Communications system providing call type indication for group calls

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

(Background of invention) The present invention relates to the field of communication systems, and more particularly to methods of handling group calls in communication systems such as wireless communication systems. [0002]

The use of portable wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, personal communication assistants, etc. is rapidly increasing in society. These wireless communication devices are beginning to become popular in a wide variety of configurations, depending on their intended use. For example, the mobile terminal of an ordinary cellular telephone, which is a traditional land telephone, attempts to imitate the land telephone with additional functionality such as portability and storage of a large number of telephone numbers. One feature of landline phones that is retained by most cellular phones is that they can be involved in all dual communications. In a general one-on-one conversation, both parties can talk at the same time by using a double system. This is in contrast to the prior art of mobile trunk radiotelephones, where only one party can speak at a given time. In addition, with conference telephone capabilities or other multi-party capabilities, two or more parties can generally speak at the same time. For ease of reference, this full dual mode will be referred to as the "telephone mode". The details of the telephone mode operation in the cellular telephone are known techniques. [0003]

Not only can some cellular phones operate in telephone mode, but they can also operate in what is referred to herein as wireless mode. Examples of this dual-mode device are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,450,618, U.S. Patent Applications 09/361, 941 and 09/361, 747 (all of which are incorporated herein by reference) and the United Kingdom. See patent application 9214180.3. In wireless mode, the phone appears to the user to handle communications in a semi-double manner. That is, the cellular telephone does not appear to the user to simultaneously send and receive voice data. Instead, the user must press a button, commonly known as a push-to-talk (PTT) button, so that the transmitted data contains data that corresponds to the user's voice. Otherwise, the phone appears to be receive-only. In addition, dual-mode telephones generally automatically answer incoming calls when in wireless mode. [0004]

With increasing frequency, cellular phones, other mobile phones and communication terminals are commonly used for group calls. A group call is a specific type of call in which the caller attempts to communicate with one or more members of a given user group. Members of a given group are contacted using a wide variety of devices such as traditional landline phones, cellular phones, satellite phones, personal communication assistants, pagers, etc. The most common type of group call is a conference involving a given number of users on multiple phones, such as all engineers for a project. Other types of group calls are broadcast group calls from one location to all listening members, such as a group call from a police station to all patrol officers in a given province. One common feature of group calls is that a smaller number of members than all group members may participate in any given group call, but those who can participate in the group call other than the caller of the group call ( That is, the list of group members) is known before the call begins. [0005]

As mentioned above, many communication terminals, such as dual-mode telephones, generally automatically answer incoming calls when in wireless mode. However, just because the phone answers the call does not necessarily mean that the user is actually going to pick up the phone. Instead, the user probably has a phone in auto-answer mode, as in wireless mode, but does not accompany this phone. If so, the incoming call is answered, the caller is faced with the reluctant task of talking to an unuserd phone, and in the group call phase, this auto-answer feature raises certain issues. There is a possibility. It is often desirable that the phone does not automatically answer group calls, or at least certain types of group calls. [0006]

In that case, the communication terminal can determine whether the incoming call is a group call before answering the group call, and optionally one of the group calls rather than a "normal" call. There is a need for a mechanism that can determine the more detailed features of the part. However, there is no known way for a mobile terminal to determine when the call will be a group call or a non-group call (or other form of group call). Therefore, there remains a need for a method of displaying when an incoming call becomes a group call to a communication terminal such as a wireless communication mobile terminal so that an appropriate response of the communication terminal can be performed. The communication terminal may optionally tune the response to the call in more detail, as such a method may also provide more detailed information about the group call. [0007]

(Summary of invention) The present invention provides a communication terminal with a display of a call type for a group call and optionally other information of the group call so that the group call can be identified from other types of incoming calls. [0008]

In one typical embodiment, the group call server that controls the group call causes the target communication terminal to receive the information in the calling party number field of the externally sent paging message and operate based on this information. When set to, this calling party number field is selectively incremented by one or more display flags. Display flags indicate one or more features of call type, call special type, or priority. When the group call server of the present invention receives a group call request, it checks the database of the user group. The user group database has records corresponding to the group members of the requested user group. This record preferably includes a device type indication of the corresponding device for each call address (eg, telephone number). When the device type is shown to be of a particular type corresponding to the communication terminal designed to work with the present invention, the group call server (eg, enhanced terminal) may include additional information. Change the calling field of the paging message to. Otherwise, the group call server proceeds as in the prior art. For example, a group call server can increase the calling party number to add one or more display flags. As an example, the first flag can indicate the priority and the second flag can indicate the group call. Briefly, the group call server initiates a paging message containing additional information about the group call for the enhanced terminal. [0009]

