WO2001063890A1 - Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001063890A1
WO2001063890A1 PCT/SE2001/000366 SE0100366W WO0163890A1 WO 2001063890 A1 WO2001063890 A1 WO 2001063890A1 SE 0100366 W SE0100366 W SE 0100366W WO 0163890 A1 WO0163890 A1 WO 0163890A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
accessory
add
date
management system
time
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2001/000366
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Oskar Malm
Original Assignee
Kreatel Communications Ab
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kreatel Communications Ab filed Critical Kreatel Communications Ab
Priority to AU34312/01A priority Critical patent/AU3431201A/en
Publication of WO2001063890A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001063890A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
    • H04M1/006—Call diverting means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
    • H04M1/72—Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
    • H04M1/724—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
    • H04M1/72403—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
    • H04M1/72409—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories
    • H04M1/72412—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2250/00—Details of telephonic subscriber devices
    • H04M2250/02—Details of telephonic subscriber devices including a Bluetooth interface
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
    • H04W4/12—Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
    • H04W4/14—Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W56/00—Synchronisation arrangements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus in a telecommunication system. Specifically, the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the time and date difference between a management system and either a mobile equipment or an add-on accessory, which is configured to connect physically or by wireless connection to the mobile equipment and to communicate with, and control operation of, the mobile equipment through an external interface.
  • the add-on accessory uses routing information in the form of one or more routing tables to determine whether and how to re-route a call.
  • the tables contains e.g. information on how the call re-routing should take place depending on the country, network and area where the mobile equipment is located when the call is placed.
  • the tables also includes time of day, day of week, destination number, parts of destination numbers such as country code or city code, and so on. Some of the information is obtained by the call re-router from the mobile equipment when it is needed, such as the current location etc.
  • the add-on accessory needs to know the current time and date. This information can either be retreived from the mobile equipment to which the accessory is connected, or from a real-time clock built into the accessory. In either case the clock may slow over time, resulting in degraded functionality. Additionally, if the clock information is retrieved from the mobile equipment, the user may at any time set the clock to an incorrect value. There is, therefore, a need for a method and an apparatus that computes the time and date difference between the mobile equipment or the add-on accessory and the management system.
  • One object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus which overcome the above problem to compute the time and date difference between the mobile equipment or the add-on accessory and the management system.
  • this object is accomplished by providing methods and apparatus that use a Short Message Service (SMS) in a mobile network to synchronize the clock of a mobile equipment or addon accessory to the clock of a centrally located management system as defined in the independent claims 1, 5, 11 and 16.
  • SMS Short Message Service
  • Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an add-on mobile equipment accessory.
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating relationships among components of a telecommunications system in which a time and date difference is computed.
  • Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the add-on accessory for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the management system for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the add-on accessory for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the management system for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the add-on accessory is a call rerouter, of the type described in the Swedish patent application 9904848-0, and the mobile equipment is a mobile telephone.
  • an add-on mobile equipment accessory is represented by 1.
  • the add-on accessory 1 has a digital interface 3 configured to be connected physically and electrically with any kind of mobile equipment 2.
  • the accessory 1 can also be coupled to the mobile equipment 2 through a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth interface, to provide an interface for digital and analogue data transfer.
  • Bluetooth is a code name for a technology specification for small form factor, low-cost, short range radio links between mobile PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices.
  • Access to the digital interface 3 is made through a number of layers of conventional design, including a telephone hardware interface 4 designed for a particular telephone 2 or a family of telephones, a hardware abstraction layer 5 that provides a standard interface to the hardware, and a telephone driver 6.
  • control program 12 is a small real-time control program that performs such functions as task scheduling and control.
  • the control program 12 is supported by a scheduler 10, a scheduling program module that performs scheduling tasks, by management data 11, a collection of data concerning the add-on accessory, and a management unit 7, a program module responsible for all communication with the management system 20.
  • the add-on accessory 1 is programmed to perform call re-routing.
  • Call re-routing transforms a user-selected telephone number — which can be a full telephone number or an abbreviated number - into a different number or a sequence of actions that may involve placing one or more telephone calls and sending or receiving data from one or more sources.
  • the add-on accessory 1 can be programmed with a rerouting unit 8 and supporting routing data 9 to implement a call re-router.
  • a timer is located in the scheduler 10, which is started when an update request is sent from the add-on accessory 1.
  • the timer is set to a predetermined time, under which the add-on accessory 1 waits for one or more SMS messages.
  • the add-on accessory 1 stops waiting for SMS messages when the time is out.
