FR2888447A1 - Interpersonal communication establishing method for terminals e.g. telephone, involves routing request for videophonic communication towards rocking server that establishes voice communication between terminals by interfacing communications - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves executing an establishing request, by a terminal (T1), for videophonic communication with a terminal (T2). The terminal (T2) is untouched and the request is routed towards a rocking server. The server establishes a videophonic communication with the terminal (T1). The server transmits another establishing request for voice communication towards the terminal (T2). The server establishes the voice communication with the terminal (T2). The server establishes the voice communication between the terminals by interfacing the voice and videophonic communications.

Description

Method for establishing internetwork communication

  The present invention relates to a method for establishing interpersonal communication between two terminals connected to different telecommunications networks.

  The field of the invention is that of telecommunications and more particularly that of the interconnection of telecommunications networks. Even more particularly, the field of the invention is the interconnection of networks of different generations.

  An object of the invention is to maximize the chances of an attempt to establish interpersonal communication to succeed.

  In the state of the art, the second and third generation networks are known. Second generation and second generation networks are considered second generation networks. When a first user of a third generation terminal connected to a third generation network tries to reach a second user, he can do so via a video telephony mode involving the transfer of sound and image. If he makes this choice and the terminal of the second user is connected to a second generation network, then the establishment of the communication is impossible and the first user is connected to the videophone messaging of the second user. The first user is led to think that the second user is not reachable, which is wrong.

  This is an important issue as the geographical coverage of third-generation networks will remain for several years less extensive than the coverage of second-generation networks. Today about 65% of calls made by third generation network customers are under the coverage of a second generation network. The problem posed is therefore crucial and has no satisfactory solution to date.

  In the invention, this problem is solved by routing the videophone calls which can not lead to a failover server which seeks to establish a voice communication with the called user to interface this voice communication with the videophone communication and thus enable the establishment of interpersonal communication which is the goal when a user dials a phone number.

  The subject of the invention is therefore a method for establishing a communication between a first terminal connected to a telecommunication network supporting video telephony and a second terminal connected to a telecommunication network that does not support video telephony, a method characterized in that it comprises the following steps: the first terminal makes a request for setting up videophone communication with the second terminal, the second terminal being unreachable, the call setup request is routed to a video-to-video communication failover server; voice communication, said failover server establishing a videophone communication with the first terminal, the failover server transmitting a voice communication establishment request to the second terminal, the failover server establishing a voice communication with the second terminal, - the failover server establishes voice communication between the first and second terminals by interfacing the videophone and voice communications.

  Advantageously, the invention is also characterized in that the failover server, during the request for establishment of the voice communication, transmits video signaling data via the video communication.

  Advantageously, the invention is also characterized in that the failover server obtains the signaling video data by interrogating a database.

  Advantageously, the invention is also characterized in that in case of unreachability of the second terminal the call establishment request is routed to a voice mailbox, the failover server then interfacing the videophone communication with the voice mailbox of the second terminal.

  Advantageously, the invention is also characterized in that in case of unreachability of the second terminal the communication establishment request is routed to a videophone box, the failover server then interfacing the videophone communication with the videophone box of the second terminal .

  The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and on examining the figures which accompany it. These are presented as an indication and in no way limitative of the invention. The figures show: FIG. 1: an illustration of means useful for implementing the invention; FIG. 2: an illustration of steps of the method according to the invention. FIG. 1 shows a terminal Ti comprising a camera 101, a screen 102, a microphone 103, a speaker 104, a microprocessor 105, a program memory 106 and interface circuits 107. The elements 101 to 107 are interconnected via a bus 108. The circuits 107 are also connected to an antenna 109.

  A terminal is here a mobile device at least able to connect to a third generation mobile network. This includes, among other things, phones and PDAs.

  The circuits 107 are interface circuits between the bus 108 and signals of a mobile telecommunications network. The circuits 107 therefore correspond to a mobile telephony standard, for example UMTS. In practice mobile terminals are able to connect to networks of various generations. The interface circuits 107 are therefore able to provide the interface between the bus 108 and several types of mobile telephone networks such as GSM, GPRS, DCS, CDMA 2000, W-COM, etc. list is not exhaustive.

