FI111311B - Procedure and terminal in a digital network for joint transmission - Google Patents

Description

111311

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to interactive communication services, in particular to the operational features of terminals designed for receiving services.

5 New digital broadcasting or broadcast networks will soon be launched to broadcast radio and television broadcasts. These networks include: DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) and DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting). Digital transmissions are received either by new digital terminals or by existing analogue terminals to which a digital tuner or so-called digital tuner is connected. Set-Top Box (STB). The STB can be used to receive digital broadcasts through existing analogue TV and radio receivers. The DAB and DVB systems also include two-way, interactive services that allow, for example, subscriptions to paid services or the transmission of service-related feedback information from a network terminal. Examples of such interactive services include e-commerce, various games and video-on-demand services. This requires that the terminal also comprises means for performing a reverse connection, i.e., data transmission to the broadcast network. In this case, the terminal is typically connected lan-20 gallon to a fixed network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), from which a further connection to a DAB or DVB network is provided. Alternatively, interactive services may be controlled through a separate telephone interface, whereby control commands 25 are transmitted over the telephone.

The services of these digital broadcast networks may also be transmitted to terminals via cable networks, whereby reverse transmissions of interactive services may be arranged to be carried out via a cable television network via a cable modem home terminal, e.g. STB. The reverse connection may also be provided over a broadband fixed network, such as an xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) network, or via a wireless connection, such as a wireless local area network or a mobile network. There is also known a solution in which a return channel for controlling interactive services is provided by a return signal transmitted via a TV or satellite antenna having its own bearer.

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The reverse link can be used to select various information, which may be any data, to be transmitted. Typically, image or audio information transmitted over streaming is obtained from a network provider or other telecommunication network of a service provider, such as a television company, such as networks connected to the Internet, whose information may be selected for transmission over streaming.

A problem with prior art solutions is the unidirectional nature of the communication links described above, especially the reverse link. A modem comprising a TV or radio network terminal establishes a fire-like data transmission connection, typically over a telephone network. This reverse link controls the interactive services transmitted over the broadcast networks. As a result, services can generally only be received as multicast services, whereby the capacity provided by the reverse telephone or cable network is partially unused. A further problem is the need for different types of terminals for personal communication. Despite the fact that a digital broadcasting terminal uses a telephone network to provide a reverse connection, a separate terminal, i.e. a telephone or fax, is required to access various telephone and fax services. As a result, the cost of both personal device and subscription communications is high. 20 Furthermore, current telephone network services offer very limited access to a variety of ancillary services such as banking and subscription services, largely due to the simple user interface of terminals, typically telephones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus implementing the method to reduce the above-mentioned problems. The objects of the invention are achieved by a method and a terminal device characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are claimed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on integrating the functionality of a telephone into a terminal of a digital broadcasting network so that the terminal can be operated by a two-way reverse connection, similar to a telephone interface. Telephone functions are controlled by means of a menu on the terminal display. The functionalities include, in addition to the normal telephone function, 35 other electronic communication functions, such as fax, e-mail, SMS, video calls, and various data files.

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An advantage of the method and system according to the invention is the more efficient utilization of the communication capacity because the reverse link of the multicast network can be utilized bidirectionally. Device, subscriber and connection costs are also reduced because there is no need for separate devices for voice telephony and multicast reception. Some or even some of the electronic data transmission can be transferred from the networks of the telecommunication operators, for example via an IP network, or on the other hand as a multicast service directly to the recipient, which reduces the connection costs. Further, the method and apparatus of the invention allow identification of the electronic user, as well as user-specific settings, when used from a different data communication service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail in connection with preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a communication system for transmitting multicast services and receiving reverse link information; Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing substantially the structure of a terminal according to the invention; and Figure 3 illustrates a simplified structure of the service menu used in the method of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Figure 1, a typical network solution for providing a reverse link to broadcast services will be described below. The terminals TE1 - TE3 receive multicast transmissions from the DVB network transmitter TR. The terminals TE1 25 to TE3 comprise either a digital DVB receiver or an analogue TV receiver with a digital tuner or so-called tuner. Set-Top-Box for receiving digital broadcasts. Typically, broadcasting includes information about services and programs that can be selected by the user through an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG). Preferably, the information is displayed on the terminal TE via a browser-like interface, in which different information sources are linked (cf. hyperlinks in a web browser). The information can be divided into services that do not require a reverse connection and services that require a reverse connection.

