Abstract:
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for restricting operation of a cellular telephone to well delineated geographical areas. The cellular telephone is equipped with a location device for ascertaining the current geographical location of the cellular telephone. The ascertained geographical location is compared with information pertaining to the allowability of operation of cellular telephones in various geographical locations. A determination is made as to whether the cellular telephone is allowed to operate in its current geographical location. The cellular telephone accordingly enables or disables transmitting by the transceiver of the cellular telephone.
Abstract:
A first mobile station (40a) is correlated with a second mobile station (40b) as a permitted home zone party (220). The second mobile station is in speech connection with another telecommunications party (100). In the event that the first mobile station wishes to join in on the conversation (300), the first mobile station simply transmits a selected service code A to the serving mobile switching center (MSC) (10). The serving MSC retrieves the data (230) correlating the first mobile station with the second mobile station, determines (320) that the first mobile station is currently located within the same home zone, and conferences (390) the first mobile station into the existing call connection involving the second mobile station by utilizing one of the call conference circuits (260). As an illustration, members of the same household can designate and correlate each other as permitted home zone parties. Thereinafter, whenever more than one member are within the designated home zone, and one is involved in a call connection, any other member can join in on the conversation by simply picking up a mobile station and dialing the service code.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for providing a dispatch system in a cellular radiotelephone system. Membership in a dispatch group is implicitly created by assigning a common telephone number to all members of the dispatch group and/or explicitly by association of the mobile stations with one or more dispatch groups in a centralized database of a cellular telephone network. A telephone call placed by a dispatcher or mobile stations having membership in the dispatch group results in the cellular telephone network contacting each of the members of the dispatch group to create a full duplex conference call between all members of the dispatch group. In one embodiment of the present invention, the telephone calls to the mobile stations are conferenced together at the gateway to the cellular telephone network, and in another embodiment of the present invention, the telephone calls to the mobile stations are hierarchically conferenced together.
Abstract:
Before routing an emergency call setup request signal received from a mobile subscriber toward a particular emergency service terminal, subscriber specified data associated with that particular subscriber are retrieved. By analyzing such retrieved data, the serving mobile switching center is better able to ascertain the individual need of the mobile subscriber and accordingly routes the emergency call towards the appropriate emergency service operator capable of providing effective assistance to the mobile subscriber in need.
Abstract:
An improved cellular communications system and method is disclosed which routes incoming calls to those subscribers who do not answer their page. The incoming call is routed to one of a list of alternate numbers, such as a home or work number in a public telephone system. Based upon the last known location of the subscriber within the cellular system, a particular list of such alternate numbers are tried in an effort to contact the subscriber outside the cellular network. Different lists are utilized depending upon the subscriber's last known location. In a first embodiment of the present invention, the various lists are stored in a home location register (26) for the cellular system (10) which forwards a particular list to the mobile switching center (14) servicing the subscriber. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the particular list is stored within and forwarded by a service control point (30) within an intelligent network.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for downloading tone data from a public land mobile network (50) to a mobile telephone unit (20) are disclosed. A mobile telephone unit (20) includes means (160) enabling the user to request downloading of tone data to the mobile telephone unit (20) from a public land mobile network (50) via a connectionless communications link such as the USSD or SMS. The downloaded tone data is uniquely associated with a selected telephone number within the mobile telephone unit (20) such that a call to the mobile unit (20) involving the telephone number initiates audio play back of the tone data.
Abstract:
A request for call forwarding activation along with forward-to-number is received from a mobile station via one of the data channels such as a Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH). The activation request itself is transported by an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) message. The serving mobile switching center (MSC) analyzes the forward-to-number and establishes a speech connection with the mobile station by calling back the mobile station. Next, the MSC originates an outgoing call towards the forward-to-number and, as a result, establishes a speech connection between the mobile station and the telephone terminal associated with the forward-to-number. By establishing a speech connection between the two parties, the mobile subscriber requesting the call forwarding activation can verbally verify the forward-to-number. As an alternative, TCAP messages can be communicated between the serving MSC and the local exchange serving the forward-to-number to request the local exchange to verify the validity of the forward-to-number.
Abstract:
A call forwarding activation request is transmitted from a mobile station to the serving mobile switching center (MSC) over a data channel incapable of carrying voice data. However, mobile subscribers and mobile service providers would like to establish a speech connection between the mobile station and the forward-to-number to ensure that the forward-to-number has been dialed correctly and that desired parties are at the other end. Accordingly, whenever a call forwarding activation request is received by the mobile station, the mobile station itself initiates an outgoing call setup toward the forward-to-number. The connection-less signal encapsulating the activation request is transmitted to the serving MSC only after the successful completion of such call setup. After receiving the transmitted connection-less signal, the serving HLR alters the call forwarding feature status to active.
Abstract:
A memory register correlating an access code for accessing a particular long distance carrier within a particular telecommunications network is coupled either to a mobile station or to a telecommunications node serving the mobile station. Whenever the mobile station travels outside of its home Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and dials an access code in an attempt to access that particular long distance carrier, an application module associated with the mobile station or the telecommunications node automatically determines the current network serving the mobile station and converts the dialed access code to another access code appropriate for accessing the desired long distance carrier within the current PLMN. A call connection, thereafter, is established with the indicated long distance carrier utilizing the converted access code.
Abstract:
Selective carrier denial in a cellular system restricts some or all carrier-handled calls from a given cellular subscriber while simultaneously allowing other cellular calls. A restriction flag or indicator in a Visitor Location Register (VLR) of the cellular system is set by a Home Location Register (HLR) which contains a list of those carriers denied to subscribers. When the restriction flag is set, the HLR is interrogated to determine if the call is restricted. Alternatively, the restriction flag may reside within the subscriber's mobile phone. Further, the VLR or mobile phone may, respectively, contain a list of denied carriers and internally determine if carrier denial applies without resort to the HLR.