  • the current time and date of the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 2 is stored in a memory located in the management data 11. Also, when the time and date difference between the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 (fig 2) is computed, the result is stored in the memory located in the management data 11
  • the mobile equipment 2 communicates with the management system 20 either over a GSM network 25 or any other standard well-known in the art, such as D-AMPS, PDC etc, and over the PSTN 24.
  • the GSM network 25 and the PSTN 24 are connected through a gateway 26.
  • the management system 20 communicates with a database 21, in which information about each individual add- on accessory is stored.
  • the management system 20 is connected to a SMS server 22 and a CLI server 23, by means of in the art well-known link protocols, e.g. Internet Protocols (IP).
  • IP Internet Protocols
  • the management system 20, the SMS server 22 and the CLI server 23 are implemented in the same equipment.
  • the procedure for determine the time and date difference between either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 is as follows:
  • the add-on accessory 1 initiates a clock updating procedure by instructing the mobile equipment 2 to call a dedicated telephone number (step 31) to the CLI server 23 and stores at the same time the current time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 in the memory 11 (fig 1) (step 32). Then, the add-on accessory 1 releases the call (step 33) and starts the timer located in the scheduler 10 (fig 1) (step 34). The add-on accessory 1 now has to wait for a possible incoming SMS message (step 35);
  • the CLI server 23 saves the Calling Party Number (step 41) and transmits identification information to the management system 20;
  • the management system 20 reads the time and date of the system (step 42) and sends updating data, including the current time and date of the management system 20, in the form of at least one SMS message to the mobile equipment 2;
  • the add-on accessory 1 recognises that it is the intended recipient and prevents the messages from being displayed to the user. Then, the add-on accessory 1 compares the stored time and date with the time and date received from the management system 20, and computes the time and date difference. If no SMS messages to the add-on accessory 1 are received by the mobile equipment 2 before the time set by the timer is out, the clock updating process has failed for some reason. If the process has failed, the add-on accessory 1 will make another attempt later. Alternatively, no attempt will be made until it is time for the next scheduled updating process;
  • the add-on accessory 1 adjusts the time and date of the mobile equipment 2 if necessary (step 36) or optionally stores the computed time difference in the memory 11 for later use.
  • the procedure for determine the time and date difference between either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 is as follows:
  • the add-on accessory 1 initiates a clock updating procedure by instructing the mobile equipment 2 to call a dedicated telephone number (step 51) to the CLI server 23 and send the current time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 (step 52) when the connection is established, e.g. by means of dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tones or any other in-band signalling protocol well-known to the person skilled in the art.
  • DTMF dual-tone multifrequency
  • the add-on accessory 1 releases the call (step 53) and starts the timer located in the scheduler 10 (fig 1) (step 54).
  • the add-on accessory 1 now has to wait for one or more possible incoming SMS messages (step 55);
  • the CLI server 23 saves the Calling Party Number (step 61 ) and transmits identification information to the management system 20;
  • the management system receives the time and date of the add-on accessory 1 (step 62) and the call is released (step 63);
  • the management system 20 reads the time and date of the management system 20, compares it with the received time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1, and computes the time and date difference (step 64);
  • the management system 20 sends the result back to the mobile equipment 2 in the form of at least one SMS message (step 65); 7) If there are one or more incoming SMS messages to the mobile equipment 2, the add-on accessory 1 recognises that it is the intended recipient and prevents the messages from being displayed to the user. If no SMS messages to the add-on accessory 1 are received by the mobile equipment 2 before the time set by the timer is out, the clock updating process has failed for some reason. If the process has failed, the add-on accessory 1 will make another attempt later. Alternatively, no attempt will be made until it is time for the next scheduled updating process;
  • the add-on accessory 1 adjusts the time and date of the mobile equipment 2 if necessary (step 56), using the received time and date difference from the management system 20, or optionally stores the computed time difference in the memory 11 for later use.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for ascertain time and date in a telecommunications system, which comprises a mobile equipment (2), a management system (20) and an add-on accessory (1), connected physically or by wireless connection to the mobile equipment (2). The add-on accessory (1) needs to know the current time and date for different reasons. This information is retrieved either from the mobile equipment (2) or from a real-time clock built into the add-on accessory (1). Since the clock may slow over time and can additionally be set to an incorrect value by the user, the clock is compared to the time and date of the management system (20) at a regular basis to ensure correct operation. Clock information is sent using the Short Message Service (SMS) of a mobile network (25). In order to accommodate varying delays experienced when sending and receiving SMS messages, the updating procedure is further refined.

