METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DATA TRANSMISSION TO A REMOTE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Abstract: Method and apparatus for transmitting data from a central communication station (104) to a mobile communication device (106) using a pre-selected data protocol if the central communication station (104) cannot initiate data communication with the mobile communication device. The central communication station (104) contacts the mobile communication device (106) in a manner other than the pre-selected data protocol, such as by placing a wireless telephone call to the mobile communication device (106). The mobile communication device (106) contains means for determining the origin of the wireless telephone call (202, 200). If the mobile communication device (106) determines that the wireless telephone call originated from the central communication station (104), data communications are initiated by the mobile communication device (106) to the central communication station (104). Data is then transmitted from the central communication station (104) to the mobile communication device (106).

Description: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DATA TRANSMISSION TO A REMOTE COMMUNICATION DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to wireless communication systems and more particularly to a method and apparatus for transmitting data from a central communication station to a remote communication device when the central communication station can not initiate data communications with the remote communication device. II. Description of the Related Art The use of wireless communication systems is well known for transmitting information between fixed stations and one or more geographically dispersed remote receivers. For example, satellite communication systems have been used in the trucking industry for many years to provide messaging and location information between fleet-owned dispatch centers and their respective tractor-trailer vehicles. Such systems offer significant benefits to fleet owners because they allow almost instantaneous communications and real-time position information. In addition, many such systems provide remote monitoring of the performance characteristics of each fleet-owned vehicle, such as the average speed, RPM, and idle time of each vehicle. An example of such a satellite communication system is disclosed in U.S. patent number 4,979,170 entitled "ALTERNATING SEQUENTIAL HALF DUPLEX COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD", U.S. patent number 4,928,274 entitled "MULTIPLEXED ADDRESS CONTROL IN A TDM COMMUNICATION SYSTEM", and U.S. patent number 5,017,926 entitled "DUAL SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. In the satellite communication system described by the above-mentioned patents, fleet-owned dispatch centers communicate to their respective tractor- trailer vehicles using land-based systems such as telephone or fiber-optic networks to a central communication station (CCS), otherwise known as a network management facility (NMF), or hub. The CCS acts as a central communication station through which all communications between vehicles and dispatch centers pass. The CCS comprises a number of network management computers (NMCs), each NMC responsible for providing a communication path from the CCS to geographically dispersed vehicles in the communication system using a geosynchronous satellite. The geosynchronous satellite comprises one or more transponders, which are electronic circuits well known in the art for relaying high frequency satellite communication signals between remote locations. Each NMC is assigned an individual transponder, each transponder operating at a unique frequency in order to avoid interference with communication signals on other transponders. In the satellite communication system of the above-referenced patents, each transponder is capable of handling the communications needs of approximately 30,000 vehicles. Each vehicle in the communication system is equipped with a transceiver, otherwise known as a mobile communication terminal (MCT), for communicating message and location information to a pre-designated NMC via the geosynchronous satellite. The MCT typically also comprises an interface device which displays text messages to one or more vehicle occupants and accepts either voice or text messages to be transmitted to the vehicle's fleet- owned dispatch center. Furthermore, the MCT may further comprise a digital processor which communicates with one or more Electronic Control Units (ECUs) located at various points throughout the vehicle. Each ECU provides information relating to the operational performance of the vehicle to the digital computer indicating characteristics including, but not limited to, vehicle speed, engine RPM, and miles traveled. The wireless communication system described above allows vehicle occupants to easily contact their respective dispatch centers in order to keep fleet personnel apprised of various events throughout a typical delivery cycle. For example, upon arrival at a predetermined pickup destination, a vehicle operator may contact a dispatch center associated with the vehicle to alert fleet personnel of the time and location of the arrival. Similarly, after the truck has been loaded at the pickup destination, the driver may send a message to the dispatch center indicating the time of departure, the location from where the departure occurred, and a description of the goods that is being transported. Another example where a vehicle operator might transmit a status message to the dispatch