The present invention further provides a mobile communication terminal that is more suitable for handling group calls. A communication terminal, such as a dual-mode wireless mobile terminal operating in wireless mode, receives a group call paging message and selects the appropriate response to the paging message based on the flag character. The mobile terminal preferably inspects the calling field of the paging message to indicate the presence of the flag character. In the presence of the flag character, the mobile terminal dissects the flag character and the calling ID. Based on the flag character, the mobile terminal determines the appropriate response to the paging message. The response may include, for example, controlling the man-machine interface of the mobile terminal and determining whether to automatically answer the call. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile terminal automatically answers a particular type of group call and requires manual intervention by the user before answering a paging call for another type of group call. Therefore, the mobile terminal of the present invention that receives the increased paging message is based on the characteristics of the group call indicated in the paging message, such as whether or not the response should be automatic. [0010]

In its preferred embodiment, the invention is still retroactive with existing installation systems such as the ANSI-136 scheme, while both the enhanced group call server and the enhanced communication terminal provide this added functionality. I try to keep them compatible. That is, in a preferred embodiment, the invention relies on the flexibility already formed in the existing Air Interface Protocol. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented without the need to modify the signal protocol and air interface protocol or BMI (Base station, Mobile switching center, and Interworking function; base station, mobile switching center, and interaction function). [0011]

(Detailed description of suitable examples) The following description relates to a cellular radiotelephone system, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to that environment. In particular, the following description is made using terms that may be relevant to ANSI-136 compliant systems, but the invention is designed according to other standards, such as GSM, IS-95 or PDS. It may be carried out in other wireless communication environments including the wireless communication environment and various access methods, for example, a wireless communication environment using CDMA. [0012]

One embodiment of a mobile terminal suitable for use in the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and shown entirely by the telephone 20. The illustrated mobile terminal is a digital cellular telephone, but the present invention is not limited thereto and includes a wide variety of wireless communication devices including a cellular telephone, a personal communication assistant, a pager and the like. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to wireless mobile terminals, but includes other types of communication terminals, including land communication terminals or Internet-based communication terminals capable of receiving incoming group calls. However, for the sake of brevity, dual-mode wireless communication mobile terminals are used herein as the main explanatory examples. In particular, the telephone 20 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a main explanatory example. As described below, the telephone 20 is preferably a dual-mode telephone capable of performing telephone mode operation and wireless mode operation. [0013]

The cellular telephone 20 generally includes a control device 22, an operator interface 26, a communication device 38, a receiver 50, and an antenna device 58. The operator interface 26 generally includes a display 28, a keypad 30, a control unit 32, a microphone 34, and two speakers 80, 85. The display 28 allows the operator to see dialed numbers, call status and other service information. The keypad 30 allows the operator to dial numbers, enter instructions and select options. The control unit 32 interfaces the display 28 and the keypad 30 with the control device 22. [0014]

The microphone 34 receives an acoustic signal from the user and converts the acoustic signal into an analog electrical signal. Speakers 80 and 85 convert the analog electrical signal from the receiver 50 into an acoustic signal that the user can hear. The first speaker 80 is generally placed on the display 28 so that it is close to the user's ear when the telephone 20 is held in contact with the user's head in the position of a traditional telephone handset. It is a speaker. The second speaker 85 is a high volume speaker generally arranged at the opposite end of the telephone 20 with respect to the low volume speaker 80. refer graph1. The low volume speaker 80 acts as the main speaker of the phone when the phone is in "telephone mode", and the high volume speaker 85 acts as the main speaker of the phone in "wireless mode" as described in detail below. To do. Circuits leading to speakers 80 and 85 to deliver acoustic output to one speaker or another speaker may optionally be provided with switches (not shown). Such switches shall operate either directly or indirectly under the control of controller 22. [0015]