If the user wishes to influence the broadcast services to be transmitted, the reverse link to the DVB network may be established from the terminal TE. The reverse link is typically established over a wired PSTN to a server S1 for controlling DVB network transmissions. The terminals TE1-TE3 thus comprise means, typically a modem, for establishing a reverse connection over a telephone network. For example, a user may want a program on a server S2 of a particular DVB network operator 5 to be transmitted over a DVB network. Further, broadcast services transmitted over the DVB network can also be provided from networks other than the DVB operator's network only. In this case, the user may, for example, wish to transfer information from the server S3 connected to the Internet via high-speed multicast. The user 10 may then forward a request to the server S1 for a reverse connection to another network, for example, a request for a reverse connection via the Internet to the server S3 based on the service identifier URL.

The example of Figure 1 illustrates a typical DVB-T (DVB-15 terrestrial) system, but similar functions apply to any similar system, such as DAB, and DVB-C (DVB-cable) and DVB-S (DVB-satellite) systems. It is also clear that the above described reverse link establishment from the terminals TE1 to TE3 may also be arranged wirelessly, for example, via a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network or a wireless LAN. The reverse link can also be provided via a cable modem for DVB-C broadcasts. Furthermore, the number of terminals, servers and transmitters is by no means limited to the amounts shown in Figure 1.

Now, in accordance with the invention, the terminals TE are arranged to establish a two-way reverse link, so that the terminal and the reverse link can also be used as a telephone interface. Thus, according to Figure 2, the digital multicast network terminal comprises means (202) for bidirectional connection to a telephone network (200), processing means (204) for processing call and user control signals, and connecting means (206) for a speaker (210) and microphone. for connection to the terminal. These devices can be connected to either a digital receiver (212) or a set-top box (214) as shown in Figure 2.

A standard analogue (PSTN) or digital (ISDN) wired connection, a wireless connection (e.g. GSM) or an IP-35 addressable telephone connection can be used as a telephone connection. internet phone connection. The telephone subscription can also be implemented through a cable network or a broadband network. Thus, the means for establishing a connection to the telephone network 5111311 may comprise, for example, a modem, an ISDN network card or a GSM network card, depending on the type of connection. The terminal may advantageously comprise a plurality of the aforementioned means for establishing a connection.

The processing means for processing the call signals preferably comprises a signal processing processor which separates the speech signals and the data signals. The received speech signals are routed to a loudspeaker comprising the access means, and the user speech signals from the microphone, respectively, are routed to the processing means for transmission to the transmission path. The data signal-10 processing is performed according to preset configurations or according to user control commands. The processing means may be implemented, for example, as a processor integrated in the device or by means of a card modem adapted to the PCMCIA slot.

The interface means for connecting the speaker and microphone to the terminal 15 may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the speakers of a digital receiver or a terminal connected to a set-top box may be used as the speaker, and the receiver may advantageously comprise a built-in microphone. On the other hand, the speaker and microphone functions can be carried out by means of a separate telephone headset, which may be, for example, a well-known landline telephone headset which is wired to the receiver by means of a suitable connector. The headset can also be wirelessly connected to the terminal, for example, via infrared (IR) or short-range radio frequency (LPRF) connection. Suitable wireless communication protocols include, for example, serial point-to-point infrared (IRDA) 25 (Infrared Data Association) and a Bluetooth specification developed for wireless connection to a variety of electronic devices. These short-range communication practices are described in more detail on the web pages of both consortia (www.irda.com, www.bluetooth.com). The telephone headset can also advantageously be integrated into the remote control of the terminal, which can then be connected to the terminal in any of the ways described above.

The functionalities of the invention may be integrated into the terminal or implemented by means of a separate accessory. Of course, the accessory comprises interface means for connecting the accessory to a digital receiver or set-top box, which interface means may comprise e.g. Scart interface, PCMCIA slot or any other known interface interface.

The terminal or accessory according to the invention may advantageously comprise a plurality of telephone numbers and IP addresses which can be contacted by external terminals, such as telephones, taxis, e-mails, etc. Thus, for example, different family members may receive personal calls, emails or text messages. The device according to the invention detects incoming calls to different telephone numbers and IP addresses and alerts the user according to predefined settings. For example, in the alarm settings, you can set different ringtones for incoming calls to different users, or a bulletin appears on the receiver screen. An incoming call may activate the default speaker and microphone functions, whereby, for example, answering the call may be set to occur primarily through a telephone headset connected to the terminal. These settings can be changed as described below.

