FR2783122A1 - VOICE / DATA / IMAGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND TERMINAL AND SERVER CENTER BEING PART OF SUCH A SYSTEM - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a system comprising central services connected to an entirely digital network, and remote terminals (T) connected to the network through digital links with rate less than 150 kbit/s. Each terminal (T) comprises a telephone handset (14), image decompressing means (16) directly processing the signals representing fixed or animated images as transmitted by a central service, means for receiving data transmitted by a central service, a display screen (20) for the decompressed images and/or data received from a central service, alphanumeric keyboards (22, 23), a member (24) for moving a cursor displayed on the screen (20), means for transmitting to a central service data input by the keyboard (22, 23) and/or the cursor moving member (24). The images processed by the terminals (T) are only those received from the central services and supplied by the image decompressing means.

Description

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  VOICE / DATA / IMAGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND

  TERMINAL AND SERVER CENTER PART OF SUCH A SYSTEM

  The present invention relates to a voice / data / image communication system, as well as to a terminal and

  a host that is part of such a system.

  At present, the considerable quantity of information conveyed by means of telecommunications networks of various types, in particular by Internet, is accessible only by means of relatively sophisticated and expensive computer equipment, which quickly becomes obsolete and whose l use requires a certain amount of knowledge, at least basic, in computer science. Conversely, telematic terminals, such as Minitel in France, are generally easier to use, but do not allow access to

  images, or sound, and are territorially limited.

  Besides the lack mentioned above of a suitable terminal, various other factors hamper the development of online services: lack of homogeneity of networks, cost of telecommunications, billing difficulties and

online payment.

  The present invention aims to meet the needs and

  to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks.

  To this end, the present invention provides a voice / data / image communication system, comprising server centers connected to an entirely digital network operating in connected mode, and remote terminals connected to said network by digital links of bit rate less than 150 kbit. / s, in which at least one host center comprises:

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  means for transmitting to the signal terminals representing fixed or animated images in a form produced by an image compression algorithm, and means for transmitting / receiving data to the terminals, and in which each terminal comprises: telephony means allowing telephone communications with other terminals and / or with stations connected to a switched telephone network, image decompression means directly processing the signals representing fixed or animated images as emitted by the center server, means for receiving data transmitted by the server center, a screen for displaying decompressed images and / or data received from the server center, a numeric keyboard, a member for moving a cursor displayed on the screen, transmission means to the server center of data entered using the alphanumeric keyboard and / or the cursor movement member, the tr handled by the terminals being only those received from the server centers and supplied to the said centers

image decompression means.

  Thus, the present invention provides access to a considerable amount of information, be it images, sounds or data, and this via a low cost terminal and a great ease of use, making it accessible to the largest

part of the population.

  In a preferred embodiment, at least some of the terminals include a media player.

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  remote payment, means of local authentication of the remote payment medium introduced into the reader, and an interface between the reader and the means of transmitting and receiving data making it possible to carry out transactions via the network within the framework of services

  hosted by host centers.

  In a particular embodiment, the cursor movement member of each terminal generates, when it is actuated by a user, displacement commands sent in the form of data to a server center, which server center then returns to the terminal

  an image in which the cursor has been moved.

  Advantageously, each terminal can also have a serial connector, for example of the RS 232 type or of the U.S.B. type. as required, for liaison with one or more

several peripheral units.

  In order to allow the confidential entry of confidential codes associated for example with the electronic payment media, each terminal may further include means for indicating a "secret" mode, such as a light-emitting diode, which signal that the emission of DTMF frequencies, when keystrokes,

is inhibited.

  The present invention also relates to a terminal and to a server center forming part of a system.

of the above type.

  Other aspects and advantages of the invention

  will appear on reading the detailed description which

  follows particular embodiments, given by way of nonlimiting examples. The present invention refers to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the entire communication system of the invention;

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  - Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a server center forming part of a communication system according to the invention; - Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the different functional blocks of a terminal forming part of a communication system according to the invention; - Figure 4 is a schematic representation, in the closed position, of a terminal forming part of a communication system according to the invention; and - Figure 5 shows the terminal of Figure 4 in

position of use.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system according to the present invention comprises application server centers S hosting various services in connection with service providers. These servers are connected to a telecommunications network R. The network R is entirely digital and operates in connected mode. It is advantageously a Digital Network with Integration of

  Services (ISDN), as standardized by ITU-T.

