GB2355370A

GB2355370A - Method for setting up a communication through the Internet or similar network

Info

Publication number: GB2355370A
Application number: GB0018216A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dan Duong
Original assignee: Sagem SA
Current assignee: Sagem SA
Priority date: 1999-07-27
Filing date: 2000-07-26
Publication date: 2001-04-18
Also published as: FR2797128A1; FR2797128B1; DE10035616A1; GB0018216D0

Abstract

To reduce the cost and improve the quality of a voice or data communications link (1) between a calling party (2) and a called party (3) through the Internet (4) network, the calling party (2) being connected to a mobile telephony network (6), a communication is set up directly from the mobile telephone network (6) and is sent to the Internet network (4) by means of a second mobile telephone (12) connected firstly to the mobile telephony network (6) and secondly to the Internet network (4). Furthermore, a cost of a call is thus reduced to a cost of using the mobile network (6) used and a cost of access to the Internet (4) network.

Description

1 2355370 Method for setting up a communication through an internet type

network and associated device An object of the present invention is a method for setting up a communication through an Internet type network and its associated device.

This communication may be a voice communication as well as a data communication. It can be applied to mobile telephony in general, namely telephony according to the GSM standard as well as telephony according to the CDMA standard or again the PCS or any other standard used in mobile telephony. It can be applied more particularly to cases where the caller is a mobile telephone.

An Internet type network is a network with a multitude of networks connected in a meshed architecture. Conveying information through a network of this kind essentially uses a packet transmission technique. Each packet thus consists of a header message with, in particular, a destination address of this packet. The path taken by a packet in this network may different from the path taken by another packet.

The aim of the invention is to enable a caller, connected to a first mobile telephony network, to set up a communication with a called party by using an Internet type network as a part of the communications medium, the called party being connected to a switched telephone network or by a second mobile telephony network. Furthermore, the called party could very well be a computer or any other system used to receive or transmit data to or from a calling mobile telephone or a computer connected to this calling mobile telephone.

At present, there are known means for setting up a communication by using the Internet network. In this embodiment, the first mobile telephony network is connected to a switched telephonic network, which is connected to the Internet. Thus, a calling party who wishes to send a call request from a mobile telephone by using the Internet will have his request conveyed through the mobile telephony network and then through the switched telephony network.

More specifically, the calling party will send a connection request to the Internet. This request is received by a base station connected firstly to the calling mobile telephone and secondly to the mobile telephony network.

2 This request is then transmitted to a switched telephony network that is connected to a terminal providing access to the Internet network. Thus, once a communications channel is set up between the calling party and the Internet network, the caller can send information elements, conveyed according to a frame format produced with an IP (Internet Protocol), to the called party.

An embodiment of this kind has problems. Indeed, in order to set up a connection with the Internet network, it is necessary to convey a connection request through the mobile telephony network and then through the switched telephony network. This routing of a connection request by means of two media, the mobile telephony network and the switched telephony network, lowers the performance of a communications link. This drop in performance is chiefly due to a slowing down of the system. This slowing down is prompted chiefly by the existence of a difference in nature between signals pertaining to a message in the mobile telephony network and signals pertaining to a message in the switched telephony network. Indeed, in the mobile telephony network, the signals are digital signals from end to end. In the switched telephony network, the signals flowing on the link between the calling party or called party and an automatic branch exchange of the switched telephony network are generally analog signals. Thus, during a passage from one network to another, a conversion is necessary. For this purpose, it is the practice to use mainly a first modem between the mobile telephony network and the switched telephony network and a second modem between the switched telephony network and the Internet network.

In this embodiment of the prior art, an information element is conveyed along a non-optimal path. Indeed, a mobile telephony network and a switched telephony network are geographically superimposed, i.e. they both substantially cover one and the same geographical zone. Thus, an access terminal to the Internet network located in a place X may be reached by a base station of the mobile telephony network as well as by the switched telephone network. Thus, the entire path travelled through the switched telephonic network, following a call from a mobile telephone, is unnecessary.

Furthermore, the cost of a communication may depend equally well on a number of telephony networks used as a medium during a communication.

It is an object of the invention to overcome these problems by 3 proposing a device to reduce the number of networks travelled through in order to get connected to the Internet in a shorter and therefore faster path.

In the invention, a connection is made to an access terminal to the Internet without going through the switched telephone network, by using a communications interface for this purpose.

Thus, the caller can send out a request for setting up a communication to the mobile telephony network with which he is connected and send this request to the Internet by means of this communications interface. The communications interface is connected firstly to the mobile telephony network and secondly to the Internet network and therefore replaces the switched telephony network. The invention also proposes a method to implement the device of the invention. This method has the function especially of setting up the communications link. Thus, the performance of a communications device of this kind is improved by optimising especially a path associated with a communication.

The invention therefore relates to a method for implementing a comprehensive communications link through an Internet type network comprising a first terminal access between a first mobile telephone, the calling party, and a Galled party, the first mobile telephone being connected to a mobile telephony network by a first base station, characterized in that:

- a message requesting the setting up of a communication is sent from the first mobile telephone to the first access terminal, - this message requesting the setting up of a communication is conveyed up to the first access terminal, this first access terminal permitting the setting up of a link with the first mobile telephone, this link being used thereafter to send a call request to the called party connected to a second access terminal, characterized in that to convey this message requesting the setting up of a communication:

- the message requesting the setting up of a communication is sent to the first base station, - with the first base station, this message requesting the setting up of a communication is sent to a second telephone that is made according to an architecture of a mobile telephone with an antenna, a communication is set up between the mobile telephony network 4 and the Internet by connecting the second telephone firstly through a first local link, by means of the antenna, with the second base station and secondly through a second local link, by means of a communications interface of the second telephone, with the first access terminal.

