Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field:
The present invention relates in general to an improved communications system.
In particular, the present invention relates to an improved communications
system in
which communication transfers occur between originators and terminating users.
Still
more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved communications
system
in which user termination areas are provided based on dialed directory numbers
and
calling line identification.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Cordless telephone systems are well-known in the prior art. Cordless telephone
systems generally include a portable cordless handset and a cordless base
station
connected to a telephone company phone system by a landline. The cordless base
station has an assigned landline telephone number that allows cordless
telephone users
to place and receive calls utilizing a cordless portable handset within a
limited range
of the base station, such as within the range of an office or a home. However,
due to
the limited range of such systems, cordless portable handsets provide users
with only
relatively local radio-telephone communication.
Radio-telephone communication outside the range of a cordless telephone system
can be provided to users via cellular telephone systems. Cellular radio, a
type of
wireless communications system, is a radio-telephone communications system
that
began to develop rapidly in the early 1980s. Basically, this system offers a
small-scale,
"cellular" version of the communication linkage provided by large radio-
broadcasting
systems. In such a system, for example, a metropolitan area can be divided
into smaller
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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units, called cells, that can each have a radius of about 13 to 19 km (8 to 12
mi).
Depending on the design of a given cellular telephone system, the radius of a
cell can
range from several hundred feet to approximately 25 miles.
Each cell includes its own small radio transmitter. If necessary, each cell
can be
further subdivided into smaller cells to form a honeycomb pattern of cells. In
this way,
the honeycomb pattern of cells can repeatedly utilize the same range of radio
frequencies without interfering with one another, so long as neighboring cells
do not
utilize precisely the same radio channels. Individuals equipped with small
mobile
telephones can thus utilize this system in the same way that telephone calls
can be
performed via standard carriers.
Computerized switching is essential to the operation of cellular radio, so
that
when mobile-unit calls are switched from one cell to the next, the transfer in
channels
occurs without interruption or at most, a brief delay. The growth of
electronic
switching systems and the development of microprocessors have made this
possible.
For each area to be covered by cellular radio, the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) licenses different types of organizations. For example, one
type can
be a telephone company, while another, a business that agrees to construct the
necessary
radio system. In recent years, the FCC has also awarded newer frequency bands
that
utilize cellular technology.
Cellular telephone systems typically include cellular subscriber units that
can be
mobile or portable, and cellular base stations which are connected to the
public
telephone company via one or more cellular switching networks. Each cellular
subscriber has an assigned cellular telephone number that allows users (i.e.,
cellular
subscribers) to place and receive calls within a widespread range of the
cellular base
stations, such as throughout a metropolitan area.
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Cellular telephone systems are thus based on a structure of associated cells,
which
are specified geographic areas that (a) are defined for a specific mobile
communication
system; and (b) each have their own base station and a single controller
interconnected
with a public telephone network. Cellular telephone systems are particularly
advantageous in providing cellular mobile service, a communications service
that allows
users to access telephone networks from stationary or moving vehicles, and
which is
based on a combination of radio transmission and telephone switching. Cellular
mobile
services typically provide communications links to the user by segmenting a
large
geographic area into many smaller areas (i.e., cells). As a user passes from
cell to cell,
the cellular mobile service allows calls in progress to be handed over without
interruption to adjacent base stations.
Cellular telephone systems are particularly useful in service industries where
it is
important to maintain client contacts, but not at the expense of the service
itself. For
example, a recipient of a cellular telephone call such as a car salesperson
might wish
to receive calls from clients whenever he or she is located on the car lot.
When the
salesperson is not located on the car lot, the salesperson might not want to
receive any
calls from the clients. To accomplish this, however, special restrictions must
be
provided that the terminating user can activate in order to determine whether
or not to
route a call through to his or her mobile phone.
Currently, a terminating user must deactivate the cellular telephone itself
(i.e.,
place the cellular phone in an "off' state) in order to restrict calls from
particular
originating callers (i.e., originators). The disadvantage with this approach
is that the
terminating user may not be contacted by other individuals or services from
which the
terminating user would like to receive a call. For example, the aforementioned
salesperson may want to receive calls from his or her spouse but not the
clients when
the salesperson is located away from the car lot. Temporarily deactivating the
cellular
telephone itself is an inefficient method for determining which calls to route
to the
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recipient and which calls to route elsewhere. Services do exist for
restricting the
termination service area of a mobile all the time. A termination service area
(i.e., can
also be referred to as a user termination area) is a geographic area in which
a call
terminates (i.e., in which the call can potentially be received by the
recipient).
However, such services do not allow users to override the service based on
calling line
identification conditions or the directory number of a particular recipient.
Calling line
identification (CLID) is a network-provided service feature in telephone
communication
systems in which terminating users can be notified by the network of the
number or
address from which the call originated. In other words, the terminating users
can be
informed of the identity of a caller. A directory number (DN) is the number
dialed by
an originator of a telephone call, cellular-based or otherwise. If such
services did exist
to take advantage of CLID and DN, a terminating user would have greater
control over
which types of calls could be routed to his or her mobile communications
device.
Because such services already exist, it would be advantageous to utilize such
services in a unique manner to allow terminating users greater control over
which calls
should or should not be routed to their cellular telephones. Present systems
do not take
advantage of these features to allow terminating users greater control over
routing of
cellular phone calls. From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists
for a method
and system that allows terminating users to restrict phone calls based on
directory
number (DN) or calling line identification (CLID) conditions.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved
communications system.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide an improved
wireless communications telephone system in which communication transactions
occur
between originators and terminating users.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved
wireless
communications network that includes restricted user termination areas based
on calling
line identification (CLID) and/or the dialed directory number (DN).
The above and other objects are achieved as is now described. A method and
system product in a wireless communications network for limiting communication
transactions are disclosed. Initially, a communications transaction from an
originator
to a primary recipient is initiated. An identity of the originator and an
identity of the
primary recipient are determined. A termination of the communications
transaction is
then restricted to a specified area based upon the identify of the originator
or the
identity of the primary recipient. Alternatively, the communications
transaction can be
restricted to a specified area based upon the identity of the primary
recipient alone or
based upon the identity of the originator alone, or in combination with one
another.
If the communications transaction is restricted to a specified area, a class
of equivalent
recipients that are allowable substitutes for the primary recipient are then
identified.
