Abstract:
There is provided a method of transmitting and receiving broadcasting information by utilizing a cell broadcasting service (CBS) in a mobile telecommunication system. To transmit the broadcasting information, the broadcasting information is converted to a predetermined message code to the type and contents of the broadcasting information. A message having a header indicating the type of the broadcasting information and the converted message code is generated in a format predetermined depending on the type of the broadcasting information, and transmitted by utilization of the CBS.

Description:
PRIORITY  
         [0001]    This application claims priority to an application entitled “Method of Transmitting and Receiving Broadcasting Information by Cell Broadcasting Service in a Mobile Telecommunication System” filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Dec. 29, 2000 and assigned Ser. No. 2000-86178, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to a short message service (SMS) in a mobile telecommunication system, and in particular, to a cell broadcasting service (CBS), which utilizes a short message service.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Mobile telecommunication service providers provide an SMS to subscribers for transmission of short messages. A CBS as well as a point-to-point text service, that is, a bidirectional text service for exchanging short messages between terminals, can be provided by the SMS. CBS provides information related to daily life to terminals, in predetermined areas or in predetermined groups, such daily life information includes discounts for consumer products, stock quotes, weather, sports, currency rates and traffic status.  
           [0006]    However, since a CBS message transmits a limited amount of broadcasting information, it is relatively impossible to provide a large amount of information or diverse pieces of information to mobile subscribers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of transmitting and receiving a large amount of broadcasting information by utilizing a CBS.  
           [0008]    The above and other objects are achieved by providing a method of transmitting and receiving broadcasting information by utilizing a cell broadcasting service (CBS) in a mobile telecommunication system. To transmit the broadcasting information, the broadcasting information is converted to a predetermined message code according to the type and contents of the broadcasting information. A message having a header indicating the type of the broadcasting information and the predetermined message code is generated in a format predetermined depending on the type of the broadcasting information, and transmitted by utilizing the CBS.  
           [0009]    Upon receipt of the CBS message, a mobile station checks the header of the CBS message, and recovers the broadcasting information by comparing a message code of the CBS message with a predetermined code corresponding to the type and contents indicated by the header of the CBS message, if the header indicates there is a coded message in the CBS message. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a system to which the present invention is applied;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal to which the present invention is applied;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 illustrates the format of a message, according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a flowchart, which illustrates a message transmission procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a flowchart, which illustrates a message reception procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0016]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 illustrates a system configuration to which the present invention is applied. The system is comprised of: an Information Provider (IP)  10 , a telecommunication system  12 , base stations  14  and mobile stations  16 . In FIG. 1, each of the base stations (BSs)  14  is connected to mobile telecommunication system  12 . Mobile telecommunication system  12  includes an SMS center  18  for processing SMS messages, which provides mobile communication to a plurality of mobile stations (MSs)  16 . IP (Information Provider)  10  is connected to the mobile telecommunication system  12  in order to provide broadcasting information by utilizing the CBS. The mobile telecommunication system  12  includes a mobile telecommunication network as well as an MSC (Mobile Switching Center), an HLR (Home Location Register), a VLR (Visitor Location Register), a BSC (Base Station Controller), which is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, a detailed description of the mobile telecommunication system  12  will be omitted herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that a mobile telecommunication may comprise more elements than those recited above.  
         [0018]    The IP  10  transmits various pieces of information related to daily life to the mobile stations  16  via the base stations  14  by utilizing a CBS message processed in the SMS center  18 .  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a typical mobile station  16  to which the present invention is applied. The mobile station  16  is comprised of: a Micro-Processor Unit (MPU)  100 , a Read Only Memory (ROM)  102 , a Random Access Memory (RAM)  104 , a flash RAM  106 , a keypad  108 , a display  110 , a Coder/Decoder (CODEC)  112 , a microphone  114 , a speaker  116 , an antenna  118 , a Radio Frequency (RF) module  120  and a baseband processor  122 . Referring to FIG. 2, MPU  100  processes and controls the CBS, according to the present invention, as well as telephone calls, data communication, and Internet access. ROM  102  stores the micro-codes of control programs for the MPU  100  and reference data. RAM  104  acts as a working memory for the MPU  100 . Flash RAM  106  stores updatable data, in order to keep the updatable data stored in the MPU  100 . The flash RAM  106  is also partially used for storing CBS messages. Keypad  108  includes a plurality of digit keys and function keys and provides data corresponding to keys pressed by a user to the MPU  100 . CODEC  112  is connected to the MPU  100 . Microphone  114  and speaker  116  are voice input/output blocks for telephone calls and voice recording. RF (Radio Frequency) module  120  transmits/receives radio signals to/from a base station  14 , shown in FIG. 1. The RF module  120  modulates a transmission signal received from the MPU  100  through a baseband processor  122  and transmits the modulated signal through an antenna  118 . The RF module  120  demodulates an RF signal received through the antenna  118  and transmits the demodulated signal to the MPU  100 . The baseband processor  122  processes baseband signals transmitted between the RF module  120  and the MPU  100 .  
