SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING MOBILE DEVICE CAPABILITY TO A WIRELESS NETWORK SUBSCRIBER

• US 20060030368A1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soelberg, Emily Lyons
• Granted Patent: US 7,333,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A method and system for alerting a mobile network subscriber to capabilities of a mobile station associated with a contact of the subscriber. The system receives registration information from the contact mobile station, whereupon an IMEI number of the contact mobile station is stored by the system in an IMEI database. The system constructs a table that is preferably stored in the IMEI database and includes information concerning the contact mobile station, including IMEI number and phone number of the contact mobile station. When a mobile network in the system subsequently receives a phone call to the contact mobile station, the system associates the phone number with the contact mobile station IMEI number stored in the IMEI database. Information including the contact mobile station capabilities stored in the IMEI database is then forwarded to a mobile station of the mobile network subscriber, and preferably displayed as an icon on the subscriber'"'"'s mobile station.

Claims

1. A system for providing to a mobile network subscriber capabilities of mobile stations associated with contacts of the mobile network subscriber, comprising:

a contact book database to store contact information associated with the contacts of the mobile network subscriber;

an IMEI database to store information concerning mobile stations associated with the contacts of the mobile station subscriber, including information contained in the contact book database; and

a program operable on a mobile station device associated with the mobile network subscriber, wherein the program creates an icon displayed on the mobile station device, the icon associated with a capability of a contact mobile station, in response to a message designating the contact mobile station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the IMEI database comprises:

a plurality of mobile station hardware model tables, each hardware model table comprising a hardware model and a set of capabilities associated with the hardware model; and

one or more contact mobile station tables, each contact mobile station table including an IMEI number and phone number associated with the contact mobile station.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more contact mobile station tables further comprise a set of capabilities associated with each contact mobile station, the capabilities corresponding to the mobile station hardware model designated by the IMEI number.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a home location register for receiving and temporarily storing information from registration messages of a mobile station of a contact of the mobile network subscriber, including an IMEI number associated with the mobile station.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a visitor location register that stores information relating to a contact of the mobile network subscriber, wherein the contact has a mobile station associated with a separate mobile network, wherein the visitor location register is configured to store IMEI information related to the contact mobile station and provide the information to the IMEI database.

6. A method for alerting a mobile network subscriber to capabilities of a contact mobile station associated with a contact of the network subscriber, comprising:

receiving a contact mobile station IMEI number;

storing the contact mobile station IMEI number together with a first set of predetermined features of the contact mobile station;

receiving a message designating the contact of the mobile network subscriber;

associating the contact with the contact mobile station IMEI number;

retrieving a second set of predetermined features of the contact mobile station; and

sending an alerting message to a mobile station associated with the mobile network subscriber, the alerting message including the second set of predetermined features.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving a contact mobile station IMEI number occurs in response to receiving a registration message from the contact mobile station.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the IMEI number together with a first set of predetermined features comprises:

in the IMEI database compiling a list of mobile station hardware model tables, each hardware model table comprising a hardware model and a set of capabilities associated with the hardware model; and

in the IMEI database placing the contact mobile station IMEI number together with at least a phone number and hardware model associated with the contact mobile station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the contact mobile station IMEI number together with a first set of predetermined features further comprises:

in the IMEI database, placing the contact mobile station IMEI number together with at least one capability, the at least one capability corresponding to the mobile station hardware model designated by the contact mobile station IMEI number.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein associating the contact with the contact mobile station IMEI number comprises:

checking a contact book database of the network subscriber to ascertain whether a contact phone number is contained therein;

if a contact phone number is contained in the contact book database, checking the IMEI database of the network subscriber to ascertain whether the contact phone number is contained therein; and

if a contact phone number is contained in the IMEI database, retrieving the contact mobile station IMEI number from a table containing the contact mobile station IMEI number and contact phone number.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving the second set of predetermined features comprises retrieving the hardware capabilities associated with the contact mobile station from the IMEI database, based on the contact mobile station IMEI number.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of predetermined features includes video telephony capability.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the video telephony capability is displayed on the second mobile station as an icon together with information associated with the user of the contact mobile station.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the message designating the contact of the network subscriber is a registration message from the contact mobile station.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the message designating the contact of the network subscriber is a query message from a subscriber mobile station.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the message designating the contact of the network subscriber is a call placed to the contact mobile station from a subscriber mobile station.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the message designating the contact of the network subscriber is a call placed to a network subscriber mobile station from the contact mobile station.

18. A method for updating a mobile network subscriber concerning mobile station capabilities associated with a contact of the subscriber, comprising:

receiving information including a new mobile station IMEI number and a mobile station phone number associated with the contact;

checking an IMEI database of the network subscriber to ascertain if the new mobile station IMEI number is contained therein;

updating the IMEI database of the network subscriber containing the phone number of the contact mobile station associated with the new IMEI number, if the new mobile station IMEI number is not already contained within the IMEI database;

receiving a message containing the contact mobile station phone number; and

sending an alerting message to a mobile station associated with the network subscriber, the alerting message including capabilities of a mobile station associated with the new mobile station IMEI number.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether the contact mobile station phone number received in the message is contained in a contact book database;

determining whether the contact mobile station phone number received in the message is contained in the IMEI database; and

retrieving a mobile station IMEI number associated with the contact mobile station phone number, from the IMEI database, if the contact mobile station phone number is contained therein, wherein the IMEI number is the new mobile station IMEI number and is associated with capabilities of the contact mobile station.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the updated mobile station capabilities include video telephony capability.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the video telephony capability is displayed on the mobile station associated with the mobile network subscriber as an icon.