AU8704098A

AU8704098A - Method of providing functions at a terminal for a telecommunication network

Info

Publication number: AU8704098A
Application number: AU87040/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gerd Siegmund
Original assignee: Alcatel CIT SA; Alcatel SA
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Priority date: 1997-09-29
Filing date: 1998-09-25
Publication date: 1999-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2018-09-25
Also published as: EP0905955A3; CA2246083A1; EP0905955A2; JPH11168565A; AU752976B2; SG71844A1

Description

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P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2

AUSIRAHTA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 7": 71 Invention Title: "METHOD OF PROVIDING FUNCTIONS AT A TERMINAL FOR A TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:r This present invention relates to a method for providing functions at a terminal for a telecommunication network in which method the terminal can be connected via a first connection to at least one communication partner facility and in which method the functions can be provided at the terminal with the aid of data which is loaded from a data provision facility into the terminal.

Terminals for telecommunication networks, especially telephone sets, are provided with various functions which make the operation of the terminals simpler or easier. Many of these functions are permanently built into the terminals and are I immediately available, e.g. a redial function with which a previously dialed subscriber S' 10 number can be repeated with a single press of a special redial button. Before using other functions, however, the terminals must be individually programmed, e.g. a subscriber number must be entered into the terminal and stored for an abbreviated-dialing button, with a single press of which a subscriber number consisting of many digits can be called.

Terminals for mobile radio telecommunication networks are known which can display the name of a caller in a display unit. For this, the subscriber number and name must be entered into a store in the terminal by a user of the terminal. In mobile radio telecommunication networks, the number of the calling subscriber is transmitted 11. when a call is received, so that the terminal can find the name of the caller by comparing the transmitted caller number with the stored number, and then display it on the display unit.

More comprehensive and individually customisable functions of a terminal, i such as an operating display, are difficult to provide with the means available on a telephone terminal since, apart from the numerical keypad, it only provides a few special keys. For this reason, the individually customisable functions of a terminal are J often configured on a data processing equipment, e.g. a personal computer, which 1 has a graphical input facility, e.g. a mouse, as well as an extensive keyboard. The configured functions are then loaded as a software package from the data processing equipment into the terminal via a connecting link.

S, 30 Furthermore, it is possible in many mobile radio telecommunication networks that, at the first call over such a terminal in such a mobile radio telecommunication i network, via the Short Message Service (SMS) software is loaded into the terminal from a server, especially software for the configuration of an operating display. Then the terminal displays, for example, the name of the service provider from which the terminal can then obtain the telecommunication services of the mobile radio telecommunication network. Through a targeted selection to the server and a targeted request, the terminal can load additional, or modified, software from the server via the Short Message Service. During such software loading, the terminal is however not available for its primary function, namely the processing of incoming or outgoing calls, because the loaded software affects the operating process of the terminal and thus must be integrated into the remaining software of the terminal before calls can be Qi:' 10 processed again.

The object of the present invention is to provide functions for a telephone terminal in a telecommunication network by means of data which can be loaded from a data provision facility.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method for 15 providing functions at a terminal for a telecommunication network, in which method the terminal can be connected via a first connection to at least one communication partner facility and in which method the functions can be provided at the terminal with the aid of data which is loaded from a data provision facility into the terminal, wherein Sin parallel to the first connection, a second connection is established via a subscriber line connection between the terminal and the data provision facility and the data from the data provision facility is sent to the terminal via the second connection.

;J According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a terminal for a telecommunication network with facilities for providing functions at the terminal which can be connected via at least a first connection with at least a first communication partner facility, and which can provide the functions with the aid of data which the Sterminal receives from a data provision facility, wherein, between the terminal and the data provision facility a second connection being established via a subscriber line connection in parallel to the first connedion, the data from the data provision facility can be received by the terminal via the second connection.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a data provision facility for providing data for the implementation of fundions in a terminal for a telecommunication nevwork, where a connection can be established between the data l

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provision facility and the terminal via a subscriber line connection, and the data provision facility can transmit the data to the terminal via the connection, wherein the connection can be established as a leased line or as a virtual line.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, an embodiment thereof will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings, in which: The sole Figure shows an example of an arrangement according to the invention consisting of a terminal TER and a server CS, which are linked via a connection VL.

