FR3006530A1 - MANAGING ACCESS TO A RADIO CELLULAR NETWORK - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing access to a radio-mobile communications network. The network includes a network management server (8), a first access point (femto, 2) for a radio cell connected to a first home gateway (1), and at least a second radio access point (2b). ) connected to a second home gateway (2b) capable of supporting a voice or data communication. The method is characterized in that the server performs the following steps: a step of receiving a message (MSG) relating to a communication request (C) on the first access point (2); a step of searching for a second access point (2b) near the first access point (2); a step of issuing a command (CMD) to the second access point (2b) for the support of the communication.

Description

Management of access to a radio-cellular network. The field of the invention is that of telecommunications and more precisely that of radio telecommunications networks.

More particularly, the invention relates to the configuration of base stations, or access points, of a cellular mobile radio telecommunication network, in particular in the context of small mobile cells. A second, third or fourth generation cellular mobile radio network uses radio technologies to enable a subscriber's mobile equipment to establish communication with other mobile equipment connected to the network. The radio link between the equipment and a mobile network must be of sufficient quality, which requires the establishment in the network of a set of intermediate stations, called base stations, or BTS (of the English Base Transceiver Station ), which allow a user of the network to connect at any time, throughout the territory concerned. A cell is thus the surface on which the mobile terminal can establish a link with a given base station. Recently, small-sized cells generated by a femto access point have appeared in this context, as opposed to the large cells generated by the BTS base stations, also called femto cells (prefix emphasizing the very small size) or pico cells (in English: femtocell or picocell). A femto access point is therefore a basic element of a low-power mobile cellular system, intended to offer limited radio coverage in a small-sized femto cell, often dedicated to residential, or domestic, use. , or company. The base station, also known as the access point, of the femto cell, generally connects to a mobile operator's network over a broadband Internet connection (eg a cable or ADSL router, a home gateway, etc.). ) and can, depending on the model, support two to eight simultaneous communications or internet access for voice and / or data. Although they can simply and effectively extend the coverage of a mobile network to provide good quality communications in areas -2 poorly covered, such cells have, for a user, some disadvantages: especially, if the point access to the femto cell has reached the maximum number of incoming connections, a new call can not be taken into account, even if it comes from an authorized terminal, even a priority, in the femto cell.

The invention offers a solution that does not have the drawbacks of the state of the art. For this purpose, according to a functional aspect, the subject of the invention is a method for managing access to a radio-mobile communications network comprising a network management server, a first access point of a connected radio cell. a first home gateway, and at least a second radio access point connected to a second home gateway capable of supporting a voice or data communication, characterized in that the server performs the following steps: receiving a message relating to a request for communication on the first access point; searching for a second access point near the first access point; issuing a command to the second access point for communication support.

Thus, the invention makes it possible to automatically return to the network of the operator messages relating in particular to the occupation of the femto access point. Today, a femto access point handles only its incoming and outgoing connections and it alone makes the decisions to accept or reject a request from a terminal. Since the femto access point is limited in capacity, for example to four voice and data type communications or eight voice type communications, it ends, when it is saturated, by rejecting the additional communications that might be requested. The invention makes it possible to request another access point for the support of the communication.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, a method as described above is characterized in that the search for a second access point nearby comprises the following steps: - identification of the domestic gateways lying near the first home gateway to which radio access points are connected; selecting from said home gateways the second home gateway to which the second access point is connected. Thus, the invention advantageously makes it possible to use the location of the gateways, known to the network operator, to identify the mobile access points that may be in the vicinity of the access point that can not support the gateway. communication. Indeed, the mobile network operator can collaborate with the fixed network operator (IP), which has tables enabling it to connect a home gateway of its network with its geographical location. Thus, it is the location of the home gateway that indirectly provides that of the access point.

