Geographical database for radio system

Claim 1

A method of providing geographic information from a database within a radio telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of: providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; requesting consumer services information from said database using a mobile station within said network; determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the mobile station is currently located; and returning consumer services information from said database to said mobile station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said mobile station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said mobile station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said mobile station.

Claim 2

A method of providing geographic information from a database within a radio telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of: providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; requesting consumer services information from said database using a mobile station within said network; determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the mobile station is currently located; and returning consumer services information from said database to said mobile station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said mobile station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said mobile station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said mobile station.

Claim 11

A method of providing geographic information from a database within a telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of: providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; requesting consumer services information from said database from a subscriber station within said network, wherein said requesting step includes: sending a message from said subscriber station within said network to said network requesting geographic database services; returning a message from said network to said requesting subscriber station containing a list of specific database services which are available to said subscriber station; and sending a message from said subscriber station to said network containing a selection of a database service from said list along with any appropriate search keys to enable searching of said database if said selected database service requires a search key, wherein said database service selected by said subscriber station includes providing said subscriber station with information from said database on consumer services available in the same geographic area within which the requesting subscriber station is currently located; determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the subscriber station is currently located; and returning consumer services information from said database to said subscriber station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said subscriber station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said subscriber station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said subscriber station.

Claim 12

A method of providing geographic information from a database within a telecommunications network, said method comprising the steps of: providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; requesting consumer services information from said database from a subscriber station within said network, wherein said requesting step includes: sending a message from said subscriber station within said network to said network requesting geographic database services; returning a message from said network to said requesting subscriber station containing a list of specific database services which are available to said subscriber station; and sending a message from said subscriber station to said network containing a selection of a database service from said list along with any appropriate search keys to enable searching of said database if said selected database service requires a search key, wherein said database service selected by said subscriber station includes providing said subscriber station with information from said database on consumer services available in the same geographic area within which the requesting subscriber station is currently located; determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the subscriber station is currently located; and returning consumer services information from said database to said subscriber station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said subscriber station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said subscriber station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said subscriber station.

Claim 13

A system for providing geographic information from a database within a radio telecommunications network, said system comprising: means for providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; means for requesting consumer services information from said database using a mobile station within said network; means for determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the mobile station is currently located; and means for returning consumer services information from said database to said mobile station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said mobile station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said mobile station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said mobile station.

Claim 14

A system for providing geographic information from a database within a radio telecommunications network, said system comprising: means for providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; means for requesting consumer services information from said database using a mobile station within said network; means for determining a geographic location within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the mobile station is currently located; and means for returning consumer services information from said database to said mobile station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said mobile station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said mobile station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said mobile station.

Claim 23

A system for providing geographic information from a database within a telecommunications network, said system comprising: means for providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; means for requesting consumer services information from said database from a subscriber station within said network, wherein said requesting means comprises: means for sending said message from said subscriber station within said network to said network requesting geographic database services; means for returning a message from said network to said requesting subscriber station containing a list of specific database services which are available to said subscriber station; and means for sending a message from said subscriber station to said network containing a selection of a database service from said list along with any appropriate search keys to enable searching of said database if said selected database service requires a search key, wherein said database service selected by said subscriber station includes providing said subscriber station with information from said database on consumer services available in the same geographic area within which the requesting subscriber station is currently located; means for determining a geographic location of said subscriber station within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the subscriber station is currently located; and means for returning consumer services information from said database to said subscriber station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said subscriber station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said subscriber station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said subscriber station.