'The diagram shows an arrangement by way of example, with which the 10 invention can be implemented. The terminal TER contains a central control unit MP I which controls the functions of the terminal TER, a display unit DIS which is used to I. display the data, a keypad KEY with which the terminal TER is operated and a memory unit MEM in which data for basic functions and data for special functions is stored. The telecommunication network is here represented symbolically by an exchange VST, and j 15 can also consist of additional nodes and interconnections. The server CS, for example, represents a data provision facility which can supply data. The data provision facility can consist of a single processor or a network of several processors. Furthermore, a connection VC is shown which is also conducted via the exchange VST and connects the terminal TER with a communication partner CP, e.g. another terminal. The terminal TER has available the basic functions of a telephone set such as e.g. number dialing, speech input and speech output. In addition, after the loading of data, the terminal TER can provide further special functions such as e.g. special information on the display unit DIS, or a special layout of the latter. The special functions can be carried out by the control unit MP immediately after they are received, but can also be stored S 25 for later use in the memory unit MEM.

The terminal TER can exchange data with the server CS over the connection VL.

The connection VL can exist before, after and during a connection VC to the communication partner CP, and is independent of the connection VC to the communication partner CP. Thus the terminal TER can be supplied with data from the server CS at any time. The connection VL can be a speech link on a separate subscriber line connection. However, the connection VC to the communication partner CP, and the connection VL, can be established on separate channels of a common 4 subscriber line connection to the terminal TER. The channel for the connection VL can, for example, be a B channel on an ISDN subscriber line connection, or an in-band signalling channel which is independent of the channel used for the connection VC to the communication partner CP.

It is however also possible to establish the connection VL as a virtual connection. Virtual connections are logical connections in a telecommunication network between partners who are connected to the telecommunication network.

Virtual connections are customary in packet-switched networks, such as e.g.

ATM networks, X.25 networks and on the D channels of ISDN networks. In a packet-switched telecommunication network a virtual connection is established, for example, by sending data to the telecommunication network about the desired target of the virtual connection. The telecommunication network then processes this data in such a way that data packets can later be transmitted over the virtual connection to the desired target. If in a particular time interval no data has to be transmitted to the target, the transmission capacity of the packet-switched telecommunication network can be used for the transmission of data packets between other sources and targets in the telecommunication network. A virtual connection only uses transmission capacity in a telecommunication network when it is needed for transmission, unless a fixed capacity has been reserved in the telecommunication network for a possible transmission.

If a virtual connection is to be established from a source to a target via a node, it can also be done by storing, at the source or at the node, data concerning path searching for the virtual connection. For example at the source for the virtual connection, address data can be stored about the target, so that the virtual connection can be converted into a real connection at any time by, for example, establishing a call connection from the source to the target. However, it is also possible to have data available at the node by means of which the node can transfer data received from the Ssource to the target. In the present example, therefore, at least at either the terminal TER or the server CS the address, e.g. a subscriber number, of the respective partner -j 30 must be stored, or the exchange VST has stored an association relation between the terminal TER and the server CS and thus can transfer data from the terminal TER to theserver CS, or from the server CS to the terminal TER.

A system consisting of a service provision unit and a terminal capable of being loaded with control data has been implemented in the ADSI (Analog Display Services Interface) product line by Alcatel Telecom. In the publication 3CL 00300 0001 TQZZA-Ed.1-DC/10/96 from Alcatel Telecom, in the paragraph "Alcatel 1461", it is described how an operator with a terminal, here an Alcatel ADSI terminal with the reference "Alcatel 2595", announces himself to the service provision unit via a subscriber line connection and there selects from pre-packaged service packets. These service packets are written in a language which the ADSI terminal can process, and they are loaded from the service provision unit into the ADSI terminal via the 10 subscriber line connection. The ADSI terminal carries out the functions contained in the service packets, so that, by means of the cooperation between the ADSI terminal and the service provision unit, a service is provided for the operator. The ADSI terminal in this situation functions as a user-friendly interface to the service provision unit, even as a "services interface", but not as a telephone terminal with convenience functions.

15 Typical functions for a terminal, such as e.g. a personal telephone directory, or the display of the caller's name for an incoming call as mentioned earlier, must be programmed on the ADSI terminal itself because the ADSI terminal must provide these J functions without the help of the service provision unit. This is made clear in the 3| publication 3CL 00300 0001 TQZZA-Ed.2-DC/10/96 from Alcatel Telecom, which 20 deals specifically with the ADSI terminal "Alcatel 2595", in the paragraphs "Directory" and "Caller Identification Management". With the present invention, however, such typical terminal functions can be provided jointly between the terminal TER and the server CS, as will be explained further in the following.