According to a second particular mode of implementation of the invention, which can be implemented alternatively or cumulatively with the previous one, a method as described above is characterized in that the command for the support of the communication is addressed to the second home gateway and includes the identifier of the terminal seeking to connect. Thus, the method of the invention advantageously allows to communicate to the second home gateway an identifier of the mobile terminal which it will have to support the connection. This communication is simple and effective since such a home gateway is accessible directly on the Internet. According to a third particular embodiment of the invention, which may be implemented alternatively or cumulatively with the above, a method as described above is characterized in that the second access point is a point d femto access for a femtocell radio cell. Thus, advantageously, a second femto access point may be requested to process communications that have been refused by the first. After receiving a message informing it that an access point is saturated, or inoperative, the server according to the invention can advantageously make the decision to activate another radio cell of the same type (femto) on the same geographical region so that the terminal -4 seeking to connect can benefit from an alternative if it can not establish communication via its usual access point. The method is completely transparent to the user of the mobile terminal. This is of particular interest for voice-type communications that are supported only by the mobile network, at least in the context of second- and third-generation networks. According to a fourth particular embodiment of the invention, which may be implemented alternatively or cumulatively with the above, a method as described above is further characterized in that the second access point is a WIFI access point. Wi-Fi ("Wireless Fidelity") is a collection of wireless transmission technologies that create wireless computer networks based on IEEE 802.11 family standards. This mode of implementation of the invention allows the mobile network operator to request a Wifi module to process the communications that have been refused by the first access point; after having received a message informing him that an access point is saturated, or inoperative, the server (or the gateway) may in particular make the decision to activate a WiFi module of a residential gateway with so-called community WiFi ( a mode in which home gateways provide terminals outside their local network perimeter with a portion of their Wi-Fi resources), so that the terminal seeking to connect can benefit from an alternative solution if it can not connect on its own. usual mobile radio access point. This is particularly interesting for data-type communications that are supported by Wifi protocols. According to another functional aspect, the invention also relates to a mobile access redirection method by a home gateway capable of being connected to a management server of a mobile radio network and to an access point of a cell radio, said method comprising the steps of: - receiving a command to support a communication from the access point, - transmitting a message relating to the request for support of a communication to According to yet another functional aspect, the invention also relates to a method for supporting mobile access by a home gateway that can be connected to a network management server and an access point. a radio cell, said method comprising the steps of: receiving a command from the server for supporting a communication; issuing a command to the radio access point to support communication.

According to a hardware aspect, the invention also relates to an access management server 1 to a radio-mobile communications network, the network comprising a first access point of a radio cell connected to a first home gateway, and at least one a second radio access point connected to a second home gateway capable of supporting a voice or data communication, characterized in that the server comprises: a module for receiving a message relating to a communication request on the first access point; a module for searching for a second access point near the first access point; a module for issuing a command to the second access point for the support of the communication According to another hardware aspect, the invention also relates to a home gateway capable of being connected to a management server. a radio network and an access point of a radio cell, comprising: a reception module of a voice or data communication support command from the access point, a module; transmission of a message relating to the request for communication to the server.30 According to yet another hardware aspect, the invention also relates to a home gateway capable of being connected to a management server of a mobile radio network, said gateway comprising: a module for receiving a command from the server for the support of a communication. a module transmitting a command to a radio access point for the support of the communication. According to yet another material aspect, the invention also relates to a computer program for a server of a radio communications network comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said server of the steps of the method according to one of the any of the claims of the access method when the program is executed by the server. According to yet another hardware aspect the invention also relates to a computer program for a home gateway comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said gateway of the steps of the redirection method when the program is executed by the gateway. According to yet another hardware aspect, the invention also relates to a computer program for a home gateway comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said gateway of the steps of the access support method when the program is executed. by the bridge. According to yet another material aspect, the invention relates to data processor-readable recording media on which programs including program code instructions for executing the steps of the methods defined above are recorded. Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents a radio configuration; mobile having two femto domestic cells; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an access management system according to the invention; FIG. 3 represents the steps of the method according to a particular embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 shows an example of a typical network architecture of a mobile operator deploying home stations or access points (femtocell or picocel) In this example, two homes (H1, H2) are connected directly to the network. Internet (10) via a home gateway (resp.1, lb) and indirectly to the equipment (11) of a telecommunications operator who is themselves connected to the Internet (10) In this example, the equipment (11) ) of this Internet telecommunication operator are confused with those of the operator of the mobile radio network. (9) Of course, this is only an example and the two types of equipment for both types of networks (Internet fixed and mobile) can also be separated.

