System, method and apparatus for polling telecommunications nodes for real-time information

• US 7,043,231 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Hussain, Tahir, Bhatia, Ranjit, Betrabet, Arvind, Kavi, Shashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D.
• Application Number:
  US09/755,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20020090932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 455/912, 455/67.14, 455/456, 455/412, 370/449, 370/356, 370/395.21, 709/227, 725/4
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for facilitating information interexchange between a telecommunications network serving a wireless communications device and an information service provider. A Business-to-Business (B2B) engine polls a telecommunications node associated with the telecommunications network serving the wireless communications device for real-time information. The telecommunications node responds by transmitting the requested real-time information to the B2B engine, which, in turn, provides the received real-time information to the information service provider. The information service provider, in turn, provides a service, tailored according to the real-time information received, to a subscriber associated with the wireless communications device.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating information interexchange within a communications network, said method comprising the steps of:

polling, by a Business-to-business (B2B) engine, a communications node serving a communications device within said communications network;

receiving, by said B2B engine in response to said step of polling, real-time information relating to said communications device; and

providing, by a subscriber service means in communication with said B2B engine in response to said step of receiving, data to said communications device, said data providing a subscriber service to said communications device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said polling step further comprises the steps of:

selectively polling said communications node serving said communications device; and

requesting said communications node to report selected information associated with said communications device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said polling step comprises polling said communications node at periodic intervals.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

updating, within a database associated with said B2B engine, information related to said received real-time information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said updating step comprises the steps of:

validating an event related to said real-time information; and

storing the validated event in said database.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said real-time information indicates the location of said Communications device within said communications network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said real-time information is selected from the group consisting of:

a communications device “

on”

indication, a communications device “

off”

indication, location area information, cell global identity information, and cell routing area information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said communications device is selected from the group consisting of a mobile station, a personal data assistant (PDA) device, and a mobile computing device.

9. A system for facilitating information interexohange within a Communications network, comprising:

means for polling, by a Business-to-business (B2B) engine, a communications node serving a communications device within said communications network;

means for receiving, by said B2B engine in response to said polling, real-time information relating to said communications device; and

means for providing, by a subscriber service means in communication with said B2B engine, data to said communications device, said data providing a subscriber service to said communications device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said means for polling further comprises:

means for selectively polling said communications node serving said communications device; and

means for requesting said communications node to report selected information associated with said communications device.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein said means for polling polls said communications node at periodic intervals.

12. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for updating, within a database associated with said B2B engine, information related to said received real-time information.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said means for updating further comprises:

means for validating an event related to said real-time information; and

means for storing the validated event in said database.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said real-time information indicates the location of said communications device within said communications network.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said real-time information is selected from the group consisting of:

a communications device “

on”

indication, a communications device “

off”

indication, location area information, cell global identity information, and cell routing area information.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said communications device is selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile station, a personal data assistant (PDA) device, and a mobile computing device.