US6681115B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Communique subscriber handoff between a narrowcast cellular communication network and a point-to-point cellular communication network
Assignee: Qualcomm Inc
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Filing: 2001-07-11
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Granted: 2004-01-20
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Expires: 2021-07-11
Abstract
Abstract The communique system for cellular communication networks operates with existing cellular communication networks to provide communique communication services to subscribers. The Communique can be unidirectional (broadcast) or bidirectional (interactive) in nature and the extent of the Communique can be network-wide broadcast or narrowcast, where cells and/or cell sectors are grouped to cover a predetermined geographic area or demographic population or subscriber interest group to transmit information to subscribers who populate the target audience for the narrowcast transmissions. The grouping of cells to form the communique coverage area for the narrowcast transmissions need not be contiguous and can comprise dynamic combinations of contiguous and non-contiguous cells. In addition, the Communique transmission to an individual subscriber can be managed using the hand off capability of the cellular communication network. Thus, if the subscriber roams out of the narrowcast coverage area, the communique transmission to the subscriber is extended from the narrowcast coverage area via an “umbilical” connection on a point-to-point basis using the existing capabilities of the cellular communication network. This enables uninterrupted service for the subscriber even if the subscriber does not continue to remain within the narrowcast coverage area.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel B. McKenna
- 👤 James M. Graziano
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 19:07
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W4/00; H04W4/06; H04W4/08; H04W40/00; H04W40/02; H04W72/00; H04W72/30; H04W16/00; H04W16/24; H04W16/26; H04W36/00; H04W36/14; H04W36/142; H04W48/00; H04W48/20; H04W72/04; H04W72/044; H04W72/0453; H04W76/00; H04W76/20; H04W92/00; H04W92/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
264 words
A communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising: processor means for selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network; router means for routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and cellular communication means, responsive to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, for extending said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
264 words
A communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising: processor means for selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network; router means for routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and cellular communication means, responsive to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, for extending said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The communique system of claim 1 further comprising: content manager means for identifying a plurality of cell sites adapted to serve said subscribers; and content migration means for establishing communication connections from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected cells.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The communique system of claim 1 wherein said cellular communication means establishes a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
The communique system of claim 3 further comprising; transmitter means for transmitting information, constituting said communique from said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to said one wireless subscriber device via a selected one of a plurality of wireless communication channels in said at least one of said plurality of cell sites.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The communique system of claim 3 wherein said cellular communication means further comprises: control means for terminating said communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells upon completion of transmission of communiques.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
79 words
The communique system of claim 1 wherein said cellular communication means comprises: communique location register means for determining whether a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiqués to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells is authorized for said one wireless subscriber device.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The communique system of claim 1 further comprising: authorization means for enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said information via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
67 words
The communique system of claim 7 wherein said authorization means comprises: subscriber identification means for identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
The communique system of claim 8 wherein said subscriber identification means comprises: subscriber address means for assigning a common MIN as said communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
The communique system of claim 7 wherein said authorization means comprises: registration means for registering at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to uniquely identify said at least one wireless subscriber device; and channel assigning means for authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communique.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
83 words
The communique system of claim 1 further comprising: transmitter means, responsive to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming into a coverage area of said selected cells and receiving said communique via a one to one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells, for transmitting said communique to said one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels in said selected cells.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
261 words
A method of operating a communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising: selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected plurality of cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network; routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and extending, in response to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
261 words
A method of operating a communique system for providing a communique, constituting program content concurrently delivered to a plurality of subscribers, who are equipped with wireless subscriber devices, via a cellular communication network that includes a plurality of cell sites, each of which provides a plurality of wireless communication channels in a cell that covers a predetermined volume of space around a cell site transmitting antenna, comprising: selecting at least one of said plurality of cells to provide a communique to a plurality of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected plurality of cells, independent of the presence of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by other cells of said cellular communication network; routing data, constituting said communique, from a selected program source to cell sites associated with said selected cells for concurrent transmission to wireless subscriber devices of subscribers who are authorized to receive said communique and who are served by said selected cells, in at least one of said selected cells, said transmission to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices being effected concurrently to more than one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels; and extending, in response to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming outside of a coverage area of said selected cells, said communique to said one wireless subscriber device via a one-to-one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising: identifying a plurality of cell sites adapted to serve said subscribers; and establishing communication connections from said communique system to said cell sites associated with said selected cells.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising: establishing a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells to transmit, communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 14 further comprising: transmitting information, constituting said communique, from said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to said one wireless subscriber device via a selected one of a plurality of wireless communication channels in said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said step of extending said communique further comprises: terminating said communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells upon completion of transmission of communiques.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 12 wherein said step of extending said communique comprises: determining whether a communication connection from said communique system to said at least one of said of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells to transmit communiques to said at least one of said plurality of cell sites other than said cell sites associated with said selected cells is authorized for said one wireless subscriber device.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising: enabling each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to receive said information via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 18 wherein said step of enabling comprises: identifying each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 19 wherein said step of identifying comprises: assigning a common MIN as said communique address assigned to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to enable the cell sites to recognize each of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, whose communique address constitutes an identity that is common to said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 18 wherein said step of enabling comprise: registering at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices to uniquely identity said at least one wireless subscriber device; and authorizing said at least one wireless subscriber device to receive a subscriber selected communique via said one of said plurality of wireless communication channels.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising: transmitting, in response to a one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices roaming into a coverage area of said selected cells and receiving said communique via a one to one communication connection through at least one of said plurality of cells other than said selected cells, said communique to said one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices via a one of said plurality of wireless communication channels in said selected cells.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-01-19 | 2007-07-21 | 2008-01-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-01-19 | 2011-07-21 | 2012-01-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-01-19 | 2015-07-21 | 2016-01-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |