AU760764B2

AU760764B2 - Method of providing service functions in a telecommunications network

Info

Publication number: AU760764B2
Application number: AU14926/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Heike Felbecker-Janho
Original assignee: Alcatel CIT SA; Alcatel SA
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Priority date: 1999-02-22
Filing date: 2000-02-04
Publication date: 2003-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-04
Also published as: EP1032235A3; CA2298978A1; EP1032235A2; AU1492600A; DE19907503A1; JP2000339254A

Description

CE00367685.2 Ii 2 Method of Providing Service Functions in a Telecommunications Network Field of the invention This invention relates to a method of providing service functions in a telecommunications network with the aid of a terminal that is fitted with an expansion module.

The invention also relates to a terminal for use in a telecommunications network, having a receptacle for an expansion module with which physical data can be collected. Furthermore, the invention relates to a controller of a telecommunications network and to a server for providing a service function.

Background of the invention A method and a terminal of the above kind are disclosed in DE 41 41 382 Al. The terminal, a wireless telephone, is provided with different expansion modules. The expansion modules are designed, for example, as a pocket calculator, as a dictation machine, as a device for monitoring medical functions of a user of the terminal or mechanical facilities, as a clock, as an interface or a modem for transmitting data, as a television or radio receiver, as a transmitter for operating remotely controllable apparatus, as an ultrasonic sensor for measuring distance, as a vibration sensor for triggering an alarm, as a lamp, or as a device for determining the geographical coordinates of the expansion module. Through these expansion modules, the terminal can be provided with extensive additional functions. The expansion modules all operate as stand-alone devices which, while being partly incorporated in the terminal in such a i way as to share certain components of the terminal display unit, keypad), operate independently of the telecommunications network and make no use of the function of the telecommunications network.

DE 197 02 895 C1 discloses a terminal of a telecommunications network with a speech channel and a separate data channel. The terminal is provided with an expansion module designed as a device for determining its geographical coordinates. The geographical coordinate data are transferred to the terminal and then transmitted from the latter over the data channel to a controller of the telecommunications network. The controller checks whether any information relevant to the transmitted geographical coordinates is present. If no such information is present, a corresponding voice message will be output to the user. If relevant information is present, a CE00367685.2 3 voice link will be established from the controller to the user of the terminal over the speech channel. The user will be notified of an address at which he can retrieve the relevant information. In the case of this prior-art terminal, the expansion module cooperates with the telecommunications network and communicates with the controller of the telecommunications network, but the service function that can be provided by the controller of the telecommunications network consists only in the establishment of a voice link between the controller and the terminal. The provision of further service functions by the controller, i.e., functions that go beyond the establishment of a voice link, is not envisaged.

Summary of the invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a method of the above kind so that a large number of additional service functions which go beyond the establishment of a voice link can be made available to the terminal by the expansion module, taking advantage of the transmission possibilities over the telecommunications network.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of 15 providing service functions in a telecommunications network with the aid of a terminal fitted with an expansion module, comprising the steps of: collecting physical data by means of the expansion module; transferring the data from the expansion module to the terminal; receiving the data at the terminal; sending the data from the terminal over the telecommunications network to a controller of the telecommunications network; receiving the data at the controller; in the presence of a predetermined constellation of the received data, sending an instruction from the controller to a server to provide a service function; receiving the instruction at the server; and providing the service function by means of the server.

CE00367685.2 4 In the method according to the invention, the expansion module of the terminal collects physical data. These physical data may be of any nature. A wide variety of sensors for sensing various physical states are disclosed in the prior art.

The expansion module is preferably attached to or even integrated with the terminal, so that the user of the terminal has to carry only the terminal and not a number of additional expansion modules. The expansion module may be nonpermanently or permanently connected with the terminal, the nonpermanent connection being provided by a connector, for example.

The expansion module preferably operates from the power supply of the terminal.

Advantageously, the expansion module also uses certain components of the terminal, such as the keypad to enter data or instructions into the expansion module, or the display unit to output data or information from the expansion module.

1The physical data collected by the expansion module are transferred from the expansion o•• module to the terminal, which receives the data. The data are then transmitted from the terminal over the telecommunications network to a controller of the telecommunications network. This :i 15 has the advantage that the expansion module does not need a transmitting unit of its own to transmit data to a higher-level controller, but can use the transmitting unit of the terminal. If the terminal is a mobile telephone based on the GSM standard in a mobile radio network with a speech channel and a separate data channel, the physical data will preferably be transmitted to S. the controller over the data channel.

The telecommunications network is preferably designed as an intelligent network (IN).

The controller is, for example, a computer that is incorporated in the IN. The controller controls particular network functions of the IN.

