Telecommunication Systems, Inc.

Mark Titus

Dara Ung

Erik L Wallace

Daniel J Hronek

Phillip W Geil

Walter Weichselbaumer

Johanna Wilson

Joseph Pohutsky

Carle S Johnson, Jr

Richard A Smith

Orville Pike

Tom McCormick

Drew Morin

Gordon John Hines

Roger Stuart Marshall

Timothy J Lorello

Robert T Calabrese

Paul Thompson

Joseph Hannan

Fei Yang

Elizabeth Countryman

Margaret S Shepard

Karl Lebedda

A technique and apparatus to provide status tracking of presence and/or location of wireless devices to requesting entities inside and/or outside a particular wireless system. Presence and/or location information is provided to entities outside a particular servicing wireless network via mechanisms of call processing components of a mobile network and standard mechanisms available to any appropriately conforming MSC element. In one embodiment, a wireless chat automatic status tracking system utilizes a change in mobile registration status to automatically forward or copy a registration notification (REGNOT) message to an external IP application, to notify a chat group system outside the wireless network of current status information activity regarding a relevant device. Change in mobile registration is communicated via a suitable signaling link between a HLR and the chat group system. REGNOT messages are pushed over TCP/IP connections to external applications to automatically notify the external system of a particular user's location.

Wireless chat automatic status tracking

A technique and apparatus to provide status tracking of presence and/or location of a mobile, wireless device to a requesting entity even outside of a particular wireless system. This allows wireless service providers the ability to monitor and log changes in the status of mobile stations within and/or outside their networks. Embodiments are disclosed wherein presence and/or location information is provided to entities outside of a particular servicing wireless network using the mechanisms of call processing components of a mobile network (e.g., call setup procedures), and using standard mechanisms currently available to any appropriately conforming Mobile Switching Center (MSC) element. A mobile activity status tracker (MAST) is disclosed which contains a database of information similar to the information contained in the Home Location Register. The MAST tracks and reports status and activity of mobile wireless devices in a wireless network using mobile registration message, mobile inactivity message forwarding, and/or mobile automatic notification of subscriber status to TCP/IP entities (e.g., application servers on the Internet or Intranet). The MAST system duplicates the same or similar information contained in a corresponding HLR, but is available as an external database entity which is not restricted by SS7 standards. The tracking need not track call-specific information, e.g., called telephone numbers or information regarding conversations sustained by the tracked wireless subscribers.

Mobile activity status tracker

A short messaging system (SMS) emergency services 911 system (SMS E911). Excess non-voice capacity is used to establish a Short Message Service (SMS) capability for generating an emergency 911 'equivalent' call, together with location information required by emergency services and to meet Federal 911 requirements. 911 requests for emergency assistance are delivered using non-voice centric sources such as SMS, email, and/or autonomous data/message generation devices. SMS 911 capability enables SMS savvy consumers to generate requests for emergency assistance to the local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The SMS 911 emergency services request can be understood by an otherwise conventional PSAP, including provision of location information, and translated to provide first responders with the emergency services information they need to offer timely assistance.

911 data messaging

Using wireless features, a public service agency is enabled to provide alert information to first responders. An automatic call back from the first responder triggers a voice call launching a location fix on the current location of the first responder. Preferably delivery confirmation that the responder has received the message is received. Once the location fix has been completed, then driving directions with map images are sent to the first responder based on their current location and desired destination for response.

First responder wireless emergency alerting with automatic callback and location triggering

A method and apparatus for steering location requests to a serving one of a plurality of possible location positioning devices. A location request may be steered base on an emergency status of the location request, whether or not the subscriber device has a valid data plan established, based on the device type of the wireless device, or based on the type of application running on the wireless device. A location request may also be steered to a fallback location device if a steering to a primary selected location device fails and sufficient time remains to locate via the fallback location device.

