WO2004019632A1

WO2004019632A1 - Method and device for providing a service to a mobile communication device

Info

Publication number: WO2004019632A1
Application number: PCT/EP2002/008885
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nils Peter Ostrup
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2002-08-08
Filing date: 2002-08-08
Publication date: 2004-03-04
Also published as: AU2002324041A1

Abstract

A method of providing a service to a mobile communication device is described. A mobile station (20) equipped to communicate with a mobile communication network (1) is used as the mobile communication device. A trigger signal source unit (30) for wirelessly transmitting a trigger signal is provided, where the mobile station (20) is equipped to receive the trigger signal. Subsequent to the mobile station (20) receiving said trigger signal, a service providing procedure for letting said mobile communication network (1) provide a service to said mobile station (20) is initiated. The service providing procedure comprises sending a service identifier to a service control entity (112) of the mobile communication network (1), where the service identifier is provided by said trigger signal source unit (30). Subsequent to receiving the service identifier, said service control entity (112) conducts a service determination procedure on the basis of the service identifier, for determining the service to be provided to the mobile station (20).

Description

[Title]

Method and device for providing a service to a mobile communication device.

[Field of the invention]

The present application relates to a method of providing a service to a mobile communication device, such as a mobile station in a mobile communication network, and to devices for implementing the method.

[Background of the invention]

When mobile communication networks, such as cellular telephone networks, were first introduced, the primary purpose was to provide a service of being able to conduct voice communications from arbitrary locations within the coverage area of the network. Examples of mobile communication standards in accordance with which mobile communication networks can operate are GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) , AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) , D-AMPS (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System) .

The number of services provided to mobile communication devices operating as mobile stations in such networks has steadily increased. Besides voice calls, message services are known, such as SMS (Short Message Service) . Other examples are EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) , MMS (Multimedia

Messaging Service) or CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) . These services can be used for transferring different types of media (such as text and/or audio and/or video and/or data) to one or more mobile communication devices acting as mobile stations of a corresponding network.

The above-mentioned mobile communication standards and specific network implementations of such standards provide a number of positioning possibilities with which a network can determine the position of a mobile station, or a user of a mobile station can request his position. As an example, identifying the cell in which a mobile station of a cellular communication network is located corresponds to positioning the mobile station. In this case the resolution of positioning is determined by the cell size. More complex positioning schemes are known, such as triangulation on the basis of propagation delays between a mobile station and a plurality of transceivers. In any case, on the basis of positioning capabilities of the network, it has been proposed to introduce Location Based Services (LBS) . Examples of such location based services are when a user requests to receive a list of the restaurants in his momentary vicinity, or if the network automatically pinpoints the location of a mobile station that is emitting an emergency call.

One specific example of such a location based service is the above-mentioned CBC (Cell Broadcast Service) , in which the base stations of a given cell send predetermined cell related information to all mobile stations of that cell, which are equipped or adjusted to receive the CBS. For example, a CBS can be used to provide local weather information or local traffic information.

[ Problem underlying the invention] Although the above-mentioned examples of location based services are very useful, the possibilities of such location based services are, however, always limited by the specific capabilities of the network. For example, if the network only allows a positioning within the resolution of a cell, more precise location information than the cell position is not possible. One way of overcoming such limitations is that the user of a mobile station inputs additional information when requesting a location based service, e.g. the user inputs a location identifier, such as the name of a street that he is on.

[Object of the invention]

It is generally the object of the present invention to improve the possibilities of providing a service to a mobile communication device, especially (but not exclusively) a location based service.

[Summary of the present invention]

This object is solved by the method of claim 1, the system of claim 16, the mobile communication device of claim 17 and the trigger signal source unit of claim 23. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

In accordance with the basic concept of the present invention, a mobile station equipped to communicate with a mobile communication network is used as the mobile communication device to which a service is to be provided. Furthermore, a trigger signal source unit for wirelessly transmitting a trigger signal is provided, where the mobile station is equipped and adjusted to receive the trigger signal. Then, subsequent to the mobile station having received the trigger signal, a service providing procedure for letting the mobile communication provide a service to the mobile station can be initiated. The service providing procedure comprises sending a service identifier to a service control entity of the mobile communication network, where the service identifier is provided by the trigger signal source. After having received the service identifier, the service control entity of the network conducts a service determination procedure on the basis of said service identifier, for determining the service to be provided to the mobile station.

