REPOSITIONABLE BASE STATIONS

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to method and system of managing transmission resources, more particularly, but not exclusively, to method and system of monitoring mobile electronic radio transceivers for alarming systems.

Wireless communication networks comprise cell sites that assign radio channels for connecting a wireless personal communication device, such as, for example, a cellular telephone, to another telephone (wireless or wired) through a cellular switch which is usually connected to a terrestrial telephone network. The wireless communication networks typically include a plurality of interconnected (wireless or wired) cell sites that are coupled with a centrally located cellular switch, called a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), and that connect to a communications network. Most common cell sites are essentially buildings that house equipment for transmitting, receiving, and processing wireless communications to the communications network. There are typically fifty to one hundred cell sites in large cities, fifteen to fifty cell sites in smaller cities, and very few cell sites or none in rural areas. Depending on capacity constraints, cell sites may be located one-half to twenty miles from each other. Further, each cell site generally comprises one or more stationary antennas mounted on a triangular platform that is placed on a tower or atop a tall building preferably sixty to three hundred feet above the surrounding terrain.

Mobile wireless communication facilities, such as cell on wheels, usually referred to as a COW, may be used as mobile cell sites to be temporarily or permanently increase the coverage of the communications network. The COW consists of a cellular antenna tower and electronic radio transceiver equipment on a truck or trailer, designed to be part of a cellular network. COWs are used to provide expanded cellular network coverage and/or capacity at special events such as major sporting events, major conventions, or in disaster areas where cellular coverage either not present or compromised by a disaster. During the last years, various methods and systems for broadcasting messages to a plurality of target devices, such as cellular phones, using these wireless communication networks have been developed.

One of the technologies which are used to utilize the wireless communication networks for broadcasting is cell broadcast (CB) messaging, a mobile technology feature defined by the ETSI's GSM committee, also known as short message service - cell broadcast (SMS-CB) and/or warning message delivery (WMD) by the 3 GPP 4G Cell broadcast standard defined for long term evolution (LTE), for simultaneous delivery of messages to multiple users in a specified area. Cell Broadcast is a one-to-many geographically focused messaging service. Cell broadcast messaging is also supported by UMTS, as defined by 3GPP. Cell broadcast allows a text or binary message to be defined and distributed to all mobile terminals connected to a set of cells. Cell Broadcast is appropriate for emergency purposes in particular as it is not as affected by traffic load and therefore may be used during a disaster when load spikes tend to crash networks. This allows an operator to provide ongoing emergency information to its subscribers, to warn of incoming dangers, to give news updates, and/or to direct people to supply and distribution centers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a method of allocating at least one mobile repositionable base station for broadcasting. The method comprises attaching a plurality of monitoring units to a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations, monitoring a geographic location of the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations, receiving a broadcasting request comprising broadcasting content and at least one target area, selecting a group from the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations according to a match between the at least one target area and the geographic location, and forwarding the group to at least one network controller to allow broadcasting the broadcasting content via members in the group.

Optionally, the method further comprises using the members for broadcasting a - cell broadcast to a plurality of wireless personal communication devices in the service area of the members. Optionally, the monitoring comprises monitoring motion of each mobile repositionable base station and calculating the geographic location based on the motion.

Optionally, the method further comprises using the plurality of monitoring units to monitor areas around the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations and receiving the broadcasting request from one of the plurality of monitoring units.

Optionally, the selecting comprises selecting at least one cell sector and frequency of at least some members of the group according to the match; the forwarding comprises forwarding the at least one cell sector and frequency to at least one network controller to allow broadcasting the broadcasting content to at least one of the cell sector and in the frequency.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a

system of monitoring a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations. The system comprises a plurality of monitoring units each configured for being attached to a different of a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations; and for transmitting a current geographic location, a central unit which receives the geographic location from each monitoring unit and a broadcasting request with broadcasting content and at least one target area, the central unit selects a group from the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations according to a match between the at least one target area and the geographic location, and an output unit which forwards a list specifying the group to allow the transmission of the broadcasting content to a plurality of wireless personal communication devices in the service area of members of the group.

Optionally, the mobile repositionable base station is selected from a group consisting of: a cell on wheel (COW), a transportable satellite terminal, and repositionable microwave transmission and/or reception equipment.

Optionally, each monitoring unit having a global positioning system (GPS) module and a wireless interface for transmitting outputs of the GPS module to the central unit.