The controller receives the data and sends an instruction to a server to provide a particular service function if the received data exhibit a predetermined constellation. The constellation that causes such an instruction to be sent can preferably be set by the user of the terminal. The settings can be made either directly at the expansion module or indirectly via the terminal keypad. The settings are then communicated to the controller and stored therein.

The server may also be incorporated in the telecommunications network. In that case, the controller can reach the server via the telecommunications network. The server may be designed in various ways. What is important is that the server can provide simple service CE00367685.2 functions, such as the establishment of a voice link to the terminal or the transmission of particular information to the user of the terminal. However, the server may also provide much more complex service functions, such as notification of an emergency call center, notification of particular persons, or transmission of particular messages to a selected circle of terminal users.

The physical data collected by the expansion module may be transmitted to the server together with the instruction to provide a particular service function. If the physical data are the geographical coordinates of the expansion module, it is possible to notify the emergency call center and simultaneously transmit the geographical coordinates of the expansion module, which generally correspond to the position of the terminal user. The service functions that can be provided by the server are preferably set at least in part by the user of the terminal. The settings can be made either directly at the expansion module or indirectly via the terminal keypad. The settings are then communicated to the controller and stored therein.

According to a further advantageous aspect of the invention, the received physical data .o.o O are compared in the controller with data which are stored in the telecommunications network and which can be accessed by the controller to determine whether a predetermined constellation of the received data is present. The data can be entered either directly at the expansion module or indirectly via the terminal keypad. The entered data are then transmitted to the telecommunications network and stored therein. Preferably, the data are stored in a memory unit of the controller.

20 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the physical data collected are the geographical coordinates of the expansion module. The geographical coordinates can be determined using GPS satellites, for example, in which case the coordinate data are collected by 0 a GPS receiver. The geographical coordinates may later be important for the provision of particular service functions, such as for the precise determination of the origin of an emergency call. It is also conceivable to precisely determine the origin of an alarm call triggered by a theft of a motor vehicle, for example. As the service function, the server could then notify the nearest police station of the theft.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, vibration data of the expansion module are collected as the physical data. Vibrations can be sensed with an acceleration sensor, for example. The vibration data collected are transmitted to the controller. There, a check is made to see whether the vibrations exceed a predetermined value. If that is the case, the CE00367685.2 6 controller will assume that the expansion module, and thus the user of the terminal, has been hit by an avalanche. The controller will then send an instruction to the server to make an emergency call to a mountain rescue service station.

In a further embodiment of the invention, environmental data are collected as the physical data. The environmental data can be sensed by means of a gas sensor, for example. A gas sensor can determine the concentration of particular gases in the ambient air. The environmental data could be transmitted to the controller at regular intervals. If a plurality of terminals are fitted with expansion modules equipped in this way, full-coverage monitoring of environmental data could become possible. The controller could analyze the incoming environmental data and, if necessary, initiate suitable measures.

In still another preferred embodiment of the invention, weather data are collected as the physical data. The weather data could be determined by means of a thermometer, a barometer, or a hygrometer, for example. If a plurality of terminals are provided with expansion modules equipped in this way, full-coverage weather observation could become possible. In this way, 15 weather forecasts could be improved and suitable countermeasures, such as a storm warning, could be initiated in time.

In a further preferred embodiment, medical data of a user of the terminal are collected as the physical data. The medical data are, for example, heartbeat, blood pressure, blood sugar •level, or oxygen content in the blood of the terminal user or another person. The medical data are transmitted to the controller at regular intervals. There they are compared with desired S, values, If the medical data deviate from the desired values beyond a given tolerance range, the controller will send an instruction to the server to notify an emergency call center. In this way, an early diagnosis of diseases becomes possible, particularly for elderly persons or persons of weak health. Preferably, further physical data, such as the geographical coordinates of the expansion module and, thus, of the user of the terminal, are communicated to the emergency call center.

According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, it is proposed that as the service function, a check call is made to a further user of a further terminal in the area where the expansion module is. This service function is a preliminary stage, so to speak, of the triggering of an emergency call signal or of the notification of an emergency call center. For example, if vibration data of the expansion module are sensed as the physical data and transmitted to the CE00367685.2 7 controller, the controller will assume that the user of the terminal has been hit by an avalanche if the vibration values exceed a given tolerance range. Before the controller then sends to the server an instruction to trigger an emergency call signal, it can instruct the server to make a check call to one or more further users of further terminals in the area where the expansion module is. If these further users do not answer the check call, it can be assumed that an avalanche has actually come down in the area where the expansion module is.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, as the service function, an emergency call center is notified.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, as the service function, traffic information is transmitted relating to the area in which the expansion module is. This requires that the expansion module determines its geographical coordinates and sends these coordinate data to the controller of the telecommunications network. The traffic information may cover all highways and byways within a given radius around the area where the expansion module is. It is also possible, however, to determine the geographical coordinates of the expansion module at 15 intervals of time and transmit the geographical data to the controller of the telecommunications network. From these data, the controller can determine the direction of movement, generally the direction of travel, of the user of the terminal. The controller can then transmit only that traffic **a information which relates to the user's direction of movement. It is also conceivable that by comparing the geographical coordinates with a digitized road map, the controller determines the 20 road on which the user of the terminal is driving. In that case, the traffic information can relate to the road on which the user of the terminal is driving. The traffic information is preferably transmitted to the terminal of the user as a text message.