Location services gateway server

A Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) providing redundant cell broadcast centers (CBC). Multiple CBCs are interfaced to any given base station controller (BSC) or radio network controller (RNC) to provide geo-redundancy and high availability so that the failure of one CBC or a cluster of CBCs at one site will not cause service interruption for the area controlled by the associated BSC or RNC or for the entire service area in the public land mobile network (PLMN) network. The BSC or RNC interfaces to multiple CBCs at multiple sites without changes to the otherwise conventionally existing BSC/RNC, 3GPP 23.041 standard architecture.

Geo-redundant and high reliability commercial mobile alert system (CMAS)

A prepaid messaging solution that uses open networking standards and supports pre-payment of enhanced Internet messaging services. The prepaid messaging solution accurately determines if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a complete short message, prior to message delivery. Message delivery is prevented if insufficient funds are in the subscriber's account. A prepaid tariff engine, preferably extensible over a TCP/IP network, supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply a real-time billing charge for each message. A service provider may create subscriber classes of service that define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans used to apply real-time billing charges for sending/receiving messages. The prepaid short message tariff engine determines the appropriate message billing based upon, e.g., flat rate per message, character count, Time of Day, etc. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports Internet web page access to subscriber's short messaging account balances and account status.

Prepaid short messaging

Wireless chat automatic status signaling

Wireless devices communicate (using SMS messaging) with a proxy server (e.g., a wireless messaging gateway) to generate network initiated requests. In this way, a wireless device which might not otherwise be able to, can now participate in advanced applications such as location based services (LBS) communities, thus extending LBS presence type information to non-programmable wireless devices. Short messaging system (SMS) functionality is implemented as a least-common-denominator means enabling standardized communication between a wireless device and a wireless device application. Wireless devices use SMS messaging as a proxy communications means to communicate with a proxy server (e.g., a wireless messaging gateway) to generate network initiated requests. The network initiated requests are packaged within SMS messages, allowing wireless devices a simple mechanism for participating in, e.g., location based services (LBS) communities, and for generally extending LBS presence type information to non-programmable handset devices.

Short messaging system (SMS) proxy communications to enable location based services in wireless devices

A technique and apparatus to provide status tracking of presence and/or location of a mobile, wireless device to a requesting entity even outside of a particular wireless system. This allows wireless service providers the ability to monitor and log changes in the status of mobile stations within and/or outside their networks. Embodiments are disclosed wherein presence and/or location information is provided to entities outside of a particular servicing wireless network using the mechanisms of call processing components of a mobile network (e.g., call setup procedures), and using standard mechanisms currently available to any appropriately conforming Mobile Switching Center (MSC) element. In one disclosed embodiment, a wireless chat tracking system is implemented which utilizes a change in mobile registration status to automatically notify a chat group system outside the wireless network of current status information activity regarding a relevant device, e.g., registration activity or inactivity timeout. In the wireless chat automatic status tracking system, a registration notification (REGNOT) message is either explicitly forwarded or copied to an external IP based application (e.g., to a mobile chat group system). The change in mobile registration is communicated via a suitable signaling link (e.g., SS7, TCP/IP, etc.) between a Home Location Register (HLR) and the chat group system. Therefore, instead of a conventionally closed system using SS7 messages, REGNOT messages are pushed out over TCP/IP connections to external applications (e.g., chat servers) to automatically notify the external system of the location of a particular user.

A prepaid messaging solution using open networking standards (e.g., TCP/IP) to support pre-payment of Internet messaging services. The disclosed prepaid architectures/methods determine if a subscriber has sufficient account balance to deliver a short message, prior to message delivery. A message may be prevented from being delivered (at the source end or destination end) if a subscriber account has insufficient funds. A prepaid tariff engine supports remote interaction with the SMSC and web chat servers to apply real-time billing for each message. A service provider may define subscriber rates and/or tariffing plans to apply real-time billing for sending/receiving messages. Message billing may be based upon, e.g., rate per message, message count, character count, Time of Day, Day of Week, message type, and/or mobile location. The prepaid short messaging service preferably supports internet access to subscriber's account balances and status maintained in the prepaid short messaging database of the prepaid messaging server.

Growing community of inventors

Arnold, MD, United States of America

Mark Titus