Next, it is determined which recipient among the equivalent recipients and the
primary
recipient is most advantageously suited to receive the communications
transaction. The
communications transaction is then automatically routed to the recipient most
advantageously suited to receive the communications transaction. If no
equivalent
recipients are identified who are advantageously suited to respond to the
CA 02240648 2002-10-02
_ 7
communications transaction, alternative action is then implemented. The
identity of
the originator can include calling line identification information, and the
identity of
the primary recipient can include a directory number of the primary recipient.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method in a cellular wireless communications network for limiting calls,
comprising
the steps o~ initiating a call from an originator to a primary recipient;
obtaining an
identity of said originator; obtaining an identity of said primary recipient;
determining
a location of said primary recipient; and in response to at least one of said
obtained
identity of said originator and said obtained identity of said primary
recipient, denying
completion of said call to said primary recipient when said primary recipient
is
located within a limited geographic area of a predetermined cell of said
cellular
wireless communications network.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
system in a cellular wireless communications network for limiting calls,
comprising:
means for initiating a call from an originator to a primary recipient; means
for
obtaining an identity of said originator; means for obtaining an identity of
said
primary recipient; means for determining a location of said primary recipient;
and
means for denying completion of said call to said primary recipient when said
primary
recipient is located within a limited geographic area of a predetermined cell
of said
cellular wireless communications network, in response to at least one of said
identity
of said originator and said identity of said primary recipient.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of this invention are set forth in
the
appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of
use,
further objects, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference
to the
following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in
conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone system
in
which a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be implemented;
FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone which may
be
implemented in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates a pictorial representation illustrative of a cellular
telephone
system in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be
implemented;
FIG. 4 is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone system in
which
user termination areas are restricted based on the DN in accordance with a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone system in
which
restricted user termination areas can be provided based on CLID in accordance
with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of operations illustrative of a method in a
cellular
telephone network for providing restricted user termination areas based on
CLID and
DN, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of operations illustrative of a method in a
cellular
telephone network for providing restricted user termination areas based
primarily on
CLID, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of operations illustrative of a method in a
cellular
telephone network for providing restricted user termination areas based
primarily on the
dialed DN, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 depicts a pictorial representation illustrative of network entities
involved
in implementing a method and system for providing restricted user termination
areas
based on DN and/or CLID in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention;
FIG. 10 illustrates a profile transfer diagram of mobile station (MS) call
originators in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 11 depicts a messaging sequence diagram illustrative of the flow for
delivering the location of the terminating user in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 illustrates a messaging sequence diagram illustrative of the flow for
delivering the geographic location of the terminating user in accordance with
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 13 depicts a messaging sequence diagram illustrative of the flow for
delivering instructions on how to handle a particular call in accordance with
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to FIG. 1,
there
is depicted a block diagram of a cellular telephone system 10 in which a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. The cellular telephone
system 10 depicted in FIG. 1 includes a telephone company phone system (TELCO)
14, connected by telephone landlines to a control terminal 16 which in turn is
coupled,
also by telephone landlines, to a cellular base station 18 that is
geographically located
in a cell of a mobile cellular telephone system.
Cellular telephone 12 communicates with cellular base station 18 via antennas
22 and 24, which may be implemented as telescopic whip antennas that can be
extended
or retracted (i.e., lengthened or shortened) by being constructed in the form
of
overlapping concentric cylinders that slide inside of each other and make
electrical
contact with each other. It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that such
antennas are, of course, only examples of antennas that can be utilized with a
cellular
telephone system such as cellular telephone system 10. A wide variety of other
antennae
can also be utilized in conjunction with a wireless communication system such
as
cellular telephone system 10. The landlines utilized with cellular telephone
system 10
are lines that are placed in areas on land or inland waterways, and include
twisted-pair
lines, coaxial cables, and fiber optic cables utilized in overhead, direct
buried,
underground, and microwave applications.
Additional cellular base stations may be located throughout a geographic area
to
provide telephone service to cellular telephones 12. Cellular base station 18
incorporates both a receiver antenna 22 and a transmitter antenna 24 for
communicating
with cellular telephones 12. Cellular telephone 12 may be a mobile unit
installed in a
vehicle, a transportable unit which is a mobile unit and battery installed in
a carrying
case, or a hand-held portable unit. Cellular telephone 12 includes an antenna
20 for
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the cellular radio channels. In the United States, the cellular radio channels
are in the
frequency band from 824-894 MHz. More particularly, in the United States, a
total
bandwidth of 50 MHz is allocated to the cellular mobile service, the 50 MHz
distributed
between 824 MHz and 849 MHz, and between 869 MHz and 894 MHz of the frequency
spectrum. Also, recently the FCC has auctioned off bandwidths in the 1.9 GHz
range.
All of these bands can be utilized in accordance with a preferred embodiment
of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cellular telephone 12 which may be implemented
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Cellular
telephone
12 includes antenna 20, cellular telephone transceiver 120, microcomputer 130,
keypad
140, display 180, audio switch 150, and handset 160, including speaker 162 and
microphone 164. Microcomputer 130 is a computer built around a single chip
microprocessor. Less powerful than mini-computers and mainframe computers,
microcomputer 130 is nevertheless capable of complex tasks involving the
processing
of logical operations. Microcomputer 130 includes a central processing unit
(CPU)
(i.e., not shown), which is the computational and control unit of
microcomputer 130,
and which interprets and executes instructions for cellular telephone 12.
Alternatively, cellular telephone transceiver 120 may be coupled to a single
antenna 119 .in place of antenna 20 and by way of high-pass filter 187,
respectively
High-pass filter 187 is utilized to filter only those signals which fall
within a frequency
range utilized by cellular telephones in the United States. High-pass filter
187 can be
further modified to allow for cellular telephone frequency ranges of countries
other than
the United States. Specific design parameters of such a high-pass filter are
left to the
discretion of the manufacturer of a cellular telephone such as cellular
telephone 12.
Display 180 can be any type of display device which visually presents data to
a cellular
telephone user. Display devices such as a light-emitting diode panel or liquid
crystal
display can be utilized to implement display 180. Keypad 140 is a set of keys
that are
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mounted on a small keyboard and are dedicated to a specific purpose, such as
inserting
numbers. Keypad 140 is preferably modeled on the standard telephone keypad.
Control signals 131 TX ENABLE and 132 RX ENABLE of microcomputer 130
enable cellular transmitter 124 and cellular receiver 122, respectively. In
addition to
control signals 131 and 132 to cellular transceiver 120, microcomputer 130
also
monitors control signals 133 RSSI, 134, RX DATA, and 135 TX DATA for detecting
signal strength, for detecting receive data and for sending transmit data,
respectively,
utilized in operation of cellular transceiver 120. In addition, cellular
transceiver 120
is composed of cellular receiver 122, cellular transmitter 124 and audio
circuitry 126.
Audio circuitry 126 is coupled to audio switch 150 via the RX AUDIO and TX
AUDIO
signal lines. The RX AUDIO signal is transmitted to node A1 at audio switch
150.
The TX AUDIO signal is transmitted from node Bl at audio switch 150 to audio
circuitry 126. Note that the example depicted in FIG. 2 merely describes one
form of
a cellular telephone that can be utilized in accordance with the method and
system of
the present invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other types
of cellular
telephone systems can be implemented with a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention, as long as the particular cellular telephone system utilized
provides restricted
user termination areas based on DN and/or CLID as described herein.
FIG. 3 depicts a pictorial representation illustrative of a cellular telephone
system
30 in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention can be
implemented.
Cellular telephone system 30 is composed of a variety of cells 34: Each cell
encompasses a specified geographic area. Each geographic area has its own base
station
38 and a single controller (not shown) interconnected with a public telephone
network.