Description

Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system.
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus in a telecommunication system. Specifically, the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the time and date difference between a management system and either a mobile equipment or an add-on accessory, which is configured to connect physically or by wireless connection to the mobile equipment and to communicate with, and control operation of, the mobile equipment through an external interface.
Such an add-on accessory is described in the Swedish patent application SE 9904848-0, in which programming is embodied to perform call re-routing. A telephone call requested by the subscriber is caused to transparently be re-routed through a switch connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The switch connects the subscriber to the subscriber-requested destination.
The add-on accessory uses routing information in the form of one or more routing tables to determine whether and how to re-route a call. The tables contains e.g. information on how the call re-routing should take place depending on the country, network and area where the mobile equipment is located when the call is placed. The tables also includes time of day, day of week, destination number, parts of destination numbers such as country code or city code, and so on. Some of the information is obtained by the call re-router from the mobile equipment when it is needed, such as the current location etc.
To be able to correctly perform certain functions the add-on accessory needs to know the current time and date. This information can either be retreived from the mobile equipment to which the accessory is connected, or from a real-time clock built into the accessory. In either case the clock may slow over time, resulting in degraded functionality. Additionally, if the clock information is retrieved from the mobile equipment, the user may at any time set the clock to an incorrect value. There is, therefore, a need for a method and an apparatus that computes the time and date difference between the mobile equipment or the add-on accessory and the management system.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus which overcome the above problem to compute the time and date difference between the mobile equipment or the add-on accessory and the management system. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, this object is accomplished by providing methods and apparatus that use a Short Message Service (SMS) in a mobile network to synchronize the clock of a mobile equipment or addon accessory to the clock of a centrally located management system as defined in the independent claims 1, 5, 11 and 16.
The details of the preferred embodiment of the present invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the drawings and the claims.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an add-on mobile equipment accessory.
Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating relationships among components of a telecommunications system in which a time and date difference is computed.
Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the add-on accessory for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the management system for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the add-on accessory for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the steps performed in the management system for computing a time and date difference between a mobile equipment and a management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the add-on accessory is a call rerouter, of the type described in the Swedish patent application 9904848-0, and the mobile equipment is a mobile telephone.
In fig 1, an add-on mobile equipment accessory is represented by 1. The add-on accessory 1 has a digital interface 3 configured to be connected physically and electrically with any kind of mobile equipment 2. In alternative embodiments, the accessory 1 can also be coupled to the mobile equipment 2 through a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth interface, to provide an interface for digital and analogue data transfer. (Bluetooth is a code name for a technology specification for small form factor, low-cost, short range radio links between mobile PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices.)
Access to the digital interface 3 is made through a number of layers of conventional design, including a telephone hardware interface 4 designed for a particular telephone 2 or a family of telephones, a hardware abstraction layer 5 that provides a standard interface to the hardware, and a telephone driver 6.
All of the facilities of the add-on accessory 1 are controlled by a control program 12, which is a small real-time control program that performs such functions as task scheduling and control. The control program 12 is supported by a scheduler 10, a scheduling program module that performs scheduling tasks, by management data 11, a collection of data concerning the add-on accessory, and a management unit 7, a program module responsible for all communication with the management system 20.
The add-on accessory 1 is programmed to perform call re-routing. Call re-routing transforms a user-selected telephone number — which can be a full telephone number or an abbreviated number - into a different number or a sequence of actions that may involve placing one or more telephone calls and sending or receiving data from one or more sources. In particular, the add-on accessory 1 can be programmed with a rerouting unit 8 and supporting routing data 9 to implement a call re-router.
A timer is located in the scheduler 10, which is started when an update request is sent from the add-on accessory 1. The timer is set to a predetermined time, under which the add-on accessory 1 waits for one or more SMS messages. The add-on accessory 1 stops waiting for SMS messages when the time is out.
The current time and date of the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 2 is stored in a memory located in the management data 11. Also, when the time and date difference between the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 (fig 2) is computed, the result is stored in the memory located in the management data 11
Referring now to fig 2, the mobile equipment 2 communicates with the management system 20 either over a GSM network 25 or any other standard well-known in the art, such as D-AMPS, PDC etc, and over the PSTN 24. The GSM network 25 and the PSTN 24 are connected through a gateway 26. The management system 20 communicates with a database 21, in which information about each individual add- on accessory is stored. Further, the management system 20 is connected to a SMS server 22 and a CLI server 23, by means of in the art well-known link protocols, e.g. Internet Protocols (IP). Optionally, the management system 20, the SMS server 22 and the CLI server 23 are implemented in the same equipment.