  The proposed communication system also includes remote terminals T connected to the network R. Each terminal can be connected to a server center via the network. The user terminals T are connected to the ISDN by SO links comprising two B channels, each having a speed of 64 kbit / s, and a D channel, having a speed of 16 kbit / s. The two multiplexed B channels offer a useful bit rate of 128 kbit / s for each terminal T. As shown in FIG. 2, the server centers S are equipped for transmitting images, fixed or animated, and of audio signals, in compressed form, and for transmitting or receiving data respectively to these terminals, respectively in

provenance of these.

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  For this, a server center S comprises a module 10 containing an image coder and a sound coder, which implement a compression algorithm, for example according to the

MPEG 4 standard.

  For example, images can be encoded with a bit rate of 100 kbit / s and sounds can be encoded

with a speed of 24 kbit / s.

  The server center S also includes a module 12 for transmitting / receiving data for exchanging data with terminals relating to the various services which the server center hosts or which are in other centers.

remote servers.

  The modules 10 and 12 are connected to a multiplexer 11. The terminal equipment comprising the modules 10 and 12 and the multiplexer 11 can for example comply with the

  ITU-T Recommendation H.320 or H.323.

  When one of the terminals T of the communication system according to the invention communicates with a server center S, it is entirely dependent on it. The management of the interface and the processing necessary for the consultation, by the user of a terminal, of the services offered is carried out, not in the terminal, but at the level of the server center. Thus, each terminal has a minimum of functions, which gives it, as indicated more

  high, great ease of use and low cost.

  The software, including the protocol manager, with which it is equipped is reduced to a minimum, so that the terminal can be kept independently of the evolution of software which is useful for the continuous adaptation of services. It is at the level of the S servers that these evolutions are to be taken into consideration. But this is the responsibility of the service providers and not the users. These

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  provisions promote large-scale development

online services.

  FIG. 3 illustrates in the form of blocks the different functional entities of a type T terminal, and FIGS. 4 and 5 give a non-limiting example of

  the general appearance of such a terminal.

  It can be seen in FIG. 4 that the terminal has the general external appearance and the dimensions of a simple modern telephone set with a screen, as is familiar for

  additional telephone users.

  The terminal T firstly comprises a telephone handset 14, conventionally including a microphone and a loudspeaker, as well as a keyboard with twelve keys 23 numbered from 0 to 9, * and #. Terminal T is able to establish, via ISDN, telephone communications with other terminals of the same type and / or with conventional telephone sets connected to the analog PSTN (Switched Telephone Network). Optionally, the terminal can include a programmable memory allowing

  store phone numbers.

  The terminal T also comprises an image decompression module 16, which receives images from a server center S in compressed form and applies to them a decompression algorithm, possibly stored in a programmable memory of the EEPROM type for example. By way of nonlimiting example, the module 16 can be designed to

  so that you can decompress at least 10 frames per second.

  The images processed by the terminal T are only those received from server centers S and supplied to the image decompression module 16. Terminal T does no image processing other than simple decompression.

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  To process the coded sounds coming from a server center S, the terminal T comprises a codec 17 which performs the dual operations of the audio coder of the server center, and which delivers the decoded audio signal to the receiver of the handset 14 or to a high -speaker with which the terminal may be fitted. The terminal T further comprises a module 18 for receiving data transmitted by a server center S. The modules 16 and 18 are connected to a display screen 20, which makes it possible to display decompressed images and / or data received from 'a server center S, as well as the telephone numbers dialed and, where applicable, the calling numbers. By way of nonlimiting example, the screen 20 can consist of a liquid crystal color display device, either of the

  passive matrix DSTN, or of the type with active matrix TFT.

  The screen has a resolution of around 640x480 pixels, for a diagonal of 14 to 18 cm. The screen can be adjustable, in order to improve readability depending on the position of the user. In addition, the screen 20 can be a touch screen, in order to allow the user to make choices in menus directly on the screen. The keys 23 mentioned above, intended for dialing telephone numbers, can either form an independent numeric keypad, as illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 5, or be integrated into an alphanumeric keyboard 22 also making it possible to enter character strings. The keyboard 22 is used for entering data by the user, which are sent to the servers S to which the terminal is connected for the implementation of the services. The keyboard 22 can also be useful in the context of consulting accessible websites, not

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  directly from the terminal, but through

host centers.