It may be noted that the sending of the service identifier to the service control entity of the mobile communication network can be done by one or both of the mobile station and the trigger signal source unit.

In accordance with the above-described concept of the present invention, the providing of a service to a mobile communication device is not triggered by the user of the mobile communication device, and also not triggered by the network, but much rather triggered on the basis of a third unit, namely the trigger signal source unit. On the other hand, the service is provided by the mobile communication network. In this way, the present invention allows the use of the service providing resources of the mobile communication network, without being restricted to the limitations of the mobile communication network regarding the triggering of a service provision. Expressed differently, the provision of services to a mobile station in a mobile communication network was previously always determined by the mobile station and/or the network entity controlling the communication with the mobile station (e.g. a mobile switching center MSC) . Now a third element is introduced, namely the trigger signal source unit, which is not bound to the restrictions between the mobile station and the network control entity.

As an example, up to now the providing of location based or localized services was limited by the corresponding capabilities of the network. With the help of the present invention, localisation can be provided very flexibly and in any desirable way by appropriately arranging one or more trigger signal sources, e.g. each with a predetermined communication range, where said communication range determines the corresponding localisation. For example, the communication range can be set to 30 or 40 meters, such that only mobile communication devices within this range of the trigger signal source unit can receive the trigger signal, in order to then have a service provision initiated towards said mobile communication device. In this way, the initiation of the service based on the range of the trigger signal source unit is performed when the mobile communication device is in the area where the service is to be delivered. This provides numerous possibilities for highly localised services, such as public service information ("You are approaching a hospital, please turn of your mobile phone"), tourist information ("You are standing in front of ....") or marketing ("Special offer right here ... " ) .

In the above examples indicated in parentheses, the service provided to the mobile communication device consisted in a text message to be displayed to the user of the mobile communication device. However, it is to be noted that the term "service provided to the mobile communication device" is to be understood broadly, and can comprise sending any type of information to the mobile communication device, such as video, audio, text, data, etc., but can also consist in not sending any communication to the mobile communication device itself, but performing some action on behalf of the mobile communication device, such as recording information in a predetermined log, e.g. recording the movements of a user by recording positions associated with trigger signal source units each time a corresponding service providing procedure has been initiated after the mobile communication device received a trigger signal.

An example of a different service than sending text messages is the sending of voice messages, which e.g. can be useful for blind people. Namely, each time that the mobile communication device receives a trigger signal, a corresponding voice message providing information related to the location of the trigger signal source unit can be sent to the mobile communication device. In this way blind people could move about and "window shop" in areas that they are nor familiar with.

As mentioned above, the range of the trigger signal source unit is preferably shorter than the range of the mobile communication network (more precisely: the range of communication between the mobile station and a base station of the mobile communication network, e.g. expressed as a cell radius) and the corresponding mobile stations in their communication, such that the placing of the trigger signal source units allows providing of a localized service. This difference in range is preferably provided by having the communication between the trigger signal source unit and the mobile communication device be performed in accordance with a different standard than the communication between the mobile communication device and the mobile communication network. For example, while the standard of communication between the mobile communication device and the mobile communication network can be one of the previously mentioned standards (GSM, AMPS, D-AMPS, UMTS) , the standard of communication between the mobile communication device and the trigger signal source unit is preferably a short-range communication standard, such as Bluetooth.

In connection with Bluetooth, it may be mentioned that so- called Bluetooth Local Infotainment Points (BLIP) are known, in which a user can obtain information from a Bluetooth transmitter. However, in the concept of the BLIP, all information communicated to the mobile Bluetooth receiver is provided by the infotainment point, which means that the infotainment point requires considerable hardware and software for being able to provide corresponding data. In contrast thereto, one of the decisive advantages of the present invention is that the service provision capabilities of the mobile communication network are used, such that the service triggering units can be very simple, e.g. in accordance with one basic embodiment of the invention, a trigger signal source unit can be a simple transmitter that only sends a service identification.

