System and method for verifying message delivery integrity in a wireless mobile message broadcasting system

• US 9,224,161 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envisionit LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: Envision IT LLC
• Inventors: Preston, Kevin Russell, Wood, Mark Andrew, Weiser, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROJAS, HAJIME S
• Application Number:
  US13/463,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20120214521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

Abstract

A system and method verifying the operational integrity of a wireless message broadcasting messaging system with a heartbeat message generator module and a heartbeat feedback reporting system for receiving a broadcast message record including the broadcast message and the broadcast target area defined as geographical information, generating a heartbeat broadcast message, identifying by the broadcast message routing subsystem at least one wireless network providing point to multipoint cell broadcasting messaging to at least a portion of the broadcast target area, transmitting the broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks, and transmitting the generated heartbeat message to at least one coupled wireless network in addition to transmitting the heartbeat broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks, and receiving an indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message from a remote feedback receiver verifying the receipt of the message as indicated by the received indication.

Claims

1. A system for verifying the operational integrity of a wireless message broadcasting messaging system configured for delivery by a wireless network of a broadcast message to a plurality of wireless receiving devices located in a broadcast message specific geographically defined broadcast target area served at least in part by the wireless network, the system comprising:

a broadcast control module having a processor, memory, computer executable instructions, a broadcast message interface for receiving a broadcast message record including the broadcast message and the broadcast target area defined as geographical information, the broadcast control module also includes a heartbeat message generator module generating a heartbeat broadcast message, a broadcast message routing subsystem, the broadcast message routing subsystem receiving the broadcast message record, identifying at least one wireless network from among one or more coupled wireless networks that provides point to multipoint cell broadcasting messaging to at least a portion of the message specific broadcast target area as received in the broadcast message record, and an output message interface transmitting the broadcast message over the output interface to each of the identified wireless networks and transmitting the generated heartbeat message to at least one coupled wireless network in addition to transmitting the heartbeat broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks; and

a heartbeat feedback reporting system having a processor, a memory, computer executable instructions and having a feedback receiver interface for receiving an indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message from a remote feedback receiver located within a transmission area of the at least one of the coupled wireless network, the feedback reporting system verifying the receipt of the message as indicated by the received indication.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more wireless feedback receivers, each having a processor, memory, computer executable instructions, a wireless network transceiver interface for receiving the transmitted heartbeat broadcast message from the at least one coupled wireless network, and a feedback system interface configured for transmitting the indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message responsive to the receipt of said heartbeat broadcast message over the wireless network transceiver interface.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each feedback receiver is associated with a different predefined wireless service area and wherein the heartbeat feedback reporting system is configured to identify the particular predefined wireless service area of the received indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback reporting system includes a reporting interface coupled to the broadcast control module, the feedback reporting system transmitting a verification of heartbeat receipt message to the broadcast control module, the broadcast control module receiving the heartbeat receipt message verification from the feedback reporting system and sending a confirmation to one or more message predefined broadcast system users or administrators.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback reporting system includes a reporting interface communicatively coupled to the broadcast control module, the broadcast control module transmitting a copy of the heartbeat broadcast message to the feedback reporting system about the time of transmitting of the generated heartbeat message to the at least one coupled wireless network, the feedback reporting system being configured to verify the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message as a function of comparing the received indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message as received from the remote feedback receiver.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the feedback reporting system is configured to transmit a failure to receive the heartbeat broadcast message when the feedback reporting system receives the copy of the heartbeat broadcast message from the broadcast control module, but fails to receive the indication of the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message from the remote feedback receiver.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the heartbeat message generator module of the broadcast control module is configured to generate the heartbeat broadcast message as a short text message.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the heartbeat message generator module of the broadcast control module is configured to include a heartbeat time stamp in the short text message indicating the time of generation or transmission of the heartbeat broadcast message by the broadcast control module and wherein the feedback reporting system is configured to receive the indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message that includes a time of receipt time stamp as determined by the remote feedback receiver and to receive the indication of the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message that includes the heartbeat timestamp.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the heartbeat message generator module is configured to generate a plurality of heartbeat broadcast messages, each heartbeat broadcast message being generated at a predefined time interval.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the heartbeat message generator module of the broadcast control module is configured to include an identification of heartbeat time stamp in a short text message indicating the time of generation of the heartbeat broadcast message.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast message record includes a broadcast channel code associated with the broadcast message record, and wherein the heartbeat broadcast message includes a heartbeat channel code that is different than the broadcast channel code of the broadcast message.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the broadcast channel code of the broadcast message record is associated with a predetermined type of broadcast message and wherein the heartbeat channel code is a predetermined broadcast channel code for the heartbeat message.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the broadcast control module is configured to identify a cell broadcast channel associated with a type of the broadcast message type of the broadcast message record, and include a cell broadcast channel number of the identified cell broadcast channel in the broadcast message record.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the output message interface is configured to transmit the broadcast channel code with the broadcast message.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the heartbeat message generator module generates a heartbeat broadcast message including a geographically defined broadcast heartbeat message target area that is different than the geographically defined target area of the broadcast message, and the output message interface transmits the broadcast message over the output interface to each of the identified wireless networks and transmitting the generated heartbeat message to at least one coupled wireless network in addition to transmitting the heartbeat broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks.

16. A method of verifying the operational integrity of a wireless message broadcasting messaging system configured for delivery by a wireless network of a broadcast message to a plurality of wireless receiving devices located in a broadcast message specific geographically defined broadcast target area served at least in part by the wireless network, the method comprising:

a) in a broadcast control module having a processor, memory, computer executable instructions, a broadcast message interface, a heartbeat message generator module, a broadcast message routing subsystem, and an output message interface;

receiving a broadcast message record including the broadcast message and the broadcast target area defined as geographical information;

generating a heartbeat broadcast message by the heartbeat message generator module;

identifying by the broadcast message routing subsystem at least one wireless network from among one or more coupled wireless networks that provides point to multipoint cell broadcasting messaging to at least a portion of the message specific broadcast target area as received in the broadcast message record;

transmitting the broadcast message over the output interface to each of the identified wireless networks; and

transmitting the generated heartbeat message to at least one coupled wireless network in addition to transmitting the heartbeat broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks; and

b) in a heartbeat feedback reporting system having a processor, a memory, computer executable instructions and a feedback receiver interface;

receiving an indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message from a remote feedback receiver located within a transmission area of the at least one of the coupled wireless networks; and

verifying the receipt of the message as indicated by the received indication.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the system includes one or more wireless feedback receivers, each having a processor, memory, computer executable instructions, a wireless network transceiver interface and a feedback system interface, the method further comprising:

receiving at one of the wireless feedback receivers the transmitted heartbeat broadcast message from the at least one coupled wireless network; and

transmitting the indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message responsive to the receipt of said heartbeat broadcast message over the wireless network transceiver interface.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein each feedback receiver is associated with a different predefined wireless service area and wherein in the heartbeat feedback reporting system, the method includes identifying the particular predefined wireless service area of the received indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the feedback reporting system includes a reporting interface coupled to the broadcast control module, the method including

transmitting a verification of heartbeat receipt message from the feedback reporting system to the broadcast control module;

receiving at the broadcast control module the heartbeat receipt message verification from the feedback reporting system; and

sending a confirmation to one or more message predefined broadcast system users or administrators, by at least one of the feedback reporting system and the broadcast control module.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the feedback reporting system includes a reporting interface communicatively coupled to the broadcast control module, the method including transmitting a copy of the heartbeat broadcast message from the broadcast control module to the feedback reporting system about the time of transmitting of the generated heartbeat message to the at least one coupled wireless network, and in the feedback reporting system the method of verifying the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message including the process of comparing the received indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message as received from the remote feedback receiver.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the method includes transmitting from the feedback reporting system a failure to receive the heartbeat broadcast message when the feedback reporting system receives the copy of the heartbeat broadcast message from the broadcast control module, but fails to receive the indication of the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message from the remote feedback receiver.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising

generating the heartbeat broadcast message as a short text message;

and

including a heartbeat time stamp in the short text message indicating the time of generation or transmission of the heartbeat broadcast message by the broadcast control module.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein in the feedback reporting system the method includes:

receiving the indication of receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message that includes a time of receipt time stamp as determined by the remote feedback receiver and

receiving the indication of the receipt of the heartbeat broadcast message that includes the heartbeat timestamp.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the method includes:

generating a plurality of heartbeat broadcast messages by the heartbeat message generator each of which is generated at a predefined time interval.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the method includes including an identification of heartbeat time stamp in a short text message indicating the time of generation of the heartbeat broadcast message.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein the method includes including a broadcast channel code associated with the broadcast message in the broadcast message record, and wherein the heartbeat broadcast message includes a heartbeat channel code that is different than the broadcast channel code of the broadcast message, and wherein the broadcast channel code of the broadcast message record is associated with a predetermined type of broadcast message and wherein the heartbeat channel code is a predetermined broadcast channel code for the heartbeat message.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the method of the broadcast control module includes identifying a cell broadcast channel associated with a type of the broadcast message type of the broadcast message record, and including a cell broadcast channel number of the identified cell broadcast channel in the broadcast message record.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the heartbeat message generator module performs the method of generating a heartbeat broadcast message including a geographically defined broadcast heartbeat message target area that is different than the geographically defined target area of the broadcast message, and the output message interface performs the method of transmitting the broadcast message over the output interface to each of the identified wireless networks and transmitting the generated heartbeat message to at least one coupled wireless network in addition to transmitting the heartbeat broadcast message to each of the identified wireless networks.