Optionally, each monitoring unit having a sensor unit for identifying an emergency situation (ES) in proximity to a respective the mobile repositionable base station and forwarding the broadcasting request to the central unit in response to the identification. Optionally, each monitoring unit communicates with a managing units which manages a sensor unit for identifying an emergency situation (ES) in proximity to a respective the mobile repositionable base station and forwarding the broadcasting request to the central unit in response to the identification.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the invention, exemplary methods and/or materials are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be necessarily limiting.

Implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of the invention can involve performing or completing selected tasks manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and/or system of the invention, several selected tasks could be implemented by hardware, by software or by firmware or by a combination thereof using an operating system.

For example, hardware for performing selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. As software, selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more tasks according to exemplary embodiments of method and/or system as described herein are performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions. Optionally, the data processor includes a volatile memory for storing instructions and/or data and/or a non-volatile storage, for example, a magnetic hard-disk and/or removable media, for storing instructions and/or data. Optionally, a network connection is provided as well. A display and/or a user input device such as a keyboard or mouse are optionally provided as well. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an alert broadcasting system for monitoring a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations and selecting which one of them to use, according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for selecting mobile repositionable base stations, according to some embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the units involved in using mobile repositionable base stations, for transmitting an alert message, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to method and system of managing transmission resources, more particularly, but not exclusively, to method and system of monitoring mobile electronic radio transceivers for alarming systems.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method of allocating one or more mobile repositionable base station for broadcasting, for example cells on wheels, cellular repeaters, switches on wheels, a transportable satellite terminals, and/or repositionable microwave transmission and/or reception equipment. The method is based on a plurality of monitoring units which are attached, separately, to a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations. This allows monitoring a geographic location of each one of the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations, for brevity referred to herein as geographic location. In this method, when a broadcasting request which includes broadcasting content and one or more target areas is received, a group from the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations is selected according to a match between the target area(s) and the geographic location. Then, one or more network controllers, such as cell broadcast center (CBC) servers, may be notified which mobile repositionable base stations may be used for broadcasting the broadcasting content.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a system of monitoring a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations. The system includes a plurality of monitoring units which are configured for being attached to mobile repositionable base stations and for transmitting their current geographic location and a central unit which receives the geographic location from each monitoring unit. The central unit further receives a broadcasting request with broadcasting content and one or more target areas. Thus allows it to select a group from the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations which have service areas which at least partly overlap with the target area(s). The system further includes an output unit which forwards a list specifying the members group to allow the transmission of the broadcasting content to a plurality of wireless personal communication devices in the respective service areas.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings and/or the Examples. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is a schematic illustration of an alert broadcasting system 100 for monitoring a plurality of mobile repositionable base stations 101 and selecting which one of them to use, according to some embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, a mobile repositionable base station means a cell on wheels (COW), a transportable satellite terminal, and/or repositionable microwave transmission and/or reception equipment. The system 100 includes a central unit 103 which communicates with a plurality of monitoring units 104, each attached to another mobile repositionable base station 101. The monitoring unit 104 comprises a positioning module 105, such as a global positioning system (GPS) module, and/or a cellular network positioning module, and a communication module 106, such as a network interface, for communicating with the central unit 103 via the network 107. The network interface is optionally an internet protocol (IP) communication device, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface or a local area network (LAN) interface, such as a network interface card (NIC). The communication between the communication module 106 a respective interface of and central unit 103 is optionally performed by IP messages, such as hypertext transfer protocol HTTP messages. Optionally, the monitoring unit 104 is set to transmit a message, which is indicative of the location of the associated mobile repositionable base station, to the central unit 103. The message may be sent on demand, for example in response to a request message from the central unit 103 sequentially, intermittently, for example every scheduled period and/or randomly. The central unit 103 of the alert broadcasting system 100 includes a location tracking module 202 for monitoring the location of the plurality of mobile repositionable base stations 101 and identifying which of them may be used for broadcasting an alert message in a selected area. The central unit 103 further includes a network interface 201 for communicating with the mobile repositionable base station 101 via the network 107, as outlined above and described below. The network interface 201 is optionally an internet protocol (IP) communication device, such as a WLAN interface or a LAN interface.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the monitoring unit 104 comprises a sensor unit with one or more sensors or communicates with a managing unit which manages one or more sensors, such as thermometers, optical volume sensors, smoke detectors, and the like. The one or more sensors are set to monitor an area around a respective mobile repositionable base station 101 for detecting emergency situations (ESs). Each sensor unit monitors changes in one or more conditions such as temperature, volume changes, flow changes of a liquid and the like. The sensor unit may include a processor enabling to analyze data received from each of its sensors to identify an ES. For example, the sensors unit can identify an ES by identifying deviation from predefined normal values or value ranges of one or more of the sensed parameters.