Each cell 34 sits adjacent to another cell to create a honeycomb pattern of
cells. Cells
34 can cover a laige metropolitan area. Each cell 34 can have a radius of
about 13 to
19 km (8 to 12 miles), depending upon the strength of each base station 38.
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Specific cell radii are not necessary features of the present invention. Cells
can
have ranges as low as several hundred feet up to approximately 25 miles in
radius. The
specific numbers described herein are for demonstrative purposes only and are
not
necessary features of the present invention. Although not depicted in FIG. 3,
each cell
34 can be further subdivided into still smaller cells. In this way, the
honeycomb pattern
of cells 34 can repeatedly utilize the same range of radio frequencies without
interfering
with one another, so long as neighboring cells 34 do not utilize precisely the
same radio
channels. This is true particularly for analog mobile phone service/time
division media
access (AMPS/TDMA), a type of wireless communications service well known in
the
art of communication systems.
Those skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that the example depicted
in
FIG. 3 is illustrative only, and is not a necessary feature of the invention.
Other types
of wireless communication services such as those that incorporate code
division multiple
access (CDMA) can be utilized in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. CDMA can utilize the same frequencies (i.e., broadband) to
transmit
calls in adjacent cells. CDMA does not utilize frequencies to separate calls,
but utilizes
a special algorithm that "pulls" a single call from a spread spectrum signal
that multiple
mobile communication devices can utilize to transmit simultaneously. CDMA is
thus
another type of wireless communications service that can be utilized in
accordance with
a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Although not shown in FIG. 3, each cell 34 can include six directional
antennas,
centrally located in each cell 34, each radiating into a sixty degree section
of each cell.
A plurality of cells 34 are combined to form cellular telephone system 30
covering a
particular geographic area. This cellular system enables mobile cellular
telephone
traffic to communicate with landline telephone networks and other mobile
cellular
telephones while moving through the geographic area. Each cell 34 also has a
number
of frequencies, transmitted by low power transmitters, assigned to it that
cannot be
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utilized in adjacent cells because of frequency interference problems. Due to
the low
power of each cell's transmitter, however, the same frequency can be re-
utilized in
other cells, referred to as co-channel cells in the same metropolitan area.
Cellular telephone system 30 is an example of a cellular mobile service, a
communications service that allows a user to access the public telephone
network from
a stationary or moving vehicle, and which is based on a combination of radio
transmission and telephone switching. Individuals with small mobile telephones
can
utilize this system in the same way that telephone calls are made utilizing
standard
carriers. The cellular mobile service thus provides a communication link to
the user by
segmenting a large geographic area into smaller areas (i.e., cells).
Cellular telephone system 30 can include cellular subscriber units which may
be
mobile or portable. Each base station 38 is connected to the public telephone
company
(i.e., TELCO) via one or more cellular switching network (not shown). Each
cellular
subscriber has an assigned cellular telephone number that allows the user to
place and
receive calls within a widespread range of each base station 38, such as
throughout a
metropolitan area. During a cellular telephone call, when a mobile cellular
telephone
moves from one cell to another, it must be handed-off to the next cell in
order to
continue communicating. This procedure is accomplished as follows for the
analog
cellular system. The cell serving the mobile and neighboring cell sites scans
(i.e., takes
samples of) the received mobile signal strength. This information is collected
at a
switch and a decision is made whether to hand-off the mobile to a neighboring
cell.
For the U.S. Digital Cellular System, as outlined in the Electronic Industries
Association/Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/TIA) Standard IS-54
document, the mobile cellular telephone also collects channel quality
information
(channel bit error rate (BER) and signal strength) on its own channel and
signal strength
measurements on neighboring cell channels. This information is transmitted to
the
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serving cell site as a mobile assisted hand-off (MAHO) message to be added to
the base
scan information for making a hand-off decision. Such hand-off procedures can
be
utilized with the cellular telephone system described herein; however, such
hand-off
procedures are not necessary features of the present invention only and are
merely
included to describe one particular embodiment of the present invention.
A street or road 32, such as a metropolitan highway, is depicted as extending
through cells 34 contained within cellular telephone system 30. Thus, a user
can travel
along road 32 through cells 34 and while travelling, perform cellular mobile
telephone
operations. Cellular telephone system 30 further includes a mobile telephone
switching
office (MTSO) 33, a central office for mobile switching in cellular telephone
system
30. MTSO 33 houses a mobile switching center (MSC) 37, and fielded monitoring
and
relay stations (not shown) for switching calls from cell sites to wire line
central offices
such as (TELCO) 14 depicted in FIG. 1, or a public switched telephone network
(PSTN), made up of local networks, exchange area networks, and long-haul
networks
that interconnect telephones and other communication devices on a worldwide
basis.
MSC 37 can control system operations in analog cellular networks. For example,
MSC
37 can control calls, track billing information, and locate cellular
subscribers. MSC 37
is thus a switch that provides services and coordination between mobile users
(i.e.,
originators) in a network such as cellular telephone system 30 and external
networks.
Note that in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, like parts are indicated by like
reference
numerals. FIG. 4 is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone
system 30
in which restricted user termination areas are provided based on DN in
accordance with
a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, cell DN
is a
cell in which a primary terminating user is located. Cells A and B also
contain
associated terminating users. When an originator dials, via the DN, the
terminating user
located in cell DN, a test is performed to determine whether or not to
initiate a
restricted user termination area. Based on the location of the DN, a
determination is
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made whether or not it is appropriate to restrict the termination area of the
primary
terminating user. If it is determined not to restrict this termination because
the primary
terminating user is in the appropriate area, the call is simply routed
directly to the
primary terminating user and the call is processed normally. If it is
determined that this
termination should be restricted based on the location of the primary
terminating user,
several options can be then made available to the terminating user.
In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the DN is located in cell DN. If the
primary
terminating user is not accepting terminations at that location or is
unavailable, the call
will terminate with a terminating user located nearest the DN. In this case,
the closest
terminating user available to take a call when the DN is unavailable is the
terminating
user located in cell B. If the terminating user located in cell B is not
available, then
according to the example depicted in FIG. 4, the next closest terminating user
available
is the terminating user located in cell A.
Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the unit of granularity (i.e.,
the cell)
depicted in the example of FIG. 4 is not a necessary feature of the present
invention.
The cells are utilized for illustrative purposes only. For example, when an
individual
calls a salesperson's telephone number (i.e., a DN) at a car dealership, the
salesperson
(i.e., the terminating user) may desire to receive calls only when the
salesperson is
geographically located within one-half mile of the car dealership. In other
words, in
such a case, the salesperson desires the calls when at work, but not does not
want to
receive the calls when not at work.
A radius of one-half mile is less than the radius of a typical cell. The
salesperson
may further desire that calls to his or her DN be rerouted to a dispatcher or
secretary
when the salesperson is not located within one-half mile of the car dealership
(i.e.,
when the salesperson is not at work). Thus, from the foregoing example it can
be seen
that a preferred embodiment of the present invention can provide a service
that restricts
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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calls to terminating users based on a comparison of the geographic location of
the
terminating user to a geographic area assigned or associated with the DN.
