SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING USER ZONE USING BROADCAST ADDRESSED NOTIFICATION MESSAGES

摘要

A system and method for providing zone specific information to the user of a wireless terminal, e.g. a phone. Zone specific information is periodically transmitted (204) to users over a common overhead link using an available messaging format. If the phone is located within the zone, it will receive the information (208, 210). If the information is directed to that phone (220), the phone will process the information (224) and display information to the user (228). If the information is not directed to that phone (220), the information is discarded (230). An example of an implementation in a CDMA wireless phone system is to provide zone specific information using the Feature Notification Message broadcast over the Paging Channel of a particular zone. The information is provided using broadcast addressing. Broadcast of the zone specific information over the Paging Channel using the Feature Notification Message results in a reduction in the number of Access Channel registration messages required of mobile phones. A second embodiment uses broadcast addressing in conjunction with Short Message Services (SMS) to provide zone specific information. Broadcast addressing is advantageous in that zone specific information can be sent to subsets of wireless terminals. This allows broadcast in the same zone of a variety of zone specific information that targets different wireless terminals.