Method and apparatus for providing broadcast messages in a communications network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for transmitting a broadcast message, the apparatus comprising:
- a broadcast message buffer for buffering data defining a message to be broadcast over one or more of a plurality of slotted paging channels; and
a transmitter for broadcasting a slotted paging signal indicative of a slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels in which the message will be broadcast, and for broadcasting modulated message data in the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels indicated by the slotted paging signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a novel and improved method for providing broadcast short message services (SMS) in a communication network. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that insures the successful transmission of the broadcast message while minimizing the impact of providing the short messaging service on overall system capacity. It is further the objective of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for receiving broadcast messages without depriving the receiver of the benefits of slotted paging, that being the savings in power consumption.
19 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for transmitting a broadcast message, the apparatus comprising:
-
a broadcast message buffer for buffering data defining a message to be broadcast over one or more of a plurality of slotted paging channels; and a transmitter for broadcasting a slotted paging signal indicative of a slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels in which the message will be broadcast, and for broadcasting modulated message data in the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels indicated by the slotted paging signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. An apparatus for receiving a broadcast message, the apparatus comprising:
-
a receiver for receiving a signal over one or more of a plurality of slotted paging channels, the signal transmitted in a designated slot position in a designated slotted paging channel, wherein the receiver monitors the designated slotted paging channel at predetermined time intervals in accordance with a predetermined slot cycle; and a page receive controller for providing to the receiver a message timing signal indicative of a slot position in the predetermined slot cycle, wherein the page receive controller is adapted to respond to reception of a slotted paging signal indicative of a slot position in one or more slotted paging channels in which a data signal will be broadcast, to control the receiver to receive the broadcast message in the slot position in a slotted paging channel indicated by the slotted paging signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method for transmitting a broadcast message over a network including a plurality of receivers, comprising:
-
buffering data defining a message to be broadcast over one or more of a plurality of slotted paging channels; and broadcasting a slotted paging signal indicative of the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels in which the message will be broadcast, and broadcasting modulated message data in the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels indicated by the slotted paging signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
-
-
24. An apparatus for transmitting a broadcast message over a network including a plurality of receivers, comprising:
-
means for buffering data defining a message to be broadcast over one or more of a plurality of slotted paging channels; and means for broadcasting a slotted paging signal indicative of the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels in which the message will be broadcast, and means for broadcasting the modulated message data in the slot position and the one or more slotted paging channels indicated by the slotted paging signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
-
-
27. A method for broadcast messaging, comprising:
transmitting a new page indicator in each of a plurality of slotted paging channels during all slot positions in a predetermined slot cycle of a slotted paging communication system, the new page indicator being indicative of whether or not a subsequent slotted paging signal identifying a broadcast page is to be broadcast. - View Dependent Claims (28)
-
29. A method for broadcast messaging, comprising:
-
transmitting a first broadcast page on a first paging channel at each time slot within a first slot cycle, the first broadcast page indicating whether or not a second broadcast page is to be transmitted on the second paging channel; transmitting a second broadcast page on a second paging channel at a second time slot within a second slot cycle, the second broadcast page including a broadcast handle which identifies content of a broadcast message; and transmitting the broadcast message on a broadcast message paging channel at a third time slot within either the second slot cycle or a third slot cycle. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
-
Specification