Of course, alternative scenarios can be considered for the example depicted in
FIG. 4. An originator may desire to call the primary terminating user whose DN
is
located in cell DN. If the primary terminating user is unavailable, or it is
determined,
based on a variety of possible factors, that the call should not be routed to
the primary
terminating user, the call can be routed to an associated terminating user who
is most
advantageously suited to respond to the call. A determination of whether or
not a
particular associated terminating user is most advantageously suited to
receive the call
can be based on the geographic location of that particular terminating user
with respect
to the geographic location of the DN, or in the example described herein, cell
DN.
In FIG. 4, an associated terminating user is located in cell B, the cell
located
closest cell DN. The associated terminating user located in cell B is thus the
terminating user most advantageously suited to respond to the call. The call
is thus
routed to the associated terminating user located in cell B, as opposed to the
associated
terminating user located in cell A. In reference to the aforementioned
salesperson
example, if the salesperson is not located in cell DN (e.g., the car lot), the
call is then
routed to the nearest terminating user located within one half mile of the car
lot.
Assuming that cell B is located within one half mile of the car lot, the call
is routed to
a salesperson located in cell B before any attempts are made to route the call
to another
salesperson located elsewhere.
FIG. 5 is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a cellular telephone system 30
in
which restricted user termination areas can be provided based on CLID in
accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. An originator attempts
to make
a telephone call to a primary terminating user located in cell C. When the
originator
initiates a telephone call to the primary terminating user located in cell C,
a test is
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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performed to determine whether or not, based on the identity of the caller
provided by
a CLID service, it is appropriate to execute a service that restricts the user
termination
area of the primary terminating user located in cell C. If the service is not
appropriate,
the call is processed normally (i.e., as if the service is not necessary). The
intent of
this test is to determine whether to execute the service or not based on the
CLID.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various scenarios can be
envisioned in
which this test is performed, and in which the service is invoked or not
invoked. For
example, the primary terminating user may not want to restrict the termination
area
when a call is received from the terminating user's spouse (i.e. a termination
is allowed
without considering the location of the primary terminating user's location,
when the
originator is the terminating user's spouse).
In the example shown in FIG. 5, associated terminating users are located
respectively in cells A and B. If a determination is made to restrict the user
termination
area of the primary terminating user based on the identity of the originator,
the call can
then be routed to the terminating user most advantageously suited to field the
call. A
number of tests can be performed to determine whether or not an associated
terminating
user is most advantageously suited to field the call. In such a case, it may
be desirable
to route the call to the terminating user or recipient located nearest the
primary
terminating user, such as the terminating user located in cell D. On the other
hand, it
may be desirable to route the call to the associated terminating user located
nearest the
originator, such as the terminating user located in cell B.
FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of operations 41 illustrative of a method in a
cellular
telephone network for providing restricted user termination areas based on
CLID and/or
DN, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It can
be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the flow charts depicted and
described herein
present a self consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The
steps are
those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually,
although not
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals
capable of
being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It
has
proven convenient at times by those skilled in the art, to refer to these
signals as bits,
values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should
be borne
in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated
with the
appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to
these
quantities.
Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as
adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations
performed
by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary or
desirable
in most cases in any of the operations described herein which form part of the
present
invention; the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for
performing
operations of a preferred embodiment of the present invention include data-
processing
systems such as general purpose digital computers or other similar devices. In
all cases
the distinction between the method operations in operating a computer and the
method
of computation itself should be borne in mind.
The present invention relates to method steps for processing electrical or
other
(e.g., mechanical, chemical) physical signals to generate other desired
physical signals,
and can be implemented via a computer such as microcomputer 130 depicted in
FIG.
2. However, it is not necessary to maintain within a computer memory of a
cellular
telephone, instructions implementing these method steps. Such instructions can
be
maintained with a computer memory at a cellular telephone base station or a
central
broadcasting center from which such base stations receive instructions.
Implementation
of the method described herein is left to the discretion of a particular
cellular telephone
system designer.
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Thus, as illustrated at block 49, an origination even is initiated. An
"event," in
the context of the method described herein, is an occurrence or happening,
usually
significant to the performance of a function, operation, or task. Thus, an
origination
event is an event in which an originator triggers a communications telephone
call. The
originator is an initiator of a particular information transfer transaction.
In the case of
the cellular telephone systems described herein, the initiation of a
particular
communications transaction occurs as a result of an originator pressing
telephone keys
on a cellular telephone keypad such as keypad 140 depicted in FIG. 2. As
depicted at
block 51, the CLID of the originator and the dialed DN are determined.
As described at block 52, a test is performed to determine whether a new
service
(i.e., restricting the user termination area) is appropriate, based on the
CLID and/or the
DN. If the new service is appropriate and should not be implemented, then as
depicted
at block 63 the telephone call initiated by the originator is processed
normally.
However, if a determination is made that the new service is not appropriate,
then as
depicted at block 54, an operation is performed to determine the appropriate
units (i.e.,
mobile communication devices) that should be considered as part of the new
service.
For example, a list of terminating users can be compiled based on the
geographic
location of each user in relation to the geographic location of the
terminating area in
which the DN terminates and/or the geographic location of the terminating area
in
which the CLID is assigned to terminate.
As illustrated at block 56, a test is performed which utilizes the CLID and/or
the
DN to determine appropriate termination areas to which the call may
potentially be
routed. One termination area may be considered or alternative termination
areas may
be considered. As illustrated at block 58, a test is performed to determine if
any unit
or units selected earlier for consideration are in the determined appropriate
termination
areas on which a termination is allowed for that particular unit or those
particular units.
If it is determined that no units are present in the appropriate termination
area or areas,
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as illustrated at block 59, an appropriate alternative action is determined
and executed.
The operation performed, as described at block 59, essentially determines how
the
particular call should be handled, given that none of the potential units are
in an
appropriate termination area in which to receive the call.
An alternative action can include repeating the service with a different
compiled
set of units and/or a different set of areas. Another action that can be taken
at this
point includes routing the call to voice mail, a secretary, a dispatcher and
so forth. Still
other actions that can be taken include routing the call to a landline or
playing an
announcement indicating that the person is not available. Such alternative
actions are
left to the discretion of individuals who desire to implement a preferred
embodiment
of the present invention. If it is determined, as described at block 58, that
at least one
unit is located in an appropriate termination area, then as illustrated at
block 61, a
particular unit is chosen in which to route the call, based on a wide variety
of possible
mechanisms.
For example, the call may be awarded to a unit based on a particular ordering
of units (i.e., assuming there are several units in the same appropriate
termination area.
Another example includes a situation in which the unit located closest the
center of the
appropriate termination area is awarded the call. Still further possibilities
include
situations in which a unit located in the appropriate termination is randomly
chosen to
award the call, assuming that other units are located in the same appropriate
termination
area. Other possibilities include routing the call to the unit that has
received the least
number of terminations (i.e., completed phone calls) in a recent time period
(e.g., in the
last few hours). As illustrated at block 63, the call is processed as normal
once a unit
has been chosen, as described at block 61.