The device according to the invention may also advantageously comprise an answering machine which stores messages left by the caller if the call is not answered. The apparatus thus comprises recording means for storing messages, which means may be implemented in a manner known per se, for example as a tape recorder or as a digital memory circuit which stores speech converted into digital form. Further, the apparatus preferably comprises means for detecting incoming fax calls and recording means for storing taxis, both of which are known per se from existing fax devices. The device also comprises storage means for storing e-mail messages, text messages and other similar electronic messages in the device memory. Preferably, all of the storage media described above can be implemented by a single digital memory circuit, e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM).

The device according to the invention may also advantageously comprise connection means for a video camera, whereby a bidirectional reverse link may be used for transmitting voice calls. The image and speech received through the camcorder and microphone are then edited by a suitable video call software comprising the device of the invention to be used for transmission. Similarly, the reverse call video call transmission to the terminal is decompressed by said video telephony software for presentation on the terminal display 35 and a speaker.

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A bidirectional reverse connection with the device of the invention can also be used to download files from data networks, such as the S3 server connected to the Internet according to Figure 1. The downloadable files may include any data such as various audio-visual files, games, computer programs or computer-processed files. Preferably, the terminal TE comprises sufficient memory to store files on the terminal, whereby the files may be displayed or processed immediately or later at a time selected by the user. Further, the terminal may comprise means for transferring files to a computer for processing, which means may be implemented, for example, by a wired or wireless connection between the terminal and the computer in a manner known per se, such as described above for connection between the terminal and the telephone.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the terminal TE comprises means for identifying a user such that messages such as answering machine or e-mail messages, or files such as fax files or files downloaded from the network, as described above, cannot be decrypted without first identifying the user. unloading. A smart card may be used to identify the user, comprising the keys and algorithms needed for identification. Hereby, the means for identifying the user preferably comprises a card reader and input means for entering the password. Smart cards typically have separate user identification, such as a PIN (Personal Identification Number), so that only the user who knows the correct identifier can use the smart card. The same smart card can also be used for user authentication performed by a streaming network, for example when ordering certain interactive services to be delivered as a streaming service. In this case, the multicast network receives the connection request and verifies the access of the user of the terminal TE to the interactive multicast services, for example, by asking for the user ID and password. User authentication may be accomplished by transmitting the request via multicast to the terminal device TE and transmitting the identifiers of the smart card through the reverse link, or the authentication may be performed entirely by the two-way reverse link.

Further, user authentication can be used in conjunction with a telephone connection for various telephone services requiring electronic identification and signature of a user. Thus, for example, the handling of banking services by means of a call connection is facilitated, since the terminal provides a visual display of the banking services and user identification. In this case, banking services or similar services can be provided through a dial-up connection only, without the need, for example, to establish a separate Internet connection.

The functionality described above is controlled by software that is attached to the interface of the digital terminal or Set-Top-Box over the electronic interface. The software can be accessed in a similar manner by means of a graphical menu box as the electronic program guide EPG of the DVB receiver, whereby the menus are created using a terminal browser and an application programming interface (API). The graphic menus 10, which include optional settings for the services described above, can be advantageously controlled by the remote control of the DVB receiver. Menus can also be implemented, for example, according to common HTML browser specifications (HyperText Mark-up Language).

Figure 3 illustrates a simplified example of how menus 15 may be implemented. The example of Figure 3 comprises a main menu (310) displayed on the TV screen (300) which further comprises various services provided to the user, such as telephone functions (312), fax (314) and e-mail (316) etc. they will also be explained in more detail later. The main menu also comprises a menu for identifying the user (318).

When a controller, such as a remote control, is selected from the main menu, a service, such as telephone functions, opens a service-specific menu (320) from which the desired service can be controlled. For example, the service-specific menu of telephone functions may further comprise settings or submenus for call setup or reception (322), voicemail service (324), various settings (326) such as call transfer and ring tones, etc. The service-specific menus may thus comprise several separate submenus for different submenus may still comprise their own submenus. Preferably, however, the number of menus is limited so that the user interface remains graphically and visually clear to the user.

The above described way of implementing the menus is only one example of how the services of the invention can be provided by the terminal to the user. Service control can also be provided in any other way and does not have to be menu-based, but each service can be provided 35, for example, via a remote control with its own button, or service control can be via HTML-based text links. On the other hand, if the menus are used, the menu structure does not have to be the one described above, but any other menu structure, such as the menu structure known from Windows® programs, can be used, where the main menu is horizontal! at the top of the screen.

