Methods and apparatus for communicating data via a cellular network control channel

Claims

We claim:

1. In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular radiotelephones within coverage areas of said array of cells, a data message system for communicating selected data collected from a plurality of remote data sources, said data message system comprising:

a plurality of data reporting means, each of said data reporting means operative for monitoring a corresponding one of said remote data sources to obtain said selected data and for transmitting a data message containing said selected data, said data message formatted as an identification signal transmitted by one of said cellular radiotelephones when said cellular radiotelephone identifies itself to said CMR system;

at least one mobile switching center (MSC) for receiving said data message via a cellular network control channel from each of said data reporting means operating within said coverage areas of said array of cells; and

means for collecting said selected data in response to receiving said data message from said MSC via a first communications link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data collection means is connected to at least one memory storage device for storing said data message as a stored data message.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said data collection means is operative to transmit said stored data message to a data processing system via a second communications link, said data processing system being operative to process said selected data of said data message.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data collection means is operative to transmit said data message to a data processing system via a second communications link, said data processing system being operative to process said selected data of said data message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data collection means is compatible with an EIA/TIA Interim Standard 41 (IS-41).

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said data collection means comprises a computer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data message comprises said selected data and a predetermined identifying characteristic which uniquely identifies a certain one of said data reporting means that transmits said data message to said MSC.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said identification signal comprises data fields for a mobile telephone number and an electronic serial number (ESN), said predetermined identifying characteristic corresponding to at least a portion of said mobile telephone number and said selected data corresponding to at least a portion of said ESN.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said remote data sources include at least one of a group of utility meters, community antenna television (CATV) pay-per-view (PPV) terminals, vending equipment, and security alarm systems.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said selected data describes certain parameters of operation or performance for each of said data sources.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said data reporting means comprises:

a monitor, connected to said corresponding remote data source, for monitoring said corresponding remote data source to obtain said selected data; and

a cellular communications device connected to said monitor and operative to transmit said data message containing said selected data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said monitor comprises a recorder for recording said selected data during at least one predetermined time period.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said recorder is operative to add to said selected data a time tag indicating the relative time for the start of each of said predetermined time period.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said data reporting means monitors said cellular network control channel to detect a stream of busy idle bits for a predetermined time period, each of said busy idle bits indicating whether a cellular source has initiated a cellular communication with said MSC via said cellular network control channel, and determines the level of communications for said cellular network control channel based upon the status of said busy idle bits.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of said data reporting means transmits said data message to said MSC when said level for said communications is below a certain minimum threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said data reporting means conducts predetermined operations in response to receiving command signals from said MSC via said cellular network control channel.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of said command signals comprises address data, wherein each of said data reporting means is responsive to said command signals only for predetermined address data.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a selected one of said data reporting means transmits said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to receiving one of said command signals via said cellular network control channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a selected one of said data reporting means monitors said corresponding remote data source and obtains said selected data for a certain monitoring time period in response to receiving one of said command signals via said cellular network control channel.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said data reporting means is connected to a memory storage device for storing selected data as stored selected data.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said data reporting means includes a clock that outputs a clock signal upon expiration of a time interval.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said data reporting means transmits a certain data message containing said stored selected data to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to said clock signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of said data reporting means includes a clock that outputs a clock signal upon expiration of a time interval.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said time interval is different for each of data reporting means.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein each of said data reporting means transmits said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to said clock signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of said data reporting means transmits said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to said clock signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said time interval is set to a certain time in response to said data reporting means receiving another one of said command signals from said MSC via said cellular network control channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said data reporting means includes a clock that outputs a clock signal upon expiration of a time interval, said data reporting means responsive to said clock signal to transmit said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein each of said data reporting means monitors said cellular network control channel to detect a stream of busy idle bits for a predetermined time period, each of said busy idle bits indicating whether a cellular source has initiated a cellular communication with said MSC via said cellular network control channel, and determines the level of communications on said cellular network control channel based upon the status of said busy idle bits.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each of said data reporting means, responsive to said clock signal, delays transmitting said data message until said level of said communications is below a certain minimum threshold.

31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said data reporting means is connected to a memory storage device for storing said selected data as stored selected data.