TThe terminal TER can read data from the server CS via the connection VL. If for example cost information has been stored in the server CS about the current state of 2 the accrued costs for the subscriber connectioforor a period, then the terminal TER can request the cost information from the server CS, for example initiated by a time circuit for a period of low network load. This cost information is then transmitted by the server CS, received by the control unit MP and sent to the display unit DIS where it is displayed.

On the other hand, the server CS can by itself provide data to the terminal TER.

A user of the server CS, e.g. a service provider of telecommunication service features, 6 can store text information at the server CS, e.g. a message with the current cost tariff for the telecommunication network. The text message is then transmitted from the server CS to the terminal TER and displayed by the terminal TER with the display unit

DIS.

Furthermore, the terminal TER can be provided with functions which are generated at the server CS as executable programs or program modules, e.g.

so-called macros, and then loaded into the terminal TER via the connection VL. The terminal TER stores these programs in its memory unit MEM, and can at any time read these programs from the memory unit MEM and execute them in the control unit MP, 10 in order to provide the functions.

Terminals are known which can receive software from an external source, or which can be configured remotely. The software is then loaded into the terminal TER Iby a special download process from the external source, and stored in the terminal for later use. If a subscriber line connection is used for the download, such as for example with the terminal known from P44 28 068, then the terminal is not available for other calls during the download process. However, since with the terminal TER the connection VL to the server CS can exist in parallel with the connection VC to the communication partner CP, the terminal TER can simultaneously load data for functions and provide communication with the communication partner CP. The terminal TER can thus remain available on the connection VC, even during a i download process. Moreover, each download process must be initiated by the operator himself through a special operation, so that the operator must learn which external source can provide software for the terminal, and how he can initiate a download process from the terminal. Also, using the services of the ADSI service provision unit only becomes possible with the already-mentioned ADSI terminal after the ADSI service provision unit has registered the ADSI terminal and controlled its access. It is not made clear in the above-mentioned publications concerning ADSI techniques to what extent a special action on the ADSI terminal is required from the operator, e.g. the entry of an identification code or password, or whether the ADSI terminal announces itself to the ADSI service provision unit without any operator actions.

Because the server CS can supply the terminal TER with functions via a 0 7 subscriber line connection, the server CS does not have to be in the region or in the immediate operation area of the operator of the terminal TER. The operator can, for example, request a third party, e.g. the already-mentioned service provider, to configure functions at the server CS for the terminal TER, and to load these functions into the terminal TER from the server CS as data via the connection VL. In this case the operator of the terminal TER does not need to gain any knowledge concerning the programming of his terminal TER. A function could for example be the alreadymentioned entry of a subscriber number for an abbreviated- dialing key, or the display of some special data on the display unit DIS, or even a special format for the display in 10 the display unit DIS. The service provider can also service functions on the server CS, .r i.e. adapt by itself to current requirements or to remove any errors that may have occurred in the functions. The data of the revised functions would then be loaded again into the terminal TER from the server CS.

The invention offers further advantageous possibilities when an additional 15 connection is established between the terminal TER and another target, in parallel with the connection VL. In the diagram such a connection is shown as the connection VC to the communication partner CP. The terminal TER can access data from the server CS via the connection VL in parallel with an incoming call from the communication S:.partner CP, as well as in parallel with the establishment of an outgoing call to the 20 communication partner CP, and while a connection is in existence to the communication partner CP.

When the terminal TER is connected to an ISDN telecommunication network or to a telecommunication network with CLASS (Custom Local Area Signalling Service) features, a so-called CLIP (Calling Line Identification Presentation) message is received by the terminal TER during a call from the communication partner CP on the connection VC. The subscriber number of the caller is transmitted in the CLIP message.

Since the terminal TER is equipped with the basic functions of a telephone set, the CLIP message can be displayed directly on the display unit DIS by the control unit MP, and I the call can be accepted by the operator. For the operator of the terminal TER, however, the display of a subscriber number on the display unit DIS does not necessarily make it clear what the name of the communication partner CP is. By pressing one of the keys of the keypad KEY, the operator can then for example initiate the transmission of a request message with the subscriber number from the CLIP message, via the connection VL to the server CS. The latter then replies with a message containing the name of the calling communication partner CP, so that the terminal TER can display this name on the display unit DIS. it is however also possible that the terminal TER automatically sends such a name enquiry to the server CS with every incoming call, without any action by the operator, thus increasing operating convenience.