The keypad 30 comprises a plurality of keys having at least a first key 70 and a second key 75. In this figure, the first key 70 is the transmit key and the second key is the PTT key. Note that the keys on the keypad 30 may be physical keys or virtual keys (as shown on display 28), and these keys need to be located in only one area of the phone 20. Absent. Indeed, it is preferred that the transmit key 70 be located some distance from the PTT key 75. For example, the transmit key 70 may be placed close to a regular 3x4 phone key array located in front of the phone 20, while the PTT key 75 may be placed close to the display 28 and placed on the side of the phone 20. Good. refer graph1. [0016]

The analog electrical signal from the microphone 34 is sent to the transmitter 38. The transmitter 38 includes an analog-to-digital converter 40, a digital signal processor 42, and a phase modulator / RF amplifier 48. The analog-to-digital converter 40 converts the analog electrical signal from the microphone 34 into a digital signal. This digital signal is sent to a digital signal processor (DSP) 42, which has a speech coder 44 and a channel coder 46. The speech coder 44 compresses the digital signal and the channel coder 46 inserts error detection, error correction and signaling information. The DSP42 may have or operate with a DTMF tone generator (not shown). The compressed and encoded signal from the digital signal processor 42 is sent to the phase modulator / RF amplifier 48. This phase modulator / RF amplifier 48 is shown as a combination unit in FIG. The modulator transforms the signal into a form suitable for transmission on an RF carrier. The RF amplifier amplifies the output of the modulator so that it is transmitted via the antenna device 58. [0017]

The receiver 50 includes a receiver / amplifier 52, a digital signal processor 54, and a digital-to-analog converter 56. The signal received by the antenna device 58 is sent to the receiver / amplifier 52. The receiver / amplifier 52 shifts its frequency spectrum and amplifies its low level RF signal to a level suitable for input to the digital signal processor 54. [0018]

The digital signal processor 54 is generally transmitted based on an equalizer that compensates for the phase distortion and amplitude distortion of the channel-disrupted signal, a demodulator that extracts a bit sequence from the received signal, and the extracted sequence. It has a detector that determines the bit. The channel decoder detects and corrects channel errors in the received signal. The channel decoder also has a logic circuit that separates the control signaling data from the speech data. The control signaling data is sent to the control device 22. The speech data is processed by the speech decoder and sent to the digital-to-analog converter 56. The digital signal processor 54 may have or operate with a DTMF tone detector (not shown). [0019]

The digital-to-analog converter 56 converts the speech data into an analog signal, which is one of the speakers 80 and 85 so that it produces an acoustic signal that the user can hear, as described in more detail below. Is added to. The antenna device 58 is connected to the RF amplifier of the transmitter 38 and the receiver / amplifier 52 of the receiver 50. The antenna device 58 generally has a transmission / reception switch 60 and an antenna 62. The transmission / reception switch 60 allows full dual communication via the antenna 62 as needed. [0020]

The control device 22 coordinates the operation of the transmitter 38 and the receiver 50, and may take the form of an ordinary microprocessor, for example. The adjustment includes power control, channel selection, timing and many other functions. The control device 22 inserts the signaling message into the transmission signal and extracts the signaling message from the received signal. The control device 22 responds to any base station instruction contained in the signaling message and executes these instructions. When the user inputs an instruction via the keypad 30, the instruction is transferred to the controller 22 for execution. [0021] [0021]

The memory 24 stores and supplies information according to a command from the control device 22, and preferably has both a volatile portion and a non-volatile portion. The memory 24 includes a plurality of memory locations 90 for storing call addresses. See Figure 3. These memory locations 90 may be considered to be divided into at least two compartments, namely a first compartment 92 and a second compartment 94. The first compartment 92 has the first N memory locations 90 of the call address and the second compartment 94 has a balance. For illustration purposes, N is assumed to be 25, but any number greater than 1 may be used. The user enters a call address to be stored in memory location 90 via any method known in the art. Memory location 90 can be filled discontinuously. For example, it is expected that memory locations 1, 4, 8, 10, 24 and 35-45 may be filled and the rest may be empty. [0022]