32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data message is formatted to represent an extended protocol message in accordance with EIA/TIA-553.

33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said remote communications devices monitors said cellular network control channel to detect a stream of busy idle bits for a predetermined time period, each of said busy idle bits indicating whether a cellular source has initiated a cellular communication with said MSC via said cellular network control channel during a particular time interval, and determines the level of communications for said cellular network control channel by calculating a running average of said busy idle bits for said predetermined time period and an average of last "n" counts of said busy idle bits for said predetermined time period.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein each of said remote communications devices transmits said data message to said MSC when said communications level is below a certain minimum threshold defined by said average of last "n" counts of said busy idle bits being less than said running average of said idle busy bits.

35. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said cellular communications device transmits said data message to said MSC in response to a status signal generated by said monitor, said status signal representing the occurrence of an event in the environment of said corresponding remote data source.

36. In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular radiotelephones within coverage areas of said array of cells, a data message system for communicating data collected from a plurality of remote data sources, said data message system comprising:

a plurality of monitors, each of said monitors connected to a corresponding one of said remote data sources and operative for monitoring the operation of said corresponding remote data source to obtain selected data;

a plurality of cellular communications devices, each of said cellular communications devices connected to a corresponding one of said monitors and operative to transmit a data message containing said selected data, said data message formatted as an identification signal transmitted by one of the cellular radiotelephones when said cellular radiotelephone identifies itself to said CMR system;

at least one mobile switching center (MSC) for receiving said data message via a cellular network control channel from each of said cellular communications devices operating within said coverage areas of said array of cells; and

a data collection system for receiving said data message from said MSC via a first communications link, said data collection system operative to collect said data message.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said data collection system is connected to at least one memory storage device for storing said data message as a stored data message in response to said data collection system receiving said data message from said MSC.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said data collection system is operative to transmit said stored data message to a data processing system via a second communications link, said data processing system being remotely located from said data collection system and operative to process said selected data of said data message.

39. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said data collection system is operative to transmit said data message to a data processing system via a second communications link, said data processing system being remotely located from said data collection system and operative to process said selected data of said data message.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said data message comprises said selected data and a predetermined identifying characteristic that uniquely identifies the certain one of said cellular communications devices that transmits said data message to said MSC.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said identification signal comprises data fields for a mobile telephone number and an electronic serial number (ESN), said predetermined identifying characteristic corresponding to at least a portion of said mobile telephone number and said selected data corresponding to at least a portion of said ESN.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein each of said cellular communications devices monitors said cellular network control channel to detect a stream of busy idle bits for a predetermined time period, each of said busy idle bits indicating whether a cellular source has initiated a cellular communication with said MSC via said cellular network control channel during a particular time interval, and determines the level of communications for said cellular network control channel based upon the status of said busy idle bits.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein each of said cellular communications devices transmits said data message to said MSC when said level for said communications is below a certain minimum threshold.

44. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein each of said cellular communications devices conducts predetermined operations in response to receiving command signals from said MSC via said cellular network control channel.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein each of said command signals comprises address data, wherein each of said cellular communications devices is responsive to said command signals for conducting said predetermined operations only for predetermined address data.

46. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein a selected one of said cellular communications device transmits said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to receiving one of said command signals via said cellular network control channel.

47. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein each of said cellular communications devices includes a clock that outputs a clock signal upon expiration of a time interval.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said time interval is set to a certain time in response to said cellular communications device receiving another one of said command signals.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein each of said cellular communications devices transmits said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel in response to said clock signal.

50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said time interval is different for each of said cellular communications devices.

51. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein each of said cellular communications devices includes a clock that outputs a clock signal upon expiration of a time interval, said cellular communications devices responsive to said clock signal to transmit said data message to said MSC via said cellular network control channel.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein each of said cellular communications devices monitors said cellular network control channel to detect a stream of busy idle bits for a predetermined time period, each of said busy idle bits indicating whether a cellular source has initiated a cellular communication with said MSC via said cellular network control channel during a particular time interval, and determines the level of communications for said cellular network control channel based upon the status of said busy idle bits.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein each of said cellular communications devices, responsive to said clock signal, delays transmitting said data message to said MSC until sai