Source: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/8712457.html
Timestamp: 2018-11-13 16:57:16
Document Index: 723401305

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 04078485', 'art 1', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 11', 'art 16', 'art 12', 'art 16', 'art 1']

Method for dynamic multi-level pricing for wireless communications according to quality of service - Patent # 8712457 - PatentGenius
8712457 Method for dynamic multi-level pricing for wireless communications according to quality of service
Inventor: Zellner, et al.
U.S. Class: 455/506; 370/329; 370/448
Field Of Search: ;455/506; ;370/329; ;370/448
Foreign Patent Documents: 0 370 826; 0 717 579; 0 752 793; WO 97/11566; WO 97/16040
Other References: US. Official Action dated Jul. 16, 2009 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/960,434. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Mar. 8, 2011 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Apr. 22, 2011 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/144,050. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Sep. 5, 2003 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,594. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Feb. 24, 2004 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,594. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Aug. 5, 2004 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,594. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Apr. 27, 2005 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,594. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Oct. 25, 2002 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/922,042. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated May 8, 2003 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/922,042. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Dec. 8, 2003 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/922,042. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Aug. 5, 2004 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/922,042. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Mar. 21, 2005 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/922,042. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Feb. 5, 2001 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/579,000. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Sep. 4, 2003 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,593. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Feb. 17, 2004 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,593. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Sep. 3, 2004 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,593. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Apr. 5, 2005 in U.S. Appl. No. 09/559,593. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Apr. 30, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 10/663,087. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Oct. 17, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 10/663,087. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Nov. 22, 2006 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,857. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Jun. 8, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,857. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Nov. 26, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,857. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Feb. 21, 2008 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,857. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Apr. 30, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,858. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Oct. 5, 2007 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,858. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Apr. 2, 2008 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,858. cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance / Allowability dated Aug. 19, 2008 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/248,858. cited by applicant.
U.S. Appl. No. 11/960,434, filed Dec. 19, 2007, entitled "Associated Systems and Methods for Providing Data Services Using Idle Cell Resources," Inventor Samuel N. Zellner. cited by applicant.
European Search Report dated Apr. 11, 2005 in Application No. 04078485.2. cited by applicant.
International Search Report issued by European Patent Office in PCT/US98/15568, in the name of BellSouth Corporation, mailed Jan. 21, 1999. cited by applicant.
"Differential Channel Allocation," Function Specification 3/155 17-ANT 240 07 Uen B. cited by applicant.
Data Communications (Tech Tutorials) "Going the Distance with QOS", Mick Seaman and Bob Klessig, 3Com Corp., Feb. 1999. cited by applicant.
Data Communications (Tech Tutorials) "Serving Up QOS End to End", Marguerite Reardon, Nov. 21, 1998. cited by applicant.
Data Communications (Tech Tutorials) "The Policy Makers", Stephen Saunders, May 1999. cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2); Specification of the Subscriber Identity Module-Mobile Equipment (SIM-ME) interface (GSM 11.11 version 4.19.1)," European Telecommunication Standard, ETS 300 608, Jan. 1998. cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+); High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD)--Stage 1 (GSM 02.34)," Global System for Mobile Communication, ETSI GSM 02.34 V5.1.0, Mar. 1997. cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+); High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD)--Stage 2 (GSM 03.34)," Global System for Mobile Communication, TS 101 038 V5.0.1 (Apr. 1997). cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption Service (eMLPP)--Stage 1 (3G TS 22.067 version 3.0.1 Release 1999)," Global System forMobile Communication, ETSI TS 122 067 V3.0.1 (Jan. 2000). cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption Service (eMLPP)--Stage 2 (3G TS 23.067 version 3.0.0 Release 1999)," Global System forMobile Communication, ETSI TS 123 067 3.0.0 v3.0.0 (Jan. 2000). cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption Service (eMLPP)--Stage 3 (3G TS 24.067 version 3.0.0 Release 1999)," Global System forMobile Communication, ETSI TS 124 067 3.0.0 v3.0.0 (Jan. 2000). cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Service Accessibility (3G TS 22.011 version 3.1.0 Release 1999)," Global System for Mobile Communication, ETSI TS 122 011 V3.1.0 (Jan.2000). cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+); Enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption Service (eMLPP)-Stage 1 (GSM 02.67)," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Global System for Mobile Communications TechnicalSpecification, Version 5.0.1, Jul. 1996. cited by applicant.
"Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) Mobile Services Switching Centre-Base Station System (MSC-BSS) Interface; Layer 3 Specification (GSM 08.08)," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Global System for MobileCommunications Technical Specification, Version 5.4.0, Nov. 1996. cited by applicant.
In the Matter of "The Development of Operational, Technical and Spectrum Requirements for Meeting Federal, State and Local Public Safety Agency Communication Requirements Through the Year 2010," Federal Communications Commission FCC 00-242, SecondReport and Order, Adopted Jul. 3, 2000, Released Jul. 13, 2000. cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 1: General network design," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-1, Feb. 1996. cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 10: Supplementary Services stage 1; Part 10-01: Call identification" European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-10-01, Apr. 1996.cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 10: Supplementary Services stage 1; Part 10-09: Access priority" European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-10-09, Apr. 1996.cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 10: Supplementary Services stage 1; Part 10-16: Pre-emptive priority call" European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-10-16, Apr.1996. cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 2: Air Interference (AI)," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-2, Mar. 1996. cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio (TETRA); User requirements for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)" European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETR 295, Aug. 1996. cited by applicant.
"Radio Equipment and Systems (RES); Trans-European Trunked Radio system (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D) Open channel" European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETR 120, Nov. 1994. cited by applicant.
"Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Designers' guide; Part 1: Overview, technical description and radio aspects ," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETR 300-1, May 1997. cited by applicant.
"Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 11: Supplementary services stage 2; Sub-part 16: Pre-emptive Priority Call (PPC)," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETS 300 392-11-16, Sep. 2000. cited by applicant.
"Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA); Voice plus Data (V+D); Part 12: Supplementary services stage 3; Sub-part 16: Pre-emptive Priority Call (PPC)," European Telecommunications Standards Institute, final draft ETSI EN 300 392-12-16 v1.2.0 (May 2004).cited by applicant.
"Trans European Trunked Radio (TETRA) system; Technical requirements specification Part 1: Voice plus Data (V+D) systems; " European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETR 086-1, Jan. 1994. cited by applicant.
"Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); UTRAN lu Interface RANAP Signaling (3G TS 25.413 version 3.0.0 Release 1999)," ETSI TS 125 413 V3.0.0 (Jan. 2000). cited by applicant.
U.S. Notice of Allowance dated Dec. 28, 2011 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/144,050. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Apr. 25, 2012 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Nov. 21, 2012 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Dec. 11, 2012 in U.S. Appl. No. 13/586,962. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Aug. 12, 2011 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147. cited by applicant.
U.S. Official Action dated Sep. 30, 2011 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/144,050. cited by applicant.
U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147 Office Action mailed Feb. 10, 2014. cited by applicant.
U.S. Office Action dated Aug. 28, 2013 in U.S. Appl. No. 12/052,147. cited by applicant.
U.S. Office Action dated Aug. 2, 2013 in U.S. Appl. No. 13/586,962. cited by applicant.
Abstract: A method for pricing wireless communications services on a wireless network is described. A selection of a plurality of priorities available for transmitting a wireless communication transaction on a wireless network is provided, wherein the priority to be selected corresponds to the speed and allowable delay by which the transaction is to be transmitted. Transactions of lower priority are temporarily discontinued in favor of higher priority transactions when network capacity reaches a predetermined level. An amount is charged for the wireless communication transaction at a price corresponding to the priority and duration to be selected.
1. A method for managing access to a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving, at a controller associated with the wireless network, a first request from anapplication of a mobile handset to transmit, via the wireless network, a communication configured by the application, the communication associated with a first priority level; providing, by the controller, authorization to the mobile handset totransmit, via the wireless network, the communication based on the first priority level; after a portion of the communication based on the first priority level is transmitted via the wireless network, receiving, at the controller, a second request fromthe mobile handset associating a remaining portion of the communication to be transmitted with a second priority level higher than the first priority level; and providing, by the controller, authorization to the mobile handset to transmit the remainingportion of the communication based on the second priority level.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmission of the portion of the communication based on the first priority level is charged a first amount corresponding to the first priority level and transmission of the remaining portion of thecommunication based on the second priority level is charged a second amount corresponding to the second priority level.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remaining portion of the communication transmitted based on the second priority level is transmitted immediately.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an acknowledgement from the mobile handset that transmission of the communication is complete; and providing a charge associated with the communication after receipt of theacknowledgment.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, after the portion of the communication based on the first priority level is transmitted via the wireless network, a capacity message to the mobile handset, the capacity message indicatinga status of the wireless network.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the capacity message is provided after communications associated with the first priority level are denied access, over a predetermined amount of time, to the wireless network.
