the network configuration settings previously transmitted by the service provider have been programmed at the mobile station and if a broadcast service is enabled based on the network configuration settings and a user preference setting;

applying filtering criteria imposed by the service provider to the received broadcast message, the filtering criteria defined by network configuration settings and the user preference setting for controlling the broadcast service on the mobile station; and

allowing reception of the broadcast messages while consulting the filtering criteria imposed by the service provider.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the filtering criteria further include user-determined filtering criteria defined by a user configuration setting and user-selected filtering criteria defined for entries programmed in a service table.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

consulting the network configuration settings and the user preference setting to determine whether the mobile station is enabled to receive broadcast messages.

13. An apparatus in a wireless communication network and operable to filter incoming broadcast messages, comprising:

means for receiving a short messaging service message originating from a service provider indicative of network configuration settings specifying filtering of reception of broadcast messages to be programmed at a mobile station;

means for sending a message to the service provider indicating whether the network configuration settings have been successfully programmed at the mobile station;

means for receiving a broadcast message after the network configuration settings previously transmitted by the service provider have been programmed at the mobile station and if a broadcast service is enabled based on the network configuration settings and a user preference setting;

means for applying filtering criteria to the received broadcast message, wherein the filtering criteria are defined by the network configuration settings and the user preference setting for controlling the broadcast service on the mobile station;

a removable module for storing the network configuration settings indicative of the filtering criteria; and

means for allowing reception of the broadcast messages while consulting the filtering criteria imposed by the service provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the filtering criteria include user-determined filtering criteria defined by a user configuration setting.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the filtering criteria include user-selected filtering criteria that allow for filtering of broadcast messages based on service category, language, priority, or any combination thereof.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the removable module stores the network configuration settings in one or more elementary files.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions encoded thereon for performing a method of filtering broadcast messages at a mobile station in a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a short messaging service message originating from a service provider indicative of network configuration settings specifying filtering of reception of broadcast messages to be programmed at the mobile station;

sending a message to the service provider indicating whether the network configuration settings have been successfully programmed at the mobile station;

receiving a broadcast message after the network configuration settings previously transmitted by the service provider have been programmed at the mobile station and if a broadcast service is enabled based on the network configuration settings and a user preference setting;

applying filtering criteria to the received broadcast message, wherein the filtering criteria are defined by the network configuration settings and the user preference setting for controlling the broadcast service on the mobile station; and

allowing reception of the broadcast messages while consulting the filtering criteria imposed by the service provider.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions encoded thereon for performing a method of filtering broadcast messages at a mobile station in a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a short messaging service message originating from a service provider indicative of network configuration settings specifying filtering of reception of broadcast messages to be programmed at the mobile station;

sending a message to the service provider indicating whether the network configuration settings have been successfully programmed at the mobile station;

receiving a broadcast message after the network configuration settings previously transmitted by the service provider have been programmed at the mobile station and if a broadcast service is enabled based on the network configuration settings and a user preference setting;

applying filtering criteria imposed by the service provider to the received broadcast message, the filtering criteria defined by network configuration settings and the user preference setting for controlling the broadcast service on the mobile station; and

allowing reception of the broadcast messages while consulting the filtering criteria imposed by the service provider.