It can be appreciated by those skilled in the a.rt that the aforementioned
process
steps can be implemented in accordance with alternative preferred embodiments
of the
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present invention. For example, instead of utilizing both the CLID and the DN
together
to determine whether or not to initiate a restriction of the user termination
area, the
CLID can be utilized alone or in combination with the DN to determine whether
or not
to initiate a restriction of the user termination area. Other examples include
a preferred
embodiment in which the DN is utilized first to determine whether or not to
initiate
restriction of the user termination area, and if the DN is unavailable, the
CLID can be
subsequently utilized to determine whether or not to initiate a restriction of
the user
termination area. Likewise, the CLID can be utilized first to determine
whether or not
to initiate restriction of the user termination area, and if the CLID is
unavailable, the
DN can be subsequently utilized to determine whether or not to initiate
restriction of
the user termination area.
FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 herein describe alternative preferred embodiments of the
present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of operations 40
illustrative of a
method in a cellular telephone network for providing restricted user
termination areas
based primarily on CLID, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention. FIG. 7 describes an alternative preferred embodiment of the present
invention in which the CLID can be primarily utilized to determine whether or
not to
initiate a restricted user termination area. FIG. 7 is thus a variation of
FIG. 6. As
illustrated at block 42, an origination event occurs. As depicted at block 43,
the CLID
of the originator and/or the dialed DN are determined. Those skilled in the
art will
appreciate that although a potential choice between determining the dialed DN
or the
CLID exists in the operation described at block 43, because the CLID is
primarily
utilized in the example of FIG. 7 to determine whether or not to intiate a
restricted user
termination area, the CLID should be determined according to block 43 in order
to
successfully implement the logical operations described at blocks 44 to 54.
Thus, when
the originator initiates a communications transaction to a primary terminating
user, the
CLID informs the primary terminating user (i.e., which may be no more than
informing
the mobile communications device or unit itself, not an individual human user)
of the
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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number or address from which the call originated. As described at block 44, a
test is
performed to determine whether it is appropriate to restrict this call to a
particular user
termination area or areas. The operation performed, as described at block 44
in FIG.
7, is analogous to the operation performed and described in the text related
to block 52
of FIG. 6.
In FIG. 7, if it is determined that it is not appropriate to restrict the call
to
particular user termination areas, the call is simply routed directly to the
originally
dialed mobile communications device (i.e., the call is routed directly to a
primary
terminating user) and processed normally, as illustrated at block 47. If it is
determined
that it is appropriate to restrict the call to particular user termination
areas, then as
described at block 45, the geographic locations of the primary terminating
user (i.e.,
primary terminator) and associated terminating users are determined. The
associated
terminating users constitute a class of equivalent recipients or equivalent
terminating
users that are allowable substitutes for the primary terminating user. For
example, each
salesperson in a group of salespeople may have a mobile. When one salesperson
(i.e.,
a primary recipient) is contacted by an originator, the geographic locations
of each
active mobile in the group is determined.
Any number of geographic locator methods can be utilized to perform this
operation. For example, the Global Positioning System (GPS) can be utilized to
calculate the latitude and longitude of either the terminating users or the
originators.
GPS is one example of a technique or method that can be utilized to calculate
the
latitude and longitude of the MS. GPS is a United States federal-government-
sponsored
system that enables the identification and determination of the position of a
mobile
transmitter anywhere on or near the Earth's surface. Signal Intercept from Low
Orbit
(SILO) can be utilized in association with the GPS. SILO is a tracking beacon
that
utilizes GPS signals to determine the location of an object, and transmits GPS
location
data with a unique identification code utilizing an ultrahigh frequency (UHF)
carrier.
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SILO can receive signals from space, airborne, or ground systems, and is
roughly the
size of a video cassette.
Other techniques, such as signal strength triangulation can be utilized to
determined the geographic location of terminating users and originators.
Signal strength
triangulation, a technique well known in the art of communications, involves
obtaining
a fix on a transmitter by plotting, on a map, the bearings of the transmitter
from the
plotted positions of the stations that are taking and reporting the bearings,
and
determining the geographic location of the intersection of those bearings. Of
course,
those skilled in the art can appreciate that signal strength triangulation can
be performed
via a variety of different techniques. For example, instead of utilizing a
map, table of
longitude and latitude can be utilized, or the intersection point can be
calculated by
utilizing the known positions and bearings. The intersection is a point that
is common
to two or more sectors that are defined by the bearings that are taken. If
bearings are
taken from three or more stations, the intersections will define an area whose
size
depends on the precision of the bearing instruments. Such geographic locator
methods,
including GPS and signal strength triangulation, can also be utilized in
accordance with
the operations related to those depicted in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8.
As illustrated at block 4b, a test is performed to determine whether or not
the
CLID of the originator will be accepted by the primary terminating user. A
number of
parameters can be utilized in this operation to make this determination. For
example,
if the CLID is that of an individual the primary terminating user does not
wish to
communicate with, the call is not accepted by the primary terminating user. If
the call
is acceptable to the primary terminating user, the call is routed directly to
the primary
terminating user, as illustrated at block ~2. If the call is unacceptable to
the primary
terminating user, a test is performed, as described at block 48 to determine
if alternative
terminating users are available among the associated terminating users. In
other words,
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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is there a terminating user most advantageously suited to field the call from
the
originator.
The geographic location of an associated terminating user with respect to the
primary terminating user can be one factor utilized to determine whether or
not the
associated terminating user is most advantageously suited to field the call
from the
originator. Other factors, such as the geographic location of an associated
terminating
user with respect to the geographic location of the originator can also be
utilized to
determine whether or not the associated terminating user is most
advantageously suited
to field the call from the originator. If it is determined that no associated
terminating
user is available to field the call, then alternative action is taken, as
described at block
54. The alternative action described at block 54 can include functions such as
rerouting
the call to a dispatcher or message center informing the originator that no
terminating
users are currently available. If it is determined that an alternative
terminating user is
available to field the call, then as depicted at block 50, the call is routed
to the
alternative terminating user.
FIG. 8 illustrates a high-level flow chart of operations 60 illustrative of a
method
in a cellular telephone network for providing restricted user termination
areas based
primarily on the dialed DN, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention. FIG. 8 describes an alternative preferred embodiment of the present
invention in which the DN can be primarily utilized to determine whether or
not to
initiate a restricted user termination area. FIG. 8 thus presents a variation
to FIG. 6.
As illustrated at block 62, an origination event occurs that results in the
dialing of a
particular directory number (DN) of a primary terminating user's mobile
communications device. As depicted at block 64, the dialed DN andlor the CLID
are
determined. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although a potential
choice
between determining the dialed DN or the CLID exists in the operation
described at
block 43 depicted in FIG. 7, because the dialed DN is primarily utilized in
the example
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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of FIG. 8 to determine whether or not to intiate a restricted user termination
area, the
dialed DN should be determined according to block 43 in order to successfully
implement the logical operations described at blocks 44 to 54 in FIG. 7.