7. An access control manager for managing access to a wireless network, the access control manager operative to perform operations comprising: receiving a first request from an application of a mobile handset to transmit, via the wirelessnetwork, a communication configured by the application, the communication associated with a first priority level; providing authorization to the mobile handset to transmit the communication based on the first priority level; after a portion of thecommunication based on the first priority level is transmitted via the wireless network, receiving a second request from the mobile handset associating a remaining portion of the communication to be transmitted with a second priority level higher thanthe first priority level; and providing authorization to the mobile handset to transmit the remaining portion of the communication based on the second priority level.
8. The access control manager of claim 7, wherein transmission of the portion of the communication based on the first priority level is charged a first amount corresponding to the first priority level and transmission of the remaining portionof the communication based on the second priority level is charged a second amount corresponding to the second priority level.
9. The access control manager of claim 7, wherein the remaining portion of the communication transmitted based on the second priority level is transmitted immediately.
10. The access control manager of claim 7, wherein the access control manager is further operative to perform operations comprising: receiving an acknowledgement from the mobile handset that transmission of the communication is complete; andproviding a charge associated with the communication after transmission of the acknowledgment.
11. The access control manager of claim 7, wherein the access control manager is further operative to perform operations comprising providing, after the portion of the communication based on the first priority level is transmitted, a capacitymessage indicating a status of the wireless network.
12. The access control manager of claim 11, wherein the capacity message is provided after communications associated with the first priority level are denied access, over a predetermined amount of time, to the wireless network.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a charge associated with the communication before transmission of the communication is complete.
14. The method of claim 5, wherein the second priority level associated with the remaining portion of the communication is selected by the mobile handset after receipt of the capacity message.
Through the combination of wireless telephony and mobile computing technologies, digital wireless handsets are now available that can allow users to communicate with others by voice, e-mail, paging, facsimile, etc., and to transmit or receiveinformation through the internet over a wireless network. Manufacturers of internet-capable telephones and personal digital assistants (PDA's) are coordinating with internet web site content providers to develop specialized versions of popular web sitesfor wireless access and interaction. In almost any location, while stationary or while in motion, consumers can use wireless networks to browse the world-wide web, participate in e-commerce transactions, join others through interactive game software, orcommunicate with others by voice or by other means through transmission of data.
Wireless cellular networks operate by establishing a communications link over radio waves between a mobile transmitter/receiver and a network transmitter/receiver located in the general vicinity of the mobile transmitter/receiver. Networktransmitter/receivers each provide coverage for a limited geographical region, or cell, and are usually located near the center of the respective region on a cell tower. As a mobile transmitter/receiver is moved across different regions during awireless communication, e.g., in an automobile, the call is transferred from one cell tower to the next.
For wireless communications, a bottleneck occurs during busy periods that can slow down communications because there are a limited number of radio links, or access points, into the wireless network. During the course of a day, the volume ofsubscribers requesting cellular service at cells in certain locations may overload the cell and strain capacity. For example, cells that are located near high traffic roadways that lead to a downtown city may be extremely busy during the morning andevening rush hours. Cells that are located near shopping malls in suburban areas may become congested during the weekend. Some cells may become overloaded during special events or holidays. Conversely, other cells may be relatively empty or unoccupiedduring certain times of the day. For example, cell sites in a downtown city may be unoccupied during the weekend, while many suburban cell sites are crowded.
When a cell site is operating at full capacity, the mobile transmitters/receivers may have to wait before obtaining access for communications. While a transmission delay may not be significant for an e-mail communication or a file transfer, thedelay is probably not acceptable for voice-over-IP telephony or other time-sensitive communications. Under the current cellular service systems, with airtime priced either according to "peak" and "nonpeak" time or a fixed rate with a number of minutesallotted, there is no incentive for subscribers to refrain from accessing the wireless network at a busy cell site, as opposed to waiting until the subscriber is located near an uncrowded cell site.
