Communications method and system to convert messages into television signals

• US 7,010,312 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2000
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Zechlin, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US10/018,844
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/412.1, 455/414, 455/517, 455/31.3, 455/450, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/469, 370/496, 348/461, 348/468, 348 142- 144, 379 88-110, 725/62
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0882 for the transmission of character code signals, e.g. for teletext circuits for the digital non-picture data signal H04N7/035
• 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 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

Short messages are sent by mobile terminals of a mobile radiotelephone system to a TV transmitter unit identified by a corresponding telephone number. The short messages are converted into TV transmission signals in said unit and fed to the television network so that the short messages can be shown on TV sets connected to the television network.

Claims

1. A communications method, comprising:

inputting short message information on a mobile terminal;

transmitting short message information from the mobile terminal via a mobile radiotelephone channel to a corresponding base station;

starting from the base station, optionally either further processing the short message information by transmitting the short message information from the base station to a TV transmitter unit;

converting the short message information into corresponding TV transmission signals;

transmitting the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information to a TV set; and

visualizing the TV transmission signals to present the short message information on the TV set;

or

transmitting the short message directly to a further mobile terminal for output.

2. The communications method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during inputting, a telephone number is entered together with the short message information, and during the transmitting from the base station, the short message information is transmitted to the TV transmitter unit corresponding to the telephone number.

3. The communications method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during transmitting the TV transmission signals, the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information are transmitted via a transmission channel reserved for the transmission of short message information to the TV set.

4. The communications method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information are transmitted via a transmission channel reserved for a TV program to the TV set.

5. The communications method as claimed in claim 4, wherein during presenting, the short message information is presented in videotext of the corresponding TV program.

7. The communications method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during presenting, the short message information is presented on the TV set in the form of a permanent local display.

10. The communications method as claimed claim 1, wherein the short message information during presenting is presented on the TV set together with a telephone number which is allocated to the mobile terminal and is used during inputting and transmitting from the mobile terminal to enter and send the short message information.

11. The communications method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the short message information during inputting is entered via a keypad of the mobile terminal.

6. A communications method, comprising:

inputting short message information on a mobile terminal;

transmitting short message information from the mobile terminal via a mobile radiotelephone channel to a corresponding base station;

starting from the base station, optionally either further processing the short message information by transmitting the short message information from the base station to a TV transmitter unit;

converting the short message information into corresponding TV transmission signals;

transmitting the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information to a TV set; and

visualizing the TV transmission signals to present the short message information on the TV set;

or

transmitting the short message directly to a further mobile terminal for output, wherein during presenting, the short message information is inserted into the TV program.

8. A communications method, comprising:

inputting short message information on a mobile terminal;

transmitting short message information from the mobile terminal via a mobile radiotelephone channel to a corresponding base station;

starting from the base station, optionally either further processing the short message information by transmitting the short message information from the base station to a TV transmitter unit;

converting the short message information into corresponding TV transmission signals;

transmitting the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information to a TV set; and

visualizing the TV transmission signals to present the short message information on the TV set;

or

transmitting the short message directly to a further mobile terminal for output, wherein during presenting, the short message information is presented on the TV set in the form of a scrolling display.

9. A communications method, comprising:

inputting short message information on a mobile terminal;

transmitting short message information from the mobile terminal via a mobile radiotelephone channel to a corresponding base station;

starting from the base station, optionally either further processing the short message information by transmitting the short message information from the base station to a TV transmitter unit;

converting the short message information into corresponding TV transmission signals;

transmitting the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information to a TV set; and

visualizing the TV transmission signals to present the short message information on the TV set;

or transmitting the short message directly to a further mobile terminal for output, wherein during presenting, short message information from different mobile terminals is presented simultaneously on the TV set.

12. A communications system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals which communicate with one another via a mobile radiotelephone channel, whereby the mobile terminals are configured to transmit short message information;

at least one TV transmitter unit having a reception unit to receive the short message information transferred by one of the mobile terminals;

a conversion unit to convert the received short message information into TV transmission signals; and

a transmission unit to transmit the TV transmission signals corresponding to the received short message information via a TV transmission channel, wherein the mobile terminals communicate with one another via at least one base station, the base station configured such that it optionally either forwards short message information received from one of the mobile terminals to the TV transmitter unit identified by a corresponding telephone number, or transmits the short message information directly to another mobile terminal for output.

13. The communications system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transmission unit of the TV transmitter unit is configured to transmit the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information via the TV transmission channel reserved for the transmission of short message information.

14. The communications system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transmission unit of the TV transmitter unit are configured to transmit the TV transmission signals corresponding to the short message information via the TV transmission channel reserved for the transmission of short message information.

15. The communications system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the transmission unit of the TV transmitter unit is configured to transmit the short message information via a TV transmission channel embedded in videotext information of the corresponding TV program.

16. The communications system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the short message information is transmitted via the TV transmission channel to a plurality of TV sets, the TV sets presenting the short message information in the form of a permanent local display.

17. The communications system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the short message information is transmitted via the TV transmission channel to a plurality of TV sets, the TV sets presenting the short message information in the form of a scrolling display.