  As shown in Figure 5, the keyboard may for example be of the extra-flat type, and be arranged retractably at the base of the terminal, for reasons of space and aesthetics. As an option, the keyboard 22 can also include keys dedicated to a Minitel application, if one chooses to provide the terminal T with

this function.

  The terminal T is further provided with a member 24 for moving a cursor 26 displayed on the screen 20. The member 24 for moving can consist of a single navigation key, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, allowing to control a horizontal movement to the left or to the right or a vertical movement up or down. In a preferred embodiment, in order to minimize the processing carried out by the terminal, the member 24 for moving the cursor 26 generates, upon actuation by the user, control signals which are sent to the server center S. The latter returns then at the terminal an image in which the cursor 26 has been

  moved in accordance with control signals.

  The terminal includes a module 28 for transmitting data or DTMF frequencies to the server center S. The module 28 transmits the control signals from the member 24 to the server center S and also transmits the data

  entered using the alphanumeric keyboard 22.

  In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the terminal T also makes it possible to carry out remote payment operations, that is to say transactions, via the network R, within the framework of hosted services. by S servers, using a smart card or track card type electronic payment medium

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  magnetic. Such a card 31 is shown in FIG. 5. The terminal T comprises a remote payment module 30, consisting of a remote payment support reader 32, a module 34 for local authentication of the remote payment support, and a interface 36 between reader 32 and

  modules 18 and 28 for transmitting and receiving data.

  The user who wishes to carry out an online transaction introduces his card into the reader 32, through a slot 33 (FIGS. 4 and 5), for example located on a side of the terminal, and enters the confidential identification code at the keyboard 23 personal. This code, in order to remain secret, must not give rise to the emission, on the R network, of voice frequencies or DTMF (in English "Digital Tone Multiple Frequencies"). For this purpose, the terminal T includes a module 38 for indicating a "secret" mode, which signals that the emission of voice frequencies is inhibited when the user types his confidential code on the keyboard 23. The "secret" mode "can for example be activated just before the secret code is dialed, the card being in the reader 32. The module 38 can for example include an indicator light 35 such as a light-emitting diode, which lights up just before the code is dialed secret requested by the server center which issues the order, to signal that

  the emission of voice frequencies is inhibited.

  The authentication of the card is carried out locally, by verification of the confidential code entered, according to a conventional method, by the module 34. The module 34 can for example implement an algorithm

  RSA (Rivest Shamir Adleman) type cryptography.

  The actual transaction can be carried out, for example, according to the C-SET protocol of secure electronic payment transaction by chip card (in English "Chip Secure Electronic Transaction"), and according to

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  the architecture defined by the Groupement des Cartes Bancaires. Throughout the transaction, the user is guided by the server center, by online voice assistance and / or display. After entering the confidential code, data calculated in the card and encrypted, for example by means of the DES cryptographic algorithm (in English "Data Encryption Standard"), are transmitted to the server center, which is unable to decrypt them and transmits them , in accordance with the C-SET protocol, to a remote Electronic Payment Manager. The latter possibly generates an authorization request on the Bank Card network, and returns a response, positive or negative, on the transaction, to the server center, which in turn informs the user of the acceptance or rejection of this

transaction.

  The transaction ends with the display, by the server center, on the screen 20 of the terminal T, of a payment receipt, on which various information relating to the transaction carried out, such as date, amount, name of the card used and contact details of the merchant. A printer (not shown in FIG. 2), as well as any other peripheral units, can be connected to the terminal T via a serial connector 40 included in the terminal, for example of the RS 232 or USB type, as required. The printer can

  then print the payment receipt.

  Other peripheral units, such as additional memory for storing films or television programs, or a microcomputer, or even a camera, for a videoconference application, can

be planned.

  In practice, the modules 16, 17, 18, 28, 34, 36 illustrated in a synoptic manner in FIG. 3 can be software modules executed by a processor included in the terminal. The exchanges between the different functional modules and the peripheral units, including the interface with the SO link which connects the terminal to the ISDN, can then take place via the bus.

of this processor.

  The processor can in particular be part of a microcontrollerJr 37 associated with a memory of 512 kilobytes at least. The microcontroller 37 manages the various application functions API ("Application Programming Interface") for the exchange of data, images or sounds by the modules 16, 17, 18, 28, 40 illustrated in a synoptic manner in FIG. 3, as well that the interactions between the different modules of the terminal (screen, keyboards, card reader, serial connector, sound codec, image decompressor. The microcontroller 37 and the rest of the terminal are supplied, for example, with DC current of 5V by a

  transformer 39 connected to the mains.