The telephone 20 preferably operates in both telephone mode and wireless mode. The telephone mode is simply a telephone operating mode characterized by a full dual telephone 20 by any method of known technology such as ANSI-136. In phone mode, to the user of phone 20, the conversation appears to be bidirectional at the same time. This property is common in prior art digital cellular phones. The wireless mode is the operating mode of the telephone 20 in which the telephone 20 appears to the user to operate in half-duplex mode. In wireless mode, conversations appear bidirectional to the user of phone 20, but not at the same time. Instead, the operation of the microphone 34 and the speaker 85 is mutually exclusive during the call period. When the PTT key 75 is pressed, the microphone 34 of the telephone 20 is activated, and when the PTT key 75 is not pressed, the speaker 85 is activated. For ease of reference, the state of the PTT key 75 corresponding to the actuated microphone 34 may be referred to as the "speaking position" and the state of the PTT key 75 corresponding to the actuated speaker 85 may be referred to as the "listening position". This type of behavior is familiar to existing trunk radiotelephone users. Thus, in wireless mode, the telephone 20 resembles the man-machine interface of a trunk radio telephone. [0023]

As much as possible, the wireless mode behavior of the telephone 20 should be limited to the telephone 20. This means that the communication between the phone 20 and the rest of the radiotelephone is as a digital cellular phone in phone mode, but the man-machine interface is like a trunk radiotelephone to the user. Seems to be. Thus, when the telephone 20 operates in wireless mode, the telephone 20 may appear to be either full double or half double in the rest of the communication system. The only requirement for a telephone operating in wireless mode is to make the telephone 20 look semi-double to the user, regardless of reality, from the point of view of the communication system. The wireless mode operation of the telephone 20 is further disclosed in Shared U.S. Patent Application Nos. 09/234, 191 which are incorporated by reference herein. [0024]

Generally, the user fills one or more of the available memory locations 90 with call address information. The call address information is generally a landline telephone number, such as a telephone number associated with other cellular telephones or traditional land telephones or computers and the like. In addition, there may be alphanumeric identification tags associated with each call address, such as names. The term "call address" is used herein rather than "telephone number". This is because the call address information may be a telephone number, but instead may be a group identification number used to establish a group call. [0025]

The group call described above is a special call type in which the caller attempts to communicate with one or more members of a predefined group. Group calls exist in many types of call types. The two common call types are the broadcast type and the interactive type. In the case of the broadcast type, the main flow of information during a group call is one-way from one source (caller) to one or more destinations (group members). Therefore, in the case of a broadcast type group call, only the caller of the group call can speak, and the recipients are restricted to listening. In the case of an interactive group call, the main flow of information during the group call may be bidirectional. Therefore, in the case of an interactive group call, both the caller and the participating group members may both speak and hear. [0026]

Each call type may be further classified into a call special type. For example, an interactive group call may be further classified into a sequential type, a simultaneous first response special type, and a conference special type. In the case of a sequential special type of group call, the wireless communication system that manages the call sequentially attempts to contact the group members and gives each member a chance to answer before proceeding. In a typical configuration, the call is sent to the first group member. If the first group member does not respond in a timely manner, the call is canceled and the second group member is called, and so on. Therefore, a sequential special type group call may be considered as a series of individual calls connected in a chain to the group members in a predetermined order. In this case, the caller does not have to dial each number in succession and may instead dial a single group identification number. A simultaneous first response special type group call is similar to a sequential special type group call, but the call is sent to all group members at the same time and the call is connected to the first group member answering this call. To. A conference special type group call is similar to a simultaneous first response special type group call, but all group members who answer the call are bound to the call. Therefore, both sequential special type group calls and simultaneous first response special type group calls, if successful, end up in a group call between the caller and one group member. In contrast, a conference-specific type group call, if successful, ends in a group call between the caller and one or more group members. [0027]

Traditional dual-mode phones, that is, phones that automatically answer incoming calls in wireless mode, have problems with sequential special-type and simultaneous first-answer special-type group calls. For these calls, the search to find the group member ends when the group member answers. If the user sets a traditional dual-mode phone to wireless mode and leaves the phone unattended for any reason, the phone will still answer incoming group calls. If the telephone receives a sequential special type or simultaneous first answer special type call, the unmanned telephone answers the call and the caller receives an indication that the group call has been answered. However, the caller does not actually communicate with the living user and instead speaks to the unmanned telephone. Therefore, the caller is required to speak or leave a message in the thin air. Under many circumstances, the caller does not need to leave a message, but instead needs to talk to a living individual. In the prior art, the usefulness of group calls is negated and the caller is frustrated by the unattended but answering phone until a user who is not present at some midpoint in the future returns to the phone. [0028]