The present invention provides a method for pricing wireless communication services on a wireless network according to a transmission priority level that is designated for each transaction. A transaction is priced at a rate corresponding to thetransmission priority level by which the transaction is transmitted over the network. For some types of wireless communications, subscribers can choose from a plurality of transmission priority levels. Transactions of higher priority are generallytransmitted before transactions of lower priority.
When all access links are occupied on the wireless network, a transaction of comparatively low priority may be temporarily discontinued in favor of a request for a transaction of higher priority. Therefore, if a subscriber wants to ensureaccess to the wireless network for a particular transaction, the subscriber can designate a high priority for the transaction, in accordance with a subscriber plan according to the present invention. Conversely, if delivery time is not critical foranother transaction, the subscriber can designate a low priority for the transaction. The usage amongst the cell sites is therefore maximized by pricing transactions according to their corresponding priority. The available selection of priority levelsis determined by the network such that wireless communications that require high bandwidth will have a comparatively high priority.
The price charged for the wireless communications is determined according to subscription plans. Subscribers can pre-select the priority levels for wireless communication transactions. Subscribers can purchase an allotment of transactionunits, where the amount to be charged for wireless communications is a number of units from the allotment of transaction units. The charge for a wireless communication can occur at the conclusion of a transaction, or at intervals during the transmissionof the transaction. If the priority selected for the communication is changed during the course of the transaction, the charge can be pro-rated.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the multi-level wireless network service utilized in performing the method of the present invention. A mobile transmitter/receiver handset is physically located in close proximity to cell tower 13, which is partof a packet switched wireless network. The handset is capable of supporting at least one or any number of applications, and contains a queue, or buffer, for temporarily storing data packets to be communicated to cell tower 13. The handset 10 is capableof running at least three applications, App. A1, App. A2, and App, A3, labeled 10a-10c, respectively, and contains queue 10d and communications manager 10e. A communications manager in the handset stores control information to be transmitted to celltower 13 to initiate a wireless communication. Cell tower 13 transmits and receives radio frequency signals from handsets within a general region or cell. The handset 10 is to be used by a subscriber to the wireless network, and access to the wirelessnetwork is allocated according to a subscriber plan, to be discussed in further detail below.
Cell tower 13 is in communication with access control manager 14. Access control manager 14 also communicates with a plurality of other cell towers (not shown in FIG. 1) to control access to the wireless network. Access control manager 14 maybe regionally located, as one of several access control managers on a network, or may be centrally located for the entire network. Access control manager 14 communicates with access buffer 15, which stores data received from the internet 16 before it istransmitted on the wireless network. Access control manager 14 is connected to a transactions records database 12 for maintaining transaction records and charged amounts for transactions. Alternatively, the transaction records database can be includedwithin the access control manager 14. The data fields in the database might include: account or device ID (IP address, MIN), priority level, duration of session (seconds), packets transmitted (bytes), terminating location (IP address), session type(symmetric or asymmetric), latency level (allowable delay in milliseconds), and/or cell ID. The Internet can be operatively connected to a variety of servers, such as interactive game server 17, email server 18, and voice-over-IP telephone server 19.
The applications supported by the handset are configured to communicate with the wireless network at one or more priority levels. The applications may include services such as e-mail, instant mail, unified messaging, short messaging, paging,world-wide web browsing, pointcast, interactive action games, internet telephony, internet facsimile, file transfer, etc. The priority levels are used by the access control manager 14 in the wireless network to determine the relative order of access tothe wireless network for different applications during periods of congestion. Each application may have a default priority level. For example, internet telephony applications, which require rapid transmission of data packets in order to carry anatural-sounding voice communication, will likely have a higher default priority level than an e-mail application, which can usually be delayed without a noticeable effect.
To provide dynamic quality of service adjustments, many applications can be configured to operate at several different priority levels according to the relative importance of a particular transaction to a user. As an example, a subscriber mayrequest to send an e-mail at a higher priority than the default level, when the email contains time sensitive information and the delivery time is critical. By charging subscribers for access to the network according to the priority level for eachtransaction, the subscribers have a financial incentive to reserve designating high priority transactions for applications for which quick transmission is important.