  An example of using the terminal to consult a service offered by a

car dealer.

  By dialing the telephone number of an automobile manufacturer, the user is put in contact with the server center which manages this service. The host center transmits to the terminal a digital file containing images and sound. This file is decoded by the terminal as and when it is received. The images are displayed on the screen 20 and the sound is reproduced by the earpiece or the loudspeaker of the telephone handset, the set of images and sound constituting an interactive video clip, which integrates menus with possibility for

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  the user to choose from several options. For example, different car models appear on the screen and the user is asked to choose from 5

  models the one he wants a more description

  complete. The dialogue between the user and the service consulted is carried out by means of the keys of the numerical keyboard 23 and / or of the navigation key 24. For example, the user types one of the keys 1 to 5 of the keyboard. The scenario provided in the service of the car manufacturer may further provide a list of

  dealers located near the user.

  When the latter has made a choice among these dealers, the server center, by means of line switching, puts the user directly

  in telephone contact with the chosen dealer.

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Claims (10)

RESELL I CATIONS   1. Voice / data / image communication system, comprising server centers (S) connected to a fully digital network (R) operating in connected mode, and remote terminals (T) connected to said network (R) by digital links of bit rate less than 150 kbit / s, in which at least one server center (S) comprises: means (10) for transmitting to the terminals (T) signals representing fixed or animated images in a form produced by a image compression, and means (12) for transmitting / receiving data to the terminals (T), and in which each terminal (T) comprises: telephony means (14) allowing telephone communications with others terminals (T) and / or with stations connected to a switched telephone network, image decompression means (16) directly processing the signals representing fixed or animated images as transmitted by the server center (S), reception means (18) ion of data transmitted by the server center (S), a display screen (20) of the decompressed images and / or data received from the server center (S), a numerical keyboard (23), a movement member (24) a cursor (26) displayed on the screen (20), means (28) for transmitting to the server center (S) data entered using the alphanumeric keyboard (22) and / or the member (24) for moving the cursor (26), 14 2783122   the images processed by the terminals (T) being only those received from the server centers (S) and supplied to said   image decompression means (16).   2. The system as claimed in claim 1, in which at least some of the terminals (T) comprise a reader (32) for the electronic payment medium, means (34) for local authentication of the electronic payment medium introduced into the reader (32), and an interface (36) between the reader (32) and the means (18, 28) for transmitting and receiving data allowing transactions to be carried out via the network (R) within the framework of services   hosted by the server centers (S).   3. System according to claim 1 or 2, in which the member (24) for moving the cursor (26) of each terminal (T) generates, when actuated by a user, movement commands issued in the form of data to a server center (S), which server center (S) then returns to the terminal (T) an image in which the cursor (26) has been moved.   4. System according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each terminal (T) comprises a serial connector (40) for the connection with one or more peripheral units. 5. The system as claimed in claim 4, in which the serial connector (40) is either of the RS 232 type or of the type U.S.B.   6. System according to any one of   previous claims, wherein each terminal (T)   includes means (38) for indicating a "secret" mode, which signal that the emission of DTMF frequencies, during the   keystrokes (22) are inhibited. S 2783122   7. The system of claim 6, wherein said indicating means (38) comprises a light emitting diode. 8. System according to any one of   Claims 1 to 7, in which the terminal (T) comprises   a retractable alphabetical keyboard (22): 9. Terminal (T) forming part of a   communication according to any one of the claims   previous, comprising: telephony means (14) allowing telephone communications with other terminals (T) and / or with stations connected to a switched telephone network, image decompression means (16) directly processing the signals representing still or animated images as sent by the server center (S), means (18) for receiving data transmitted by the server center (S), a display screen (20) for the decompressed images and / or data received from the server center (S), a numeric keyboard (23), a member (24) for moving a cursor (26) displayed on the screen (20), means (28) for transmitting to the server center (S) for data entered using the alphanumeric keyboard (22) and / or the cursor movement member (24) (26), the images processed by said terminal (T) being only those received from hosts (S) and supplied to said   image decompression means (16).   10. Server center (S) forming part of a communication system according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, comprising: 16 2783122   means (10) for transmitting to the terminals (T) signals representing fixed or animated images in a form produced by an image compression algorithm, and means (12) for transmitting / receiving data to the terminals (T).