  FIG. 1 illustrates that the terminal Ti is connected via the antenna 109 to a third generation mobile telephony network 110, for example a UMTS network.

  The memory 106 includes instruction codes executed by the microprocessor 105. Schematically, the memory 106 has as many zones as the terminal Ti proposes functions to its user. For the memory 106 comprises at least one zone 106a comprising instruction codes for the implementation of a videophone communication, and a zone 106b comprising instruction codes for the implementation of a voice communication.

  A videophone communication is a communication in which the terminal Ti emits the sounds picked up by the microphone 103, transmits the images captured by the camera 101, renders on the screen 102 images received via the network 110 and restores via the built-in loudspeaker. speaker 104 of the sounds received via the network 110. Different format is known for simultaneously transmitting the moving picture and the sound. Among these formats, mention is made of the MPEG standards, the H323 standard, and the list is not exhaustive either.

  All these protocols have in common to allow the synchronized transmission of images and sound. In a simplified manner, these protocols make it possible to route images and sound from one point to another via two channels, an image channel and a sound channel.

  In a videophone communication there are thus two channels of sound, an amount and a descendant, and two channels of images, an amount and a descendant.

  Voice communication is a communication in which only voice data is exchanged. There is, then, in such a communication only two channels of sound; an amount and a descendant.

  FIG. 1 also shows a terminal T2 comprising elements 111 to 119 identical to elements 101 to 109, respectively.

  The terminal T2 is connected thereto via the antenna 119 to a network 120 of the second generation, for example a GSM network.

  FIG. 1 further shows that the network 110 includes a videophone messaging server 121 towards which the videophone calls are redirected which can not be terminated because the correspondent is unreachable. An unreachable correspondent is a correspondent entering at least one of the following categories: - not connected to a mobile phone network, - already online, - not connected to a third generation mobile phone network, - the correspondent does not wish to be seal.

  FIG. 2 further shows that the network 120 includes a voicemail server 122 to which voice calls are redirected which can not be terminated because the correspondent is unreachable. An unreachable correspondent is a correspondent entering at least one of the following categories: - not connected to a mobile telephony network, - already online, - not connected to a second generation mobile telephony network, - the correspondent does not wish to be seal.

  It is understood that the networks 110 and 120 comprise means for rerouting a call when the correspondent of this call is unreachable. It is through this mechanism that we end up with a voice mailbox on a voice server. In this case we also talk about call forwarding. The network devices in charge of these references are the MSC (Mobile Services Switching Center) or PBXs which are private switches.

  FIG. 1 further shows that the network 110 is connected to a network 123 of the Internet type, via a gateway GW1. The network 120 is connected to the network 123 of the Internet type via a gateway GW2. In practice, gateways GW1 and GW2 could be connected to different Internet type networks. An Internet type network is a network interconnecting a large number of devices and allowing the exchange of information between these devices in a standardized manner. The best example is the current Internet network.

  Figure 1 shows a failover server 124. The server 124 is connected to the network 123 via an interface 125, for example Ethernet. If the networks 110 and 120 were connected to different Internet type networks, then the server 124 would be connected to these two networks of Internet type.

  The interface 125 could also be in an ATM or other format allowing the exchange of data at high speed.

  The server 124 also comprises a microprocessor 126, a program memory 127 and, in a variant, a personalization database 128. In another variant, the server 124 also comprises a memory 129 of video sequence by default.

  The memory 128 makes it possible to associate a user ID idA calling customization, particularly a custom video sequence replacing the video sequence 129 by default. The memory 128 is therefore divided into at least two columns, a column 128a for the user identifiers and a column 128b for the customizations.

  The memory 127 comprises several zones of which at least: a zone 127a comprising instruction codes for establishing a videophone communication via an Internet-type network; a zone 127b comprising instruction codes for establishing a voice communication via an Internet-type network and a zone 127c for interconnecting a videophone communication and a voice communication.

  In this document when an action is taken to a device it is in fact carried out by a microprocessor of the device controlled by instruction codes stored in a memory of the device.

  FIG. 2 shows a preliminary step 201 in which a user of the terminal Ti uses the terminal Ti to send a call to the terminal T2. Such a call is made by entering a telephone number via a keyboard of the terminal Ti or via a calendar application offered by the terminal Ti. The number once entered is validated for the transmission of a videophone call.