[Brief description of figures]

In the following, detailed embodiments of the present invention shall be described with reference to the enclosed figures, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation showing a mobile communication network, a mobile communication device and a trigger signal source unit;

Figs. 2a and 2b schematically show selected details of the mobile communication device and trigger signal source unit, respectively; and

Figs. 3a-3c show examples of signal exchange sequences between the mobile communication device, trigger signal source unit and mobile communication network, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

[Detailed description of embodiments]

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a system of devices and a network operating in accordance with the present invention. Reference numeral 1 refers to a mobile communication network, e.g. a cellular communication network being able to conduct communications in accordance with one or more of the standards, like GSM, UMTS, AMPS, D-AMPS or any other suitable mobile communication standard. It comprises an access section or access network 10, and a control section 11. The control section 11 comprises control entities, such as a main control entity 110, e.g. a mobile switching center MSC for controlling the communications to and from a mobile communication device 20 operating as a mobile station of said mobile communication network 1. The access network 10 handles the communication between mobile stations and the control section. It may comprise a base station, base station transceiver, base station controller and other known elements, which are not shown here for simplicity. The basic concept of dividing a mobile communication network into an access section (sometimes also referred to as an access network) and a control section (sometimes also referred to a core network) is well known in the art and does not need to be described further here.

The control section 11 is furthermore shown as comprising an entity 111 for controlling the sending of SMS messages to mobile stations. The control section could also comprise further control entities related to one or more of the above--- mentioned services, such as a control entity for EMS, MMS or CBS, which entities are not shown for simplicity.

It should be noted that the term "entity" in the context of the present application refers to an arrangement of functional elements capable of providing a predetermined functionality, such as the above-mentioned functionality of controlling communications to and from mobile stations, and that an entity can be provided by hardware, software or any suitable combination of hardware and software. Also, it may be noted that an entity can be provided in one physical location (such as a network node) , or can be spread out over several physical locations.

In accordance with the present invention, the control section 11 comprises a service control entity 112 that is arranged to receive service identifiers associated with trigger signal source units 30. Furthermore, the service control entity 112 is arranged to determine a service associated with a service identifier, in order to provide said service to a corresponding mobile station for which a service providing procedure was triggered. For this purpose the service control entity 112 can have access to a database (not shown) that associates service identifiers with instructions for providing a corresponding service. The association between service identifiers and service providing instructions can be provided in any desirable or suitable way, e.g. in the form of linked lists or tables.

Fig. 1 furthermore shows a mobile communication device 20, and a trigger signal source unit 30. The mobile communication device 20 is equipped to operate as a mobile station of the mobile communication network 1. For this purpose it has an appropriate antenna 202 for establishing a wireless link 60 with the access section 10 of the mobile communication network 1. Fig. 2a schematically shows selected details of such a mobile station 20. Namely, it shows the antenna 202, which is connected to a transceiver 204 for sending and receiving wireless communication over the link 60 with the mobile communication network 1. Furthermore, Fig. 2a shows a controller or control part 205, which is arranged to conduct control procedures for controlling the communication between the mobile station 20 and the mobile communication network 1, and for responding to the receipt of a trigger signal from the trigger signal source unit 30. The controller 205 is shown as comprising a processor 206 for performing the control procedures and a memory 207 for storing control procedures and other data relevant for the operation of the mobile unit 20. It may be noted that further conventional elements of a mobile station such as a keyboard, a display, a microphone, a loudspeaker etc. are not shown for the purpose of simplicity. Preferable, the mobile station 20 is a mobile telephone device. Although it is possible that the mobile station 20 communicates with the trigger signal source unit 30 via the same antenna 202 and transceiver 204 used for communication with the mobile communication network 1, it is preferred that the communication between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit 30 is conducted via a separate element 203, which is at least a receiver, and preferably a transceiver. Accordingly, it is preferred that the element 203 has its own wireless input/output element 201, which can e.g. be a radio antenna similar to antenna 202, or can be an infrared pick-up and sending element, or any other suitable wireless input/output-element. It may be noted that the element 203 can also be coupled to the antenna 202, in which case the antenna 202 operates as an input/output-element for both the transceiver 204 and the element 203, or the input/output-element 201 can be co-located with the antenna 202.

According to a preferred embodiment, the communication between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit 30 is conducted according to a different wireless communication standard than the wireless communication standard used for the communication between the mobile station 20 and the wireless communication network 1. Preferably, the wireless communication standard used between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit 30 has a shorter communication range than the wireless communication standard used between the mobile station 20 and the wireless communication network 1. Preferably, the mobile communication standard used between the mobile station 20 and the mobile communication network 1 allows a range between 1km and 5km, whereas the mobile communication standard used between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit 30 preferably has a communication range of 500m or less, more preferably of 100m or less. Examples of standards used in the communication between the mobile station 20 and the mobile communication network 1 are GSM, UMTS, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), AMPS and D-AMPS. Examples of wireless communication standards _.that may be used between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit are Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11a or IEEE 802.11b. Equally, the communication between the mobile unit 20 and the trigger source unit 30 can be performed in accordance with standards used for cordless telephones, such as the DECT standard (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone) .