In one embodiment of the present invention, shown in figs 3 and 4, the procedure for determine the time and date difference between either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 is as follows:
1) The add-on accessory 1 initiates a clock updating procedure by instructing the mobile equipment 2 to call a dedicated telephone number (step 31) to the CLI server 23 and stores at the same time the current time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 in the memory 11 (fig 1) (step 32). Then, the add-on accessory 1 releases the call (step 33) and starts the timer located in the scheduler 10 (fig 1) (step 34). The add-on accessory 1 now has to wait for a possible incoming SMS message (step 35);
2) The CLI server 23 saves the Calling Party Number (step 41) and transmits identification information to the management system 20;
3) The management system 20 reads the time and date of the system (step 42) and sends updating data, including the current time and date of the management system 20, in the form of at least one SMS message to the mobile equipment 2;
4) If there are one or more incoming SMS messages to the mobile equipment 2, the add-on accessory 1 recognises that it is the intended recipient and prevents the messages from being displayed to the user. Then, the add-on accessory 1 compares the stored time and date with the time and date received from the management system 20, and computes the time and date difference. If no SMS messages to the add-on accessory 1 are received by the mobile equipment 2 before the time set by the timer is out, the clock updating process has failed for some reason. If the process has failed, the add-on accessory 1 will make another attempt later. Alternatively, no attempt will be made until it is time for the next scheduled updating process;
5) The add-on accessory 1 adjusts the time and date of the mobile equipment 2 if necessary (step 36) or optionally stores the computed time difference in the memory 11 for later use.
In another embodiment of the present invention, shown in figs 5 and 6, the procedure for determine the time and date difference between either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 and the management system 20 is as follows:
1) The add-on accessory 1 initiates a clock updating procedure by instructing the mobile equipment 2 to call a dedicated telephone number (step 51) to the CLI server 23 and send the current time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1 (step 52) when the connection is established, e.g. by means of dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tones or any other in-band signalling protocol well-known to the person skilled in the art.
2) Then, the add-on accessory 1 releases the call (step 53) and starts the timer located in the scheduler 10 (fig 1) (step 54). The add-on accessory 1 now has to wait for one or more possible incoming SMS messages (step 55);
3) The CLI server 23 saves the Calling Party Number (step 61 ) and transmits identification information to the management system 20;
4) The management system receives the time and date of the add-on accessory 1 (step 62) and the call is released (step 63);
5) The management system 20 reads the time and date of the management system 20, compares it with the received time and date of either the mobile equipment 2 or the add-on accessory 1, and computes the time and date difference (step 64);
6) Then, the management system 20 sends the result back to the mobile equipment 2 in the form of at least one SMS message (step 65); 7) If there are one or more incoming SMS messages to the mobile equipment 2, the add-on accessory 1 recognises that it is the intended recipient and prevents the messages from being displayed to the user. If no SMS messages to the add-on accessory 1 are received by the mobile equipment 2 before the time set by the timer is out, the clock updating process has failed for some reason. If the process has failed, the add-on accessory 1 will make another attempt later. Alternatively, no attempt will be made until it is time for the next scheduled updating process;
8) The add-on accessory 1 adjusts the time and date of the mobile equipment 2 if necessary (step 56), using the received time and date difference from the management system 20, or optionally stores the computed time difference in the memory 11 for later use.

Claims

1. A method in a telecommunications system, which comprises a mobile equipment (2), a management system (20) and an add-on accessory (1), connected to the mobile equipment (2), characterised in, that the method comprises the steps of:
the add-on accessory (1) initiating a clock updating process by calling the management system (20) and storing the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) in a memory (11);
the management system (20) receiving identification information;
the management system (20) sending updating data, including the current time and date of the management system (20) when the update request was received by the management system (20), to the add-on accessory (1) in the form of at least one Short Message Service (SMS) message;
the add-on accessory (1) comparing the time and date stored in the memory (11) with the time and date of the management system (20), and computing the time and date difference.
2. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in, the management system (20) receiving identification information from a Calling Line Indication (CLI) server (23).
3. A method according to any of the claims 1 - 2, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1) adjusting the time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) by using the computed time and date difference.
4. A method according to any of the claims 1 - 2, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1 ) storing the computed time and date difference in the memory
(11) for later use.
