# US 8,787,233 B2 · Telecommunications networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,233 B2 - Document ID: US8787233B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/225,969 - Filed: 2007-02-09 - Published: 2010-02-25 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2006-04-03 - Assignees: Vodafone Group PLC - Applicants: David Fox - Inventors: David Fox - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787233B2 ## CPC - H04W 48/16: Discovering, processing access restriction or access information - H04W 48/12: using downlink control channel - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Providing a mobile terminal with system information which enables the terminal to access one of the cells of a cellular telecommunications system includes transmitting from the telecommunications system to all terminals within the cell, including the terminal, a system information indicator that makes available to the terminal system information to provide access to the system. The system information indicator is transmitted on the broadcast channel (BCH). The system information indicator may be a sub-set of the system information conventionally transmitted on the BCH but which is sufficient to allow the mobile terminal to access the network and obtain in the downlink further system information. Alternatively, the information transmitted in the BCH may be a profile index value which directs the mobile terminal to retrieve from a store of the mobile terminal system information pre-stored on the mobile terminal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of providing a terminal with system information which enables the terminal to access a particular cell of a plurality of cells of a cellular telecommunications system, comprising: transmitting from the cellular telecommunications system to said terminal, a system information indicator that makes available, to the terminal, system information to provide access by the terminal to the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, wherein the system information indicator makes the system information available from a non-broadcast source, wherein the system information indicator directs the terminal to retrieve the system information from a store, the store being the non-broadcast source, and use the system information to access the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, wherein the system information retrieved by the terminal from the store to provide access to the particular cell is specific to the terminal and enables access to the particular cell for a package of services which the terminal is authorized to use, wherein the system information of any of the plurality of cells is stored in the store independently of whether the terminal has previously accessed any of the plurality of cells, and wherein new system information for a new cell of the plurality of cells, that has been previously unaccessed by the terminal, is thereby available to the terminal from the store. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the system information indicator is broadcast by the particular cell on a Broadcast Control Channel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the store stores a plurality of respective system information sets, and said system information indicator directs the terminal to retrieve and use a selected one of the system information sets. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the system information indicator provides the portion of the system information in order to enable limited access of said terminal to the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, which limited access includes enabling the terminal to request and receive a downlink message, the downlink message making a remainder of the system information available to the terminal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator enables the terminal to access the Random Access Channel to request and obtain grant of resources from the cellular telecommunications system to receive the remainder of the system information from the non-broadcast source. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the system information indicator further enables the terminal to attach to the cellular telecommunications system or to perform a paging area update. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator includes an indication of the cellular telecommunications system and an indication of the paging area in which the particular cell is situated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator enables the terminal to retrieve a Non Access Stratum message, including the remainder of said system information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said non-access stratum message also includes at least one of: an authentication request, an attach request or a paging area update accept portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the remainder of the system information is at least one of: i) previously stored by the cellular telecommunications system; or ii) previously configured by the cellular telecommunications system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the cellular telecommunications system is a Long Term Evolution system and the remainder of the system information is previously transmitted by a Mobility Management Entity of the Long Term Evolution system. ### Claim 12 A telecommunications system for providing a terminal with system information which enables the terminal to access a particular cell of a plurality of cells of a cellular telecommunications system, comprising: a transmitter that transmits from the cellular telecommunications system to said terminal, a system information indicator for making available to the terminal system information to provide access by the terminal to the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, wherein the system information indicator makes the system information available from a non-broadcast source, wherein the system information indicator directs the terminal to retrieve the system information from a store, the store being the non-broadcast source, and use the system information to access the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, wherein the system information retrieved by the terminal from the store to provide access to the particular cell is specific to the terminal and enables access to the particular cell for a package of services which the terminal is authorized to use, wherein the system information of any of the plurality of cells is stored in the store independently of whether the terminal has previously accessed any of the plurality of cells, and wherein new system information for a new cell of the plurality of cells, that has been previously unaccessed by the terminal, is thereby available to the terminal from the store. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is operable to broadcast the system information indicator by the cell on the Broadcast Control Channel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the store stores a plurality of respective system information sets, and said system information indicator directs the terminal to retrieve and use a selected one of the system information sets. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the system information indicator provides the portion of the system information in order to enable limited access of said terminal to the particular cell of the cellular telecommunications system, which limited access includes enabling the terminal to request and receive a downlink message, the downlink message making a remainder of the system information available to the terminal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator is for enabling the terminal to access the Random Access Channel to request and obtain grant of resources from the cellular telecommunications system to receive the remainder of the system information from the non-broadcast source. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the system information indicator further enables the terminal to attach to the cellular telecommunications system or to perform a paging area update. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator includes an indication of the cellular telecommunications system and an indication of the paging area in which the particular cell is situated. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the portion of the system information provided in the system information indicator enables the terminal to retrieve a Non Access Stratum message, including said system information. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein said non-access stratum message also includes at least one of: an authentication request, an attach request and a paging area update accept portion. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the remainder of the system information is at least one of: i) previously stored by the cellular telecommunications system; or ii) previously configured by the cellular telecommunications system. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, wherein the cellular telecommunications system is a Long Term Evolution system and the system information is transmitted by a Mobility Management Entity of the Long Term Evolution system. ### Claim 23 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the cellular telecommunications system includes the terminal. ### Claim 24 A method of transferring data between a telecommunications network and a mobile terminal, comprising: sending a first message from the network to the mobile terminal when the terminal enters a new tracking area; and receiving at the mobile terminal a further message from a non-broadcast source, said further message containing system information about the network which is essential in order for the mobile terminal to use a network service, wherein the first message directs the terminal to retrieve the system information from a store, the store being the non-broadcast source, and use the system information to access a particular cell of the network, wherein the system information retrieved by the terminal from the store to provide access to the particular cell is specific to the terminal and enables access to the particular cell for a package of services which the terminal is authorized to use, wherein the system information of any of a plurality of cells is stored in the store independently of whether the terminal has previously accessed any of the plurality of cells, and wherein new system information for a new cell of the plurality of cells, that has been previously unaccessed by the terminal, is thereby available to the terminal from the store. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the first message contains at least one of: information about the new tracking area and an index. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein contents of the further message are operator configurable. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the further message contains only a sub-set of information about the new tracking area. ### Claim 28 (depends on 24) The method claimed in claim 24, wherein said network is at least one of: a cellular telecommunications network, a GSM network, and a UMTS network. ### Claim 29 (depends on 24) The method according to claim 24, wherein the further message is sent when the mobile terminal accesses the network. ### Claim 30 (depends on 24) The method according to claim 24, wherein the first message contains information allowing the mobile terminal to access the network. ### Claim 31 A system, comprising: a telecommunications network and a mobile terminal, wherein said telecommunications network includes: a sending device that sends a first message to the mobile terminal when said mobile device enters a new tracking area; and wherein said mobile terminal includes: a receiving device that receives further messages from a non-broadcast source, said further messages containing system information about the network which is essential in order for the mobile terminal to use a network service, wherein the first message directs the terminal to retrieve the system information from a store, the store being the non-broadcast source, and use the system information to access a particular cell of the network, wherein the system information retrieved by the terminal from the store to provide access to the particular cell is specific to the terminal and enables access to the particular cell for a package of services which the terminal is authorized to use, wherein the system information of any of a plurality of cells is stored in the store independently of whether the terminal has previously accessed any of the plurality of cells, and wherein new system information for a new cell of the plurality of cells, that has been previously unaccessed by the terminal, is thereby available to the terminal from the store. ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the system information indicator is transmitted to the terminal by being broadcast to the terminal, wherein the system information indicator enables limited access by the terminal to the cellular telecommunications system, the limited access provided by the system information indicator enabling the terminal to request and receive the system information from the non-broadcast source, wherein the system information enables greater access by the terminal to the cellular telecommunications system, the greater access enabled by the system information being more access than the limited access enabled by the system information indicator. ### Claim 33 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the system information indicator is transmitted to the terminal by being broadcast to the terminal, wherein the system information indicator enables limited access by the terminal to the cellular telecommunications system, the limited access provided by the system information indicator enabling the terminal to request and receive the system information from the non-broadcast source, wherein the system information enables greater access by the terminal to the cellular telecommunications system, the greater access enabled by the system information being more access than the limited access enabled by the system information indicator.