METHOD FOR RESETTING A NON-RESPONSIVE MOBILE UNIT THEN-CURRENTLY OCCUPYING A CELLULAR TRAFFIC CHANNEL OF A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20110250876A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: DOHERTY, JAMES, Blanck, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method for resetting a non-responsive mobile unit then-currently occupying a cellular traffic channel of a wireless network is disclosed herein. The method involves recognizing, at an external entity, that the mobile unit is in a non-responsive state that is occupying a voice channel of the cellular traffic channel, and establishing a wireless data connection between the mobile unit and an external entity over the cellular traffic channel. A data message is transmitted to the mobile unit from the external entity, where the data message includes at least a command to reset the mobile unit. In response to receiving the data message, the method further involves resetting the mobile unit via a protocol initiated by a processor associated with the mobile unit.

Claims

1. A method for resetting a non-responsive mobile unit then-currently occupying a cellular traffic channel of a wireless network, comprising:

recognizing, at an external entity, that the mobile unit is in a non-responsive state that is occupying a voice channel of the cellular traffic channel;

over the cellular traffic channel, establishing a wireless data connection between the mobile unit and the external entity;

transmitting a data message to the mobile unit from the external entity via the wireless data connection, the data message including at least a command to reset the mobile unit; and

in response to receiving the data message from the third party facility, resetting the mobile unit via a protocol initiated by a processor operatively associated with the mobile unit.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the data message is selected from a short messaging service (SMS) message, a propriety over-the-air message, an application integration framework (AIF) message, or a web service definition language (WSDL) message.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein in response to the receiving of the data message from the external entity, the method further comprises transmitting an other data message to the external entity that the protocol for resetting the mobile unit has been completed.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the protocol for resetting the mobile unit includes:

powering down the mobile unit, thereby releasing network resources being then-currently occupied by the mobile unit;

re-powering the mobile unit after the mobile unit has been powered down; and

then re-registering the mobile unit with the wireless network.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the re-registering of the mobile unit with the wireless network is accomplished via an automatic process controlled by the mobile unit operating on a code division multiple access (CDMA) standard, a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a evolution-data optimized communications (EvDO) system, a long term evolution (LTE) communications system, a system supporting SMS messaging and/or proprietary AIF, and/or combinations thereof.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

generating a record of the resetting of the mobile unit, the record including a count of a number of requests by the external entity to reset the mobile unit; and

storing the record in an electronic memory operatively associated with the mobile unit.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the record includes a GPS timestamp of when the resetting was initiated.

8. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting an other data message to the mobile unit from the external entity via the wireless data connection, the other data message including a command to i) enable the third party facility to review the record, ii) to reset the count of the number of requests included in the record, or iii) combinations thereof; and

via the mobile unit, responding to the other data message.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the mobile unit is a telematics unit operatively disposed in a mobile vehicle, and wherein the external entity is a call center.

10. A system for resetting a non-responsive mobile unit then-currently occupying a cellular traffic channel of a wireless network, comprising:

a mobile unit that is in a non-responsive state that occupies a voice channel of the cellular traffic channel;

an external entity wirelessly connected to the mobile unit over the cellular traffic channel;

a data message configured to be sent from the external entity to the mobile unit over a wireless data connection of the cellular traffic channel, the data message including a reset command; and

a processor operatively associated with the mobile unit, the processor being configured to run computer readable program code for resetting the mobile unit in response to receiving the data message from the external entity.

11. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the data message is selected from a short messaging service (SMS) message, a propriety over-the-air message, an application integration framework (AIF) message, or a web service definition language (WSDL) message.

12. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the computer readable program code for resetting the mobile unit includes:

computer readable program code for powering down the mobile unit, thereby releasing network resources being then-currently occupied by the mobile unit;

computer readable program code for re-powering the mobile unit after the mobile unit has been powered down; and

computer readable program code for re-registering the mobile unit with the wireless network.

13. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the processor includes computer readable code for generating a record of the resetting of the mobile unit, the record including a count of a number of requests by the external entity to reset the mobile unit, and wherein the system further comprises an electronic memory operatively associated with the mobile unit, the electronic memory configured to store the record therein.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 wherein the record includes a GPS timestamp of when the resetting was initiated.

15. The system as defined in claim 10 wherein the mobile unit is a telematics unit operatively disposed in a mobile vehicle, and wherein the external entity is a call center.