  In a simplified manner, the terminal Ti produces a call establishment request message, this message comprising an idA field identifying the caller, an idD field identifying the call recipient and an instruction code field comprising an instruction code specifying the nature of the call. of the call. Here the nature of the call corresponds to a video call request.

  A caller or recipient identifier is here a terminal number also known as MSISDN.

  Once the communication establishment request message has been generated, it is transmitted on the network 110 whose infrastructure then seeks to establish a videophone communication between T1 and T2.

  In the case shown in Figure 1, that is to say in the case where the terminal T2 is not connected to a network capable of establishing a videophone communication, and before the invention, the terminal T2 is declared unreachable by the network 110 and the user of the terminal Ti is connected by the network 110 to the videophone messaging server 121 to leave a videophone message that the user of the terminal T2 will be able to consult as soon as the terminal T2 is again connected to a network able to establish videophone communications.

  With the invention, in the case where the terminal T2 can not be reached, the network 110 orients the call establishment request to the server 124 of failover.

  In a step 202 following step 201, the network 110 establishes, in a step 203, a videophone communication if the terminal T2 is reachable for a videophone call, or the network returns, in a step 204, the request message of establishing communication to the failover server 124.

  The return is made via the network 123 of the Internet type and through the gateway GW1 for interfacing the networks 110 and 123. Such a gateway is among other things responsible for the conversion of the protocols used on the networks that interface as well as make users of one network visible to another network. In the invention the gateway GW1 allows the terminal Ti to see the server 124 and vice versa. The gateway GW1 also allows the establishment of a videophone communication between the terminal Ti and the server 124.

  In a step 205, the failover server 124 receives a videophone call establishment request message, which will be called M1, comprising at least one caller idA id and a destination call idD id. If this message reaches the server 124 is that the recipient identified by idD is not reachable for a videophone communication. In step 205, the server 124 uses the content of the videophone call setup request message, in particular the idD field to perform a voice call setup request.

  This request for setting up a voice call is made by producing a request message for establishing a voice call that will be designated by M2. The message M2 is addressed to the terminal identified by the idD field of M1. The message M2 is sent on the network 120 through the network 123 and the gateway GW2. The gateway GW2 plays for the network 120 the role played by the gateway GW1 for the network 110.

  In step 205 the server 124 also establishes a videophone communication C1 with the terminal T 1. The communication C1 therefore comprises, according to the simplified description, a channel CVM1 upstream, a channel CVD1 of descending voice, a channel CIM1 rising images and a channel CID1 descending images. In step 205, the server 124 sends, via the channel CID1, the contents of the memory 129. The memory 129 therefore comprises at least one video animation informing the user of the terminal T1 that the server 124 is trying to reach the correspondent identified by idD. . In one variant, the memory 129 also includes sound data that is transmitted by the server 124 via the channel CVD1. The user of the terminal Ti is thus informed that if the communication is successful, it will not be videophone but only voice.

  In a variant of the invention, the server 124 uses the idA field of the message M1 to interrogate the memory 128 and determine, by traversing it, whether the column 128a includes the content of the field idA. If this is the case, then the server 124 uses the contents of the column 128b corresponding to the idA field of the message M1 to transmit it via the channels CID1 and CVD1 instead of the contents of the memory 129. The user of the terminal Ti a then performed a customization of the home message of the server 124 failover. Note that in a variant the memory 128 is not part of the server 124 but another server connected to the network 123. In any case the server 123 has access to the contents of the memory 128.

  In a step 206, the server 124 waits for the response of the network 120 to the message M2.

  If the user of the terminal T2 is reachable, then the latter, in a step 207 takes the communication, establishing a voice communication C2 with the server 124. The voice communication C2 comprises, according to a simplified description, a data channel CM2 vocal numbers and a descending voice data CD2 channel.

  If the user of the terminal T2 is not reachable, or does not wish to be joined, then in a step 208 the network 120 connects the server 124 to the server 122, thus establishing a voice communication C3 with said server 124. The communication Voice C3 comprises, according to a simplified description, a rising voice data channel CM3 and a descending voice data channel CD3.