         [0020]    In order to increase the amount of information broadcasted to the mobile station by the conventional CBS in the mobile telecommunication system  12 , a transmitter converts broadcasting information to a predetermined message code according to its type and contents prior to transmission, and a receiver recovers the received message code to the original broadcasting information. Consequently, more information can be transmitted than in a conventional CBS message.  
         [0021]    For this purpose, the mobile telecommunication system  12  and the mobile station  16  store tables listing predetermined codes versus the types and contents of broadcasting information in a database. An example code table for weather information is shown below.  
                                                                                   TABLE 1                               Contents            Information type   area   date   time   weather            code   contents   code   contents   code   contents   code   contents   code   contents                       00   New York   00   today   00   06   00   fine               01   Chicago   01   tomorrow   01   07   01   cloudy               02   Seattle   02   day after   02   08   02   snow                           tomorrow                       00   weather   03   Denver   03   two days   03   09   03   rain                           after                                           tomorrow                               .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .               .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .               .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .                  
 
         [0022]    Now, the procedure for broadcasting information transmission by utilizing the CBS in the mobile telecommunication system  12 , as shown in FIG. 1, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, shall be discussed.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 4, in step  300  broadcasting information is converted to predetermined message codes, according to types and contents. A message with a header indicating the type of broadcasting information, and a converted message code is generated in a predetermined format, according to the type of the broadcasting information in step  302 . The message format is shown in FIG. 3 by way of example. FIG. 3 shows weather information converted to a message code based on the code table shown in Table 1. The message is comprised of a header  200  and a message code  202 . According to Table 1, the header  200  is 00 and the message code includes an area code, a date code, a time code and a weather code. The SMS center  18  transmits the generated message to the mobile station  16  by utilizing the CBS in step  304 .  
         [0024]    A CBS message reception procedure in the mobile station will be described with reference to FIG. 5.  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 5, upon receipt of the CBS message, the MPU  100  checks the header of the CBS message, in step  400 . If the header indicates a coded message, that is, a message converted to a message code, the MPU  100  goes to step  404 . For example, if the header is 00 according to the code table shown in Table 1, then there is a coded message. In step  404 , the MPU  100  compares the message code of the received CBS message with a predetermined code in Table 1, according to the type and contents of the broadcasting information indicated by the header, then the MPU  100  recovers the broadcasting information, and goes to step  406 . A database such as Table 1 is stored in the flash RAM  106  of the mobile station  16 .  
         [0026]    On the other hand, if the header does not indicate there is a coded message, that is, if the header indicates that the CBS message received is a typical CBS message, this implies that the broadcasting information was not coded and there is no need to recover the broadcasting information based on the code table. Therefore, the MPU  100  jumps to step  406  from step  402 .  
         [0027]    In step  406 , the MPU  100  checks whether a CBS display state is active or not. If it is active, the MPU  100  displays the CBS message on a display  110 , in step  408 . If it is not active, the MPU  100  stores the CBS message in the flash RAM  106 , in step  410 , so that it can be displayed upon user request. Steps  406  to  410  are also performed in the same manner as a conventional CBS message reception procedure.  
         [0028]    As described above, the amount of transmission data is decreased by encoding broadcasting information, according to its type and contents, prior to transmission, according to the present invention. Consequently, more information can be transmitted by a conventional CBS message. That is, a CBS message is transmitted after encoding by the conventional CBS, according to the present invention.  
         [0029]    While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof, it is a mere exemplary application. Besides weather information described as broadcasting information to be transmitted by the CBS in the above embodiment, other kinds of information can be broadcasted by the CBS. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.