Thus, as described at block 65, a test is performed to determine whether it is
appropriate to restrict this call to a particular user termination area or
areas, based on
factors associated with the dialed DN. Such factors, although not specifically
illustrated
in step 65 of FIG. 8, can include the "time-of day" or "time-of week" that the
DN is
dialed. Such "time-of day" and/or "time-of week" factors can also be utilized
in
association with the operations depicted in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. The operation
performed, as described at block 65 in FIG. 8, is analogous to the operation
performed
and described in the text related to block 52 of FIG. 6. In FIG. 8, if it is
determined
that it is not appropriate to restrict the call to particular user termination
areas, the call
is simply routed directly to the originally dialed mobile communications
device (i.e.,
the call is routed directly to a primary terminating user) and processed
normally, as
illustrated at block 67.
If it is determined that it is appropriate to restrict the call to a
particular user
termination area or areas, then as illustrated at block 66, the geographic
location of the
DN, the originator, and one or more associated terminating users is
determined. Any
number of geographic locator methods can be utilized to perform this
operation. For
example, the latitude and longitude of the originator and the terminating
users can be
utilized to determine the geographic location of the respective entities. The
Global
Positioning Satellite (GPS) system can be utilized to calculate the latitude
and longitude
of the either the DN, the terminating users or the originators. Other
techniques, such
as signal strength triangulation can be utilized to determine the geographic
location of
the DN, the terminating users and the originator. Those skilled in the art
will
appreciate that the geographic location techniques described herein can be
utilized in
association with the operations respectively depicted in FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and
FIG. 8 to
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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determine the geographic location associated with a dialed DN, a terminating
user, and
so forth.
As depicted at block 68, a test is performed to determine if the closest
terminating
user is in fact the same mobile as the dialed DN. If it is the same mobile,
then as
described at block 72, a test is performed to determine whether or not the DN
is located
within a desired range. If the DN is located within the desired range, then
the call is
routed to that mobile, as depicted at block 76. If it is not located within
the desired
range, then as depicted at block 78, the call is rerouted to a dispatcher or
message
center for further instructions or announcements. If, as described at block
68, it is
determined that the terminating user is not equivalent to the DN, then as
described at
block 70, the call is rerouted to the terminating user located nearest the DN.
The
terminating user located nearest the DN is terminating user most
advantageously suited
to receive the communications transaction (i.e., the mobile phone call). The
aforementioned operations described at blocks 72, 76, and 78 are then
performed.
The operations described herein can be described generally as follows:
Initially,
a communications transaction from an originator to a primary recipient (i.e.,
primary
terminating user) is initiated. The communications transaction can be a phone
call
initiated via a mobile telephone. The CLID of the originator and the dialed DN
are
utilized to determine, either alone or in combination with one another,
whether or not
to initiate restriction of the user termination area. If it is determined to
restrict the user
termination area based on the CLID or the DN alone or in combination with one
another, a class of equivalent recipients (i.e., other associated terminating
users) that are
allowable substitutes for the primary recipient is identified. Thus, when a
call is made
to a primary terminating user, and it is determined to initiate a restricted
user
termination area based on the CLID or DN alone or in combination with one
another,
other terminating users are identified who can potentially respond to the call
in the
event the primary terminating user is unavailable or unable to respond to the
call.
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A determination is then made determining which recipient among the equivalent
recipients and the primary recipient is most advantageously suited to receive
the
communications transaction. The recipient most advantageously suited to
receive the
communications transaction (i.e., the mobile telephone call) can be determined
according to any of a number of possible factors, including the geographic
location of
a given terminating user with respect to a geographic location associated with
the DN.
The call is finally routed to the recipient identified as most advantageously
suited to
receive the call.
For example, the equivalent recipient located closest to the geographic
location
from which the CLID originates, may be most advantageously suited to respond
to the
call. Likewise, the equivalent recipient located closest the geographic
location of the
dialed DN may be the recipient most advantageously suited to receive the call.
In the
case of the DN, in particular, an equivalent recipient may be located close to
the
geographic location in which the dialed DN terminates. However, the primary
recipient
(i.e., the primary terminating user) may be unavailable to respond to the
call. In such
a case, the call is routed to the equivalent recipient located geographically
closest to the
DN.
It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the operations
described in
the examples of FIG, 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 can be performed alone or in
combination
with one another. For example, a call can be routed to a particular
terminating user
based not only on the appropriate termination area to utilize as a physical
location
associated with the DN, but also in combination with the appropriate
termination area
to utilize when a particular CLID is calling the terminating user. In such a
case, if the
terminating user or an equivalent terminating user is located in an area that
is
considered to be the most appropriate portion of the terminating area in which
to
receive a call from that particular CLID, then the call can be routed to that
particular
terminating user or equivalent terminating user as being most advantageously
suited to
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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respond to that call. In the event that neither the terminating user nor an
equivalent
terminating user or recipient is located in an appropriate termination area,
based on the
CLID, an attempt can then be made to terminate the call with an appropriate
terminating user or equivalent terminating user, based on the terminating area
in
association with the dialed DN.
Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the intent of utilizing
CLID and
DN services as described herein is to determine whether or not restricting the
termination area for a particular call is appropriate. Although terms such as
"primary
terminating user," "secondary terminating user," "primary recipient" and
"secondary
recipient" are utilized herein, such terms are utilized for illustrative
purposes only. A
variant of the service described herein can include determining which of
several units
are located closest to the assigned physical location of a directory number
and routing
the call to the unit located closest that assigned physical location, rather
than
determining the current geographic location of the mobile communications
device
having that particular directory number and subsequently routing the call to
the unit
located closest that current geographic location.
Another variant of the service described herein can include randomly routing a
call to one of several units located within a given distance of the physical
location of
the directory number dialed or located within a coverage area of that
directory number.
Thus, in the aforementioned "salesperson" example, calls would be randomly
distributed
to those salespeople physically located somewhere on the car lot that is
assigned to the
directory number. A further variant of the service described herein includes
one where
a call is routed to a terminating user's mobile communications device, if the
mobile
communications device is located in an appropriate area, regardless of the
location of
other units (i.e., other associated mobile communication devices). In this
case,
alternative action (e.g., voice messaging, dispatcher, and so forth) can be
implemented
if the mobile communications device is not located in the appropriate area. A
specific
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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example illustrative of this particular case involves a situation in which a
terminating
user desires to receive calls only when at work. When not at work, the call is
routed
to a voice mail, secretary, dispatcher, announcement service, and so forth. A
still
further variant of the service described herein can include a situation in
which a call is
routed to the terminating user when the terminating user is located near his
or her
home. However, when the terminating user is located away (i.e., a given
distance) from
the home, the home landline receives the call instead of the mobile cellular
telephone
itself.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention can essentially be broken down
into five parts: subscription, collecting the geographic location of the
terminating user,
delivering the location of the terminating user, determining an appropriate
action, and
executing the appropriate action. These parts, taken together, provide a
service for
routing calls from an originator to an appropriate terminating user based on
the
1 S geographic location of the originator with respect to the terminating user
with respect
to the DN and/or CLID.
