WO2001008428A1

WO2001008428A1 - Method for operating a mobile radio telephone terminal, and mobile radio telephone terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2001008428A1
Application number: PCT/DE2000/001110
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oliver Zechlin
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 1999-07-21
Filing date: 2000-04-11
Publication date: 2001-02-01

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a mobile radio telephone terminal for sending a text short message using SMS. According to the inventive method, a routing data base of the SMSC numbers of available SMS service providers with associated fee price lists is made available. The most economical routing for the text short message is employed following a matching process of a dialed call number with the routing database.

Description

description

Method for operating a mobile radio terminal and a mobile radio terminal

The invention relates to a method for operating a mobile radio terminal for sending a text short message by means of SMS and a mobile radio terminal designed to carry out this method.

As is well known, a mobile phone can be used not only for voice communication, but also for sending text short messages, which are referred to as SMS (Short Message Service) messages in the GMS system. Such short messages can be sent in various ways, including via a message center or an order service of the respective network by modem or from the Internet. In practice, however, the most common and most important case is the sending of a cell phone terminal.

In the GSM protocol architecture, the sending of SMS messages, which are to be understood as packet-oriented user data, is located at the signaling level from mobile stations. They are transmitted via a short message service center SMSC (Short Message Service Center; sometimes abbreviated as SMS-SC) in the so-called "store-and-forward" mode, the service center receiving the short messages arriving from mobile terminals and then to the An SMSC is specified for the mobile radio terminal by a dialing number. The short messages are transmitted between the mobile radio terminal and the service center using a connectionless transport protocol SM-TP (Short Message Transport Protocol), in which services of signaling Protocols can be used within the GSM network Protocols from the established mobile radio networks support such a transmission.

In most mobile devices, an SMSC number is stored internally in the device, which is automatically used for ^" every entry of a text short message, ie all outgoing short messages use one and the same SMSC.

So it is only intended for subscribers of the D2 mobile radio network who use a mobile terminal device of the S10 type from Siemens to dial SMS messages from a specific service provider who requests a fixed fee for sending a short message. This charge value is higher than that for a D2 internal short connection that is established via the D2 server. Such a D2 internal connection could also be used to send a text short message - more economically - if only the SMSC number of the service provider mentioned were not stored in the mobile radio terminal. This results in an unnecessarily high cost burden for participants who also send text short messages within the network.

Mobile terminal devices are also known in which two SMSC numbers are stored and can be selected manually by the user. However, the manual selection "complicates the process of sending a text short message and also offers only a limited flexibility.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a method for operating a mobile radio terminal device which enables inexpensive text short messages to be sent without any operating difficulties for the user.

This object is achieved by a method with the features of claim 1. The invention includes the essential idea of activating the most cost-effective transmission path when sending a text short message with access to a routing database held for this purpose in accordance with the call number of the selected destination subscriber, ie the message via the number of that SMSC to which the lowest fee value is assigned. It also includes the idea of making this selection automatically on the end device, in particular on the basis of appropriate software, in order not to burden the user with additional selection and operating activities.

In a preferred embodiment, the routing database is stored on the SIM card or in the mobile radio terminal. It comprises SMSC numbers from SMS service providers, each with a fee list, in which fee values are assigned to specific call number ranges - for example the network codes of the individual mobile radio networks which can be reached.

Since the transmission costs generally depend on the location of the mobile radio terminal, in an expedient embodiment the corresponding storage means are designed for storing a plurality of routing databases, each of which is valid for specific locations (in particular countries), and in addition selection means are provided which are in Depending on a signal characterizing the location of the mobile radio terminal, activate the access to the routing database assigned to the location.

In the aforementioned embodiment with an internal memory for the routing database or databases, a further development is advantageous in which an update of the database or databases via a periodically or after a telephone number has been entered before the actual connection is established to a connection established automatically Third parties, in particular an SMS service provider, is provided. This allows the memory content to be kept up to date at all times become, which is of course a considerable advantage in the frequently changing charge constellations in the mobile radio sector.

As an alternative to the permanent internal storage (and, if necessary, periodic updating) of the routing data, it can be made available online when a short text message is sent via a data connection established for this purpose to a system center holding the data or a third party, for example the service provider , be provided. In this case, a permanent storage of a routing database in the terminal would not be necessary, although it is certainly necessary to temporarily store the routing data downloaded via the current message connection as part of the processing of the proposed method. The transmission can take place via short message, cell broadcast or in another suitable way.

The second buffer mentioned in the independent claim, in which the cheapest SMSC number is stored for the destination number (and possibly taking into account the location of one's own terminal), can be loaded in an advantageous embodiment outside the actual dialing process and with the step of entering the destination number can be addressed directly.

The device features of a mobile radio terminal suitable for carrying out the invention largely correspond to the method features and have essentially already been mentioned above. They are otherwise specified in claim 7 or - as far as expedient further training is concerned - in the claims dependent thereon.

