Method for operating a cellular telecommunications network, and method for operating a personal cellular telecommunications device

• US 8,391,900 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Celltick Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Celltick Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Daniel, Ronen, Baron, Uri, Wellingstein, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, ALEXANDER J.
• Application Number:
  US12/982,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/403, 455/414.2, 455/566, 370/473, 340/7.52, 709/218
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

For use in a cellular telecommunications network including a plurality of individually addressable Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) providing bidirectional signal coverage over a predefined geographical area, capable of transmitting Point-To-MultiPoint (PTMP) messages over a Point-To-MultiPoint Service (PTMPS) functionality, and capable of transmitting Point-To-Point (PTP) messages, streaming of a substantially continuous stream of mostly different content, at least some interactive display messages on at least one personal cellular telecommunications device prior to their automatic discarding irrespective of their having been displayed or not.

Claims

1. A method for operating a personal cellular telecommunications device for use in a cellular telecommunications network, said network capable of transmitting mostly different content display messages, including interactive display messages enabling a user to activate a transmission response mechanism to respond to the interactive display message, the personal cellular telecommunications device having a dynamic storage buffer, a user interface for activating a transmission response mechanism, and a display screen operable to display visible idle screen information relating to the cellular telecommunications network and an operational state of the device, and a plurality of non-idle activity-specific screens associated with operation of the device, the method comprising:

temporarily storing the display messages in the dynamic storage buffer for display on the display screen before automatically and silently discarding display messages from the dynamic storage buffer in accordance with an automatic display message discard scheme, said discarding irrespective of the display messages having been displayed on the display screen or not; and

(a) simultaneously displaying the visible idle screen information on a first portion of the display screen and automatically displaying a stream of display messages from the dynamic storage buffer on a second portion of the display screen wherein the first and the second portions do not overlap;

(b) upon the user invoking the displayed interactive display message, interrupting the displaying of the stream of the display messages on the display screen and displaying at least the same contents of the invoked interactive display message that were displayed prior to said user invocation on an enlarged area of the display screen, said enlarged area of the display screen covering substantially the entire display screen; and

(c) interrupting the displaying of the stream of display messages on the display screen upon non-idle activity by the user or the cellular telecommunications network, and displaying a non-idle activity-specific screen on at least said second portion of the display screen.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards undisplayed display messages from the dynamic storage buffer on a First In First Out basis.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards a display message immediately prior to its display if it is incomplete.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards a complete out-of-date display message prior to its display if it satisfies the condition that T_CLOCK−

T_RECEIVE>

T_DISCARD where T_CLOCK is the clock time of the personal cellular telecommunications device, T_RECEIVE is the time of receipt of the display message at the personal cellular telecommunications device, and T_DISCARD is a predetermined time interval.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display message discard scheme automatically discards displayed messages from the dynamic storage buffer.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a point-to-point display message ready for display is displayed on the display screen in preference to a point-to-multipoint display message ready for display.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the entire handling of a display message from its receipt through to its being automatically discarded is a completely silent process irrespective of whether the display message was displayed on the display screen or not.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enlarged area of the display screen comprises the entire display screen.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the stream of display messages is sent by a cellular broadcasting service as a substantially continuous stream of point-to-multipoint display messages for streaming display on a plurality of personal cellular telecommunications devices.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the stream of display messages is sent by a cellular broadcasting service as a substantially continuous stream of point-to-point display messages for streaming display on a particular personal cellular telecommunications device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 and further including using a program storage device readable by a personal cellular telecommunications device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the personal cellular telecommunications device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said program storage device is a smart card operable with a personal cellular telecommunications device.

13. A computer program encoded into a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a cellular telecommunications device so that the cellular telecommunications device when executing the program carries out a method in accordance with claim 1.

14. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a cellular telecommunications device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the cellular telecommunications device for carrying out a method in accordance with claim 1.

15. A method of operating a cellular telecommunications network, said network capable of transmitting mostly different content display messages, including interactive display messages enabling a user to activate a transmission response mechanism to respond to the interactive display message, the personal cellular telecommunications device having a dynamic storage buffer, a user interface for activating a transmission response mechanism, and a display screen operable to display visible idle screen information relating to the cellular telecommunications network and an operational state of the device, and a plurality of non-idle activity-specific screens associated with operation of the device, the method comprising:

providing the stream of interactive display messages that are to be temporarily stored in the dynamic storage buffer of the personal cellular telecommunications devices for display on the display screen thereof before automatically and silently discarding display messages from the dynamic storage buffer in accordance with an automatic display message discard scheme, said discard scheme discarding irrespective of the display messages having been displayed on the display screen or not, wherein the personal cellular telecommunications devices are to;

(a) simultaneously display the visible idle screen information on a first portion of the display screen and automatically displaying the stream of display messages from the dynamic storage buffer on a second portion of the display screen wherein the first and the second portions do not overlap;

(b) upon the user invoking the displayed interactive display message, interrupt the displaying of the stream of the display messages on the display screen and displaying at least the same contents of the invoked interactive display message that were displayed prior to said user invocation on an enlarged area of the display screen, said enlarged area of the display screen covering substantially the entire display screen; and

(c) interrupt the displaying of the stream of the display messages on the display screen upon non-idle activity by the user or the cellular telecommunications network, and display a non-idle activity-specific screen on at least said second portion of the display screen.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display messages are associated with a predetermined time interval T_DISCARD, and wherein the discard scheme of the cellular telecommunications device is to automatically discard a complete out-of-date display message prior to its display if it satisfies the condition that T_CLOCK−

T_RECEIVE>

T_DISCARD where T_CLOCK is the clock time of the personal cellular telecommunications device, and T_RECEIVE is the time of receipt of the display message at the personal cellular telecommunications device.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein providing a stream of interactive display messages comprises providing a stream of interactive display messages as a substantially continuous stream of point-to-multipoint display messages for streaming display on a plurality of personal cellular telecommunications devices.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein providing a stream of interactive display messages comprises providing a stream of interactive display messages as a substantially continuous stream of point-to-point display messages for streaming display on a particular personal cellular telecommunications device.

19. A computer program encoded into a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a cellular telecommunications network so that the cellular telecommunications network when executing the program carries out a method in accordance with claim 15.

20. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a cellular telecommunications network tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the cellular telecommunications network for carrying out a method in accordance with claim 15.