The present invention presents these and other by providing a particular telephone with a display of the call type for the group call and optionally other information for this group call so that the group call can be distinguished from other types of calls. Deal with the problem. To do so, the present invention envisions a group call server in charge of group calls selectively increasing the calling party number field of an externally transmitted paging message with one or more display flags. For example, the calling party number field of ANSI-136 call numbers for SPACH channels (see ANSI-136-123 §5.3.9 and §6.23) may be increased in length. Since the length of the calling field of the paging message can be easily changed within the existing air interface protocol, the present invention can be implemented without the need to change the air interface or BMI. Based on that additional information, the receiving phone may decide, for example, how to answer the sequential special type group call without auto-answering. [0029]

Generally, the group call is handled by the group call server associated with the wireless communication system. A group call server is a logical unit of a wireless communication system that manages group calls by, for example, tracking the qualifications of members of a user group, controlling access to the functionality of the user group, and coordinating the flow of information. is there. When the wireless communication system receives the group call request, the request is sent to the group call server. Other parts of the wireless communication system work with the group call server to facilitate group calls. [0030]

The group call server generally has a database of user groups <plurality> in which the call addresses (for example, telephone numbers) of each group member are listed. In the case of the present invention, it is desirable that the database of the group call server includes the display of the device type of each call address as much as possible. For example, the device type may be a common prior art cellular phone or a traditional landline phone. Of particular interest to this description, one of the device types shall respond to wireless communication devices (eg, telephones) applied in accordance with the present invention. This wireless communication device will be referred to as an enhanced terminal, for the sake of description only and not for illustration purposes. Therefore, the records in the database of the group call server preferably have indications when a particular call address corresponds to and does not correspond to the enhanced terminal device model. [0031]

In FIG. 4, the group caller generally initiates a group call by dialing a pre-assigned user group identification number (box 210). In the United States, this group identification number generally consists of 10 numbers, much like a regular phone number. When the wireless communication system receives a group call request (box 220), the request is sent to the group call server for handling (box 230). As shown in FIG. 4, the caller may optionally be given the opportunity to select group call settings such as call type, call special type, etc., for example by voice interaction (Box 240). In another embodiment, the call type and the like are preset for each user group. The selection of the group call setting (box 240) may be made after the group call server is involved (box 230), or may be made earlier. That particular timing is a matter of taste. [0032]

After receiving the request notification from the wireless communication system (Box 230), the group call server examines its database to determine which call address belongs to the requested user group and goes through the group call setup procedure. Start (box 250). The group call server interacts with the balance of the radio communication system to call the group members with the stored call address in an appropriate manner depending on which call type and call special type is selected. However, before initiating the call, the group call server looks up the device type shown in the database records for the relevant group members. If the device type indicates that the mobile terminal being called is an enhanced terminal, the group call server increases the calling field of the paging message to include one or more flags indicating the group call settings. (Box 260). For example, if the group call is of sequential special type, the flag value of "1" can be added to the calling field. If the group call is a conference special type, a flag value of "3" is added. If the group call is a broadcast type, a flag value of "4" is added, and so on. As much as possible, it is preferable that only the paging message directed to the enhanced terminal is increased, and the paging message directed to another device model is not changed. This avoids confusion between existing systems and mobile terminals (these are not of the present invention) and can provide enhanced features of improved systems and mobile terminals of the present invention, while at the same time. This is to go back and continue to be compatible. [0033]

The paging message is sent to the mobile terminal by the relevant part of the wireless communication system (box 270). If this targeted mobile device is an enhanced device, the targeted mobile device receives a paging message (box 280) and then checks for growth (box 285). If this increase is not present, the mobile terminal will automatically answer the call. When the mobile terminal 20 determines that an increase exists, the mobile terminal dissects the flag character from the calling party ID in the calling party field (box 285). The mobile terminal then examines the response lookup table in memory to determine how to respond (Box 290). In the figure, this response lookup table issues a command to the mobile terminal to automatically answer the Brodcase call and the conference group call, but instructs the mobile terminal not to automatically answer the sequential group call and the simultaneous first response group call. Based on the response lookup table, the enhanced terminal, the mobile terminal, responds to the call by issuing an alarm, such as an automatic response or an audible sound (box 290). Therefore, in the case of these mobile terminals enhanced by the present invention, the feature of automatic response is that they can be selectively disabled in the case of group call in wireless mode according to the feature of the group call. [0034]