Furthermore, the terminal TER can make use of the data from the server CS before a call is established. For example, a directory can be stored at the server CS 10 which contains the names and the numbers for a selected group of people, and is configured for the terminal TER. The contents of the directory are made available to S the operator through interaction between the terminal TER and the server CS. Then requests for data are sent to the server CS, and the server CS responds with suitable data. By pressing keys on the keypad KEY, the operator can send requests for data to the server CS. Depending on the keys pressed by the operator, the entries in the directory, e.g. names and addresses of communication partners, are sent as data from the server CS to the terminal TER and there displayed by the display unit DIS. The operator can then select an entry from the directory by pressing a key on the keypad KEY. The terminal TER then interrogates the server CS for the number of the subscriber 20 connection corresponding to this entry, and uses this number to establish this connection.

With the aid of the data from the server CS, and depending on the previous actions of the operator, the terminal TER can alter the allocation of those functions to the keys of the keypad KEY which can be accessed by pressing single keys in the terminal TER. The current allocation of functions to the keys is then, for example, displayed by means of symbols or text on the display unit DIS. The operator thus has available a control over the menu which, by using the data from the server CS, is matched to the current situation. Thus the functions of the terminal TER are provided to the operator by the cooperation between the server CS and the terminal TER.

The convenience functions of the terminal TER can also be used during an established connection with a communication partner CP. When the terminal TER is, for example, used in an ISDN telecommunication network, a third communication 9 partner can announce a desire to call the terminal TER by means of the ISDN convenience feature "Knock". The terminal TER then receives a message with the subscriber number of the "knocking" third communication partner, which it can convert into a name display on the display unit DIS, with the aid of the data from the server CS as described above in connection with the CLIP message.

Because of the central storage and maintenance of the data in the server CS, it is possible to adapt the functions for a single terminal TER, as well as for a group of such terminals, to varying requirements at a central location. The data for these functions is either requested only when required, as for example for an incoming call, 10 or loaded into the terminal TER as part of a software update which has been initiated by the operator or the service provider. Thus the operator always has current data available for his terminal TER.

If the packet-switched telecommunication network is an ISDN telecommunication network, then customarily a pure data exchange is carried out on a 15 so-called D channel of a connection, and an exchange of speech information on a B channel. The connection VL between the terminal TER and the server CS can also be established on the D channel. This connection can either be established anew as a separate data connection for each data request, or it can also be established as a fixed virtual connection. Provision is made within the framework of the Euro-ISDN S" 20 protocol "E-DSS1" for such a virtual connection.

If the telecommunication network is a mobile radio tele-communication network, and consequently the terminal TER is a terminal for a mobile radio telecommunication network, then the connection VL can be maintained on a data channel, e.g. on a service channel. The exchange VST is then a mobile radio exchange, which in the GSM standard (Global System for Mobile Communications) is referred to as a Mobile services Switching Centre (MSC). The section of the connection VL from the exchange VST to the terminal TER is then established with the aid of a so-called Base Station Control (BSC) and at least one Base Transceiver Station (BTS) which is controlled by the BSC and maintains a section of radio link to the terminal TER. Ideally, the server CS is located near to the exchange VST, so that only short sections of path and few facilities in the mobile telecommunication network are affected by the connection VL. However, it is also possible that the terminal TER is moved out of the catchment area of the mobile radio exchange VST. Then the connection VL can also be led via other facilities of the mobile radio telecommunication network which are not shown in the diagram, in particular via an exchange comparable with the exchange VST. In this way, the terminal TER can continue to receive data from the server CS, as already described, and thus provide special or convenience functions. Since even in a mobile radio telecommunication network the connection VL from the terminal TER to the server CS can exist in parallel with the connection VC to the communication partner CP, the terminal TER can simultaneously load data for functions and provide communication with the S" 10 communication partner CP.

However, the server CS can also maintain the connection VL to the terminal TER w |via a so-called Short Message Service (SMS) of a mobile radio telecommunication network. Within the framework of a connection VL_ via the Short Message Service, the same features of the terminal TER apply, which have already been mentioned in S 15 connection with a connection VL via a service channel of a mobile radio S...telecommunication network, in particular the simultaneously loading of data for functions and communicating with the communication partner CP.