S*

According to a further advantageous aspect of the invention, it is proposed that as the service function, a train schedule is transmitted for the area where the expansion module is. For this service function, too, it is necessary for the expansion module to determine its geographical coordinates and transmit the coordinate data to the controller of the telecommunications network. By comparing the geographical coordinates with a digitized map, the town and railroad station nearest to the expansion module can be determined. The train schedule for this station can then be transmitted to the user of the terminal. The train schedule is preferably transmitted to the user's terminal as a text message.

CE00367685.2 8 In a further preferred embodiment, as the service function, general information is transmitted about the area where the expansion module is. For this service function, too, the expansion module must determine its geographical coordinates and transmit the coordinate data to the controller of the telecommunications network. The general information is, for example, information about places of interest, dining places, or overnight accommodation in the area in question.

According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, it is proposed that as the service function, particular data are presented on a display unit of the terminal. The data that can be. presented on the display unit are especially the above-mentioned traffic information, the train schedule, or general information. However, the content of the data may also be totally different, which is not specified here. The presentation of the data on a display unit has the advantage that the user of the terminal can perceive the data visually. As the expansion module uses the display unit of the terminal to present the data, it need not have a display unit of its own.

15 Alternatively, it is proposed that as the service function, particular data are presented on a display unit of the expansion module. In the case of terminals with small display units, it may ooo• be advantageous to have a larger display unit available for the display of the data. A display unit °go• of the expansion module with graphics capability may be an appropriate supplement to a display unit of a terminal without graphics capability.

20 Advantageously, as the service function, a computer game is carried out on the expansion module and/or the terminal. The computer game is displayed on a display unit of the expansion module or the terminal. The computer game is controlled either via a keypad of the expansion module or via the keypad of the terminal. The control for the implementation of the computer game does not form part of the expansion module but is incorporated in the controller of the telecommunications network. The control commands for the computer game are transmitted via the expansion module and the terminal to the controller of the telecommunications network. There, the further sequence of operations of the computer game is computed and the further steps are initiated as a service function. To accomplish this, the controller sends to the server an instruction to display a particular situation of the computer game on a display unit and/or cause particular audible sounds in a loudspeaker of the terminal or the expansion module, for example.

004358124v5.doc 9 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided telecommunications network system comprising: a controller having means for receiving physical data from a terminal, and means for sending an instruction to a server a server having means for receiving an instruction from the controller to provide the service function, and means for providing the service function; wherein: the controller, using the means for receiving physical data, receives the physical data transmitted via the telecommunications network from a terminal, the physical data indicating an output of an expansion module of the terminal; the controller makes a determination as to whether the received physical data indicates the presence of a predetermined constellation of the received physical data; when the determination indicates the presence of the predetermined constellation, the controller, using the means for sending, sends a corresponding instruction to the server to provide the service function; the server receives the instruction from the controller using the means for receiving an instruction; and the server provides a service, using the means for providing, in accordance with the S" received instruction.

20 The network may be an intelligent network, and the controller may control particular network functions of the telecommunications network. The terminal may have a receptacle for the expansion module with which the physical data is collected, which includes means for receiving the data, and means for sending the data to the controller of the telecommunications network. The expansion module may be pluggable into the receptacle in the terminal. The expansion module may be a card.

004358124v5.doc Brief description of the drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention vill now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments The method shown in the flowchart of Fig. 1 serves to provide service functions in a telecommunications network 1. The telecommunications network 1 is preferably a so-called intelligent network which comprises a controller 7 that controls particular network functions of the telecommunications network 1. The service functions are provided with the aid of a terminal 2 that is fitted with an expansion module 3. The method comprises the following steps: First, physical data 4 are collected by the expansion module 3. The collection of the data 4 is denoted in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 5. The physical data 4 are GPS data, for example. In that case, the expansion module 3 preferably incorporates a GPS receiver (not shown). The physical data 4 may also be vibration values to which the expansion module 3 is subjected. In that case, the expansion module 3 preferably incorporates an acceleration sensor (not shown).

