Automatic dispatch of mobile services

• US 6,615,046 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ur, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US09/474,987
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/521, 455/445, 455/518-520, 455/456-457, 455/422, 455/426, 455/458, 455/459, 455/491, 379/219, 379/220.01
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A method for establishing a connection between a client and one of a plurality of mobile providers of a service, including maintaining a database comprising one or more variable parameters of each of the plurality of mobile providers of the service, and receiving a communication from the client requesting the service. The method further includes automatically selecting, responsive to the communication and to the parameters in the database, a suitable provider from among the plurality of mobile providers of the service, and routing the communication automatically so as to establish a direct connection between the selected provider and the client.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection between a client and one of a plurality of mobile providers of a service, comprising:

maintaining in a service central control unit a database comprising one or more variable parameters of each of the plurality of mobile providers of the service;

establishing a one-way connection from the client to the service central control unit;

receiving a communication from the client to the service central control unit via the one-way connection requesting the service;

automatically selecting, responsive to the communication and to the parameters in the database, a suitable provider from among the plurality of mobile providers of the service; and

routing the communication automatically so as to establish a direct connection between the selected provider and the client.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein maintaining the database comprises maintaining a location of each of the plurality of mobile providers, and wherein receiving the communication from the client comprises determining a location of the client responsive to the communication, and wherein selecting the suitable provider comprises evaluating respective distances between the location of the client and the locations of at least some of the plurality of mobile providers.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein maintaining the location of each of the plurality of mobile providers comprises evaluating each location based on transmissions from respective transceivers operated by the plurality of mobile providers.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the transceivers comprise cellular transceivers, and wherein routing the communication comprises routing communications via a cellular network.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the suitable provider comprises prioritizing a plurality of suitable providers, and wherein routing the communication comprises establishing the communication between the client and the suitable provider with a highest priority.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein selecting the suitable provider comprises transferring the communication to one of the suitable providers with a priority less than the highest priority when the provider with the highest priority is unavailable.

7. A method according to claim 1, and comprising appointing one of the providers as a system overseer, wherein routing the communication comprises transferring the communication to the system overseer when automatic selection of the suitable provider is unsuccessful.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein maintaining the database comprises obtaining at least some of the one or more variable parameters by evaluating transmissions of a mobile communications network.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein obtaining the parameters by evaluating the transmissions comprises purchasing information from an operator of the mobile communications network.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein routing the communication comprises routing a call through the mobile communications network in return for a portion of a fee paid by the client to the selected provider.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the mobile communications network comprises a cellular telephone network.

12. Apparatus for establishing a connection between a client and one of a plurality of mobile providers of a service, comprising:

a data storage unit, adapted to maintain a database comprising one or more parameters of each of the plurality of mobile providers of the service; and

a central control unit, adapted to establish a one-way connection from the client and to receive a communication from the client via the one-way connection requesting the service and to determine, responsive to the communication and to the one or more parameters in the database, a suitable provider from among the plurality of mobile providers of the service, and to route the communication automatically so as to establish a direct connection between the suitable provider and the client.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, and comprising a respective plurality of mobile transceivers which are adapted to communicate between the plurality of mobile providers and the central control unit.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of mobile transceivers comprises a control for invoking a transfer function, which routes the communication to another mobile transceiver.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the mobile transceivers comprise cellular transceiver units.

16. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a location of each of the plurality of mobile providers, and wherein the central control unit is adapted to determine a location of the client from the communication and to evaluate respective distances between the location of the client and the locations of at least some of the plurality of mobile providers.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the central control unit is adapted to determine the locations of the client and of the plurality of mobile providers based on data obtained from a cellular communications network.