The above example are not to be understood as being exhaustive, as the communications can basically be performed in accordance with any suitable standard. For example, the mobile communication network does not have to be terrestrial, and can e.g. be a satellite-based network using a corresponding and appropriate satellite communication standard.

Fig. 2b schematically shows selected elements of the trigger signal source unit operating in accordance with the present invention. In Fig. 2b, a controller or control part 305 comprising a processor 306 and a memory 307 are shown. The structure and function of the controller 305 is similar to that of the controller 205 described in connection with Fig. 2a, such that a repeated description is not necessary. Furthermore, the trigger signal source unit 30 comprises an element 303, which is at least a sender, and preferably a transceiver. The element 303 is arranged to send a trigger signal that can be received by appropriately equipped and tuned mobile stations 20. For this purpose, the trigger signal source unit 30 preferably has an input/output-elemeni- 301 coupled to the sender 303, where the elements 301, 303 are arranged to interact with the corresponding elements 201, 203 of the mobile station 20.

In accordance with a basic embodiment of the invention, it is sufficient for the trigger signal source unit 30 to have a sender 303 and input/output-element (e.g. an antenna) 301 for sending a trigger signal and a service identifier to listening mobile stations 20. However, the trigger signal source unit 30 is preferably arranged to be able to independently communicate with the mobile communication network 1 ("independently" in this case means that the communication is not conducted via the mobile station 20), such that the trigger signal source 30 preferably comprises a transceiver 304 and antenna 302, that corresponds to the transceiver 204 and 202 of the mobile station 20, such that a repeated description is not necessary. However, it may be noted that the communication between the trigger signal source unit 30 and the mobile communication network can also be conducted via a wired connection, e.g. via a PSTN to which both the trigger signal source unit and the mobile communication network are connected.

Now the basic method of the present invention shall be described. According to the basic method of the invention, the trigger signal source unit 30 is arranged to wirelessly transmit a trigger signal, preferably repetitively. This means that the signal is sent continuously, like a beacon. The trigger signal is sent via the sender 303 and input/output-element 301 under control of the controller 305. It conforms to a chosen standard for communication between the trigger signal source unit 30 and the mobile station 20, examples of which were mentioned above.- The mobile station 20 is equipped to receive the trigger signal namely via the input/output-element 201 and receiver 203 under control of the controller 205.

As can be seen from figures 2a and 2b, „ the mobile station 2C and trigger signal source unit 30 preferably have a very similar construction. In fact, according to a preferred embodiment, the mobile station is not only equipped to be able to receive a trigger signal, but is also equipped to send a trigger signal, in order to itself act as trigger signal source unit.

The trigger signal itself can have any suitable or desirable form, e.g. be provided by a predetermined signal strength on one or more predetermined beacon channels. In other words, in order to be able to receive such a trigger signal, the mobile station 20 is tuned to receive the one or more predetermined beacon channels, where the controller performs a procedure for listening to this one or more channels, and determines that a trigger signal has been received once the measured signal strength on the listened channel or channels exceeds a predetermined threshold. Naturally, this is only an example and other systems are possible, e.g. that the trigger signal consists of a predetermined content, e.g. a predetermined bit string, such that the controller 205 determines the receipt of a trigger signal once the predetermined bit string has been received on the channel or channels being listened to.

After having received and detected the trigger signal, the method of the invention consists in initiating a service providing procedure for letting the mobile communication network 1 provide a service to the mobile station 20 that received the trigger signal. This service providing procedure can be initiated by the mobile station 20, by the trigger signal source unit 30 or by both. This shall be explained with reference to figures 3a to 3b.