FIG. 2 provides a flow diagram of the steps for initiating and transmitting a transaction from an application in a handset to transmit data along the wireless network, from the perspective of a controller in a handset. In step 20, a transactionrequest is received from a user application in a handset. As discussed above, this transaction request could relate to sending or receiving an e-mail, engaging in voice-over-IP, receiving a file transfer, etc. The user application in the handset nextconfigures the transaction in accordance with input from the user in step 21. For example, if the transaction is an e-mail communication to be transmitted from a handset, the handset receives the message text keyed in by the user, attaches anyattachment files, and configures the header of the message to supply the required email addressing information.
The handset next provides a selection of priority levels by which the network can transmit the transaction, in step 22. The wireless network itself provides a certain selection of priority levels that are approved for the type of transaction. Of those selected by the wireless network, the application designer selects a subset of priority levels in which the user application will operate correctly. From that subset, the subscriber pre-selects one or more priority levels to choose from whenoperating the handset, as part of the subscriber agreement. As will be discussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, the selection of priority levels for any type of transaction is therefore the subset of the priority levelsthat are designated by the network, the application designer, and the subscriber.
After the subscriber chooses a priority level, in step 23, the handset converts the transaction data into data packets for transmission over the wireless network. A control packet is transmitted to the access control manager in the wirelessnetwork in step 24. Once authorization is received to transmit the transaction, in step 25, the handset converts the data into data packets in step 26 and transmits the data packets on the wireless network, in step 27. Depending upon the transaction,the data packets are either transmitted directly from the user application, or the data packets are transmitted from a queue in the handset. If the transaction is a voice communication, the handset will also receive data packets as part of thetransaction.
Depending upon the transaction, the handset may send an acknowledgment to the wireless network upon completion of the transaction, which is forwarded to a subscriber account to charge for the transaction. The subscriber can be charged accordingto the size of the transaction, the amount of time required for the transaction, or any of a variety of other factors, as will be described in further detail below. Although the user in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is charged only after sendingan acknowledgment of the completion of the transaction, the wireless communication system can also be configured to charge the subscriber even if the transaction is not completed.
FIG. 3 describes how the wireless service responds to the transmission request. In step 30, the cell tower receives a control packet transmitted by the handset. Generally, the cell tower reserves capacity for transmission of control packetsbetween itself and the handsets to indicate when authorization is granted for transactions. However, when the cell tower reaches full capacity, handsets may be temporarily unable to transmit control packets to the cell tower, which will be indicated bya "busy" signal during those times.
The cell tower forwards a control packet with a transmission request to the access control manager in step 31. The control manager then performs an evaluation of the existing capacity on the wireless network, in step 32. If there is anavailable access link, the requested capacity is allocated to the handset for the transaction, in step 33. The access control manager then sends access authorization to the corresponding cell tower to be transmitted to the handset in step 34. Thehandset begins transmission of the data packets, which are received by the cell tower in step 35. For transactions that involve bidirectional communications, data packets may also be received in the wireless network for transmission to the handset. Atthe conclusion of the transaction, a transaction record is stored in the subscriber's account for billing, in step 36.
When the ACM determines that there are no available access links on the wireless network in step 32, the access control manager next evaluates in step 38 whether there are any occupied access links that are transmitting packets for transactionsof lower priority than the pending transaction request. If there is a lower priority transmission occurring, the access control manager performs a series of operations, in step 37, to discontinue the lower priority transaction in favor of a higherpriority transmission. A signal is sent via a control packet to the handset 10 that is engaged in the lower priority data packet transmission. The signal indicates to that handset transmitter/receiver that access to the wireless network is denied.
The access control manager then allocates the requested capacity for the higher priority transmission, in step 33, and authorizes the handset to send data packets in step 34. The wireless network then receives the data packets in step 35. Ifthere is no lower priority transmission that is occurring, the access control manager sends a data packet to the requesting handset denying the request for an access link in step 39. A handset whose transaction is discontinued in favor of a transactionwith higher priority operates in the same manner as a handset that is denied access from the outset. The wireless network can be configured in several ways for responding to a denial of network access, as will be further described below.
As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless network handles transmission of data packets that are incoming to the handsets from the internet in a similar manner to the outgoing transmission as described above. In step 40, the access buffer receives datapackets from the internet. The control packet for this data is forwarded to the access control manager in step 41. The control manager then performs an evaluation of the existing capacity on the wireless network, in step 42. If there is an availableaccess link, the requested capacity is allocated to the access buffer for the transaction, in step 43. An authorization signal is sent to the buffer in step 44, the data packets are forwarded to the cell tower in step 45, and the cell tower transmitsthe data packets over the wireless network for reception by the handset, in step 46. Upon completion of the transaction, a transaction record is stored in the subscriber's account, in step 47.
