FR2805114A1 - Method for configuring a standardized universal configured terminal connected to an internet or similar communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

In first connection to the data network (101) via its interface (18) the terminal is personalized to a data transmission network (101).The terminal contains a number of programs (15) for managing the interface (18) so as to process a number of connection protocols with a number of data networks. It has a call program (16) for a terminal configuration center (20) and a program (17) for tele-configuring the terminal under the control of the center (20). The terminal has memory (14) for storing specific parameters provided by the configuration center for a data network and a display (19) with display controls (11,12,13) arranged to detect a voltage supply to the terminal and to control the presentation of a selection menu for a language.

Description

 To communicate over the Internet, a terminal, with appropriate capabilities, must connect to an Internet service provider, for example by telephone connection, and execute a connection protocol. During this protocol, the terminal transmits to the access provider an identifier and a password, the access provider verifies these identification data and authorizes the Internet connection where appropriate.

Before the first connection of the terminal to the Internet, it is necessary to configure the terminal, by memorizing various connection parameters (access provider's telephone number, terminal identifier and password). The storage of these parameters can be performed by a user of the terminal or in the factory, at the end of the production line. This second solution has the advantage of facilitating the use of the terminal. However, it proves to be cumbersome for builders to implement, forced to manage a multitude of references and to follow the fast evolutions of the subscriptions offered by the various access providers.

The present invention proposes to overcome this disadvantage.

The present invention originates from a problem related to the Internet. However, the applicant intends not to limit the scope of its application to this particular example, but extend it to any computer network of this type.

For this purpose, the invention relates first of all to a method of configuring a terminal to communicate through a computer network, in which the terminal is configured universally before it is first put into service and, at its first connection in the computer network, the terminal identifies itself to a configuration server which sends back to it configuration parameters customized from a database, and customizes the configuration of the terminal using said parameters.

Thus, manufacturers can manufacture terminals all having the same universal configuration. It is only after the terminal is put into service, during its first connection to the computer network, that the configuration of the terminal is personalized.

Advantageously, the configuration center files a message, containing the configuration parameters specific to the terminal, in a mailbox, and the terminal retrieves said message in the mailbox. Advantageously, the terminal stores the received custom configuration parameters automatically.

Preferably, the terminal communicates directly and in real time with the configuration center and it is during a single communication that the terminal sends to the configuration center a request message acquisition of custom configuration parameters and retrieves the message containing said parameters.

The invention also relates to a universal information transmission terminal, comprising means for connection with an information transmission network, characterized in that it is arranged to be configured according to the method of the invention and comprises a plurality of linkage resource management software for processing a plurality of link protocols with a plurality of information transmission networks and comprising terminal configuration callout software and telecontrol software the terminal under the control of the configuration center.

The invention finally relates to a terminal management method according to the invention, in which - non-configured computer network communication terminals are stored, for communication through one of several determined transmission networks, with a universal access software , through any of the transmission networks, to a terminal configuration center connected to the computer network, the stored terminals are provided to users and the terminals are configured, at their first connection to the computer network, by call the configuration center, through any of the transmission networks, center with which they identify themselves and the configuration center returns them customized configuration parameters, extracted from a database, and - we customize the configuration of the terminals using said parameters.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of a terminal according to the invention implementing a particular mode of implementation of the method of configuring a terminal to communicate through a computer network, according to the invention. invention, as well as an embodiment of the method of the invention, standardization of manufacturing and storage of terminals, with reference to the appended drawing in which: - Figure 1 shows a diagram of the terminal connected to the network computer, and - Figure 2 shows a block diagram functional center of configuration.

The terminal configuration method of the invention makes it possible to configure a communication terminal 10 to communicate through a computer network, here Internet 100.

In the particular example of the description, the terminal 10 is a fax machine of a telephone network 101, here the network RTC. The fax machine 10 has Internet access <B> 100 </ B> and an Internet mail service, from an Internet access provider 31 and Internet mail. In addition, the facsimile machine 10 has a mailbox 32, with an internal email address, hosted by the provider 31.

The fax machine 10, in addition to the conventional elements of a fax machine, includes an application for connection to the Internet 100, an Internet messaging application and a configuration machine 13.