It can be assumed that the two homes (H1, H2) are not perfectly covered by the mobile operator's standard radio network (9), and therefore require additional coverage via femto access points. . The femto access points (2,2b), hereafter referred to as PAF (for Femtocell Access Points), are access points, or home radio base stations, connected to their respective home gateways (1,1b). ) for example via an Ethernet port, and capable of providing voice services and incidentally data to the terminals of the house. The PAF access points are therefore connected (via their respective gateway) to the management equipment (11) of the mobile network of the operator, among which is a server (8) for managing femto cells. Subsequently, the server that specifically manages femto cells will be designated by femto (8) optimization server of the operator, but it is obvious that the operator has other servers to manage his mobile radio network ( 9). In a known manner, the PAF access points have a limited power and thus offer a limited bandwidth. The limitation is often set in terms of the number of simultaneously connectable terminals (of the order of four) so that multiple users can establish communication, or in terms of the number of voice and data connections that can be simultaneously supported .

The access point PAF (2) of the first house (H1) is for example able to support the equipment 3 and 5, respectively a mobile phone and a smattphone according to this example, to provide them with voice services and data. In contrast, the PC (4) of home H1, shown as an example, is directly connected to the gateway (1) and establishes its data communications via the home gateway to which it is physically connected (it could also be connected to it via Wifi, Bluetooth, etc.) The PAF (2b) of the second house (H2) is capable of supporting a piece of equipment 6, for example a smattphone, to provide voice and / or voice services. or data. The mobile network (9) is for example a third generation network called "3G" or "3G +", based on a set of UMTS standards (for "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System" in English) or HSPA ("High Speed Packet Access"). ); Naturally, the invention is not limited to this type of network and also applies to so-called second generation (2G), fourth generation (4G) mobile networks, or any other type of radiocommunication network. No limitation is attached either to the type of terminal used. The mobile terminal (5) can be for example a telephone, a tablet, or any other terminal, fixed or mobile, able to establish a radio communication with the mobile network to exchange voice or data. This type of architecture, although effectively extending the coverage of the mobile network (9) of the operator, has a number of disadvantages: the number of devices or simultaneous connections being limited, if additional equipment tries to connect to the PAF, it fails. The invention therefore proposes a mechanism for managing the PAF access points by the management server of the radio-mobile network: the server receives information informing it that a communication has been requested on the femto cell 2, and that this communication can not be assured. The server then searches for a femto access point close to the one that has sent the request and transmits to the gateway which is responsible for it a request message for taking the communication into account, or more generally, according to another example, of all the mobile terminal communications at the origin of the request.

In this embodiment, the server (8) of the mobile network of the operator and the domestic gateways (1, 1b) according to the invention cooperate to provide such a service. The gateway 1 includes a module that allows it to know the state of the (or) PAF connected to it (s), calculate the remaining bandwidth available at a given time, and transmit data relating to the state of the PAF to the network equipment, in particular to the operator's femto (8) optimization server. Such a module can rely for example on the protocols of the UPnP standard if you connect the gateway and the PAF Ethernet. The UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) standard is intended to allow peripheral terminals to easily connect and communicate simply within a home network. It is a set of communication protocols based on the Internet Protocol (IP) and promulgated by the UPnP Forum ("UPnP Forum"). To control the network equipment, UPnP uses control points (in English: "Control Points" or CP). A control point conventionally transmits to the various terminals of the network so-called discovery messages (MSEARCH) in order to retrieve a description of the terminals corresponding to the request. A UPnP compliant terminal responds to these request messages, and additionally transmits presence messages (ALIVE) at regular intervals to indicate that it is active and connected on the UPnP network. In addition, the UPnP standard uses the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) mechanism to allow a Control Point to invoke actions on the terminal. Finally, the UPnP standard defines a notification mechanism (GENA for "General Event Notification Architecture") that allows the control point to subscribe to receive notifications from the terminal. Thus, according to this embodiment of the invention, a control point located on the home gateway communicates with the PAF through such messages, the PAF being compatible with the UPnP standard. Alternatively, a proprietary communication protocol may be used for communication between the access point management module and the PAF itself, whether the two devices are connected in Ethernet or USB.