In addition to the call type, the group call may have the priority assigned to this group call. For example, the "normal" priority may be the default for most group calls, but the caller can change the priority to a "warning" for more urgent group calls. It may be. In such situations, the two display flags may be used, and the response of the enhanced mobile terminal may follow the table below: [0035]

[table 1]

<img file="JP2003513537A_D0001.tif" /> 【0036】

As can be seen in Table 1, the characters used for the display flag are "to simplify the detection of the presence of the display flag.^*Should include or at least start with unusual characters such as "" or "#". asdf [0037]

The caller may generally initiate a group call in one of two methods. First, the caller may call a publicly defined user group identification number. This user group identifier is publicly defined in that if a user is authorized to access a user group, any user who calls the user group identifier will reach that same user group. There is. Group calls initiated in this way will be referred to as "pilot" group calls. In the United States, pilot group identification numbers generally consist of 10 numbers in length. The wireless communication system that receives the group identification number in the dial numeric field sends the call to the group call server for handling. The group call server then determines the qualifications of the group members associated with its group identification number and begins setting up the group call. Alternatively, the caller of the group call is "^*A group call may also be initiated by dialing a privately defined group identification number such as "12". Group calls initiated in this way will be referred to as "private" group calls. Unlike the pilot group number, the private group number may have different meanings for each user. Wireless communication system is dial number field "^*Upon receiving "12", the wireless communication system recognizes this as a group call request and sends this request to the group call server. Instead, the group call server has its dialed number "^*Decide which user group to call based on "12" and the particular subscriber who made the call. Therefore, if subscriber A says "^*If you dial "12", the group call server will tell you if subscriber B is "^*Make a group call to a different user group than when dialing "12". [0038]

If possible, the group call server preferably handles pilot group calls in a manner different from private group calls. In the case of a private group call, the calling party number included in the paging message shall be the calling address of the caller. However, in the case of a pilot group call, the calling party number included in the paging message is preferably a pilot group number as much as possible. Therefore, in the case of a private group call, the receiving terminal programmed to display the caller ID will display the caller's number, and in the case of a pilot group call, the receiving terminal will display the user group's pilot number. indicate. It should be noted that various settings that regulate the operation of the group call server in some systems may prevent the pilot number from being used in place of the caller's number, for example, in order to comply with local law. [0039]

As an example of using both the pilot / private and priority options above, caller unit 888 444-1111 is a sequential pilot with warning priority by dialing group identification number 999 555-2525. Suppose you want to initiate a group call. Further assume that the user group has three group members, the first and second group members having enhanced terminals and the third group member having conventional mobile terminals. .. The group call server that sent this request initiates a paging message to the first group member. Since the first group member has enhanced terminals as shown in the database of the group call server, the paging message has a calling party field with 9995552525 # 1 as the calling party ID. The mobile terminal of the first group member shall not automatically answer the call due to the presence of the suffix "# 1" in the calling field. [0040]

If the first group member does not answer manually within the specified time, the call switches to the second group member. This call also has the calling side field 9995552525 # 1 and does not automatically answer the second group member's mobile terminal (similarly enhanced terminal device type). If the second group member does not answer in a timely manner, the call switches to the third group member. However, since this group member does not have an enhanced terminal, the suffix "# 1" is not added to the caller ID of the paging message. Upon receiving a paging message, the mobile terminal of the third group member will auto-answer the incoming call if it is programmed to auto-answer the incoming call, but the presence of any display flag of the invention. , Absence or content independent. [0041]

The same caller said, "^*If you change the scenario to initiate a regular priority conference-style private group call by dialing 12, the group call server initiates at least two paging messages. For the first and second group members, the paging message will have the number 8884411111 as the caller ID.^*Has a calling field with 3. For a third group member paging message, the calling field has the suffix "^*It has the number 8884441111 as the caller ID without "3". In this configuration, all receiving mobile terminals automatically answer the call and become a conference type group call. [0042]

