MXPA99011471A - Network based method and apparatus for restricting operation of cellular telephones to delineated geographical areas - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for restricting operation of a wireless telephone (130) to delineated geographical areas. The wireless telephone system (90) is equipped with a device for ascertaining (step 300) the geographical location of the wireless telephone (130). The ascertained geographical location is compared (step 305) against information pertaining to the authorization to operate the wireless telephone (130) in various geographical locations. A determination is made (step 310) as to whether operation is authorized and the wireless telephone (130) is instructed (step 330) by the wireless telephone system (90) to disable operation if unauthorized.

Description

NETWORK-BASED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESTRICTING THE OPERATION OF CELL PHONES TO GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS DELINEATED CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a continuation in part of the co-pending US patent application serial number 08 / 759,997, filed on December 4 1996, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESTRICTING OPERATION OF CELLULAR TELEPHONES TO WELL DELINEATED GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS" (METHOD AND APPARATUS TO RESTRICT THE OPERATION OF CELLULAR TELEPHONES TO GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WELL-LINKED) by Eric Valentine and Vladimir Alperovich. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates, in general terms, to the planning and deployment of a wireless telephony system, and more particularly, to the restriction of the operation of wireless telephones to geographical locations delineated where the location Geographic location of the cordless telephone is determined through the wireless telephone system. Description of the Related Art It is often desirable to prohibit the operation of wireless telephones in certain geographic locations. For example, the use of wireless telephones is prohibited on airplanes while on a runway preparing for takeoff. The operation is also prohibited in areas of hospitals where transmissions of wireless phones can interfere with essential equipment for the life of patients. In addition, as the service area of wireless telephone systems grows, such as through the use of satellite-based systems that provide national coverage, it is desirable to prohibit operation in larger geographic areas such as military bases. It has been proposed to equip wireless telephones with location devices such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) receivers that determine the geographical location of the cordless telephone. Service is denied to mobile stations that are in a geographic location within a restricted area. Such systems, however, are expensive and the GPS receiver consumes the limited power of the battery available for cordless phones. It would be advantageous, therefore, to develop a method and apparatus where the wireless telephone system itself determines the location of the wireless telephone and controls the disabling of the telephone operation when the telephone is located in an unauthorized location. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION A wireless telephone system operates to determine the geographic location of wireless telephones. In a satellite-based wireless telephone system, the wireless telephony system can determine geographical location by mapping the position of the wireless telephone of a satellite reference coordinate system, and then converting the position into a wireless system. terrestrial reference coordinates. In another embodiment, the wireless telephone system can determine the geographical location through triangulation using several satellites or base stations that monitor the signal transmissions of a wireless telephone. Regardless of the mechanism used for the system to determine the location, a comparison is made between the determined geographic location and the database information pertaining to the authorized / unauthorized geographic locations in order to determine whether the operation of the telephone is authorized. . A controller within the wireless telephone system then instructs the wireless telephone to be disabled when the wireless telephone is located in an unauthorized location and to be enabled when said wireless telephone is in an authorized location. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the present invention can be obtained with reference to the following DETAILED DESCRIPTION when taken in combination with the APPENDIX DRAWINGS where: Figure 1 is a diagram of the wireless telephone system based on satellite that incorporates the present invention; Figure 2 is a land-based wireless telephone system incorporating the present invention; and Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method for implementing the present invention in a wireless telephone system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MODALITIES Referring now to Figure 1, a satellite-based wireless telephone system 90 is illustrated which includes a plurality of satellites 100 AC, a land portion 110 of the wireless telephone system 90 and a database 120. Each one of the several satellites 100 AC communicates with the terrestrial part 110 of the wireless telephony system 90. Although more than one satellite of the several satellites 100 AC can receive transmissions from a wireless telephone 130, typically only one satellite 100 A is communicates with the wireless phone 130 at any given time. The communication between the wireless telephone 130 and a public switched telephone network 140 is established through the various satellites 100 AC and the terrestrial part 110 of the wireless telephone system 90. It is also included in the land part 110 of the wireless telephone system 90 a first controller 150 that instructs a second controller 133 within the wireless telephone 130 to disable or enable operations based on the location of the wireless telephone 130. Various methods in the industry are known to determine the geographic location of a wireless source. radio transmission such as the wireless telephone 130. For example, in a satellite-based wireless telephone system, a method known as Satellite To Earth (SATTOE) (from Satellite to Ground) determines a position of the wireless telephone 130 in a system of satellite reference coordinates and then converts the position e n a ground reference coordinate system. The satellite-to-ground mapping operation employs a well-known rotation transformation matrix, knowledge of a satellite antenna beam fingerprint, position of the satellite, and satellite communication path in order to determine a location Approximate geographical location of the wireless telephone 130. To obtain the location of the wireless telephone 130 with a higher degree of resolution, the satellite-to-earth mapping operation uses additional information such as the calculation results performed on a Rando Access Channel (RACH) (Random Access Channel) and a Dedicated Control Channel (DCC: H) (Dedicated Control Channel.) Another well-known method for determining the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130 in the satellite-based wireless telephone system 90 employs two or more satellites 100 AC in order to triangulate the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130. Empleand or any known method, the wireless telephone system 90 determines the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130 and has access to the database 120 which contains information that refers to the authorization to operate the wireless telephone 130 in the determined geographical location. Based on a comparison of the information contained in the database 120 against the determined geographical location, the first controller 150, which is part of the wireless telephony system 90, determines whether the operation is authorized. If the operation is not authorized, the first controller 150 transmits a command through the satellite 100 instructing the wireless telephone 130 to be disabled. The second controller 133, located in the wireless telephone 130, receives the command through a transceiver 132 and disables the wireless telephone 130. On the other hand, if the operation is authorized, the first controller 150 transmits a command through the satellites 100, instructing the wireless telephone 130 to enable. The second controller 133 receives the command through the transceiver 132 and enables the wireless telephone 130.