Thus, according to the diagram of FIG. 1, when the gateway (1) to which the PAF (2) is connected receives a connection request from a radio terminal (3,5) of the home H1, its management module femto cells calculates the bandwidth required to establish the connection with this terminal, then the remaining bandwidth availability; if the requested bandwidth is not available, the gateway can send a message to the femto (8) optimization server of the mobile operator's network so that it controls the activation of another PAF to another walkway near the house (H1), for example the PAF (2b) of the H2 house.

FIG. 2 represents a schematic view of a system comprising a set of servers (11) notably comprising a server (8) for managing the femto cells according to the invention and a home gateway (1) connected on the one hand to the servers ( 11) and secondly to a femto access point (PAF).

The home gateway (1) conventionally comprises memories (M) associated with a processor (CPU). The memories can be type ROM (English Read Only Memory) or RAM (English Random Access Memory) or Flash. The gateway (1) communicates with the local network and the Internet network via the ETH module (Ethernet, ADSL).

The device further comprises a management module PIF (Femtocell control) of the femto access point (s), capable of connecting to the access point PAF (2, 2b) of FIG. 1 to manage the cell. femto radio, via bidirectional communication of messages between the PIF module and the PAF access point, in particular to: - Acquire the state of the PAF: number of connections in progress, new request in progress, etc. - Perform calculations on the basis of the information coming from the PAF: calculation of the required bandwidth, etc. - Go back to the servers of the mobile operator (8), in particular the femto optimization server, according to the calculated data; - etc.

As mentioned above, this communication can be done on the basis of the UPnP protocol if the PAF access point is compatible with this standard and able to communicate with a UPnP control point. The PIF module may for example be a software program running in the memory of the gateway, or a hardware and software package capable of controlling the PAF. The PIF module may, alternatively, be on another device of the local network, or on an external server. It is appropriate in this invention to relate two types of database: that relating to the mobile network, and that relating to domestic gateways of the Internet operator. The server (8) of the mobile operator is connected, conventionally, to a first database (13) in which are the management data of the mobile network, including Femto cells of the mobile network. The server of the Internet operator is also conventionally connected to a database (14) in which, in particular, the management data relating to the home gateways to which the femto cells are connected. The gateway database includes the geographical location of the gateways and their addresses. In this example, it is assumed that the operators cooperate, and in particular exchange the data from their bases 13 and 14, that is to say the management data of the femto cells and the location of the home gateways. Any known means of access and connection to the scope of the skilled person can be considered in this context. With reference to FIG. 3, a connection request (DCX_T) for the establishment of a mobile communication (C) is sent from the mobile terminal (3) to the PAF (2) which receives it during a call. step El and retransmits it (DCX_P) to the management module of the gateway.

During a step Eh, the PAF access point management method (PIF) (2) receives a message from the PAF (DCX_P) informing it that a new terminal wishes to connect. The message may take the form of, for example, the following GENA notification (UPnP notification mechanism): NOTIFY delivery path HTTP / 1.1 HOST: delivery host: delivery CONTENT-TYPE port: text / xml CONTENT-LENGTH: Bytes in body NT: upnp: event NTS: upnp: propchange SID: uuid: subscription-UUID SEQ: event key <? Xml version = "1.0"?> <E: propertyset xmlns: e = "urn: schemas-upnp-org: event- 1-0 "> <e: property> <PendingConnectionNumber> 1 </ PendingConnectionNumber> <PendingConnectionType> VoiceOnly </ PendingConnectionType> <PendingConnectionProtocol> 3G </ PendingConnectionProtocol> </ e: property> </ e: propertyset> This sample message This includes: - the type of the requested connection: data, voice and data (attribute 30 VoiceOnly here indicating a message of voice type, without data); - the type of mobile protocol (3G attribute indicating here a third generation mobile network). This mechanism makes it possible, for example, to know that the terminal will use a network video or game service and thus consume a large bandwidth. According to another possible embodiment, the PIF management module interrogates the PAF access point to ask the type of connection required and any other additional information that may be useful. This message may take the form, for example, of a UPnP SOAP action (it is recalled that the SOAP mechanism allows a control point to invoke actions on the terminal).