When there are no available access links on the wireless network, the access control manager next evaluates in step 48 whether there are any access links that are transmitting packets for transactions of lower priority than the pendingtransaction request. The priority level designated in a control packet for a transaction in the access buffer can be forwarded by the sender over the internet, or it may be the default level for the type of application that corresponds with the datapackets. If there is a lower priority transmission occurring, the access control manager discontinues the lower priority transaction in favor of a higher priority transmission, in step 49. Access is then granted to the access buffer according to steps43-46, as previously described. If there is no lower priority transmission that is occurring, the access control manager denies the request by the buffer for an access link in step 50.
There are several possible configurations for re-requesting transmission of a transaction by either a handset or the access buffer after access is denied or discontinued. Each of these configurations may be performed in the background of ahandset's operation, during which time the handset can be used for other applications, including other transactions requiring wireless transmission of data.
In one embodiment, the handsets in the network can be designed to send a new request for access after a given delay. As an alternative to receiving repeated requests by the handsets and access buffer, the access control manager may beconfigured to broadcast a message after a period of time that describes the current capacity at each cell tower. The handsets that are denied access wait to send a request for an access link until the broadcast message is received. Once the broadcastmessage is received, the handsets send requests for access in accordance with the broadcast message. An additional alternative is to provide an access request queue residing at the access control manager to register the denied handset requests.
The wireless network can also include a network traffic capacity monitor to inform users as to whether it is necessary to select a higher priority level to gain effective access for a transaction. Each time that the network evaluates whetherthere is capacity at a cell site for a transaction of a certain priority level, the access control manager pools all of the access links to determine the capacity on the network. This information can then be used for sending a broadcast message to thehandsets. As an example, consider a network priority implementation that determines access based upon five priority levels. The access control manager might broadcast a warning message to handsets when the network has not accepted a level 3communication for over five minutes. Continuing with this example, if a user is about to send an e-mail message at level 3, the handset can suggest that the user consider sending the message with a higher priority. Even if the broadcast message merelyindicates whether a cell site is "at capacity," "busy," or "not busy," a user can benefit from this information in determining whether to wait before engaging in a wireless transaction.
To assist the user in monitoring workflow, the handsets can provide an indicator that shows the percentage of data packets that were transmitted from the handset. If a user is not satisfied with the current access level to the wireless network,the handset can reconfigure the control packet associated with the transaction to transmit the remaining packets with a higher priority level. For example, if a user unsuccessfully requested to transmit an e-mail message at a low priority level, theuser may wish to upgrade the transmission of the e-mail at higher priority. Perhaps at the higher priority level, the access control manager will immediately transmit the remaining packets in the queue. Thus, the quality of service over the wirelessnetwork can be changed dynamically, during an individual transaction.
When access for all or part of a transaction has been denied, a user might instead decide to cancel the delivery. For example, if a majority of the packets for an e-mail has remained in the handset queue for a long time, the user may wish tocancel the e-mail and call the intended recipient instead. The user can choose to delete a transaction or reschedule a transmission of the transaction for a specific time.
Each application in the handsets is configured to be run at a certain one or more priority levels. Examples illustrating how available priority is configured for an e-mail application, a file transfer application, and voice-over-IP are providedin FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, respectively.
FIG. 5A provides an example of how the available priority levels may be determined for an e-mail application. The wireless network provider has four possible priority levels, and allows the e-mail to be transmitted at any of priority levels 2,3, or 4, with the default at level 3. In this example, the carrier does not allow level 1 priority for e-mail communications to reserve the bandwidth for voice communications. The application developer designed the e-mail application to send e-mails atany of the first three priority levels. Presumably, the lowest priority level is not available because the e-mail application cannot run effectively with low priority. The customer, as part of the service plan with the carrier, has predesignatedpriority levels 2 and 3 for selection. It may be possible that the customer's service agreement provides for a certain number of e-mail transmissions at each of levels 2 or 3, perhaps as part of a fixed monthly fee. Considering the available prioritylevels common to the carrier, application developer, and customer, a user can select transmission of an e-mail along the wireless network designated as priority level 2 or 3.