The physical data 4 may also be a combination of different data.

The physical data are then transferred from the expansion module 3 to the terminal 2.

.20 This transfer of the physical data 4 is denoted in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 6. The physical data 4 are received by the terminal 2.

The terminal 2 sends the data 4 to the controller 7 of the telecommunications network 1.

The data 4 are transmitted from the terminal 2 to the controller 7 over the telecommunications network 1. The transmission of the data 4 is denoted in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 8. If the 25 terminal 2 is designed as a GSM mobile telephone, the data 4 will preferably be transmitted to the controller 7 over a data channel of the telecommunications network 1. The controller 7 receives the data 4.

The controller 7 checks whether a predetermined constellation of the received data 4 is p RT Ri ent. To this end, the received physical data 4 are compared, for example, with data that are stoi in the telecommunications network 1 and that can be accessed by the controller 7. If a Ser 004358124v5.doc 11 predetermined constellation of the received data 4 is present, the controller 7 will send to a server 9 an instruction to provide (11) a service function 12. The sending of the instruction is denoted in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 10. Whether an instruction is to be sent and what type of service function 12 is to be provided is determined by the controller 7.

The server 9 receives the instruction and provides the service function 12 according to the instruction. The provision of the service function 12 is denoted in Fig. 1 by reference numeral 11. The type of service function 12 to be provided may vary. As a rule, it depends on the type of physical data 4 received. For example, if medical data of a user of the terminal 2 are received, the service function 12 may consist in the fact that an emergency call center will be notified if the received medical data deviate from specified data beyond a given tolerance limit.

If the physical data 4 transmitted to the controller 7 also include the user's geographical coordinates, the service function 12 for the emergency call can also comprise a transmission of the user's current position data.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

The foregoing describes embodiments of the present invention and modifications, o obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto, without departing from the scope of the 0 present invention.

o•

Claims

1. A method of providing service functions in a telecommunications network with the aid of a terminal fitted with an expansion module, comprising the steps of: collecting physical data by means of the expansion module; transferring the data from the expansion module to the terminal; receiving the data at the terminal; sending the data from the terminal over the telecommunications network to a controller of the telecommunications network; receiving the data at the controller; in the presence of a predetermined constellation of the received data, sending an instruction from the controller to a server to provide a service function; receiving the instruction at the server; and providing the service function by means of the server.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the controller, the received physical data are compared with data which are stored in the telecommunications network and which can be accessed by the controller to determine whether a predetermined constellation of the received o data is present.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as the physical data, the geographical coordinates of the expansion module are determined.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as the physical data, vibrations of the expansion module are sensed. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as the physical data, environmental data are S" collected.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein as the physical data, weather data are collected. S 7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as the physical data, medical data of a user of the terminal are collected. IR A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein, as the service function, a check *cal s made to a further user of a further terminal in the area where the expansion module is. 004358124v5.doc 13

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein, as the service function, an emergency call center is notified. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein as the service function, traffic information is transmitted relating to the area where the expansion module is.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein as the service function, a train schedule is transmitted relating to the area where the expansion module is.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein as the service function, general information is transmitted relating to the area where the expansion module is.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein as the service function, particular data are presented on a display unit of the terminal.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein as the service function, particular data are presented on a display unit of the expansion module. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as the service function, a computer game is carried out on the expansion module and/or on the terminal.

16. A telecommunications network system comprising: a controller having means for receiving physical data from a terminal, and means for sending an instruction to a server; a server having means for receiving an instruction from the controller to provide the service function, and means for providing the service function; °oo o wherein: o the controller, using the means for receiving physical data, receives the physical data transmitted via the telecommunications network from a terminal, the physical data indicating an output of an expansion module of the terminal; the controller makes a determination as to whether the received physical data indicates *o the presence of a predetermined constellation of the received physical data; .•.owhen the determination indicates the presence of the predetermined constellation, the 5 controller, using the means for sending, sends a corresponding instruction to the server to provide the service function; Sthe server receives the instruction from the controller using the means for receiving an u cti~on: and CE00367685.2 14 means for sending an instruction to a server to provide a service function if a predetermined constellation of the received data is present. A controller as claimed in claim 19, wherein the telecommunications network is designed as an intelligent network, with the controller controlling particular network functions of the telecommunications network.

21. A server for providing a service function, wherein the server comprises: means for receiving an instruction from a controller of the telecommunications network to provide the service function and means for providing the service function.

22. A method of providing service functions in a telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

23. A terminal for use in a telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A controller of a telecommunications network substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

25. A server substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. o• Dated this 4th day of January 2000 °ooo "ALCATEL by its attorneys Freehills Patent Attorneys