Claim 24

A system for providing geographic information from a database within a telecommunications network, said system comprising: means for providing a database connected to said network and containing a first set of specific information about consumer services available within said network and a second set of information about a plurality of geographic areas within said network and their relationship to one another, each of said items of specific information about consumer services in said first set being associated with the information in said second set which corresponds to the geographic area within said network where said services are available to subscribers of said network; means for requesting consumer services information from said database from a subscriber station within said network, wherein said requesting means comprises: means for sending said message from said subscriber station within said network to said network requesting geographic database services; means for returning a message from said network to said requesting subscriber station containing a list of specific database services which are available to said subscriber station; and means for sending a message from said subscriber station to said network containing a selection of a database service from said list along with any appropriate search keys to enable searching of said database if said selected database service requires a search key, wherein said database service selected by said subscriber station includes providing said subscriber station with information from said database on consumer services available in the same geographic area within which the requesting subscriber station is currently located; means for determining a geographic location of said subscriber station within one of the plurality of geographic areas in which the subscriber station is currently located; and means for returning consumer services information from said database to said subscriber station based upon a search thereof in response to said request, wherein said consumer services information provided to said subscriber station is hierarchically arranged in groups of messages with the information on consumer services in the geographic area closest to the current location of said subscriber station being delivered first and the information on consumer services in other geographic areas being delivered in order of their increasing distance from the current location of said subscriber station.

Claim 28

A method for accessing information within a geographical database associated with a radio telecommunications system serving mobile stations moving over a geographic area, said method comprising: sending a message from the mobile station to the system seeking to invoke the information service; acknowledging receipt of the information request message by the system; sending a specific query from the mobile station to the system seeking information from said database; determining a geographic location of the querying mobile station within one of a plurality of geographic areas in which the querying mobile station is currently located; searching the database with the specific query of the mobile station and the current geographic location of the mobile station; locating information within the database related to the query of said mobile station; organizing said located information hierarchically into groups in accordance with geographic zones with which said information has an association; and providing said organized information from the database to the querying mobile station in sequential groups in accordance with the proximity of the zone with which each group is associated to the zone in which the querying mobile station is currently located.

Claim 29

A method for accessing information within a geographical database associated with a radio telecommunications system serving mobile stations moving over a geographic area, said method comprising: sending a message from the mobile station to the system seeking to invoke the information service; acknowledging receipt of the information request message by the system; sending a specific query from the mobile station to the system seeking information from said database; determining a geographic location of the querying mobile station within one of a plurality of geographic areas in which the querying mobile station is currently located; searching the database with the specific query of the mobile station and the current geographic location of the mobile station; locating information within the database related to the query of said mobile station; organizing said located information hierarchically into groups in accordance with geographic zones with which said information has an association; and providing said organized information from the database to the querying mobile station in sequential groups in accordance with the proximity of the zone with which each group is associated to the zone in which the querying mobile station is currently located.

Claim 33

A system for accessing information within a geographical database associated with a radio telecommunications system serving mobile stations moving over a geographic area, said system comprising: means for sending a message from the mobile station to the system seeking to invoke the information service; means for acknowledging receipt of the information request message by the system; means for sending a specific query from the mobile station to the system seeking information from said database; means for determining a geographic location of the querying mobile station within one of a plurality of geographic areas in which the querying mobile station is currently located; means for searching the database with the specific query of the mobile station and the current geographic location of the mobile station; means for locating information within the database related to the query of said mobile station; means for organizing said located information hierarchically into groups in accordance with geographic zones with which said information has an association; and means for providing said organized information from the database to the querying mobile station in sequential groups in accordance with the proximity of the zone with which each group is associated to the zone in which the querying mobile station is currently located.

Claim 34

A system for accessing information within a geographical database associated with a radio telecommunications system serving mobile stations moving over a geographic area, said system comprising: means for sending a message from the mobile station to the system seeking to invoke the information service; means for acknowledging receipt of the information request message by the system; means for sending a specific query from the mobile station to the system seeking information from said database; means for determining a geographic location of the querying mobile station within one of a plurality of geographic areas in which the querying mobile station is currently located; means for searching the database with the specific query of the mobile station and the current geographic location of the mobile station; means for locating information within the database related to the query of said mobile station; means for organizing said located information hierarchically into groups in accordance with geographic zones with which said information has an association; and means for providing said organized information from the database to the querying mobile station in sequential groups in accordance with the proximity of the zone with which each group is associated to the zone in which the querying mobile station is currently located.