The invention is also found to be of advantage when a subscriber uses several terminals in order to utilise telecommunication services. The subscriber would value it 20 very highly if each of these terminals provided the same, or at least similar, functions, Sfor example if each terminal preferably had an identical allocation of function keys, or a similar menu arrangement. This is achieved if each of the terminals works with a P server in the manner which has already been described in connection with the terminal II TER e.nd the server CS.

S If a subscriber uses both the telecommunication services of a mobile radio telecommunication network and the services of a line-connected telecommunication :Ji network, e.g. an ISDN telecommunication network, with terminals suited to the h respective telecommunication networks, a server can maintain a virtual connection in parallel to each of these respective terminals, for example a connection via a Short il Message Service for the mobile radio telecommunication network, and a connection via an ISDN D channel for the line-connected telecommunication network. In addition :to the tenrminal TER, the server CS in the diagram con, for example, supply a second 11 terminal, not shown in the diagram, with data for providing functions via another connection, comparable to the connection VL and also not shown in the diagram. Both j jterminals, the terminal TER and the second terminal, can then provide the already-mentioned convenience functions, e.g. the conversion of a CLIP message with the subscriber number of a caller into the name of the caller. Because the server CS supplies data to both of the terminals, this data can be supported centrally in the server CS, or augmented by entering new data for new functions.

A separate server can also be provided in each of the two telecommunication networks, especially if the functions to be provided in the respective telecommunication S 10 networks must be particularly adapted to the respective telecommunication network or 'the respective terminal, or if the telecommunication networks have very different infrastructures, so that it is difficult to maintain a connection between the terminals of the different telecommunication networks and a common server. Then, for example, apart from the server CS, a second server which is not shown in the diagram can .15 supply data for the provision of functions to the second terminal, instead of the server CS. If both the servers are matched to each other with respect to capacity and the design of the functions to be provided to the respective terminals, then although the two servers operate individually with the two terminals, and use different connections, nevertheless the operator has available the same, or at least similar, functions on both 20 terminals.

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Claims

1. A method for providing functions at a terminal for a telecommunication network, in which method the terminal can be connected via a first connection to at least one communication partner facility and in which method the functions can be provided at the terminal with the aid of data which is loaded from a data provision facility into the terminal, wherein in parallel to the first connection, a second connection is established via a subscriber line connection between the terminal and the data provision facility and the data from the data provision facility is sent to the Sc terminal via the second connection.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a leased line is used for the second connection. i A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a virtual line is used for the second connection.

4. A method as claimed in Claims 1 or 2, wherein a packet-switched connection is used for the second connection. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a subscriber line connection of an ISDN telecommunication network is used for the subscriber line Iconnection, and that the second connection is maintained on the D channel of the subscriber line connection.

6. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a subscriber link of a mobile radio telecommunication network is used for the subscriber line connection and that the second connection is maintained on a data channel of the subscriber link.

7. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a subscriber link of a mobile radio telecommunication network is used for the subscriber line connection and that the second connection is maintained with the aid of messages from a Short Message Service which are exchanged via the subscriber link. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein in the method, in addition to the Sterminal, a second terminal is provided which can be connected, via at least one third -1 connection, to a second communication partner facility, that a second group of 1 30 functions can be provided at the second terminal with the aid of data which can be l loaded into the second terminal from the data provision facility or from a second data provision facility comparable to it, that the second group of functions is matched to the NU" 25 -L functions which are provided at the first terminal, that in parallel to the third connection a fourth connection is established, comparable to the second connection, via a subscriber line connection between the second terminal and the data provision facility or the second data provision facility, and that the data from the data provision facility or the second data provision facility is sent to the second terminal via the fourth connection.

9. A terminal for a telecommunication network with facilities for providing functions at the terminal which can be connected via at least a first connection with at least a first communication partner facility, and which can provide the functions with the aid of data which the terminal receives from a data provision facility, wherein, between the terminal and the data provision facility a second connection being established via a subscriber line connection in parallel to the first connection, the data from the data provision facility can be received by the terminal via the second connection. A data provision facility for providing data for the implementation of functions in a terminal for a telecommunication network, where a connection can be established between the data provision facility and the terminal via a subscriber line connection, and the data provision facility can transmit the data to the terminal via the connection, wherein the connection can be established as a leased line or as a virtual line.

11. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the Figure of the accompanying drawing.

12. A terminal substantially as herein described with reference to the Figure of the accompanying drawing.

13. A data provision facility, substantially as herein described with reference to the Figure of the accompanying drawing. DATED THIS TWENTY SECOND DAY OF SEPTEMBER 1998 ALCATEL I