Cellemetry^sm — Telemetry Via Cellular

Abstract

Cellemetry^sm, as its name implies, is the combination of telemetry with the cellular telephone network. Cellemetry^sm provides the means of sending short, telemetry-like messages over the cellular telephone system in a manner that is virtually transparent to the cellular operator. Cellemetry^sm can provide message transport for many different businesses. It can report alarm panel status, utility meter readings, vehicle and trailer location, vending machine status, to name a few applications. The list of potential applications is limited only by one’s imagination. Cellemetry^sm uses a heretofore underutilized portion of the cellular system, the overhead control channels, to convey the Cellemetry^sm messages. These control channels are used by the cellular system to communicate information necessary for all call initiations (both incoming and outgoing) between the cellular system and the cellular customer. The message handling capacity of these control channels is far greater than is required by the cellular system, even during the busiest times of the day. The key to Cellemetry^sm operation is the manner in which roomer telephones operate in the cellular system. A roamer cellular telephone is defined as a cellular telephone operating in any system other than its home system. When a roamer cellular telephone is turned on, it recognizes the fact that it is not in its home system and accordingly sends its Mobile Identification Number (MIN) and its Electronic Serial Number (ESN) to the cellular system via one of the control channels. The cellular system recognizes the roamer number and routes the MIN and ESN to the roamer’s home system for validation via a special network which links all of the cellular systems together across the United States. The Cellemetry^sm radios respond exactly like roamer telephones except the MINs are specially assigned so that the MIN and ESN are routed to a Cellemetry^sm Gateway connected to the same intra-cellular network. In the case of Cellemetry^sm, the MIN serves to identify the Cellemetry^sm radio and the ESN is the data field which contains the 32 bit telemetry message. The Cellemetry^sm Gateway processes, stores and routes the Cellemetry^sm messages according to their type and customer requirements. Some applications may require immediate processing as is the case with alarm monitoring while an application such as vending machine status may only need the messages stored and transferred in a batch once a day.