The reponse of the enhanced terminal type mobile terminal 20 is described as to whether or not to automatically answer the group call, but other answers are also possible. For example, based on the information provided by the display flag, the mobile terminal 20 of the present invention may change the information displayed on the display 28 of the mobile terminal according to the characteristics of the incoming group call, or warn signals thereof. (For example, ring sound, ring volume, generated vibration, etc.) can be changed. As an example, the display 28 of the mobile terminal 20 may have three or more lines, i.e. an up line, an intermediate line, and a down line for ease of reference. [0043]

Based on the information provided by the display flag and the comparison of the received call ID with the call address stored in the first part 92 of the memory 24, the mobile terminal 20 a) matches the memory record. If it occurs and the priority is the normal priority, the alphanumeric tag related to the matching memory record is displayed on the upper display line, the call ID is displayed on the intermediate display line, and b) the priority does not match the memory recording. If is the normal priority, the upper display line will display a general text message (eg "group"), the intermediate display line will display the call ID, and c) if there is a match with the memory record and the priority will be In the case of warning priority, the upper display line displays a warning text message (for example, "warning"), and the intermediate display line displays alphanumeric tags related to memory recording. D) If there is no match with the memory recording, priority is given. If the order is normal priority, the warning text message may be displayed on the upper display line and the call ID may be displayed on the intermediate display line. [0044]

Further, the mobile terminal 20 may display a display indicating whether or not the group call is sequentially a special type, a simultaneous first response special type, a conference special type, or a broadcast type by a downward line. For example, the down line is "SEQ" if the group call special type is a sequential special type, "SIM" if the group call special type is a simultaneous first response special type, and "SIM" if the group call special type is a conference special type. "GRP" may be displayed, and "BD CAST" may be displayed when the group call type is broadcasting. As another example, the mobile terminal 20 may make a loud sound with a specific sound when a group call having a warning priority is detected, and the "warning" may be displayed on the display 28. Sequential special type group calls with normal precedence may only end with low level vibration and display of caller ID. Of course, these responses of the mobile terminal 20 may be factory preset or may be user selectable to provide maximum flexibility. [0045]

The above was done with respect to the fact that the group call server modifies the paging message under certain circumstances related to the device type of the target mobile terminal. Note that the paging message itself may be entirely part of SPACH or an equivalent control channel. Alternatively, the paging message may be present on one or more channels, including SPACH or some of the equivalent control channels. For example, the paging message may include a pointer message about the SPACH control channel and a more detailed information packet about the pointed out channel. Thus, as used herein, the term paging message is any transmitted information that a mobile terminal automatically searches to determine whether it has an incoming call and the nature of that incoming call. including. [0046]

Further, the above was made with respect to the fact that the group call server modifies the paging message to include an indicator of one or more group call features. In a main embodiment, the group call server appends a display flag character to the calling field of the paging message. However, the addition of letters is not necessary. Instead, the present invention encodes an existing message to include additional information by encoding the current message, for example by superimposing another message on the current message using different coding mechanisms. May include an equivalent method of increasing. Therefore, all that is required is that the paging message will probably change from what it would otherwise take, and that change would display one or more features of the group call. [0047]

As described above, the present invention is not limited to cooperative operation only with wireless mobile terminals, and also applies to other types of communication terminals. For example, a traditional landline telephone with caller ID functionality may be modified to take advantage of the present invention. Such enhanced telephones shall similarly investigate the called party field for the presence or absence of augments and, if present, answer the call based on the augmented information. Similarly, a computer with a telephone communication card may be programmed to utilize the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention has been made to be used in a variety of communication terminals, including Internet-based communication terminals that may receive notifications of incoming group calls via a paging message that has a calling party field. [0048]

The present invention may, of course, be carried out by a specific method different from that described in the present application without departing from the gist and important features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be considered that this example is exemplary and not limiting in all respects, and any modifications that fall within the meaning and equivalent of the claims are made in this invention. It should be included in the invention.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a perspective view of 1 Example of the communication terminal and the wireless communication device applied to this invention. [Figure 2]

It is a schematic diagram of the wireless communication device of FIG. [Fig. 3]

Shows a portion of memory that stores call addresses and related information. [Fig. 4]

The flow of one process for handling a group call according to the present invention is shown.