WO2005076657A1

WO2005076657A1 - Method and apparatus for transmitting message-calls to a group of cell-phones

Info

Publication number: WO2005076657A1
Application number: PCT/NL2005/000096
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Louwers
Original assignee: Uhb Communications
Priority date: 2004-02-09
Filing date: 2005-02-09
Publication date: 2005-08-18
Also published as: NL1025443C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting message-calls to a group of cellular phones formed by a collection of cellular phones located in a predetermined area, wherein the telephone numbers of this group of cellular phones are stored in a database, and the group of cellular phones is divided into a collection of sub-groups that together form the group of cellular phones, and wherein the message calls are transmitted per sub-group, and the subgroups of the group of cellular phones are determined by dividing the collection of cellular phones into sub-collections, whereby each sub-collection is formed by the cellular phones that are present in a sub-area which is closed in itself and which is part of the predetermined area within which the collection of cellular phones is located, wherein the group of cellular phones whose telephone numbers are stored in the database is determined by the individual registration of these cellular phones.

Description

Method and apparatus for transmitting message-calls to a group of cell-phones

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting message-calls to a group of cellular phones formed by a collection of cellular phones located in a predetermined area, wherein the telephone numbers of this group of cellular phones are stored in a database, and the group of cellular phones is divided into a collection of sub-groups that together form the group of cellular phones, and wherein the message calls are transmitted per sub-group, and the subgroups of the group of cellular phones are determined by di- viding the collection of cellular phones into sub- collections, whereby each sub-collection is formed by the cellular phones that are present in a sub-area which is closed in itself and which is part of the predetermined area within which the collection of cellular phones is located. Such a method and apparatus are known from WO

99/66757. In accordance with the invention such a method and apparatus are employed such that the group of cellular phones whose telephone numbers are stored in the database is deter- mined by the individual registration of these cellular phones, which occurs by sending a registration message via the telephones and that the predetermined area is a public place, which is provided with position-identification data such as seat numbers in a stadium or theatre or the like, and that these position-identification data are transmitted together with the registration message. A simple method for doing this is one wherein the registration message is an SMS- message to a predetermined receiving number. The use of the method and apparatus according to the invention allow special effects to be realised; an interesting possibility in the form of a non-limiting example will be elucidated hereinbelow. One of the special features of the invention is that it creates the possibility of concerted calling. More in par- ticular, it allows the message calls to be transmitted successively per sub-group. In the method according to the invention it is preferred for the receiving number, after having received the registration message, to transmit a confirmation message accompanied by an invitation to install a predetermined ring- tone. In this way all the cellular phones that are present and registered can be provided with the same ringtone. For example, if the group of cellular phones is used by the visi- tors of a football match, the ringtones may be formed by the respective club songs of the competing teams. A preferred embodiment of this method is one wherein the sub-groups are related to sub-areas bordering onto each other, and the message calls are transmitted in accordance with a predetermined sequence of the sub-areas. Desirably, the message calls are transmitted in accordance with the sub-areas' order of priority. In a particular aspect of the invention, the same is characterized in that the sub-areas form a closed circle and in that the message calls are transmitted unidirectionally and at a predetermined speed to one sub-area of the circle after another. In this way it is possible to have a light or sound wave moving around the closed circle, as will be explained hereinbelow. The invention is also embodied in an apparatus for telephone communication, comprising a data file for storing telephone numbers and a server for transmitting message calls, equipped to carry out the method discussed above. Hereinbelow the invention will be further elucidated by way of an exemplary embodiment that does not limit the claims and with reference to the drawing. Reference numeral 1 indicates an invitation to the supporters present in a stadium to participate in a sound wave, in this example referred to as the SMS-wave. The invi- tation may be conveyed via the speaker of the stadium and/or via an invitation on a video screen. The figure shows a video screen displaying the text "Join in the SMS-wave! SMS your seat number to number 8421." By sending this SMS-message to number 8421 the respective cellular phone number is selected for storage in a database 4. As mentioned above, the seat number must be transmitted with this SMS-message in order to be able to un- ambiguously determine the position of the cellular phone. The users of cellular phones who have transmitted such an SMS-message receive a confirmation SMS, affording the possibility of installing a ringtone that corresponds to the club song of one of the playing clubs. Of course, the ringing volume must be at its highest possible setting. All the registrations are collected by the database 4, which groups the received registrations in accordance with the location of the respective cellular phones in the stadium. In the figure this is shown for section H by way of the seat numbers H 14 to H 139. The stadium comprises sections A to 0 and each section corresponds with a collection of message calls to be transmitted in batches to the cellular phones located in the respective section. After the grouping into sections is completed, the server 5 undertakes the just referred to batchwise transmission of message calls to the cellular phones. As already mentioned, this takes place per section starting, for example, in section A. In that section, all the message calls of the cellular phones present in that section are audible simulta- neously. The objective then is that the users of these cellular phones remain passive and do not answer their telephone. When the message calls have lasted for a predetermined length of time, for example four seconds, the message calls to the cellular phones in this section A are stopped and the batchwise transmission of message calls to the adjacent section B commences. Here the above-described process is repeated. The batchwise transmission of message calls continues successively in a circular movement around the stadium so as to eventually arrive at section A again and the sound wave may either stop or continue, as desired. Another interesting possibility concerns the circulation of a light wave. This asks for a dark or darkened environment such as occurs, for example, during an evening or night concert in a stadium. The message calls cause the displays of the telephones being called to illuminate, and this illumination can also be allowed to proceed like a 'wave' in the manner described above ..

Claims

1. A method for transmitting message-calls to a group of cellular phones formed by a collection of cellular phones located in a predetermined area, wherein the telephone numbers of this group of cellular phones are stored in a da- tabase, and the group of cellular phones is divided into a collection of sub-groups that together form the group of cellular phones, and wherein the message calls are transmitted per sub-group, and the sub-groups of the group of cellular phones are determined by dividing the collection of cellular phones into sub-collections, whereby each sub-collection is formed by the cellular phones that are present in a sub-area which is closed in itself and which is part of the predetermined area within which the collection of cellular phones is located, characterised in that the group of cellular phones whose telephone numbers are stored in the database is determined by the individual registration of these cellular phones, which occurs by sending a registration message via the telephones, and that the predetermined area is a public place provided with position-identification data, such as seat numbers in a stadium or theatre or the like, and that these position-identification data are transmitted together with the registration message.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the registration message is an SMS-message to a prede- termined receiving number.

3. A method according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the receiving number, after having received the registration message, transmits a confirmation message accompanied by an invitation to install a predeter- mined ringtone.

4. A method according to one of the claims 1-3, characterised in that the message calls are transmitted successively per sub-group.

5. A method according to one of the claims 1-4, characterised in that the sub-groups are related to sub-areas bordering onto each other, and the message calls are transmitted in accordance with a predetermined sequence of the sub-areas .

6. A method according to claim 5, characterised in that the message calls are transmitted in accordance with the sub-areas' order of priority.

7. A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sub-areas form a closed circle and in that the message calls are transmitted unidi- rectionally and at a predetermined speed to one sub-area of the circle after another.

8. An apparatus for telephone communication, comprising a data file for storing telephone numbers and a server for transmitting message calls, equipped to carry out the method according to one of the claims 1-7.