Method for transmitting data using a digital control channel of a wireless network

• US 6,014,089 A
• Filed: 08/26/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First-Class Monitoring, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tracy Corporation II
• Inventors: Tracy, Michael J., Hinze, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Albert K.
• Application Number:
  US08/920,085
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/541, 379/59, 379/58, 379/63, 379/106.01, 379/106.03, 379/56.3, 370/328, 370/349, 370/474, 370/522, 370/524, 455/466, 702/61, 702/62, 348/6
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/00 Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An apparatus and method for transmitting data to and from a data collection device using the short message service functionality of the control channel of a personal communications system transmission protocol is disclosed. The method includes first transmitting a request for data from a remote device to the data collection device using the short message service portion of the digital personal communications system control channel transmission protocol. The requests are received a the data collection device and interpreted. According to the interpretation, the data collection device compiles the data that was requested by the remote device. The compiled data is transmitted to the remote device using the short message service portion of the digital personal communications system control channel transmission protocol.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a data sequence via a personal communications system transmission protocol comprising the steps of:

composing at least one data packet including a request for data said at least one data packet including said request for data being in a form which conforms to conventional short message data packets;

transmitting said at least one data packet including said request for data from an access point to a data collection unit via a short message service portion of a control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages, wherein said step of transmitting said at least one data packet including said request for data includes the step of inserting said at least one data packet including said request for data into the control channel;

receiving said at least one data packet including said request for data at said data collection unit;

interpreting said request or data from said access point by said data collection unit;

compiling data from said data collection unit, said compiled data being requested in said request for data;

composing at least one data packet including, said compiled data, said at least one data packet including compiled data being in a form which conforms conventional short message data packets;

transmitting said at least one data packet including said compiled data from said data collection unit to said access point via said short message service portion of the control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages, wherein said step of transmitting said at least one data packet including said compiled data includes the step of inserting said at least one data packet including said compiled data into the control channel; and

receiving said at least one data packet including said compiled data at said access point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said steps of transmitting at least one data packet including said request for data and transmitting at least one data packet including said compiled data use the personal communications system transmission protocol of a network selected from the group consisting of a global system for mobility (GSM) technology network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) technology network, frequency division multiple access technology network (FDMA), personal access communications system technology network (PACS) or a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology network.

3. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said steps of transmitting at least one data packet including said request for data and transmitting at least one data packet including said compiled data use a stand-alone dedicated control channel (SDCCH) packet of said control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol.

4. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said steps of transmitting at least one data packet including said request for data and transmitting at least one data packet including said compiled data use a slow associated control channel (SACCH) packet of said control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol.

5. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sensing analog data at a first location;

converting the sensed analog data to digital data; and

processing the digital data.

6. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

collecting data at said data collection unit;

electronically stamping said collected data with a date and time that said data was collected by said collecting step; and

storing said processed and electronically stamped data.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein, a plurality of data packets including said compiled data are received by the access point in response to said at least one data packet including said request for data made by the access point.

7. A method for transmitting a data sequence via a personal communications system transmission protocol comprising the steps of:

automatically collecting data at a data collection unit;

composing at least one data packet including said collected data, said at least one data packet including said collected data being in a form which conforms to conventional short message data packets;

inserting said at least one data packet including said collected data in a short message service portion of a control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages; and

transmitting said at least one data packet including said collected data to an access point via said short message service portion of the control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages.

8. The method, according to claim 7, further including the steps of:

stamping said collected data with a date and time that said data was collected by said collecting step.

9. The method, according to claim 7, wherein the step of transmitting uses the personal communications system transmission protocol of a network selected from the group consisting of a global system for mobility (GSM) technology network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) technology network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology network, frequency division multiple access technology network (FDMA) or personal access communications system technology network (PACS).

10. The method, according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

receiving said at least one data packet including said collected data at said access point; and

interpreting said collected data at said access point.

17. The method of claim 7 wherein the automatically collected data relates to a security breach.

18. The method of claim 7 wherein the automatically collected data relates to utility meter information.

19. The method of claim 7 wherein the data is automatically collected at some predetermined time.

20. The method of claim 7 wherein the data is automatically collected upon the occurrence of a particular event.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the event is a security breach.

22. The apparat s of claim 7 wherein, a plurality of data packets including collected data are sent to the access point in response to one or more requests for data made by the access point, wherein said one or more requests for data are in a form which conforms to a conventional short message data packet.

11. An apparatus for collecting and digitally transmitting a data sequence via a personal communications system transmission protocol, said apparatus comprising:

means for automatically electronically collecting data at a first location;

means for composing at least one data packet including said electronically collected data, said data packet including said electronically collected data being in a form which conforms to a conventional short message data packet;

means for inserting said at least one data packet in a short message service portion of a control channel of the personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages; and

means for transmitting said at least one data packet to an access point via said short message service portion of the control channel of said personal communications system transmission protocol as one or more short messages.

12. The apparatus, according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for time and date stamping said collected data within a time and date that the data was collected.

13. The apparatus, according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for storing said collected data for subsequent transmission to an access point.

14. The apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein said means for transmitting uses the personal communications system transmission protocol of a network selected from the group consisting of a global system for mobility (GSM) technology network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) technology network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology network, frequency division multiple access technology network (FDMA) or personal access communications system technology network (PACS).

15. The apparatus, according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving a data packet including a command from said access point, wherein said data packet including said command is in a form which conforms to a conventional short message service data packet and wherein said data packet including said command is transmitted via said short message service portion of the control channel of said personal communications system transmission protocol; and

means for interpreting said command from said access point.

23. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the automatically collected data relates to a security breach.

24. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the automatically collected data relates to utility meter information.

25. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the data is automatically collected at some predetermined time.

26. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the data is automatically collected upon the occurrence of a particular event.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the event is a security breach.