Then, during a step E12, the management module (PIF) of the gateway calculates the bandwidth (BP) necessary for the connection of this terminal for this type of communication (C). For example, a static table in the memory M of the gateway 1 (or any other suitable medium) can be used to determine the required bandwidth according to the type of connection requested (2G, 3G, voice or data, etc.). It can also easily calculate the remaining available bandwidth by a simple difference between the maximum bandwidth allowed for the femto cell (given by the operator) and the bandwidth actually used by the femto cell at a given moment: for example, the module PIF has memorized the connection type and the corresponding bandwidth for each connection previously established with the PAF. During a step E13, the management module PIF interprets the results of the previous step: in this example, the requested bandwidth is not available for a connection of "voice and data" type; a message (MSG) is transmitted at the end of step E13 to the operator's femto (8) optimization server, with the following information in parameter: - The coordinates (ID_P) of the gateway (1) which can not accept the request; for example, it may be an identification number of the ADSL line; in the example, the identifier of the gateway is implicit (contained in the source address of the messages sent to the server); - The coordinates (ID_T) of the terminal whose connection can not be accepted; - And optionally, in order to optimize the distribution of calls: o The bandwidth (BP) required for this connection o The type of communication (C) required (voice, data, etc.) As part of the gateways ADSL type, the identification is made either in the network by an assigned identification number, or in a simple table of correspondence between the IP (Internet) address of the gateway and the identification of that in the databases (14) of the Internet operator. During a step E20, the femto (8) optimization server of the operator in charge of the femto cells determines the geographic coordinates of the gateway (1) using its address, or its identification, transmitted with the MSG message. This step can be simply performed by consulting the database of the Internet operator (14). The operator then attempts, during a step E21, to locate another gateway near the first, again using the geographic location databases of the gateways. Among the gateways identified near the first, the server must then choose a gateway to which is connected a femto access point, or a Wifi module accessible via the Community Wifi. If such a gateway is detected, the femto optimization server (8) transmits it in a step E21 a request to support the communication (C) of the terminal (3). In the example of FIG. 3, the gateway lb of the house H2 has been identified thanks to the servers of the Internet operator as being close to the gateway 1 of the house H1. The femto optimization server (8) therefore transmits to the gateway lb (or alternatively, to another server responsible for relaying this message) a control message (CMD) for supporting the communication (C). This command (CMD) comprises for example in parameter the necessary bandwidth information (BP) and the references of the terminal (ID_T) which seeks to connect.

The PIF management module of the PAF access point (2b) connected to the gateway 1b, knowing the number of mobile devices that are already connected to the PAF (either by consulting an internal table or by interrogating the PAF, as explained previously), acts accordingly: it can analyze the number of connected devices, calculate the available bandwidth, and depending on the amount of bandwidth remaining (or the number of connections remaining) can accept or not the connection. It is assumed in the example that the connection of the terminal (3) is relayed by the server (8) to establish a communication C voice and data. The gateway lb transmits to the femto access point a CONNECT command for the support of the communication (C) of the terminal (ID_T). The PAF 2b transmits an acceptance message (CX) to the mobile terminal (3) which can then communicate with the PAF (2b) connected to the gateway 1b. According to one variant, consideration can be given to taking into account the available bandwidth on the community WiFis of the domestic gateways. In a known manner, a community WiFi network designates an access network that relies on home gateways comprising at least one wireless access point to a community WiFi network, using in particular wireless transmission technology based on the standard IEEE 802.11 radio and its developments commonly referred to as WiFi (for "Wireless Fidelity"). The community WiFi network has the particularity of using the same identifier (SSID) for all home gateways involved in this network, thus allowing sharing of the available bandwidth on a given gateway. In the context of the invention, if the operator optimization server femto (8) detects that the bandwidth available on one of the community WiFi networks can meet the connection request, and provided that the type requested connection is satisfied with a Wifi connection (typically, for a data communication), the server (8) may require a Wifi type of communication; for example, the terminal 3 may be invited at the end of such an implementation variant to connect to the community Wifi module of the adjacent gateway lb. Conversely, the method may be envisaged for requesting the PAF access point of certain gateways if the community WiFi connection is no longer sufficient, and the server in this case transmits a message to the mobile concerned so that it switches over. on the mobile 2G / 3G / 4G network of the femto cell. A certain number of other variants can be envisaged: the request for support of the mobile communication (s) by the PAF access points of the proximity gateways is triggered following a congestion on one of the antennas (BTS) conventional 2G / 3G mobile network (9). In this case, the terminal connection request (MSG) message is transmitted to the femto management server (8) not by a home gateway but by an element of the network itself (another server, etc.). ). - 16 - - the taking into account of local events and planned in time (sports meeting, event, etc.) can trigger a specific need for solicitation of femto associated with the footbridges near this event: in this example too, the optimizing server femto (8) of the operator, upon receipt of a message from another network device, instructs the PIF modules of the gateways implementing the module according to the invention to activate the point PAF access that is connected to them to extend the coverage of the mobile network and thus the number of connections that can be established with good quality in this geographical area.