5 The software and the graphical menu provide the user with a means of adjusting the settings for receiving and sending calls, e-mails, SMS, faxes and various data services. In the receiving settings, default settings can be set for all the aforementioned connections, whereby the terminal is always set to receive various voice, data and text based messages. Certain transmission settings can also be set to a standard value for all services. In addition, when sending, the dialing means preferably asks for the recipient's contact information, such as telephone, fax or modem number, recipient and possibly sender identification information, e-mail address, etc.

15 The menu can be used to set personal dialing numbers or IP addresses, for example, for each member of the family, so that the terminal can identify the calling number or IP address to which the message is intended. In this case, the terminal alerts you to the right person through personal alarm settings such as different ringtones or other alarms. Menu-20 also provides a setup menu for selecting these personal user settings, as well as for storing and browsing personal notes, such as phone numbers and addresses.

Different forwarding settings can be set for the incoming calls, if necessary via the menu. The answering machine functions can also be controlled via menu 25. Likewise, fax can be controlled via the menu to both store received fax messages in memory and to decrypt stored messages.

Further, the software and the graphical menu provide input means for user smart card identification in order to enter a PIN in response to the smart card being inserted into the card reader means.

30 In addition, the menu and software can be used to select the video call to be used if the camera is connected to the terminal. The menu also sets various parameters for video calls, such as the video signal compression method used.

The terminal may also be configured to receive multiple plurality of delivery paths via a menu, for example, by simultaneously receiving e-mail messages and Internet files via a multicast service, as well as receiving a call or fax message. The terminal can be controlled via the menu to convey a message to, for example, an Internet operator that for the time being sends certain files or services via a multicast service, whereby a two-way reverse connection remains simultaneously available for example for voice communication.

The invention has been described above by way of example in connection with a DVB system. However, the invention is not limited to it, but can be applied to any telecommunication system comprising a network providing multicast to a terminal and a network providing a reverse link to the terminal 10.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in many different ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not limited to the examples described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims (15)

A method of providing a telecommunication connection in a telecommunication system, comprising a distribution network providing transmission services, at least one terminal device arranged to receive services, and a return network providing a return connection from the terminal device to at least part of the distribution network, in which system at least the information transmitted as transmit is arranged to be selected by means of the return connection, characterized by the fact that from said terminal apparatus a bidirectional telecommunication connection is formed which is independent of the co-transmission services, to another telecommunication network via the return network. 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said bidirectional telecommunication connection comprises at least one of the following: a call connection, a fax connection, an e-mail connection, a text message connection, a file transfer connection. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said bidirectional telecommunication connection is controlled via the user interface of the terminal device. 20 Method according to claim 3, characterized in that said bidirectional telecommunication connection is controlled from menus on the screen of the terminal apparatus or a display means connected thereto with a remote control means of the terminal apparatus. 5. Terminal apparatus in a digital transmission network, which is arranged to receive information transmitted as transmission and to select at least a portion of the information transmitted as transmission via a return network which offers a return connection, characterized in that the terminal apparatus is arranged to form a bidirectional telecommunication connection, which is independent of the transmission services, to a second telecommunications network via said return network. An add-on device for a terminal device in a digital transmission network, which terminal device is arranged to receive information transmitted as a transmission and to select at least part of the information transmitted as transmission via a return network offering a return connection, and which additional device is arranged to be connected to the terminal apparatus, characterized in that the auxiliary apparatus is arranged to form a bidirectional telecommunication connection, which is independent of the transmission services, to a second telecommunications network via said return network. Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that said bidirectional telecommunication connection comprises at least one of the following: a call connection, a fax connection, an e-mail connection, a text message connection, a file transfer connection. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that the apparatus comprises means for forming a connection for making a bidirectional connection to a telephone network, processing means for processing call signals and a user's control signals and connection means for connecting. a loudspeaker and a microphone to the terminal. 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the apparatus is arranged to support the use of a plurality of telephone numbers and to identify and alert the recipient on the basis of the received telephone number. 10. Apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the apparatus comprises an answering machine. Apparatus according to any of claims 8-10, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a camera and programmed means for forming an image telephone connection. Apparatus according to any of claims 8-11, characterized in that the apparatus comprises memories for storing various files in electronic form. Apparatus according to any of claims 8-12, characterized in that the connecting means for connecting the loudspeaker and microphone to the terminal apparatus comprises a telephone handset integrated with the remote control means of the apparatus. Apparatus according to any of claims 8-13, characterized in that the apparatus comprises programmed means for forming a menu, used for controlling the telecommunications connections, on the terminal of the terminal apparatus. 111311 Apparatus according to any of claims 5-14, characterized in that the apparatus comprises means for identifying the user, such as a smart card reader, and input means for entering a password.