FIG. 9 depicts a pictorial representation 240 illustrative of network entities
involved in implementing a method and system for providing restricted user
termination
areas based on DN and/or CLID in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. In the example of FIG. 9, a home location register (HLR)
246 is
coupled to an originating mobile switching center (MSC-0) 244. MSC-O 244 is
the
mobile switching center in a cellular network that is the first cellular
mobile aware node
that contains information indicative that an incoming call is destined for a
mobile.
HLR 246 is the location register to which a user identity may be assigned for
record
purposes, such as subscriber information (e.g., serial number, mobile station
directory
number, profile information, current location, authorization period, etc).
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HLR 246 may or may not be located within and be distinguishable from a mobile
switching center (MSC). HLR 246 may serve more than one MSC. In general, an
HLR such as HLR 246 can be distributed over more than one physical entity. HLR
246
is coupled to service machine 248 which in turn is connected to the serving
mobile
switching center (MSC-S) 252. MSC-S 252 is the mobile switching center that
currently has a mobile switching center service located at one of its cell
sites within its
coverage area. MSC-S in turn serves visiting location register (VLR) 250. VLR
250
is a location register other than HLR that is utilized by an MSC to retrieve
information
for handling of calls to or from a visiting subscriber. VLR 250 may or may not
be
located within and be indistinguishable from an MSC. VLR 250 may serve more
than
one MSC.
MSC-O 244 (i.e., originating MSC) is responsible for determining that a given
call is destined for a wireless directory number (DN), and asks HLR 246 for
instructions on how to handle such calls. HLR 246 is responsible for providing
the
subscription information, for querying service machine 248 for instructions,
and for
requesting that VLR 250 in association with MSC-S 252 provide the mobile's
location.
VLR 250 and MSC-S 252 are responsible for providing the location of
terminating
users. Service machine 248 is responsible for providing appropriate action
following
the aforementioned requesting and querying operations.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a subscription is that
portion
of the service that provides to the various entities involved, necessary
information
regarding which mobile subscribers (MS) have subscribed to the service. HLR
246,
VLR 250 and service machine 248 are involved in the subscription portion of
the
service. HLR 246 is responsible for service provisioning the subscription
service. This
means that HLR 246 provides an external interface that provides an HLR
operator with
the capability of specifying which mobile subscribers will be provided with
the
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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subscription service and which mobile subscribers will not. Information
specifying
subscription includes the address of service machine 248.
Service machine 248 is responsible for determining the subscription
information
for mobile switches. This may be accomplished by fetching the profile from HLR
246,
or it can be accomplished by providing an external interface which service
machine 248
can utilize to designate which mobile switches will be provided with the
subscription
service. Service machine 248 is responsible for maintaining and processing
methods
for determining whether or not to allow a call to complete. Examples of such
methods
include those described herein such as restricting user termination areas
based on the
identity of an originator and/or the directory number dialed by the
originator.
FIG. 10 illustrates a profile transfer diagram 256 of mobile station (MS) call
originators in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention. An
MS comprises interface equipment utilized to terminate the radio path at the
user side.
It provides the capabilities to access network services by a user. According
to profile
transfer diagram 256, at step a, call origination as indicated by arrow 265,
occurs.
MSC 271 (i.e., the serving MSC) receives a call origination from MS 270. Note
that
MSC 271 is analogous to MSC-S 252 of FIG. 9. As indicated at step b, if the
profile
of the MS is unknown to the MSC, a "QUALREQ" is sent to VLR 250, as indicated
by arrow 264. Note that messages in all caps (e.g., "QUALREQ") are invoke
messages
requesting that something be done.
Messages in all lower case (e.g., "qualreq") are return results (i.e.,
responses),
giving the data requested or information related to what happened as a result
of the
request. As indicated at step c, if the profile of MS is unknown to VLR 250,
then
VLR 250 sends a "QUALREQ", as indicated by arrow 260, to HLR 246. As indicated
at step d, HLR 246 sends a "qualreq" to VLR 250 (i.e., the serving MSC's VLR),
as
indicated by arrow 262. The subscription for the new service is included in
this
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request. As indicated at step e, VLR 250 stores the subscription information
sends back
the qualreq to MSC 271, as indicated by arrow 258. Only MSC-S 252 (i.e., the
serving
MSC) is involved in the portion of the service related to the collecting of
the
geographic location of the terminating user. A serving switch (i.e.,
terminator's switch)
determines the geographic location by performing a variety of potential
techniques,
including but not limited to triangulation, directional antennae, and so
forth.
FIG. 11 depicts a messaging sequence diagram 280 illustrative of the flow for
delivering the location of the terminating user in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. As indicated at step a, HLR 246 requests
MSC-S
252 to set up a call deliver to the mobile and determine the mobile's current
location
by sending a "ROUTREQ" message. The sending of the "ROUTREQ" message is
specifically indicated by arrow 286. As indicated at step b, MSC-S 252
determines the
geographic location of the mobile. MSC-S 252 is prepared for call delivery and
then
reports the geographic location of the mobile in the "routreq" message. The
sending
of the routreq message is specifically indicated by arrow 284. MSC-S 252 then
takes
other appropriate action to prepare for the termination, which can include
maintaining
the mobile in a "ready" state for termination. As indicated at step c, HLR 246
reports
the current location of the terminating user to service machine 248 in a
"SERVREQ"
message. Sending of the "SERVREQ" message is specifically indicated at arrow
282.
The phrase "geoloc" as utilized in the example of FIG. 11 is indicative of
geographic
location information.
In delivering the geographic location of the terminating user, several methods
are
possible. First, location delivery can occur when the call is received but
before it is
delivered. In this case, HLR 246 is responsible for sending the "ROUTREQ" to
MSC-S
252 in which a request is made for MSC-S 252 to determine the geographic
location
of the mobile and report back. Upon receiving the response "routreq," HLR 246
is then
responsible for passing the geographic location information received to the
service
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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machine 248 via a "SERVREQ" message. MSC-S 252 then responds to HLR 246 by
sending the "routreq" response, including the current geographic location of
the mobile.
MSC-S 252 is also responsible for taking appropriate action to keep the mobile
accessible until the call delivery is received, when the call is allowed to
terminate. This
may include assigning the mobile to a traffic channel.
FIG. 12 illustrates a messaging sequence diagram 290 illustrative of the flow
for
delivering the geographic location of the terminating user in accordance with
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The example depicted in FIG. 12 is an
alternative to the example described in the text related to FIG. 11. The
sequence
depicted in FIG. 12 can be implemented as a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention when a need exists to report the geographic location information to
the
service machine on a substantially continuous basis. The example depicted in
FIG. 12
shows a messaging sequence utilized by the MSC-S and the service machine in
order
to transfer the geographic location. As indicated at step a, if the profile
indicates that
the MS has this service, and it is appropriate (i.e., time has expired, mobile
station has
moved sufficiently, or other trigger) that the MSC (i.e., MSC 271) inform
service
machine 248 of the new location of the MS, MSC 271 sends a location
notification
("LOCNOT") message to service machine 248. Sending of the "LOCNOT" message,
including "geoloc" information, is specifically indicated by arrow 294. As
indicated at
step b, service machine 248 stores the new location of the MS and returns a
"locnot"
response to MSC 271 via arrow 292.