center is when an unscheduled stop has been made and /or when the vehicle departs from the unscheduled stop. As stated above, mobile satellite communication systems have been used extensively in the past as the preferred method of communications. This was in part due to the fact that satellite services offered ubiquitous coverage, even in remote areas of the world. However, with the increasing availability of alternative communication networks and services, such as cellular telephone networks, it has become feasible for communications to be transmitted through these alternative communication networks, instead of traditional satellite systems. The primary benefits of using a cellular telephone communication network rather than a satellite communication network are lower messaging costs and the availability of voice communications. In order to transmit data, as opposed to voice, over a cellular telephone network, a pre-selected data protocol must be used by each mobile communication device and a central communication station. One of the more popular data protocols in use today is TCP/IP, which is used for data communications over the World Wide Web, including the Internet. TCP/IP is suitable for use as a wireless protocol as well. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol /Internet Protocol) is really two different data protocols which are used in conjunction with each other. Internet Protocol (IP) provides the basic delivery mechanism for packets of data sent between all systems on an internet, regardless of whether the systems are in the same room or on opposite sides of the world. IP does not guarantee to actually deliver the data to the destination, to guarantee that the data will be delivered undamaged, that data packets will be delivered to the destination in the order in which they were sent by the source, or that only one copy of the data will be delivered to the destination. Because it makes so few guarantees, IP is a very simple protocol. This means that it can be implemented fairly easily and can run on systems that have modest processing power and small amounts of memory. It also means that IP demands only minimal functionality from the underlying medium (the physical network that carries packets on behalf of IP) and can be deployed on a wide variety of networking technologies. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) provides a reliable byte-stream transfer service between two endpoints on an intranet. TCP depends on IP to move packets around the network on its behalf. IP is inherently unreliable, so TCP protects against data loss, data corruption, packet reordering and data duplication by adding checksums and sequence numbers to transmitted data and, on the receiving side, sending back packets that acknowledge the receipt of data. Before sending data across a data network, TCP establishes a connection with the destination via an exchange of management packets. The connection is destroyed, again via an exchange of management packets, when the application that was using TCP indicates that no more data will be transferred. TCP has a multi-stage flow-control mechanism which continuously adjusts the sender's data rate in an attempt to achieve maximum data throughput while avoiding congestion and subsequent packet losses in the network. It also attempts to make the best use of network resources by packing as much data as possible into a single IP packet, although this behavior can be overridden by applications that demand immediate data transfer and don't care about the inefficiencies of small network packets. In order to initiate communications using TCP/IP between a central communication station and a mobile data device, both entities must be assigned a unique IP address, or Internet Protocol address. The IP address is a four byte value that, by convention, is expressed by converting each byte into a decimal number (0 to 255) and separating the bytes with a period. An example of an IP address is 130.132.59.234. IP addresses are sometimes permanently assigned to data devices and other times not. A device not having a permanent IP address must be assigned one every time communications are desired. Typically, such a remote data device, such as a home computer, contacts a primary data device (for instance, an Internet Service Provider or ISP) which assigns an IP address to the remote data device upon request. Once communications are terminated, the previously assigned IP address is no longer used by the remote data device and may be reassigned to a subsequent requesting device. In a mobile application, IP addresses are typically not permanently assigned to mobile communication devices. The reason for this is due to the relatively infrequent need for a mobile device to communicate with a central communication station. When a mobile communication device wishes to communicate with a central station using TCP/IP, it must first request an IP address from a service provider. After an IP address has been assigned to the mobile communication device, data communications may take place between it and the central communication station. One problem with mobile communication devices not having a permanent IP address is that a communication link can not be established by a central communication station wishing to establish communications with mobile communication devices. An IP address can not be assigned to the mobile communication device by a request from the central station to do so. Therefore, there is a need in the mobile communications field to allow a central communication station to initiate data communications with one or more mobile communication devices. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method and apparatus for allowing a central communication station to initiate data communications with a remote communication device, when the central communication station would otherwise be unable to initiate data communications. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the remote communication device comprises a mobile communication device, located onboard a vehicle, for transmitting and receiving data with the central communication station. The mobile communication device comprises a transceiver section and a communication terminal. In the exemplary embodiment, the transceiver section comprises a cellular telephone capable of at least receiving communication signals from a central station over an existing cellular telephone network. The communication terminal comprises a processor, a display unit, an input device, and a memory for interfacing communications from the transceiver with one or more vehicle occupants. One or more electronic control units (ECUs), optionally located at various points throughout the vehicle, send and receive data to the communication terminal for display to the vehicle operator and /or to the transceiver for wireless transmission to the central communication station. The transceiver comprises an apparatus for determining the origin of an incoming initial communication from the central station. In the exemplary embodiment, the initial communication is in the form of a wireless telephone call, and the apparatus for determining the origin of the incoming telephone call is commonly referred to as a "Caller ID" device. In the exemplary embodiment, when data is available at the central communication station to be transmitted to a particular vehicle, the central communication station initiates a telephone call to the mobile communication device corresponding to the vehicle for which the data is available. When the telephone call is delivered to the intended mobile communication device, the Caller ID device determines the origin of the call. If the call is determined to have originated from the central communication station, this indicates that data is available to be transmitted to the mobile communication device from the central station, and the central station terminates the call. As a result of receiving the telephone call from the central station, the mobile communication device initiates data communications with the central station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly throughout and wherein: FIG. 1 is an illustration of a wireless communication system in which the present invention is used; FIG. 2 illustrates a transceiver and a communication terminal used in the communication system of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is a flowchart detailing the steps that are performed to send data from a central communication station to a mobile communication device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is a method and apparatus for enabling a central communication station to establish data communications with a remote communication device, when the central communication station would otherwise be unable to initiate data communications. The invention is described in the context of a vehicle-based mobile communication device in communication with a central communication station using a terrestrial-based, cellular telephone system. However, it should be understood that the present invention may be used in either wireless or tethered (non-wireless) applications. In relation to wireless applications, the present invention may be used with any number of wireless communication technologies such as TDMA, FDMA, or GSM terrestrial-based systems, or with satellite communication systems. Furthermore, the present invention may be used in a variety of vehicles, such as commercial trucks, busses, passenger vehicles, railcars, marine vessels, or airplanes. Finally, the present invention is not limited to use on or in vehicles, but can also be placed inside a package, worn as a personal monitoring device, or used in any situation for which it is desirable to initiate data communications from a central station to a remote data device. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a wireless communication system in which the present invention is used. Information is communicated between host 100 and ultimately vehicle 102 in the form of voice and /or data communication protocols. Host 100 communicates information to central communication station (CCS) 104 using well known communication channels, such as wireline or wireless telephone channels, fiber optic channels, or the like. Host 100 is typically a freight transportation company owning a large fleet of vehicles that are widely dispersed over a large geographic area. Typically, each vehicle comprises a mobile communication device 106, enabling communications with host 100 by way of CCS 104. Although only one host 100 and one vehicle 102 is shown in FIG. 1, in practice, many hosts 100 use CCS 104 to communicate information to and from their respective fleet vehicles. The information sent by host 100 to CCS 104 may comprise voice or data information that is directed to one or more vehicles in the communication system. Information may also originate from CCS 104 independently of host 100. In the case of information being transmitted from host 100, CCS 104 receives the information and attempts to forward it to the identified vehicle or vehicles, as the case may be. The particular vehicle or vehicles for which the message is intended is identified by specifying an alpha-numeric