For example, the sensors unit includes fire detectors, such as thermometers and smoke detectors that detect fire in the monitored area. In another case, the sensors unit is connected to an earthquake detecting system, a tsunami warning system (TWS) and the like. Once the sensors unit detects an ES, it may automatically initiate distribution of a corresponding alert message by automatically transmitting an alert distribution request to the central unit 103. The alert distribution request may be transmitted through any predefined one or more communication networks such as through the internet, a wireless communication network, and the like. The alert distribution request may include information indicative of the characteristic of the detected ES such as the sensors data, the ES type, the ES area, the security level, and the like. In such embodiments, the monitoring unit 104 is used both for indicating the location of a respective mobile repositionable base station 101 and as carrier of a mobile repositionable sensor unit.

Reference is now also made to FIG. 2, which is a flowchart 300 of a method for selecting mobile repositionable base stations, such as shown at 101, according to some embodiments of the present invention. First, as shown at 301, and as depicted in FIG. 1, the monitoring units 104 are attached to the mobile repositionable base stations 101. Then, as shown at 302, the geographic location of each one of the mobile repositionable base stations 101 is monitored according to the location messages which are received from the monitoring units 104. As shown at 303, an alert distribution request is received. The alert message is optionally received from a distribution managing unit 110 that receives alert distribution requests from one or more alerting sources and creates alert distribution requests each corresponding to a respective alert distribution request. For example, the distribution managing unit 110 is defined as described in U.S. provisional patent applications No. 61/376,274 and 61/376,276, which are incorporated herein by reference. The distribution managing unit 110 may be implemented on a separate server and/or integrated with the central unit 103. The alert distribution request includes broadcasting content and a target area for broadcasting a message which includes the broadcasting content. Now, as shown at 304, one or more of the monitored mobile repositionable base stations 101 are selected by matching between their geographical location and the target area. In this block, the monitored mobile repositionable base stations 101, which are located to. have a service area that at least partly overlaps with the target area, are selected. These monitored mobile repositionable base stations 101 can be used to transmit messages to target devices, such as cellular phones and/or instant messaging devices, in the target area. Optionally, the matching is performed by verifying that the cell around each one of the monitored mobile repositionable base stations 101 at least partly overlaps with the target area. This matching is optionally based on the cell global identity (CGI) number of each monitored mobile repositionable base station 101. Optionally, for the matching, each mobile repositionable base station 101 has a coverage area defined by azimuth (direction) and distance from its location. The matching may be done according to a coverage matching algorithm, for example if the coverage area overlaps with the target area.

Now, as shown at 305, a list that includes the matching mobile repositionable base stations 101 and the broadcasting content is forwarded, as a broadcasting message, to one or more network controllers of the network of respective mobile repositionable base stations 101. A network controller may be a network and switching subsystem (NSS) component and/or a mobile switching centre (MSC) server. Optionally, the list defines one or more cell sectors and/or frequency of mobile repositionable base stations 101. In case of N sector antennas on the same repositionable base station 101, each with different direction, the repositionable base station 101 can serve N different cell sectors. N is typically 3. A reuse pattern of N/K denotes a further division in frequency among N sector antennas per site. Some current and historical reuse patterns are 3/7 (North American AMPS), 6/4 (Motorola NAMPS), and 3/4 (GSM). In such a manner, the transmission is performed to a more accurate area. The network controllers may be a broadcast center. Each mobile repositionable base station 101, such as a COW consists of an antenna that includes 3*120 degrees sectors.

Optionally, the list and the broadcasting message are optionally forwarded together with a cell broadcast message that also defines which base station controllers (BSCs) and/or base transceiver stations (BTSs) to use for broadcasting. Optionally, the list includes only unique identifiers of cells and/or cell sectors of mobile repositionable base stations 101.