Fig. 3a _..shows an example, in which the service providing procedure is initiated by the trigger signal source unit 30. Initially, the trigger signal source unit broadcasts the trigger signal 300. After having received the trigger signal 300, the mobile station 20 sends an initial access message 301 to the trigger signal source unit 30, informing the trigger signal source unit 30 that it received the broadcast trigger signal. In response thereto, the trigger signal source unit 30 sends a message 302, in which it can e.g. send a service type indicator identifying the service to be indicated (the service type indicator will be explained in more detail later) . If the mobile station wishes to receive the service, then it can appropriately respond with a message 303. Then the trigger signal source unit 30 can send a message 304 asking for an identifier of the mobile station 20, with which the mobile station can be identified with respect to the mobile communication network 1. This identifier of the mobile station 20 can be chosen in any suitable or desirable way, and can e.g. be an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) or a TMSI

(Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity) . The identity is sent to the trigger signal source unit 30 in a message 305.

Then, the trigger signal source unit 30 initiates the service providing procedure by sending the mobile station identifier together with a service identifier to the service control entity 112 in a message 306. It may be noted that this message can also be first directed towards the main control entity 110 (e.g. a mobile switching center), which then forwards the information to the service control entity 112. In response thereto, the network 1 is capable of identifying the mobile station 20 with the help of the mobile station identifier, and is capable of identifying the service to be provided with the help of the service identifier. Namely, the service control entity 112 can determine the service providing instructions with the help of the service identifier, as explained previously. Examples of possible services and the providing of such services will be described later.

The service identifier provided by the trigger signal source unit 30 (and stored in the memory 307, see Fig. 2b) can have any suitable or desirable format. For example, it can be a bit string consisting of N bits, where N is a natural number. As expressed by the term "service identifier", it primarily serves to identify a service, where the service control entity 112 establishes the association between the service and the service identifier. As such, several different trigger signal source units can provide the same service identifier. Beyond identifying a service, the service identifier can also identify the trigger signal source unit from which it is being sent, either uniquely or not. Preferably, the service identifier is a unique identifier of the trigger signal source unit, where the service control entity is then able to identify the service by identifying the trigger signal source unit from which the service identifier is coming. As the number of trigger signal source units can potentially be very large, the service identifiers should be chosen to have a sufficient length, e.g. N = 64 or N = 128. As an alternative to providing a service identifier format that directly identifies a trigger signal source unit and only indirectly identifies a service, the service identifiers can also have a two part format, according to which a predetermined first part identifies a service and a predetermined second part identifies the trigger signal source unit.

It should also be noted that a service identifier may identify more than one service. When using a service identifier format that uniquely identifies a trigger signal source unit, the association with more than one service can be provided by the service control entity, which associates the trigger signal source unit identifier with more than one service. Alternatively, the service identifier format can be such that the above mentioned predetermined first part is subdivided in order to identify more than one service.

If more than one service are identified in a service identifier, then there preferably exists a selection procedure for selecting the service that is actually to be provided. This can be done in any suitable or desirable way, e.g. in the mobile station by user selection, or by the network providing the service, or by both. When user selection is implemented, then the different services identified in the service identifier can be displayed to the user of the mobile station, who may then make a selection. Alternatively or additionally, the service control entity in the network can make a selection, e.g. depending on the capabilities, adjustments or general conditions of the mobile station. For example the service identifier could identify a service that sends an SMS message and a service that sends a video message. Then, if the mobile station is technically not capable of handling video, the service control entity chooses the SMS service. Other possible restrictions for receiving a video message are that the mobile user has adjusted the mobile to only receive SMS messages, but no other communications (pager mode) , or that the type of subscription of the particular mobile user does not allow video transmissions. Such restrictions could e.g. be determined by checking an appropriate record in a home location register or some other data base in the network. If none of these restrictions are given, the service control entity could by default enact the higher grade service, i.e. the video service .

In accordance with the above mentioned possibilities with respect to the service identifier, the trigger signal source 30 (Fig. 2b) is preferably programmable or configurable with an identity, preferably unique, and one or more services. The configuration can be done locally by the user of the trigger signal source unit (e.g. via known input devices not shown in Fig. 2b, such as a keyboard) and/or remotely, e.g. by the network 1 via the communication path 70, see Fig. 1.