It goes without saying that the embodiment which has been described above has been given for purely indicative and not limiting, and that many modifications can be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (13)

REVENDICATIONS1. A method of managing access to a radio-mobile communications network comprising a network management server (8), a first access point (femto, 2) of a radio cell connected to a first home gateway (1) ), and at least one second radio access point (2b) connected to a second home gateway (2b) capable of supporting a voice or data communication, characterized in that the server performs the following steps: reception of a message (E20, MSG) relating to a communication request (DCX_P) on the first access point (2); searching (E20) a second access point near the first access point (2b); issuing a command (E21, CMD) to the second access point (2b) for the support of the communication (C). 2. Access management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the search (E20) of a second access point (2b) nearby comprises the following steps: identification of domestic gateways (lb, etc.) located near the first home gateway (1) to which radio access points are connected; selecting from said home gateways the second home gateway (1b) to which the second access point (2b) is connected. 3. Access management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the command (CMD) for the support of the communication (C) is addressed to the second home gateway (lb) and comprises the terminal identifier. trying to connect (ID_T). 4. Access management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the second access point (2b) is a femto access point for a femtocell radio cell. 5. Access management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the second access point is a WIFI access point. 6. Method of redirecting mobile access by a home gateway (1) adapted to be connected to a server (8) for managing a mobile radio network (9) and to an access point (femto, 2) a radio cell, said method comprising the steps of: receiving a command (DCX_P) for supporting a communication (C) from the access point (2); transmitting a message (MSG) relating to the request for support of a communication (C) to the server (8). 7. A method of supporting mobile access by a home gateway (1b) capable of being connected to a server (8) for managing a mobile radio network (9) and to an access point (femto, 2b) of a radio cell, said method comprising the steps of: receiving a command (CMD) from the server (8) for supporting a communication (C). transmitting a command (CONNECT) to the radio access point (2b) for communication support (C). 8. A management server for access to a radio-mobile communications network, the network comprising a first access point (femto, 2) of a radio cell connected to a first home gateway (1), and at least one second radio access point (2b) connected to a second home gateway (1b) able to support a voice or data communication, characterized in that the server comprises: a module for receiving a message (MSG ) relating to a request for communication on the first access point (2); a module for searching for a second access point (2b) near the first access point (2); a module for sending a command to the second access point (2b) for the support of the communication (C). 9. Domestic gateway (1) adapted to be connected to a server (8) for managing a radio-mobile network (9)) and to an access point (femto, 2) of a radio cell, comprising: A module for receiving a command (DCX_P) for supporting communication of voice or data from the access point (2), a module for transmitting a message (MSG) relating to the request for communication to the server (8). 10. Domestic gateway (1b) adapted to be connected to a server (8) for managing a radio-mobile network (9) and to an access point of a radio cell (2b), said gateway comprising: a receiving module of a command (CMD) from the server (8) for the support of a communication (C), a transmission module of a command (CONNECT) towards the radio access point ( 2b) to support communication (C). A computer program for a server of a radio communications network comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said server of the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when the program is executed. by the server. 12. Computer program for a home gateway (1) comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said gateway of the steps of the method according to claim 6 when the program is executed by the gateway. 13. Computer program for a home gateway (1b) comprising the software instructions for controlling the implementation by said gateway of the steps of the method of claim 7 when the program is executed by the gateway.