code, typically a code corresponding to a serial number which has been pre-assigned to mobile communication device 106 installed on vehicle 102. However, any known method may be used to uniquely identify vehicles in the communication system. Voice information is routed to a Mobile Switch Controller (MSC) 108 through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 110. MSC 108 interfaces with one or more base station controllers, one of which is shown as base station controller BSC 112. BSC 112 communicates with one or more base stations, one of which is shown as base station 114. MSC 108, BSC 112, and base station 114 are all well known in the art for providing wireless communications between landline telephone users and wireless communication devices. MSC 108 is a switch that accepts communications from PSTN 110 and routes them to the appropriate BSC 112. Mobile communication devices, such as mobile communication device 106, register periodically with one or more base stations. Registration is a well known technique in the mobile communication field that notifies MSC 108 where mobile communication devices are operating and through which base station or base stations they are in communication with. This allows for efficient routing of messages to the mobile communication devices. Voice information is directed to a particular mobile communication device 106 using an identification code pre-assigned to each mobile communication device 106. The identification code is commonly known as a Mobile Identification Number (MIN), Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or a combination of the two. In the exemplary embodiment, MINs are used to uniquely identify mobile communication devices in the communication system. Each MIN is unique to all other MINs distributed in the communication system. MSC 108 contains a database (not shown) which stores registration information for all mobile communication devices which are actively registered with MSC 108. The information comprises a MIN and a corresponding base station or base stations 114 that a particular mobile communication device is currently registered. Voice calls received by MSC 108 each contain a MIN corresponding to the mobile communication device that the call is intended for. MSC 108 looks up the MIN for each call received and routes the call to the base station 114 that the intended mobile communication device is operating within. At base station 114, the call is typically converted into a telephonic protocol suitable for wireless transmission to the mobile communication device, such as AMPS, CDMA, or GSM. In the exemplary embodiment, the telephonic protocols of Industry Standard IS-95, and its derivatives, are used. Each voice call begins with an initial communication to the mobile communication device advising it that a call is available for reception. Typically, an audible alert is generated by the mobile communication device to alert a user that a call is available. The initial communication may also include a MIN corresponding to the location from which the call originates. This is useful for identifying the origin of a call, as will be discussed later herein. The initial communication sent by base station 114 is received at mobile communication device 106 by transceiver 116. Transceiver 116 contains electronic circuitry well known in the art for receiving, downconverting, and demodulating the received initial communication. The initial communication is then routed to communication terminal 118 which routes it to terminal 120, typically a telephone handset. By contrast, when data is transmitted from CCS 104 to vehicle 102, it does not utilize the same communication protocol that is used to place a voice call, as explained above. Rather than transmitting data through PSTN 110, CCS 104 sends data through computer network 122 using a pre-selected data protocol. In the exemplary embodiment, the pre-selected data protocol is TCP/IP, which is well known in the art as a suite of protocols used extensively for communications over computer network 122. Computer network 122 is a system of many large computer networks joined together over high-speed backbone data links, ranging, for example, from 56 Kbps to T-l, T-3, OC-1 and OC-3. Computer network 122 comprises frame relay network 124 and router 126. Frame relay network 124 accepts a wide variety of data frames, each associated with a different data protocol, and transports them to one or more destinations. Router 126 is essentially an interface between MSC 108 and frame relay network 124. In addition, router 126 performs additional duties, such as finding the best route between two networks, load balancing, and prioritization of data transmission, among others. Frame relay network 124 and router 126 ensure that data packets from CCS 104 are sent to MSC 108 and vice-versa. TCP/IP typically combines two well known protocols: IP, or Internet Protocol, and TCP, which represents Transmission Control Protocol. IP provides the addressing needed to allow router 126 to forward data, generally broken down into small segments, or packets, across a multiple-computer network. IP attempts to deliver every data packet, but has no provisions for retransmitting lost or damaged packets. IP leaves such error correction, if required, to higher level protocols, such as TCP. IP requires an IP address of an intended recipient in order to work properly. IP addresses are 32 bits in length and have two parts: the Network Identifier (Net ID) and the Host Identifier (Host ID). Assigned by a central authority, the Net ID specifies the address, unique across the Internet, for