Referring further to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a land-based wireless telephone system 190 that includes a plurality of base stations 200 A-C, a database 120, and a plurality of controllers 250 A-C. Each of the several base stations 200 AC communicates with the database 120. Although more than a base station of the several base stations 200 AC can receive transmissions from a wireless telephone 130, typically only one satellite 200 A (figure 1) communicates with the wireless telephone 130 at a given time. Also included in the base stations are 200 AC controllers 250 AC which can instruct the controller 133, located within the wireless telephone 130, to disable and enable the operation of the wireless telephone 130. Various methods are known in the industry to determine the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130 in a ground-based wireless telephone communication system. For example, the wireless telephone system may employ two or more of the base stations 200 AC to triangulate the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130. Another approach employs the knowledge of which base station 200 A is communicating with the wireless telephone 130 as well as Timing Advance (TA) information used in the wireless communication between the base station 200 A and the wireless telephone 130 in order to determine a rough estimate of the geographical location. Using any of the known methods, the wireless telephone system 190 determines the geographical location of the wireless telephone 130 and has access to the database 120 which contains the information related to the authorization to operate the wireless telephone 130 in the determined geographical location. Based on a comparison of the information contained in the database 120 against the determined geographical location, the controller 250 A of the base station 200 A serving the wireless telephone 130 determines whether the operation is authorized. If the operation is not authorized, the controller 250 A located in the base station 200 A transmits a command instructing the cordless telephone 130 to be disabled. The controller 133, located on the cordless telephone 130 receives the command through the transceiver 132 and disables the cordless telephone 130. On the other hand, if the operation is authorized, the controller 250 A transmits a command instructing the cordless telephone 130 to enable . The controller 133 located in the cordless telephone 130 receives the command through the transceiver 132 and disables the cordless telephone. Referring further to Figure 3, there is illustrated a flow chart of a method for implementing the present invention in a wireless telephone system. During the operation of the cordless telephone, the wireless telephone system periodically determines the geographical location of the cordless telephone (step 300). Any method for determining the geographical location of the cordless telephone can be employed including, but not limited to, mapping the position of the wireless telephone in the satellite reference coordinate system to a terrestrial reference coordinate system, or by triangulation using multiple components of the wireless telephone system. Once the geographic location is determined, said location is compared with the information of a database belonging to the authorization to operate in the determined location (step 305) and it is determined if the operation is authorized (step 310). If the operation is determined to be unauthorized, a controller within the wireless telephony system instructs the wireless telephone to be disabled (step 330). On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation is authorized, the controller instructs the wireless telephone to follow the operation or be enabled if it is disabled (step 340). Even though illustrated in the Annex Drawings and described in the above Detailed Description embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the presented modes but may present numerous arrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing of the spirit of the invention presented and defined in the following claims.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS An apparatus for restricting the operation of a wireless telephone in a wireless telephone system based on a geographic location of the wireless telephone comprising: a device for determining the geographic location of the wireless telephone, where the device is made by the wireless telephone system same; a database that communicates with the wireless telephone system to store information pertaining to the authorization to operate the wireless telephone in several geographical locations; a device for comparing the determined geographical location with database information in order to determine the authorization to operate; and a device for disabling and enabling the operation of the wireless telephone based on the authorization determined to operate, The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device for comparing the determined geographic location of the wireless telephone comprises a controller, located within a base station of the wireless telephone system, which communicates with the database to compare the determined geographical location against database information pertaining to the authorization to operate in several geographical locations and to determine whether the operation is authorized or not authorized The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device for disabling and enabling operation of the cordless telephone comprises: a first controller located within a base station of the wireless telephone system for transmitting a command instructing the cordless telephone to enable or to disable the operation; and a second controller located inside the cordless telephone to receive the command transmitted by the first controller, the second controller enables the cordless telephone when instructed to enable the operation and said second controller disables the cordless telephone when instructed to disable the cordless telephone. operation. A method for restricting the operation of a wireless telephone in a wireless telephone system based on a geographical location of the wireless telephone, comprising the steps of: determining, through the wireless telephone system, the geographical location of the wireless telephone; compare, through the wireless telephone, the determined geographical location of the wireless telephone with information pertaining to the authorization to operate the wireless telephone in various geographical locations; determine through the wireless telephone system, whether the operation of the wireless telephone is allowed in the determined geographical location; transmit a command, through the wireless telephone system, instructing the wireless telephone to enable operation in geographic locations where the operation is authorized; and transmit a command, through the wireless telephone system, instructing the wireless telephone to disable the operation in geographical locations where the operation is not authorized.