Appropriate algorithms must be executed to determine what the service should
do
with a particular call. The service machine dominates this portion of the
service.
Service machine 248 takes data related to the reported geographic location of
the
terminating user, CLID (i.e., identity of the originating terminal), and the
dialed DN
(e.g., terminating users's business number or personal number), and executes a
service
algorithm. One skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many possible
methods
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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available for a service machine to make a decision related to executing the
service
algorithm. Service machine 248 can be utilized via the service algorithm to
determine
which terminating user is located close enough to a specific location
associated with the
dialed DN. Service machine 248 can be utilized via the service algorithm to
determine
whether a terminating user is located in a city/block/area associated with the
dialed DN.
In addition, service machine 248 can be utilized via the service algorithm to
determine
whether or not to restrict a particular area (e.g., a car salesperson may want
his or her
spouse to be able to talk to him or her without considering the location of
the
salesperson). Service machine 248 can also be utilized via the service
algorithm to
decide whether the dialed DN is or is not appropriate for geographic location
restriction.
For example, it may be desirable to restrict a personal number by geographic
location,
but not a business number. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that
"time-of
day" and "time-of week" factors, as elaborated herein, can be utilized by
service
machine 248 to make a decision related to executing the service algorithm.
1 S After processing the service algorithm, service machine 248 will have
sufficient
information to determine whether the call should be allowed to terminate as
normal or
whether alternative action should be taken. Alternative action can include,
but is not
restricted to: routing to voice mail, routing to a dispatcher, routing to
another member
of a group located within a termination area associated with the dialed DN
(e.g., routing
to another car salesperson at a car dealership), and playing an announcement
for the
originator indicating that the terminating user is currently not available.
FIG. 13 depicts a messaging sequence diagram 295 illustrative of the flow for
delivering instructions on how to handle a particular call in accordance with
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an example of a standard IS-41
messaging sequence that can be utilized to provide delivery of the
instructions on
handling the particular call. The example of FIG. 13 illustrates a response to
a
previously received "LOCREQ." The previously received "LOCREQ" is not shown in
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FIG. 13 because a change to the "LOCREQ" does not subsequently occur in the
messaging sequence illustrated in FIG. 13. As indicated at step a, service
machine 248
implements the appropriate action determined earlier. Service machine 248
sends
instructions in a "servreq" message to HLR 246, as indicated specifically at
arrow 298.
As indicated at step b, HLR 246 receives these instructions from service
machine 248
and executes these instructions. The instructions may require HLR 246 to send
additional messages to other nodes. When HLR 246 finishes processing its
portion of
th~9hs~i-~c~i~IrILsRtfblfiesal~ga'trn~s~~qcstesh~ea~nt~earlier by
MSC-O 244) to MSC-O 244 informing MSC-O 244 what it must now do with the call.
MSC-O 244 receives the "locreq" and provides the appropriate call termination
as
instructed.
Service machine 248, HLR 246 and MSC-O 244 are involved in executing the
appropriate action determined above. Service machine 248 is responsible for
taking
appropriate action once it has determined that appropriate action must be
taken. HLR
246 is responsible for receiving and processing instructions. HLR 246 also
informs
MSC-O 244 of the type of termination appropriate for a given call. Appropriate
action
can include, but is not limited to, routing the call to a voice messaging
center based on
"time-of day" and/or "time-of week" considerations. For example, a terminating
user
may desire that calls from originators terminate at his or her mobile
communications
device whether he or she is located near his or her home during working hours,
but not
during non-working hours. Alternatively, during working hours, the primary
terminating user may desire to restrict business calls based on his or -her
location.
During non-working hours, the primary terminating user may desire to receive
business
calls only if he or she is actually located at work. Although such "time-of
day" and
"time-of day" restrictions can be utilized in accordance with the
aforementioned
preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art can appreciate that such
restrictions can
be utilized with alternative preferred embodiments such as those described
herein.
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Preferred implementations of the invention can include implementations as a
computer system (e.g., a microcomputer with memory) programmed to execute the
method or methods described herein, and as a program product. According to
such a
computer system implementation, sets of instructions for executing the method
and
methods are resident in a computer memory of one or more computer systems.
Until
required by the computer system, the set of instructions may be stored as a
computer-
program product in another computer memory, as for example, in a disk drive
(which
may include a removable memory such as an optical disk or floppy disk for
eventual
use in disk drive).
Further, the computer-program product can also be stored at another computer
and
transmitted when desired to the user's workstation by a network or by an
external
network. One skilled in the art can appreciate that the physical storage of
the sets of
instructions physically changes the medium upon which it is stored so that the
medium
carries computer-readable information. The change may be electrical, magnetic,
chemical, or some other physical change. While it is convenient to describe
the
invention in terms of instructions, symbols, characters, or the like, the
reader should
remember that all of these and similar terms should be associated with the
appropriate
physical elements.
Note that the invention describes terms such as determining, terminating,
completing or other such terms that could be associated with a human operator.
However, for at least a number of the operations described herein which form
part of
at least one of the embodiments, no action by a human operator is desirable.
As
indicated herein, these operations described are, in large part, machine
operations
processing electrical signals to generate other electrical signals. Thus, a
method for
implementing the logical operations depicted herein can be accomplished with a
computer-aided device. In such a method, data stored in a memory unit of a
data-
processing system or a microcomputer such as microcomputer 130 depicted in
FIG. 2,
CA 02240648 1998-06-16
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can represent steps in a method for implementing a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention. In addition, a preferred embodiment of the present invention can
include a
program product stored in a memory of a microcomputer coupled to the MSC
described
herein.
It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the methods or
processes
described herein can be implemented as a program product, such as a control
program
residing with a computer memory and containing instructions that when executed
on a
CPU, will carry out the operations depicted in the logic flow charts described
herein.
It is important to note that, while the present invention can be described in
the context
of a fully functional computer system, those skilled in the art can appreciate
that the
present invention is capable of being distributed as a program product in a
variety of
forms, and that the present invention applies equally, regardless of the
particular type
of signal-bearing media utilized to actually carry out the distribution.
Examples of
signal-bearing media include: recordable-type media, such as floppy disks,
hard-disk
drives and CD ROMs, and transmission-type media, such as digital and analog
communication links.
The embodiments and examples set forth herein are presented in order to best
explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby
enable those
skilled in the art to make and utilize the invention. However, those skilled
in the art
will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented
for the
purposes of illustration and example only. For example, the present invention
can be
utilized in accordance with wireless communication systems in general, not
just the
cellular form of wireless communication systems. The description as set forth
is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form
disclosed. Many
modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching
without
departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.