FIG. 5B provides an example of how the priority levels are determined for a bulk download of a large file or document from an internet web site. The carrier/wireless network provider only allows bulk file transfers to be configured as level 4priority. Otherwise, the bulk download will overly tax the wireless servers, creating a delay for many other applications. The application developer designed its browser to allow file transfers at any of the priority levels. The customer, as part ofthe service plan with the carrier, can only pre-designate priority level 4 for selection. Accordingly, the file transfer is to be sent at level 4 priority.
FIG. 5C is an example of a configuration of priority levels for voice-over-IP telephony. The carrier allows voice traffic over the wireless network at any of the four priorities. However, in reality, an application developer can only implementvoice-over-IP if the packets are transmitted over levels 1, 2, or 3. Level 3 priority is actually only useful for voicemail, because the transmission of the data packets may separated by a minute or more, which would be completely ineffective for anormal two-way speech conversation. The application developer configures the application with level 2 as the default. For one-way speech communications such as voice mail, the system could operate at a lower priority level by gradually reassembling orreconstructing the message as packets are received. The customer, who may wish to utilize voice-over-IP for telephony and voice mail services, preconfigures the system to allow a choice between levels 1, 2, or 3.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the transmission of data packets across the wireless network for an e-mail communication and a voice-over-IP communication, respectively. Because a speech communication requires bi-directional data transmission, asopposed to transmission in a single direction, the wireless network allocates capacity differently for voice-over-IP, as opposed to e-mail or other unidirectional communications. Voice-over-IP is also different because the system needs to reservecapacity for transmission of a certain number of data packets per second in order to assure a reasonable speech quality.
FIG. 6A is a table illustrating the steps of transmitting an e-mail from a handset in the wireless network according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the example provided in this table, the e-mail has a level 2 priority, and thenetwork is almost at full capacity. Because the e-mail is designated for level 2 priority, the communication can be temporarily discontinued if the network is at full capacity and the network receives a request for a higher priority transaction. Inthis example, the e-mail communication is composed of five data packets, stored in a queue in the handset. The communication is interrupted once in view of a higher priority transaction.
At time 1, the handset sends a control packet to the cell tower to request capacity for a level 2 priority communication. The access control manager evaluates the capacity at time 2, discontinues a lower priority transaction to allow for theemail communication at time 3, and sends authorization to the handset at time 4. At times 5-7, the handset removes data packets of the e-mail communication from the handset queue for transmission over the wireless network. In the meantime, the cellside receives a request for a higher priority level 1 communication. Because the network is at full capacity at this time, the cell side generates a discontinue message to the handset at time 8, and provides access for another transaction at time 9. The network also completes another level 2 transaction at time 9, and broadcasts the available capacity for a level 2 communication at time 10. The handset sends a transmission request at time 11, receives authorization at time 12, and completes thetransmission of the data packets for the e-mail communication at times 13 and 14.
FIG. 6B is a table illustrating the steps of transmitting a bidirectional voiceover-IP communication in the wireless network according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the example provided in this table, the application has alevel 1 priority. However, because the voice communications do not require constant transmission, a level 1 priority voice communication can be interrupted for short time periods, e.g., when there are gaps in the speech communication. Therefore, whenthe handset ("vocoder handset") periodically omits sending data packets, the capacity is filled by a transaction of a lower priority communication.
At time 1, the vocoder handset sends a control packet to request a level 1 priority voice communication. At time 2, the access control manager sends authorization to the vocoder handset to begin the voice communication. At time 3, the vocoderhandset begins sending data packets for the transaction. At the same time, another handset receives authorization to transmit a data packet along the same access link. At time 4, the vocoder handset does not send a data packet, but another handsetsends a data packet. At time 5 the vocoder handset resumes sending data packets, while yet another handset sends a request for a transaction. At time 6, the vocoder handset receives data packets from the internet. At the same time, the other handsetreceives authorization to initiate its transaction. At step 7, the vocoder handset again omits from sending a data packet, while the other handset begins sending data packets. This process can continue until the completion of the voice communication.
FIG. 7 provides another table illustrating the steps of transmitting data packets for several different transactions, of different priorities, generated in the same handset. In the table of FIG. 7, transaction "A" is of priority level 2,transaction "B" is of priority level 3, and transaction "C" is of priority level 1. Each occurrence of "A," "B," or "C" may represent a single data packet for that transaction, or a group of data packets from that transaction.