  It is also possible that the mailbox of the user receiving the call is not active, in this case the server 124 goes directly to the on-hook step 211.

  After step 207 or step 208, the server 124 performs the step 209 interconnection of the communications C1 and C2 or C1 and C3 as appropriate. This interconnection is identical whether it is the communication C2 or C3, only the case of the communication C2 is described.

  In step 209 the server 124 receives image data via the channel CIM1. These images are ignored. These are the images transmitted by the terminal Ti and the terminal T2 is not able to receive them from the network to which it is connected. The server 124 receives sound data via the channel CVM1. These data are sent via the CD2 channel. The server 124 receives sound data via the CM2 channel. These data are sent via the CVD1 channel. In step 209 the server 124 therefore blocks the image data and interconnects the voice data channels. Users of terminals T1 and T2 can therefore agree to fail to see each other.

  During the conversation, the server 124 continuously tests, in a step 210, whether one of the interconnected users has not hung up. If this is the case then the server 124 proceeds to step 211. Otherwise the server continues to interconnect the two communications.

  In step 211 the server 124 terminates the two interconnected communications by hanging up, i.e. indicating to the networks 110 and 120 that it no longer needs the resources allocated for these communications. These resources are the aforementioned channels.

  With the invention it is therefore always possible to establish interpersonal communication between two users even if these two users use terminals that are not connected to networks of the same generation.

  In one variant of the invention, the server continues to broadcast via the channel CID1 the contents of the memory 129, or the personalization memory 128, during the voice conversation resulting from the interconnection.

  The user of the terminal Ti does not have to face an empty screen.

  In a variant of the invention, in the event of unreachability of the terminal T2, the server 124 detects the attempt to reroute the network 120 to a voice mailbox, ie to the voice server 122. In this case the server 124 interrupts the communication via the network 120. The server 124 then establishes a communication C4 with the 121 videophone server. The call C4 is a videophone call via the network 110. The call C4 comprises, according to the simplified description, a rising voice channel CVM4, a descending voice channel CVD4, a rising image channel CIM4 and a picture channel CID4. descending. This is a step 218.

  In a step 219 following step 218, the server 124 interconnects the communications C1 and C4. In step 219 the server 124 receives image data via the channel CIM1. These images are returned via the CID4 channel. The server 124 receives sound data via the channel CVM1. This data is returned via the CVD4 channel. The server 124 receives image data via the channel CIM4. These images are returned via the CID1 channel. The server 124 receives sound data via the CVM4 channel. This data is returned via the CVD1 channel.

  During the conversation, the server 124 continuously tests, in a step 220, whether one of the interconnected users has not hung up. If this is the case then the server 124 proceeds to step 221. Otherwise the server continues to interconnect the two communications.

  In step 221 the server 124 terminates the two interconnected communications at step 219 by hanging up, i.e. telling the networks 110 that it no longer needs the resources allocated for these communications. These resources are the aforementioned channels.

  In this variant of the invention the user of the terminal Ti has the opportunity to leave a videophone message to the user of the terminal T2.

Claims (1)

11 CLAIMS   A method for establishing a communication between a first terminal connected to a telecommunication network supporting video telephony and a second terminal connected to a telecommunication network not supporting video telephony. , characterized in that it comprises the following steps: the first terminal performs (201) a request for establishing videophone communication with the second terminal, the second terminal being unreachable (202), the request for establishment of communication is routed (204) to a voice-to-voice communication failover server (124), said failover server establishing a videophone communication with the first terminal, - the failover server transmits (206) a call establishment request voice to the second terminal, - the failover server establishes (207) a voice communication with the second terminal, - the failover server establishes (209) voice communication between the first and second terminals by interfacing videophone and voice communications.   2 - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the failover server, during the request for setting up the voice communication, transmits (205) video signaling data via the video communication.   3 - Process according to claim 2, characterized in that the failover server obtains the signaling video data by interrogating a database (128) of data.   4 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in case of unreachability of the second terminal communication establishment request is routed (208) to a box (122) voice, the failover server interfacing then the videophone communication with the voice mailbox of the second terminal.   - Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in case of unreachability of the second terminal communication establishment request is routed (208) to a box (121) videophone, the interfacing failover server then the videophone communication with the videophone box of the second terminal.