More specifically, the facsimile machine 10 comprises a microprocessor 11 managing the various circuits thereof and having in memory the above applications. Line interface circuits 18 provide the link with a line of the telephone network 101 under the control of software, in memory 15, management of telephone communication protocols. The software of the memory 15 is a superset of basic telephone functions, only basic (call a correspondent), a determined group of telephone networks of various operators. The facsimile machine 10 also comprises a software program, in memory 14, for calling an Internet configuration center 20 through a temporary Internet access provider 30. Software, in memory 17, for teleconfiguring the fax machine 10 from of the configuration center 20 controls the loading, in here the memory 14, configuration parameters from the configuration center 20 through the line interface circuits 18. Human-machine relationship circuits, specifically a keyboard 111 and a 19, are connected to the microprocessor 11 to control software presentation of a commissioning menu, controlling the display 19.

The above-mentioned Internet mail application allows the facsimile machine to connect to the Internet 100, here by telephone connection over the telephone network 101 to an Internet 100 provider.

The Internet messaging application allows one to create electronic messages and, on the other hand, to send and receive messages through the Internet 100, using messaging protocols, here the SMTP protocol ( Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), for sending messages, and POP (Postal Office Protocol), for receiving messages.

The provider 31, connected to the telephone network 101 and the Internet 100, comprises a POP mail server, for receiving messages, and an SMTP mail server, for sending messages.

 To check whether it has received messages, the fax machine 10 establishes with the POP server of the provider 31 a communication session, of mailbox recovery, using the POP mail protocol. If the mailbox contains one or more messages, the POP server reports it to the fax machine 10 and possibly transmits them, on request.

To send a message through the Internet 100, the facsimile 10 establishes a communication session, sending message, with the provider's SMTP server 31, using the SMTP mail protocol, and, during this session of sending, transmits the message to the SMTP server which sends it through the Internet 100 to the destination e-mail Internet address of the message.

Subsequently, a "POP session" will be referred to as a mailbox poll session using the POP protocol and "SMTP session" as a message sending session (s) using the SMTP protocol. It will be noted here that a POP session includes an identification phase, during which the POP server verifies the identity of the terminal that wishes to raise its mailbox, while the SMTP protocol does not provide identification.

 For the fax machine 10 to connect to the Internet 100 and use Internet mail, it must be configured. The configuration consists in memorizing in the memory 14 various configuration parameters including Internet connection parameters and Internet messaging parameters. In this case, the configuration parameters include: a telephone number of the provider 31, an Internet connection identifier, an Internet connection password, an Internet e-mail identifier, an Internet e-mail password, address of the mailbox 32, the respective domain names of the provider's SMTP and POP servers 31 and the respective Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) IP addresses of two Domain Naine Server (DNS), primary and The configuration controller 13 allows the fax machine 10 to connect to the Internet configuration center 20, when it first connects to the Internet 100, after it has been put into service, in order to personalize its Internet configuration. as will be explained later. The configuration controller 13 is controlled by a detector 12 for detecting the first connection of the Internet fax machine 100.

The configuration center 20 includes an SMTP mail server 21 and a POP mail server 22, connected to the Internet 100, a configuration request message receiving mailbox 23, hosted by the POP server 22, and a supervisor server 24, connected to the SMTP mail servers 21 and POP 22.

The supervisory server 24 is connected to a remote client database 27, which lists the serial numbers of a plurality of terminals, and in particular that of the fax machine 10, and, for each of these terminals, custom configuration parameters, c. that is to say specific to the terminal considered. The server 24, intended to supervise the operation of the configuration center 20, comprises a module 25 for processing the received request messages.

The configuration center 20 has an Internet domain name, which uniquely identifies it on the Internet 100. Each mail server 21, 22 also has an Internet domain name, formed from that of the center 20. In in addition, mailbox 23 has an Internet mail address.

The method of configuring the facsimile 10 will now be described.

In the factory, at the end of the production line, memory 16 is stored in the universal configuration parameters including connection parameters to the Provisional Internet Access Provider 30 and communication parameters with the configuration center 20. Temporary Provider connection parameters 30 include the access provider's telephone number 30, a connection identifier, and a login password. The communication parameters with the configuration center 20 include the domain names of the SMTP servers 21 and POP 22 of the configuration center 20 and the address of the mailbox 23 of the configuration center 20. The fax machine 10 is thus configured to universal way, that is to say non-specific, before its commissioning. By the term "commissioning" is meant to mean the first power up of the fax machine by a user.

After leaving the factory, the fax machine 10 is put into service and a user orders him to connect to the Internet 100, by pressing a specific Internet key. The fax machine 10 detects that this is its first connection to the Internet 100 and then launches the configuration controller 13. The following steps, tending to personalize the configuration of the fax machine 10, are executed automatically by the fax machine. 10, under the control of the configuration automaton 13.