For example, the cell broadcast message is a short message service (SMS) cell broadcast message, such as defined within Phase 2 of the global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard in GSM 03.49, which is incorporated herein by reference. This cell broadcast message is transmitted via GSM network's signaling path. Such a cell broadcast message facilitates carrying broadcasting content of between 1 and 15 pages in length. Each page can be up to 93 alphanumeric characters or 82 octets of binary data in length. The cell broadcast messages are forwarded to one or more BSCs, or directly to BTSs, which are selected according to the list. For example, the network controller receives the list and identifies which of the BSCs provides, classically, the intelligence behind the mobile repositionable base stations 101 the list. Then the network controller instructs the BSC to forward a cell broadcast message to the respective mobile repositionable base stations 101 for broadcasting, optionally with BTSs which are selected to determine the area over which the message is broadcasted. The cell broadcast message, which is forwarded to the BSC, is defined so that the message destination is described in terms of cell identifiers the BSC can use from routing to base transceiver station cells which include the mobile repositionable base stations 101 from the list.

For example, reference is now also made to FIG. 3 which is a schematic illustration of the units involved in using mobile repositionable base stations, such as 101, for transmitting an alert message. As depicted in this figure, one of the units is an alert receiving interface 110 which receives alert distribution requests from alerting sources, such as from sensors unit, such as independent sensors units and/or the optional mobile repositionable sensor unit in the monitoring units 101 and/or clients, such as security and/or safety centers. The sensor unit may be a unit which includes one or more sensors such as thermometers, optical volume sensors, smoke detectors, and the like, located in a predefined monitored area, monitoring the area for identification of an emergency situation. Each sensor monitors changes in one or more conditions such as temperature, volume changes, flow changes of a liquid and the like. Optionally, the sensors unit 120 is as defined in U.S. Patent Provisional Applications No. 61/376,274 and 61/376,276, which are incorporated herein by reference. Optionally, the alert receiving interface 110 manages receiving and/or retrieving alert distribution requests from different sources, different request format types and different retrieval and/or receiving processes. For example, the sensors unit 120 may transmit a retrieval request, such as a Syslog request for retrieval of an alert distribution request to a remote server such as a file transfer protocol (FTP) based server, associated with the sensors unit 120. The FTP server retrieves the alert distribution request from the sensor unit 120 which is in a format of an FTP header and returns a corresponding alert distribution request in an extensible markup language (XML) format, which is then retrieved by the alert receiving interface 110. This retrieval process allows securing the information of the alert distribution request and may be used in systems and areas where high information security is required. The alert receiving interface 110 forwards a request which includes the broadcasting content for an alert, for example as defined above, to the central unit 103. The central unit 103 forwards the broadcasting content and the list of list that includes the matching mobile repositionable base stations 101 to respective mobile gateways 121. Each gateway communicates with the cell broadcast center (CBC) server(s) of the respective network provider. The CBC server 122 interfaces with the BSC and/or radio network controller (RNC) 123 and instruct them to use the respective mobile repositionable base stations 101 for transmitting a CB messaging to all the wireless personal communication devices in the entire service area 131 of the mobile repositionable base stations 101. The BSC and/or RNC 123 are optionally conventionally existing BSC/RNC, as defined in 3GPP 23.041 standard architecture, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Optionally, the location tracking module 202 is set to take into account motion information pertaining to the mobile repositionable base stations 101. In such an embodiment, the monitoring unit 104 may monitor movement data of each mobile repositionable base station, for example the velocity, the direction, and/or the traffic along its route, for estimating it actual location.

Optionally, the location tracking module 202 is set to calculate a map depicting the geographic location of each one of the mobile repositionable base stations 101 and presenting it on a display. The map may be used for detecting an overlap with the target area, for example the aforementioned target area.

It is expected that during the life of a patent maturing from this application many relevant systems and methods will be developed and the scope of the term a network, a client terminal, and a monitored mobile repositionable base station and is intended to include all such new technologies a priori.

As used herein the term "about" refers to ± 10 %.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", "having" and their conjugates mean "including but not limited to". This term encompasses the terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of".

The phrase "consisting essentially of" means that the composition or method may include additional ingredients and/or steps, but only if the additional ingredients and/or steps do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition or method. As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term "a compound" or "at least one compound" may include a plurality of compounds, including mixtures thereof.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance or illustration". Any embodiment described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from other embodiments.

The word "optionally" is used herein to mean "is provided in some embodiments and not provided in other embodiments". Any particular embodiment of the invention may include a plurality of "optional" features unless such features conflict.

Throughout this application, various embodiments of this invention may be presented in a range format. It should be understood that the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to include any cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range. The phrases "ranging/ranges between" a first indicate number and a second indicate number and "ranging/ranges from" a first indicate number "to" a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and are meant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all the fractional and integral numerals therebetween.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separ ate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that section headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarily limiting.