Method of wireless retrieval of information

• US 6,493,430 B2
• Filed: 12/24/1996
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1996
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Adrian, Leuca, Ileana A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/777,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20020110230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/210, 379/219, 379/229, 379/242, 379/170, 379/185, 379/217, 379/93.01, 379/93.08, 379/91.01, 379/93.24, 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.15, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.03, 379/201.04, 379/201.12, 379/207.02, 379/207.03, 379/207.11, 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/38.1, 455/54.1, 455/426, 455/433, 455/466, 340/825.27, 340/825.47, 340/825.44, 340/825.54
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mobile station subscriber can access data from an informational database and have it forwarded to a desired destination. A database associated with the informational database maintains subscriber profiles. When the informational database receives a data request, it uses a mobile station identifier to acquire subscriber profile information. Using that profile information, the requested data is forwarded to a destination designated in the profile in a SMS format.

Claims

1. A method of providing data from an informational database, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call from a mobile station on a wireless network;

receiving an indentifier of the mobile station;

using said identifier to access a subscriber profile;

presenting data type options to a user of the mobile station;

receiving a request for data of a selected data type option during said call; and

transmitting, to a destination determined by said subscriber profile, SMS formatted data corresponding to said requested data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting includes the substeps of:

appending an identification number from said subscriber profile to the requested data;

transmitting the requested data and identification number to a message center within said group of destinations; and

forwarding SMS formatted data from the message center to said destination.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said destination group includes said mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber identifier corresponds to said mobile station identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data destination information includes a mobile identification number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data destination information includes a telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data destination information includes a communications network address.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data destination information includes an electronic mail address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said data type options are selected from a group of news, sports, weather and traffic.

10. A method for providing data from an informational database, comprising the steps of:

presenting data type options to a mobile station;

receiving a request for data of a selected data type option, said request originating from the mobile station;

receiving an identifier of the mobile station;

selecting a destination for data transfer based on the received identifier;

transmitting SMS formatted data corresponding to the requested data to the selected destination.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said selected destination is the mobile station.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said selected destination group includes another mobile station.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of receiving a request comprises the substeps of:

receiving a call from the mobile station;

presenting data selection options to the mobile station; and

receiving a selection in response to the presentation of said options.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said data type options are selected from a group of news, sports, weather and traffic.

15. A method of providing data in response to a request from a mobile station comprising the steps of:

in a first communication, receiving a mobile station identifier;

accessing a subscriber profile using said mobile station identifier;

presenting data type options to the mobile station identified by the mobile station identifier;

generating a message containing requested data of a selected data type option; and

transmitting, in a second communication, said message to a destination determined by said subscriber profile.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said message comprises Short Messaging Service formatted data.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said destination group includes another mobile station.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of transmitting includes the substeps of:

transmitting the generated message to a message center within said group of destinations; and

forwarding the requested data from the message center to said destination.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein in the substep of forwarding, the requested data is Short Messaging Service formatted.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the data destination information includes a telephone number.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the data destination information includes a communications network address.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the subscriber identifier corresponds to said mobile station identifier.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said data type options are selected from a group of news, sports, weather and traffic.

24. A method of providing information from a database, comprising:

presenting data type options to a user of the mobile station;

receiving a call from a mobile station, the call including a request for data of a selected data type option;

receiving a mobile station identifier;

accessing a subscriber profile having a subscriber identifier and data destination information using the mobile station identifier;

selecting a destination from a group of destinations using the data destination information; and

transmitting the information corresponding to the data requested by the request to the selected destination.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said data type options are selected from a group of news, sports, weather and traffic.