At time 1 in FIG. 7, the handset requests capacity to send data packets for a priority level 2 communication. The user has already generated the data to be transmitted and the handset has sent the data to the handset queue as data packets "A."The access control manager sends authorization for the transmission at time 2. At the same time, the handset places data packets "B" into the queue. Since data packets "B" are of a lower priority than data packets "A," the data packets "B" are at theend of the queue (from right to left). At times 3 and 4, the handset sends data packets "A to the cell side. At time 5, the handset receives a discontinue message to stop sending level 2 priority packets. The handset next places data packets "C" oflevel 1 priority into the queue at time 6, and requests access for a level 1 priority communication. The handset receives authorization to transmit at time 7, and sends data packet "C" at time 8. This operation continues until the queue is empty or thehandset is turned off.
There are a multitude of service plans that may be available for charging a subscriber for wireless communication services in accordance with the preferred embodiments. As a standard subscription, a subscriber may be charged for eachtransaction at a rate corresponding with the selected priority level for the transaction. Depending upon the configuration of the network and the relative congestion on the network, it might be possible that subscribers are not charged for transactionsat the lowest priority level. For more frequent users, a subscriber may be charged a monthly fee to receive access for a certain number of transactions at each priority level. With either plan, the subscriber has an incentive to designate transactionswith lower priority when the transaction is not urgent.
The subscriber may choose to pre-configure a subscriber plan to pre-select the available priority levels for certain transactions. For example, if there are four priority levels by which transactions may be transmitted, the subscriber may wishto designate the highest two priority levels, levels 1 and 2, for voice service, levels 2-4 for e-mail service, and only level 4 for participating in interactive games. One advantage of pre-selecting the available priority levels for transactions is tocontrol use by others who will use the subscriber's handset, such as the subscriber's children. Thus, this feature allows the subscriber to attempt to control the potential costs associated with the wireless service. Another advantage of pre-selectionis that it may assist the wireless network itself in predicting the volume of transactions on the network by region. Therefore, the wireless network itself may provide a financial incentive for a subscriber to pre-select or designate priority levels.
A subscriber may be charged for the wireless service per transaction, according to the number of packets required for a transaction, or by the number of minutes occupied on the wireless network to perform each transaction. The rate at which asubscriber is charged corresponds with the priority selected for the transaction. As an example, a voice communication would most likely be charged by units of time or by the number of packets transmitted, because the length or duration of a voicecommunication is generally at the subscriber's discretion. An email communication may be charged per transaction or per number of packets.
For transactions that charge by units of time, the network may be configured such that a subscriber is not charged during the period of time that a communication is discontinued. Further, if a subscriber opts to change the transmission prioritylevel during the course of a transaction, the transaction charge will be similarly pro-rated.
To assist a subscriber in selecting a priority level, the wireless communication system can provide information to subscriber handsets regarding the network traffic in the subscriber's present cell site. As previously described, the cell sitemay periodically broadcast messages indicating the relative capacity of the network. For example, if a subscriber is informed that the network is busy, the subscriber may opt to transmit a transaction of relative importance at a higher priority toensure prompt transmission. Handsets can also be configured to either suggest a priority level to the subscriber or automatically select a priority level for the transaction.
Thus, it is readily seen that the method and system of the present invention provides for improved access for transmission of data packets of transactions from a handset over a packet switched wireless network when many of the transactions areof differing levels of priority and urgency, and there is limited capacity on the wireless network. The system authorizes mobile communications devices to transmit and receive data packets until another request is received with higher priority. Withineach handset, transactions that are pending are scheduled according to priority within the handset. This system allows for quality of service over the wireless network by allocating the resources according to urgency. The network will likely chargemore for higher priority transactions.
The foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention and specific examples illustrating the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only bythe claimed appended hereto, and by their equivalents.
Pharmacologically active heteroaryl substituted imidazo (4,5-c) pyridines
Desk-top electronic calculator
Continuous press assembly for making laminates
Pulsator for milking machines
Leg-mounted mouse pad and method of use
Apparatus for communication and reconnaissance coupled with protection of the auditory system
(Methylsulfonyl)phenyl-2-(5H)-furanones as COX-2 inhibitors
Rice-ball making implement
Counter including two 2 bit counter segments connected in cascade each counting in Gray code
Plasticized polyvinyl chloride resin composition containing molybdenum flame retardant and antimony compound smoke suppressant agent