The rest of the advantages and expediencies of the invention also result from the dependent claims and the following Description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the figures. 1A and 1B show schematic representations of the

Connection with two advantageous embodiments of the invention essential

Components of mobile radio terminals in the form of a functional block diagram, Fig. 2a - 2c display field representations while entering a short message or the recipient and Fig. 3a and 3b examples of routing tables, accordingly

Contents of the second buffer of the mobile radio terminal according to FIG. 1.

1A shows the functional components of a mobile telephone 1 that are essential for an embodiment of the invention. Of the input keys, number keys 3 and a call key 5 are important in the context of the invention. In addition to the connection to a display 7, the call buttons 3 are connected to a call number buffer 9, which in turn is connected to a prefix buffer 11.

The centerpiece of the proposed arrangement is a routing database 13 for storing a plurality of prefix-related routing data records 13i, in which a fee list of available SMSC numbers, each with an associated fee value, is stored under the address of an accessible area code. The routing database can be addressed by a memory access controller 15, which in turn is connected to the output of the pre-selection buffer 11. On the output side, it is connected to a charge list processing unit 17 that performs the function of a comparator unit, and this is connected on the output side to an SMSC buffer 19 in which the SMSC number that is stored as a result of the charge list processing in the charge list processing unit 17 is stored has been determined as the number of the cheapest service provider. The outputs of the number buffer 9 and SMSC buffers 19 are connected to a link level 21, which forms a routing number from the selected SMSC number and the entered telephone number for sending an entered text short message by means of the SMS service.

The components described above are activated after entering a text message and the associated call number of the recipient, for example when the call button 5 is pressed, via a microcontroller 23 and (in the manner generally described above) cause the text short message to be routed via the least expensive Connection route to the selected subscriber.

A time base 25 is assigned to the microcontroller 23, which periodically causes the content of the routing database 13 to be updated via the microcontroller 23. In this case, charge data received from a service provider (or not shown in the figure) or another information source via a receiving part 27 and processing in the baseband 29 of the mobile telephone 1 are fed via a further memory access controller 31 to the routing database and replace them there (appropriately controlled by the microcontroller 23 ) up-to-date routing or fee list records.

FIG. 1B shows a mobile telephone 1 ′ modified compared to FIG. 1A according to a further embodiment of the invention. The corresponding device structure largely corresponds to that of FIG. 1A, so that the same reference numbers have been chosen and the relevant components are not explained again here.

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Claims

claims

1. A method for operating a mobile radio terminal for sending a text short message to a predetermined subscriber by means of SMS, with the steps:

- entering a text short message,

Provision of a routing database of the SMSC numbers of available SMS service providers with a number-related fee value list in each case, entry of the subscriber's number in a first buffer,

Comparison of the telephone number with the routing database on the basis of the criterion of the minimum fee value and output of the SMSC number with the minimum fee value in a second buffer,

- Linking the memory contents of the first and second buffers to a routing number and

- Dial the routing number and send the text short message.

2. The method of claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the routing database is stored in the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the routing database is updated periodically or before a connection is established via an automatically established message connection to a third party, in particular an SMS service provider.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the routing database currently via a message connection established to carry out the method to a third party, in particular an SMS service provider, for mobile communications. 9 transfer terminal or is formed in the mobile terminal from currently transmitted routing data.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, that the second buffer is directly addressable via a phone number, is loaded outside the SMS dialing organ and is addressed with the step of entering the phone number.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2, 3 or 5, characterized in that a plurality of location-specific routing databases are stored in the mobile radio terminal, each having a location identifier, and that depending on a signal of the location of the mobile terminal assigned base station to the routing database assigned to the location.

7. Mobile radio terminal (1) for performing the method according to one of the preceding claims, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t d u r c h

Means (13, 27 to 31) for providing the routing database of the SMS numbers of the available SMS service providers, each with a call number-related fee value list (13i),

- a first buffer (9) for storing the entered phone number,

Comparator means (17) for comparing the number with the routing database and outputting the SMSC number with the minimum charge value,

- A second buffer (19) connected to the comparator means for storing the SMSC number with the minimum charge value and

- A linking device (21) for linking the memory contents of the first and second buffers to a routing number.

8. Mobile radio terminal according to claim 7, so that the means for providing the routing database have randomly accessible storage means (13) in the manner of a look-up table.

9. Mobile radio terminal according to claim 8, d a d u r c h g e k e n n e e c e n c that the storage means (13) for storing a plurality of location-specific routing databases and

Selection means (33) are provided which control access to one of the routing databases as a function of a signal from the base station (BS) associated with the location of the mobile radio terminal (1).

10. The mobile radio terminal according to claim 6, d a d u r c h g e k e n e z e i c h n e t that the means for providing the routing database means (27, BS) for establishing a communication link to a third party, in particular an SMS service provider.