The fax machine 10 connects to the Internet 100, by telephone connection to the temporary access provider 30. For this, the fax machine 10 calls the access provider 30, through the telephone network 101, then, after establishment of the communication telephone, it executes a connection protocol, during which it transmits to the access provider 30 the login and password connection, stored in the factory. Thus, the fax machine 10 connects for the first time to the Internet 100 using the universal connection parameters.

After connecting to the Internet 100, the facsimile machine 10 establishes direct and real-time communication with the configuration center 20. This communication includes a first POP session between the facsimile machine 10 and the POP server 22.

During the identification phase of this first POP session, the terminal 10 identifies itself with the configuration center 20 by transmitting its serial number. The configuration center 20 searches for this serial number in the database 27, in order to check whether the fax machine 20 is there. As is the case, the POP server 21 creates a temporary local mailbox 26 for the fax machine 10, with an Internet mail address, formed from the domain name of the configuration center 20 and the serial number of the fax machine 10, of the form "id <serial number> @ <domain name>". The address of the mailbox 26 is known to the fax machine 10.

During the first POP session, after the identification phase, the fax machine 10 establishes an SMTP session with the SMTP server 21. During this SMTP session, the fax machine 10 transmits to the SMTP server 21 a parameter acquisition request message. pre-prepared custom configuration, whose destination address is that of the mailbox 23. This request message contains the serial number of the fax machine 10 and an indication, recognizable by the configuration center 20, specifying that it This is a request to acquire custom configuration parameters. The configuration center 20 receives the request message and stores it in the mailbox 23.

The supervisor server 24 then processes the request message of the fax machine 10. It analyzes the message and interprets it as a request for acquiring the configuration parameters, by automatically recognizing the indication specifying it. Then the server 24 extracts from the message the serial number of the fax machine 10, searches for this number in the database 27 and extracts the personalized configuration parameters from the fax machine 10, associated with its serial number in the base 27. The server 24 thus retrieves the configuration parameters specific to the fax machine 10.

The server 24 then creates a response message, whose destination address is that of the mailbox 26 of the fax machine 10, containing the custom configuration parameters of the fax machine 10, extracted from the database 27.

After the first POP session between the fax machine 10 and the POP server 21, during the processing of the request message, the fax machine 10 executes a succession of POP sessions, in order to avoid interrupting the communication with the configuration center 20.

It will be noted here that during the POP sessions, during which the fax machine 10 retrieves its mailbox 26, the POP server 21 does not have access to the mailbox 26 and can not therefore file the response message.

At the end of each POP session, the fax machine 10 sends the POP server 21 an end-of-session "QUIT" command. To interrupt this succession of POP sessions, after having extracted the required configuration parameters from the database 27, the POP server 21 sends the fax machine 10 an end-of-task "END" indication, in response to the "QUIT" command of end of session, in order to notify the fax machine 10 in real time of the end of the task of retrieving the configuration parameters of the fax machine 10.

Upon receipt of the indication "END" end of the task, the fax machine 10 interrupts the succession of sessions POP and remains silent during a buffer period, during which the server POP 21, on command of the server 24, sends, or drops, the response message in the mailbox 26 of the fax machine 10. The fax machine 10 then launches a last POP session, to pick up the reply message in its mailbox 26.

After retrieving the response message, the facsimile machine 10 interrupts the connection to the Internet 100 and thus terminates communication with the configuration center 20.

It will be noted here that the fax machine 10 communicates directly and in real time with the configuration center 20, using the SMTP and POP messaging protocols, and that it is during the same communication with the configuration center 20 that the terminal 20 sends the request message and retrieves the response message.

After receiving the response message automatically, the fax machine 10 extracts the personalized configuration parameters and stores them by updating its Internet configuration. The configuration of the fax machine 10 is thus personalized by storing the personalized configuration parameters in memory 14.

To connect to the Internet 100 later, the fax machine 10 connects to the final access provider 31 using the custom connection parameters. After connecting to the access provider 31, the facsimile machine can send a message through the Internet 100 or pick up its mailbox 32, using the personalized Internet e-mail settings.

Alternatively, one could imagine memorizing the configuration parameters contained in the response message received, under the control of a user and not automatically.

In the above description, the custom configuration settings include Internet connection settings and Internet mail settings. One could imagine that they only include Internet connection settings or Internet messaging settings.