Fig. 3b shows a signalling example for a case, in which the service providing procedure is initiated by the mobile station 20. Initially, the trigger signal source unit 30 sends the trigger signal 400 as a broadcast. Although it is possible that a similar sequence of signal exchanges as explained in connection with signals 301 to 303 in Fig. 3a occurs, it is also possible that the trigger signal 400 comprises all necessary information for initiating the service providing procedure, namely the service identifier provided by the trigger signal source unit 30, and optionally a service type identifier that will be described later. Then the mobile station 20 can analyse this information and determine whether it would like to receive the service, and if it does, it sends a message 401 to the service control entity 112 (again possibly via the main control element 110) , said message 401 comprising the service identifier received from the trigger signal source unit 30. It may be noted that it is implicitly clear that the mobile unit 20 will also identify itself in its communication with the mobile communication network 1, such that subsequently the service corresponding to the service identifier can be provided to the requesting mobile station 20, as indicated by arrow 402 in Fig. 3b.

As can be seen from the comparison of figures 3a and 3b, the concept used in Fig. 3b, namely that the service providing procedure is initiated by the mobile station 20, has the advantage that the trigger signal source unit 30 can be very simple in its arrangement, as it must basically only send out a trigger signal and a service identifier, where the trigger signal preferably comprises the service identifier, such that in this simplest case, the trigger signal source unit is only implemented as a beacon that repetitively sends out the trigger signal.

On the other hand, although the system of figure 3a is somewhat more complicated, it provides the advantage that the providing of the service is also under control of the trigger signal source unit 30. In other words, only if the trigger signal source unit 30 finally decides to send the signal 306 to the mobile communication network 1, will the service 307 be provided to the mobile station 20. In the example of Fig. 3b, the trigger signal source unit has no such control. In order to provide a maximum security for both the trigger signal source unit user and the mobile station user, the example shown in Fig. 3c shows a case in which the service control entity 112 is arranged to provide the service only if it receives an appropriate notification from both the trigger signal source unit 30 and the mobile station 20. In other words, in this example both the trigger signal source unit 30 and the mobile station 20 retain full control of providing the service. As shown in Fig. 3c, the trigger signal unit 30 initially sends a broadcast trigger signal 500, in response to which the mobile station 20 performs an initial access 501, similar to the corresponding messages 300 and 301 shown in figure 3a. Then, in message 502, the trigger signal source unit 30 sends a service identifier (and possibly additional information) to the mobile station 20, and the mobile station 20 sends a mobile station identifier (such as an IMSI) to the trigger source unit 30 in message 503. Then, the trigger source unit 30 and the mobile station 20 respectively send the mobile station identifier and service identifier to the service control entity 112 of the mobile communication network, which is arranged such that only if it receives the two matching messages 504, 505 will it provide the service 506 to the mobile station.

In the examples of figures 3a and 3c, it may be noted that the communication between the trigger signal source unit 30 and the mobile communication network 1 can be conducted via wireless means, such as the transceiver 304 and antenna 302 shown in figure 2b, but can also be performed over a wire- bound connection, e.g. via a PSTN (which is connected to the control section 11 of the mobile communication network 1 over an appropriate gateway (not shown) ) , or via some other communication network, e.g. the Internet. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the trigger signal source unit 30 not only provides a service identifier (which is possibly also an identifier of the trigger signal source unit 30) , but additionally provides a service type identifier that identifies the type of service initiated in response to receiving the trigger signal. The service type identifier can be chosen in any suitable or desirable way, e.g. as a bit string of a predetermined length M, M being a natural number. As was already mentioned in connection with figures 3a-3c, the service type identifier is provided by the trigger source unit 30 to the mobile station 20, such that the mobile station can determine whether it desires to receive the service of the identified type. For example, the service type identifier can be sent with the message 302 shown in figure 3a, as a part of the trigger signal 400 in figure 3b or together with the service identifier in message 502 of figure 3c.

In connection with the use of a service type identifier, the mobile station is preferably arranged to conduct a service type discrimination procedure for discriminating whether the service type identifier fulfils a predetermined condition, where the service providing procedure is only initiated if the service type identifier fulfils the predetermined condition. In other words, this means that the service type identifier is analysed and only if it matches predetermined desired identifiers, will the service be initiated. Preferably, the service type discrimination procedure is user adjustable, such that the user of the mobile station 20 can select which types of service he or she wishes to receive. A-s an example, one service type identifier can be associated with the category "tourist information", a second service type identifier can be associated with the category "restaurant guide information", etc. Also, it is possible to define a service type category "emergency information" . Then if the user would like to receive tourist information while wandering about, he or she can adjust the mobile station (more precisely the controller) in such a way that when a trigger signal is received and the subsequent procedure shows that the service type identifier provided by the trigger signal source unit that sent the trigger signal belongs to the category "tourist information", then an appropriate service is initiated. If the service type identifier falls into a different category, e.g. "restaurant guide", then the service providing procedure is not initiated.