each network or related group of networks. Assigned by a local network administrator, the Host ID specifies a particular host, station, or node within a given network and need only be unique within that network. TCP provides end-to-end connectivity between a data source and a destination with detection of, and recovery from, lost, duplicated, or corrupted data packets - thus offering the error control lacking in lower level IP routing. In TCP, message blocks from applications are divided into smaller segments, each with a sequence number that indicates the order of the segment within the block. The destination device examines the message segments and, when a complete sequence of segments is received, sends an acknowledgement (ACK) to the source, containing the number of the next byte expected at the destination. At MSC 108, data packets are received by Interworking module (IWF) 128. IWF 128 acts as an interface between MSC 108 and computer network 122 for transmitting and receiving data packets. Data packets received from IWF 128 are provided to BSC 112 and base station 114 much the same way that voice data is routed. However, instead of locating an MIN associated with an intended vehicle for which voice data is intended in a local database, MSC 108 locates an IP address associated with mobile communication device 106 for which the data is intended. The data is then sent to the base station 114 under which vehicle 102 is currently registered with, where it is then transmitted to vehicle 102, generally using wireless data protocols, such as those widely known and described in Industry Standards IS-99 and IS- 707. Vehicle 102 receives the data using transceiver 116, which downconverts and demodulates the data, and then provides to communication terminal 118 for processing. Communication terminal 118 accepts input from input device 130, outputs data to output device 132, and both sends and receives data from electronic display unit (ECU) 134. Input device 130 is typically a keyboard or voice actuated transducer for entering data to communication terminal 118 by a vehicle occupant. Output device 132 is typically a visual display device which presents data from communication terminal 118 to a vehicle occupant. Output device 132 could also be an audio transducer which presents audio data to the vehicle occupant. ECU 134 is an electronic device used on vehicle 102 to monitor a particular operating feature of vehicle 102. For example, ECU 134 could be a speedometer, an odometer, an RPM meter, or any other transducer to provide pertinent operating data to communication terminal 118. Typically, many ECUs 134 are installed into vehicle 102, although only one is shown in FIG. 1. Electronic data received by transceiver 116 is provided to communication terminal 118, where it is directed towards an intended device. For example, the data received by transceiver 116 could be a text message to a vehicle occupant and would be directed toward output device 132. The data could also be a digital message directed to a particular ECU 134, directing it to cease or begin operation. The above discussion with respect to data transmission assumes that mobile communication device 106 is currently assigned a valid IP address at the time data is to be delivered to it from CCS 104. However, mobile communication device 106 generally is not assigned a permanent IP address. This is because of the way in which an IP address is assigned to mobile communication device 106. IWF 128 is responsible for assigning an IP address to mobile communication device 106 upon request from the mobile communication device 106. IWF 128 assigns IP addresses using well-known techniques in the art. For example, the first two numbers of the IP address are generally the Net ID permanently assigned to the particular IWF 128 through which vehicle 102 desires communications through. When an IP address is requested, IWF 128 randomly assigns a 4 digit IP address having its permanently assigned Net ID as the first two numbers of the IP address. For example, if a first IWF 128 is assigned a Net ID of 127.55, it will assign IP addresses having a format of 127.55.XXX.YYY, where XXX and YYY are each numbers ranging from 0 to 255. A second IWF 128 having a Net ID of 45.188 will assign IP addresses having a format of 45.188.XXX.YYY. As vehicle 102 travels throughout the communication system, communications are necessarily routed through different base stations 114, MSCs 108, and IWFs 128. Whenever communications with vehicle 102 are directed through a new MSC 108, and, hence, a new IWF 128, an IP address associated with mobile communication device 106 will generally change. In order for CCS 104 to initiate data communications with mobile communication device 106, it must have a valid IP address currently assigned. Because the location of vehicle 102 is generally not known at the time data is to be transmitted to it, the IP address associated with mobile communication device 106 assigned to vehicle 102 is generally not known either. Therefore, CCS 104 generally can not initiate a data communication to mobile communication device 106. The present invention overcomes this problem as follows. When CCS 104 receives data from host 100 intended for vehicle 102, or when data is independently generated by CCS 104, CCS 104 initiates contact with vehicle 102 in an alternate protocol than what is typically used to transmit data. CCS 104 initiates an indication to vehicle 102 that data is available for it at CCS 104. In the exemplary embodiment, the alternate protocol in which communications are initiated is a telephonic communication protocol, by CCS 104 placing a wireless telephonic communication to mobile communication device 106. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. Any other method of informing vehicle 102 that data is available at CCS 104 may be used. For example, CCS 104 could also contact a vehicle operator using a CB radio, LMR radio, or the like, and verbally request that the operator initiate data communications with CCS 104. Alternatively, mobile communication device 106 may have the capability of receiving a satellite signal or an infrared signal, in which case CCS 104 could contact vehicle 102 using a satellite or infrared source, respectively. Because each vehicle 102 is assigned a permanent MIN, telephonic communications can usually be placed to the vehicle, no matter which MSC or base station the vehicle is operating within. CCS 104 places a telephonic communication to the intended vehicle 102 through PSTN 110, MSC 108, BSC 112, and base station 114 using standard telephonic protocols as described above. As stated above, the process of placing a telephonic communication typically involves a telephonic communication device sending an initial communication to a destination device indicating that a telephonic communication is pending for the destination device. In the field of wireless communications, this initial communication is typically sent over a paging channel in a message containing an origination code, typically a MIN, assigned to the telephonic communication device sending the initial communication. By sending the MIN associated with the telephonic communication device, a destination device can determine the origin of a call using well known techniques in the art, generally know as Caller ID. FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed view of transceiver 116 and communication terminal 118. The initial communication is received by vehicle 102 using transceiver 116. Transceiver 116 contains the necessary hardware for determining the origin of the initial communication by examining the origination code, or MIN in the exemplary embodiment, contained within the initial communication, and is shown as caller ID 200. Caller ID 200 uses well- known methods to determine the origin of the received initial communicaiton, as explained above. Typically, caller ID 200 displays a telephone number associated with the MIN for viewing by a communication device operator, in this case, a vehicle occupant, to help the operator determine whether or not to accept a call. In the present system, the phone number associated with each initial communication received is displayed on either output device 132 or handset 120, except if the initial communication originates from CCS 104, as explained below. In the present invention, processor 202 receives the initial communication from RF device 204, which is responsible for downconverting and demodulating the initial communication. Caller ID 200 then determines the MIN from the initial communication and provides a telephone number associated with the MIN to processor 202, although the MIN itself could alternatively be provided either alone, or together with, the telephone number. In addition, although caller ID 200 is shown in FIG. 2 as a separate entity from processor 202, it should be understood that caller ID could alternatively be incorporated into processor 202 using techniques well-known in the art. Processor 202 then compares the telephone number provided by caller ID 200 to an identification code associated with a predetermined location, generally a telephone number associated with CCS 104, which has been stored in memory 206. In the preferred embodiment, the telephone number stored in memory 206 is the telephone number of CCS 104, however, it could alternatively be associated with some other predetermined location, such as host 100. If the telephone number associated with the initial communication matches the telephone number stored in memory 206, communication terminal is informed of the match, and a data communication is initiated with CCS 104, as explained below. In addition, mobile communication device 106 does not answer the call if it has been determined that the call has originated from the location associated with the telephone number stored in memory 206. The initial communication is not answered by mobile communication device 106, in the preferred embodiment. Instead, as soon as the initial communication is successfully received by transceiver 116, an acknowledgement message is transmitted back to CCS 104, alerting CCS 104 that the initial communication was successfully received by vehicle 102. This acknowledgement protocol is a well known telecommunication protocol that is widely used in the telecommunication industry. When CCS 104 receives the acknowledgement message that the initial communication was successfully received by mobile communication device 106, it terminates the telephone call. Because CCS 104 knows that vehicle 102 has received the initial communication, and has therefore inherently communicated to vehicle 102 that it should initiate a data communication, there is no need for mobile communication device 116 to answer the telephone call. Processor 208, located in communication terminal 118, receives an indication from processor 202 that it should initiate a data communication with CCS 104 in response to the initial communication from CCS 104. Communication terminal 118 further comprises memory 210 for storing a second identification code associated with CCS 104, host 100, or any other entity that vehicle 102 is pre-programmed to initiate data communications upon receipt of an