In this example, the facsimile machine 10 may be connected to one of a plurality of telephone networks 101 each requiring, in the facsimile machine 10, specific configuration parameters. The software in memory 15, although free from the specific parameters, nevertheless allows the configuration center 20 to be called by any of the telephone networks 101 to download in memory 14 the network-specific parameters <B> 101 </ B> considered, such as subscription data, and thus be able to exploit all functions.

When the detector 12 detects the first power up, the controller 13 controls the microprocessor 11 to activate a selection menu of one of several languages that the microprocessor 11 then has on the display 19. After entering the selection of a language by the keyboard 111, the microprocessor 11 activates a menu for the selection of a network 101 among those shown on the display 19. The identity of the network 101 selected from the keyboard <B> 111 </ B> is transmitted by the microprocessor 11 to the memory call software 16 to be retransmitted to the configuration center 20, which can send back the parameters of the network 101 selected.

As mentioned above, the fax machine 10 leaving the production line is universal and it is the user who, by powering on the fax machine connected to the network 101, causes the downloading of parameters or configuration data. We can therefore standardize the manufacture of fax machines 10 and store them, while still universal, at distributors in various countries. Thus, according to the process for the standardization of fabrications and the storage of fax machines 10, or equivalent information transmission terminals, intended to be connected to any information transmission network 101, chosen from a predetermined group, each network < B> 101 </ B> requiring configuration parameters specific to the terminal (10), the terminals (10) are used in the manufacture of the software (15) to call the configuration center 20 through any one of the networks 101, software (15) free of the specific configuration parameters for the various networks 101, and stores the terminals (10) manufactured pending delivery and commissioning by a user, by calling the configuration center 20 and download required configuration settings.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1.- A method of configuring a terminal (10) to communicate through a computer network (100), in which the terminal (10) is configured universally before it is first put into service and, when it is first connected at the computer network (100), the terminal (10) identifies itself to a configuration center (20) which sends back to it configuration parameters customized from a database (27) and customizes the configuration terminal (10) using said parameters. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration center (20) sends a message, containing the terminal-specific configuration parameters, to a mailbox, and the terminal retrieves said message in the mailbox. 3. A method according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the terminal (10) automatically stores the customized configuration parameters received to customize its configuration. 4.- Method according to one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the terminal (10) communicates directly and in real time with the configuration center (20) and it is during a single communication that the terminal ( 10) sends to the configuration center (20) a custom configuration parameter acquisition request message and retrieves the message containing said parameters. The method of claim 4, wherein said communication comprises a message sending session and at least one message polling session. 6. A method according to claim 5, wherein, between the two sending and polling sessions, the terminal (10) executes a succession of mailbox polling sessions to avoid interrupting the communication with the call center. configuration (20). 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein, after having retrieved the customized configuration parameters of the terminal, the configuration center (20) transmits to the terminal (10) an end of task indication so that it interrupts the succession of relief sessions. 8.- Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the communication begins with a mailbox polling session and it is during this polling session that the terminal identifies with the configuration center . 9. A universal information transmission terminal, comprising means (18) for connection to an information transmission network (101), characterized in that it is arranged to be configured according to the method of claim 1. and includes a plurality of linkage resource management software (15) for processing a plurality of link protocols with a plurality of information transmission networks (101) and includes software (16) for calling a terminal configuration center (20) and a terminal teleconfiguration software (17) under the control of the configuration center (20). 10. Terminal according to claim 9, wherein there is provided means (14) for storing specific parameters of a network from the configuration center (20). 11. Terminal according to one of claims 9 and 10, wherein there is provided display means (19) and means (11, 12, 13) for controlling the display means (19) arranged to detect power up the terminal and then control the presentation of a language selection menu. 12. Terminal according to claim 11, wherein the control means (11, 12, 13) are arranged to control the presentation of a menu for the selection of a network by means of man-machine relations (19, 111) and to provide the identity of the selected network to the calling software (16). 13. A terminal management method according to claim 9, in which unconfigured computer network communication terminals (101) are stored for communication through a plurality of communication networks. transmission system (101), with universal access software (15, 16), through any of the transmission networks (101), to a terminal configuration center connected to the computer network (100), - stored terminals are provided to users and - the terminals are configured, upon their first connection to the computer network (101), by calling the configuration center (20), through any of the transmission networks (101), center (20) with which they identify themselves and the configuration center (20) returns them customized configuration parameters extracted from a database (27), and - customizes the configuration of the terminals (10) to the help from these settings.