Regarding the above-mentioned example of a service type discrimination procedure in the mobile station 20, this service type discrimination procedure is preferably arranged such that one or more specific categories (such as the

"emergency information" category) can not be disabled by the user, such that when receiving a service type identifier identifying a service of these one or more categories, the corresponding service is in any case initiated.

Regarding the service to be provided by the mobile communication network 1 to the mobile station 20, this service can be chosen as is suitable or desirable. In other words, it can consist in taking any suitable or desirable action on behalf of the mobile station, for which the service is being provided. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean that a communication is sent to the mobile station in question. However, preferably the providing of a service to a mobile station 20 comprises sending a communication to said mobile station 20. The communication sent to the mobile station 20 can consist in any form of information, e.g. text, audio, video or data, and can be sent from any appropriate source in and outside of the mobile communication network 1. For example, if the service provided to the mobile station 20 consists in the sending of a text message, this can be performed by the service control entity 112 itself by accessing a data base that associates service identifiers with text messages (in this case the service instruction may simply consist in a text message that is to be sent) , or can also consist in sending an appropriate instruction to the control entity 111 that controls the sending of SMS messages. Also, the service instruction basically determined by the service control entity 112 on the basis of the service identifier can relate to the main control entity 110, and can e.g. consist in letting the control entity 110 set-up a communication between the mobile station 20 and the trigger signal source unit 30 via the mobile communication network 1.

As indicated as an example in figure 1, the service can also be provided by a server 40, which in the example of figure 1 is shown as being outside of the communication network 1, but which could equally be a part of the mobile communication network 1. For example, the server could be arranged to provide a video stream as a service. The video stream could then be passed via connection 13 to the access network 20, which sends it over wireless link 60 to the mobile station 20, under control of the control entity 110 via signalling connections 12, 14.

In the example of figure 1, when a service is provided by a server 40, it is preferable that the user of the trigger source unit 30 can access this server 40, in order to configure the service that is to be provided. Such access to server 40 can be provided by appropriately equipping the trigger signal source unit 30 itself, where reference numeral 80 represents a connection between the trigger signal source unit 30 and the server 40, which can be provided via the mobile communication system 1 or by some other means. Equally, it is possible to provide the user of the trigger signal source unit 30 an independent access to server 40, e.g. via the Internet. In this case, it is preferable that unique identifiers of the trigger signal source units be used, such that this unique identifier can be used to access the server 40.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of specific examples, these only serve to provide the skilled person with a better understanding and are not intended to be restrictive, as the present invention is defined by the appended claims .

Claims

1. A method of providing a service to a mobile communication device, comprising: - using a mobile station (20) equipped to communicate with a mobile communication network (1) as said mobile communication device,

- providing a trigger signal source unit (30) for wirelessly transmitting a trigger signal, said mobile station (20) being equipped to receive said trigger signal,

- subsequent to said mobile station (20) receiving said trigger signal, initiating a service providing procedure for letting said mobile communication network (1) provide a service to said mobile station (20), wherein said service providing procedure comprises sending a service identifier to a service control entity (112) of said mobile communication network (1), said service identifier being provided by said trigger signal source unit (30), where subsequent to receiving said service identifier, said service control entity (112) conducts a service determination procedure on the basis of said service identifier, for determining the service to be provided to said mobile station (20) .

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said trigger signal source unit (30) sends said service identifier to said mobile station (20) and said mobile station (20) sends said service identifier to said service control entity (112) as a part of said service providing procedure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said service identifier is sent as part of said trigger signal.

4. The method of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said trigger signal source unit (30) is equipped to communicate with said mobile communication network (1) independently of said mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said trigger signal source unit (30) is also a mobile station of said mobile communication network (1) .

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein said mobile station

(20) sends a mobile station identifier identifying said mobile station (20) to said trigger signal source unit

(30) and said trigger signal source unit (30) sends said mobile station identifier and said service identifier to said service control entity (112) as a part of said service providing procedure.

7. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said service identifier provided by said trigger signal source unit (30) comprises an identifier identifying said trigger signal source unit (30) .

8. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said trigger signal source unit (30) sends a service type identifier to said mobile station (20), said service type identifier identifying the type of the service identified by the service identifier, said mobile station (20) conducts a service type discrimination procedure for discriminating whether the service type identifier fulfils a predetermined condition, and said service providing procedure is only initiated if said service type identifier fulfils said predetermined condition .

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said service type discrimination procedure is user adjustable.

10. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said trigger signal is transmitted in accordance with a different wireless communication standard than the wireless communication standard used by said mobile communication network (1) .

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication standard used for transmitting said trigger signal provides a shorter range than the wireless communication standard used by said mobile communication network (1).

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein said wireless communication standard used for transmitting said trigger signal is the Bluetooth standard.

13. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said trigger signal source unit (30) broadcasts said trigger signal repetitively.

14. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said service providing procedure comprises making said mobile communication network (1) send a communication to said mobile station (20) .

15. The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein said mobile communication network (1) is a cellular mobile telephone network and said mobile station (20) is a mobile telephone.

16. A system for providing a service to a mobile communication device, comprising:

- a mobile communication network (1) comprising a service control entity (112) that is arranged to conduct a service determination procedure on the basis of service identifiers, - a mobile station (20) arranged to communicate with said mobile communication network (1), as said mobile communication device,

- a trigger signal source unit (30) for wirelessly transmitting a trigger signal, said mobile station (20) being equipped to receive said trigger signal, said trigger signal source unit (30) comprising a memory (307) for storing a service identifier,

- the mobile station (2) and/or trigger signal source unit (30) being arranged to initiate a service providing procedure for letting said mobile communication network (1) provide a service to said mobile station (20) subsequent to said mobile station (20) receiving said trigger signal, by sending the service identifier stored at said trigger signal source unit (30) to said service control entity (112) of said mobile communication network (1) .

17. A mobile communication device, comprising - first equipment (202, 204) for communicating with a mobile communication network (1) as a mobile station (20) of said mobile communication network (1),

- second equipment (201, 203) for receiving a trigger signal and a service identifier from a trigger signal source unit (30) , said mobile station (20) furthermore having a controller (205) for initiating a service providing procedure for letting said mobile communication network (1) provide a service to said mobile station (20) subsequent to said mobile station (20) receiving said trigger signal, by sending the service identifier received from said trigger signal source unit (30) to a service control entity (112) of said mobile communication network (1).

18. The mobile communication device of claim 17, further comprising a memory (207) for storing a mobile station identifier identifying said mobile station (20), wherein said controller (205) and second equipment (201, 203) are furthermore arranged to send said mobile station identifier to said trigger signal source unit (30) .

19. The mobile communication device of claim 17 or 18, wherein said second equipment (201, 203) is furthermore arranged to receive a service type identifier from said trigger signal source unit (30), said service type identifier identifying the type of the service identified by the service identifier, said controller (205) being arranged to conduct a service type discrimination procedure for discriminating whether the service type identifier fulfils a predetermined condition, and for initiating said service providing procedure only if said service type identifier fulfils said predetermined condition.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 19, wherein said service type discrimination procedure is user adjustable.

21. The mobile communication device of one of claims 17 to

20, wherein said mobile communication network (1) is a cellular mobile telephone network and said mobile station (20) is a mobile telephone.

22. The mobile communication device of one of claims 17 to

21, further comprising a memory (207) for storing a service identifier associated with said mobile station (20) , wherein said controller (20'5) and second equipment (201, 203) are arranged to send a trigger signal and . said service identifier associated with said mobile station (20) , in order for said mobile station (20) to also act as trigger signal source unit.

23. A trigger signal source unit (30), comprising - first equipment (302, 304) for communicating with a mobile communication network (1) ,

- second equipment (301, 303) for transmitting a trigger signal, said trigger signal being arranged to be received by appropriately equipped mobile stations (20) of said mobile communication network (1), and for receiving a mobile station identifier identifying a mobile station (20) that received said trigger signal,

said trigger signal source unit (30) furthermore having a controller (305) for storing a service identifier and for initiating a service providing procedure for letting said mobile communication network (1) provide a service to said mobile station (20) subsequent to said mobile station (20) receiving said trigger signal, by sending the stored service identifier and the mobile station identifier received from said mobile station (20) to a service control entity (112) of said mobile communication network (1).