5. An apparatus in a telecommunications system, which comprises a mobile equipment (2), a management system (20) and an add-on accessory (1), connected to the mobile equipment (2), characterised in, that: the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to initiate a clock updating process by calling the management system (20), and to store the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) in a memory (11);
the management system (20) is arranged to receive identification information;
the management system (20) is arranged to send updating data, including the current time and date of the management system (20) when the update request was received by the management system (20), to the add-on accessory (1) in the form of at least one Short Message Service (SMS) message;
the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to compare the time and date stored in the memory (11) with the time and date of the management system (20), and to compute the time and date difference.
6. An apparatus according to claim5, characterised in, that the management system (20) is arranged to receive identification information from a Calling Line Identification (CLI) server (23).
7. An apparatus according to any of the claims 5 - 6, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to adjust the time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) by using the computed time and date difference.
8. An apparatus according to any of the claims 5 - 6, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to store the computed time and date difference in the memory (11) for later use.
9. An apparatus according to any of the claims 5 - 8, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is physically connected to the mobile equipment (2).
10. An apparatus according to any of the claims 5 - 8, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is connected by a wireless interface to the mobile equipment (2).
11. A method in a telecommunications system, which comprises a mobile equipment (2), a management system (20) and an add-on accessory (1), connected to the mobile equipment (2), characterised in, that the method comprises the steps of:
the add-on accessory (1) initiating a clock updating process by calling the management system (20) and transmitting the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1), to the management system (20);
the management system (20) receiving identification information;
the management system (20) comparing the transmitted time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) with the current time and date of the management system (20), and computing the time and date difference;
the management system (20) sending the time and date difference back to the add-on accessory (1) in the form of at least one Short Message Service (SMS) message.
12. A method according to claim 11, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1) transmitting the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) by means of dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tones.
13. A method according to any of the claims 11 - 12, characterised in, the management system (20) receiving identification information from a Calling Line Indication (CLI) server (23).
14. A method according to any of the claims 11 - 13, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1) adjusting the time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) by using the computed time and date difference.
15. A method according to any of the claims 11 - 13, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1) storing the computed time and date difference in the memory (11) for later use.
16. An apparatus in a telecommunications system, which comprises a mobile equipment (2), a management system (20) and an add-on accessory (1), connected to the mobile equipment (2), characterised in, that: the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to initiate a clock updating process by calling the management system (20) and transmitting the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) to the management system (20);
the management system (20) is arranged to receive identification information;
the management system (20) is arranged to compare the time and date of the add-on accessory (1) with the time and date of the management system (20), and to compute the time and date difference;
the management system (20) is arranged to send the time difference to the addon accessory (1) in the form of at least one Short Message Service (SMS) message.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16, characterised in, the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to transmit the current time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) or the add-on accessory (1) by means of dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tones.
18. An apparatus according to any of the claims 16 - 17, characterised in, that the management system (20) is arranged to receive identification information from a Calling Line Identification (CLI) server (23).
19. An apparatus according to any of the claims 16 - 18, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to adjust the time and date of either the mobile equipment (2) of the add-on accessory (1) by using the computed time and date difference.
20. An apparatus according to any of the claims 16 - 18, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is arranged to store the computed time and date difference in the memory (11) for later use.
21. An apparatus according to any of the claims 16 - 20, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is physically connected to the mobile equipment (2).
2. An apparatus according to any of the claims 16 - 20, characterised in, that the add-on accessory (1) is connected by a wireless interface to the mobile equipment (2).
PCT/SE2001/000366 2000-02-24 2001-02-20 Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system WO2001063890A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU34312/01A AU3431201A (en) 2000-02-24 2001-02-20 Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE0000607A SE0000607D0 (en) 2000-02-24 2000-02-24 Methods and apparatus in a telecommunications system
SE0000607-2 2000-02-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001063890A1 true WO2001063890A1 (en) 2001-08-30

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PCT/SE2001/000366 WO2001063890A1 (en) 2000-02-24 2001-02-20 Method and apparatus for ascertaining time and date in a telecommunication system

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1838021A2 (en) * 2006-03-22 2007-09-26 Actaris UK Limited Method for accurate time setting of communication device over the air and corresponding communication device
EP1838021A3 (en) * 2006-03-22 2008-05-14 Actaris UK Limited Method for accurate time setting of communication device over the air and corresponding communication device
US8000696B2 (en) 2006-03-22 2011-08-16 Actaris U.K. Limited Method for accurate time setting of communication device over the air and corresponding communication device

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AU3431201A (en) 2001-09-03

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