indication from processor 202. In the exemplary embodiment, the second identification code is an IP address associated with CCS 104. Processor 208 initiates an initial data communication with CCS 104 by sending a message in accordance with the previously-discussed TCP/IP protocol, including the IP address stored in memory 210 corresponding to the pre-determined entity. The initial data message is modulated and upconverted by transceiver 116 and transmitted to base station 114, BSC 112, and then to MSC 108. At MSC 108, the initial data message from vehicle 102 is received, downconverted, and demodulated, then provided to IWF 128. A further function of IWF 128 upon receiving an initial data message from vehicle 102 is to assign an IP address to the vehicle. For example, if the Host ID for IWF 128 is 124.45, then IWF 128 assigns an IP address to vehicle 102 by appending two digits to the Host ID, such as 23.155 to arrive at an assigned IP address of 124.45.23.155. IWF 128 ensures that no other vehicle is presently assigned the same IP address. Once IWF 128 has assigned an IP address to vehicle 102, the initial data message is modified to include the newly assigned IP address associated with vehicle 102. The modified initial data message is then sent to router 126, frame relay network 124, then on to CCS 104, in accordance with the IP address associated with CCS 104, as provided in the initial data message. The modified initial message is then received by CCS 104. CCS 104 may now send data to vehicle 102 because vehicle 102 now possesses a valid IP address, as provided in the modified initial data message. FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of the method used to initiate data communications from CCS 104 to vehicle 102 if vehicle 102 does not have a presently assigned IP address. The process begins at step 300. In step 302, CCS 104 desires to initiate a data communication with vehicle 102, either because it has received a data communication from host 100, or because CCS 104 has generated independent data that is to be transmitted to vehicle 102. In either case, the data communication identifies a particular vehicle(s) 102 for which the communication is intended, generally by supplying an alpha-numeric code corresponding to a serial number which has been pre-assigned to mobile communication device 106 and installed on vehicle 102. Each mobile communication device 106 is pre-assigned a permanent Mobile Identification Number or MIN that is typically stored in a database at CCS 104. In order to send the data communication from CCS 104 to the intended vehicle 102, mobile communication device 116 must have a valid IP address assigned to it in order for CCS 104 to initiate a data communication with vehicle 102. Generally, mobile communication device 106 only has a valid IP address when it is in active data communications through IWF 128. In step 304, CCS 104 initiates contact with vehicle 102 using an alternate communication protocol than what is typically used to transmit the data communication. CCS 104 initiates an indication to vehicle 102 that data is available for it at CCS 104. In the exemplary embodiment, the alternate communication protocol used to initiate communications is a telephonic protocol, by CCS 104 placing a telephone call to mobile communication device 106. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. CCS 104 accesses the database to determine the MIN corresponding to the alpha-numeric code and, hence, the vehicle 102 for which the data communication message is intended. In the exemplary embodiment, CCS 104 places a telephone call to the intended vehicle 102 through PSTN 110, MSC 108, BSC 112, and base station 114, as described above. The process of placing a telephone call typically involves sending an initial communication to the receiving device indicating that a telephone call is pending for that device. The initial communication includes a MIN corresponding to CCS 104. In step 306, the initial communication is routed to vehicle 102 and received by transceiver 116. Transceiver 116 contains caller ID 200, processor 202, and memory 206 for determining the origin of the incoming initial communication by determining the MIN and /or telephone number included in the initial communication. In step 308, if processor 202, caller ID 200, and memory 206 determine that the initial communication has originated from CCS 104, or any other predetermined location, an indication of this event is sent to processor 208, the indication alerting processor 208 that data is waiting to be retrieved from CCS 104. The initial communication is then terminated by CCS 104. Processing then continues to step 310. If processor 202, caller ID 200, and memory 206 determine that the origin of the initial communication is not CCS 104, then that is an indication that the initial communication is a "typical" voice call intended for a vehicle occupant. In this case, in step 312, the call is routed to handset 120 for use by the vehicle occupant. In step 310, processor 208 initiates a data communication with CCS 104 by sending an initial data communication using transceiver 116. The initial data communication is sent in accordance with a pre-selected data protocol, in the exemplary embodiment, TCP/IP. The initial data communication is received by base station 114, then sent to BSC 112 and then to IWF 128 contained within MSC 108. IWF 128 assigns an IP address to mobile communication device 106 and appends the initial data communication with this information. The appended initial data communication is then forwarded ultimately to CCS 104. In step 314, CCS 104 begins transmitting data to vehicle 102 in accordance with the pre-selected data protocol, using the IP address supplied by the appended initial data communication received from IWF 128. The previous description of the preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. What is claimed is:

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for transmitting data from a central communication station to a mobile communication device using a pre-selected data protocol, comprising: means for transmitting an initial communication to the mobile communication device in a manner other than the pre-selected data protocol; means for receiving said initial communication by said mobile communication device; means for identifying an origin of said initial communication by said mobile communication device; means for comparing said origin to an identification code associated with a predetermined location; and means for initiating a data communication by said mobile communication device to said predetermined location when said origin matches said identification code. 2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said initial communication comprises an origination code corresponding to said central communication station. 3. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for transmitting said initial communication comprises a wireless telephonic communication device. 4. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for identifying an origin comprises a caller ID device. 5. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for comparing said origin to an identification code associated with a predetermined location comprises: a memory for storing said identification code; and a processor connected to said memory for determining an origination code corresponding to said origin of said initial communication and comparing said origination code to said identification code. 6. Apparatus of claim 5 wherein said origination code and said identification code is each a telephone number corresponding to said central communication station and said predetermined location, respectively. 7. Apparatus of claim 5 wherein said memory is further for storing a second identification code corresponding to said predetermined location. 8. Apparatus of claim 7 wherein said second identification code is an IP address. 9. Apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for detecting when said initial communication has been successfully received by said mobile communication device; and means for discontinuing further communication from said mobile communication using said manner other than said pre-selected data protocol if said initial communication was successfully received by said mobile communication device. 10. Method of transmitting data from a central communication station to a mobile communication terminal using a pre-selected data protocol, comprising the steps of: transmitting an initial communication to the mobile communication terminal in a manner other than the pre-selected data protocol; receiving said initial communication by said mobile communication terminal; identifying an origin of said initial communication and comparing it to an identification code associated with a predetermined location; initiating a data communication by said mobile communication device to said predetermined location if said origin matches said identification code. 11. Method of claim 10 wherein said initial communication comprises an origination code. 12. Method of claim 11 wherein said origination code comprises a telephone number corresponding to said central communication station. 13. Method of claim 10 further comprising the step of: terminating said initial communication by said central communication station if said initial communication is successfully received by said mobile communication device. 14. Method of claim 10 wherein said pre-selected data protocol is TCP/IP and the step of transmitting said initial communication comprises the step of sending a wireless telephone call to said mobile communication device. 15. Method of step 10 wherein the step of identifying an origin of said initial communication comprises the steps of: determining an origination code from said initial communication corresponding to said origin; and comparing said origination code to said identification code. 16. Method of claim 15 wherein said origination code and said identification code each comprises a telephone number. 17. Apparatus for transmitting data from a central communication station to a mobile communication device using a first communication protocol, comprising: a transceiver for receiving an initial communication of a second communication protocol, said origin comprising an origin of said initial communication; a memory for storing an identification code associated with a predetermined location; a processor connected to said transceiver and to said memory for identifying said origin of said initial communication, for comparing said origin to said identification code stored in said memory, and for initiating communications of said first communication protocol if said origin matches said identification code. 18. Apparatus of claim 17 wherein said first communication protocol comprises a data protocol and said second protocol comprises a telephonic protocol. 19. Apparatus of claim 17 wherein said predetermined location comprises an entity wishing to transmit data to said mobile communication terminal.

Inventors: ALLDREDGE LAWRENCE G, ALLDREDGE, LAWRENCE, G.
Applicants: QUALCOMM INC, QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H04L12
IPC codes: H04L12, H04L29, H04W8, H04W80