The invention also relates to a device for the connection of a first mobile telephone communicating with a first base station of a mobile telephony network to a third, called instrument, through a network of the Internet type, characterized in that it comprises a second telephone made according to an architecture of a mobile telephone with an antenna and communicating with the first base station having the function of setting up a communication between the mobile telephony network and the Internet network by means of a communication interface of the second telephone and an access terminal to the Internet network.

The invention will be understood more clearly from the following description and the appended figures. These figures are given purely by way of an indication and in no way restrict the invention. Of these figures:

- Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an architecture of the device of the invention in a communications link; - Figure 2 is a schematic view depicting the main steps in the setting up of a communication according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a comprehensive communications link 1 to be set up according to the invention between a first telephone 2, which is a calling mobile telephone, and a called party 3, for example a telephone, by means of an Internet type network 4. The telephone 2 works with a fist base station 5 of a mobile telephony network 6 by means of a local radioelectric link 7. A comprehensive link is distinguished from a local link in that a comprehensive link is obtained by the juxtaposition of local links. Thus, the link 1 is set up from the telephone 2. In the invention, the link 1 is set up in going through the smallest possible number of networks. In a general case, when the link 1 is being set up, the telephone 2 sends a message 8 requesting the setting up of a communication. This message 8 is transmitted from the network 6 to the network 4. For this purpose, the network 4 comprises a first access terminal 9. This terminal 9 provides for connection to the network 4 and for the use of its different functions and resources. This terminal 9 permits the setting up of the link 1 with the telephone 2. The message 8 comprises at least one information element pertaining to an address information element such as a telephone number of the terminal 9. The terminal 9 is handled by a network provider 10. The network provider 10 controls inter alia an identity of a user seeking to get connected to an access terminal such as the terminal 9. The sending of the message 8 entails the setting up of a communications link between the telephone 2 and the terminal 9.

In the invention, the station 5 is used to transmit this message to a second telephone 12. The second telephone 12 is made according to an mobile telephone architecture with an antenna 13, such as the telephone 2 for example. The telephone 12 communicates with the station 5 by means of a first link 14, which is a local link, through the antenna 13. This link 14 enables a transmission of the message 8 from the station 5 to the telephone 12.

However, in a preferred variant, this message 8 received by the station 5 is conveyed to a second base station 11. Thus, the station 11 communicates with the telephone 12 by means of the link 14. However, it may happen that a caller and the telephone 12 communicate with the same base station or else, to prevent this, the station 11 may be independent and therefore unable to communicate directly with a calling party.

In the invention, the message 8 comprises an information element pertaining a telephone number, namely the number of the telephone 12.

Secondly, the telephone 12 is connected to the terminal 9 with a second local link 15 by means of a communications interface 16 of the telephone 12.

The link 15, in a preferred example, is a wire link such as a twisted copper cable used in telephony. However, it can be planned to have the link 15 as a wire link based on optics fibres or even as a radioelectric link.

The telephone 12 has the means needed to communicate with the station 11 in the manner of a mobile telephone. For this purpose, the telephone 12 has a transmission/reception device 17 such as the one used for the telephone 2 and a microprocessor 18 controlled by a programme 19 in a programme memory 20 by means of an address, data and control bus 21. The device 17 as well as the interface 16 are connected to the bus 21.

Thus, the microprocessor 18 uses the programme 19 to control the device 17 in order to set up and manage the link 14. The microprocessor 18 also controls the interface 16 to set up and manage a communication with a link 6 15. The telephone 12 furthermore has a digital-analog converter 22 with an input 23 connected to the bus 21 and an output 24 giving a voltage value associated with a digital value present at the input 23. It also has an analog digital converter 25 with an input 26 and an output 27 connected to the bus 21, the output 27 giving a digital value associated with a voltage value present at the input 26. The output 26 is connected, in the case of a mobile telephone, to a loudspeaker 28 and the input 27 is connected to the microphone 29. However, in the invention, the loudspeaker 28 and the microphone 29 are eliminated because they are useless since the telephone 12 has only the role of setting up a link between the terminal 9 and the station 11. Thus, the output 24 is designed to give information coming from the telephone 2 and intended for the network 4 and, conversely, the input 26 is designed to receive information coming from the network 4 and intended for the telephone 2.

The interface 16 thus connects the telephone 12 to the link 15. To do this, the interface 16 has a first port 30 and a second port 31, the port 30 being connected internally in the interface 16 to the port 31. The port 30 is connected to the link 15 and is therefore connected with the terminal 9. The port 31 is connected to a communications means of the telephone 12 receiving or sending information coming from or intended for the antenna 13 respectively. This means is more particularly the device 17. Indeed, the port 31 is connected to the device 17 by means of a link 32 and a link 33 is connected to the output 24 and to the input 26 of the converters 22 and 25 respectively. The ports 30 and 31 have means, not shown, needed for the transmission of a signal such as for example a power amplifier and/or an impedance matching device for example.

Consequently, the message 8 received by the antenna 13 is sent to the terminal 9 by means of the link 32 and the link 15. When the network provider 10 authorises a telephone connection 12 with the terminal 9, then the link 1 between the telephone 2 and the terminal 9 is set up. A communications channel is therefore available to the telephone 2 for sending a call.

Figure 2 shows a schematic view revealing the main steps for the setting up of a communication with the method of the invention. In this schematic view, an example is chosen of a communication between a 7 telephone 2 or again the caller 2, and the called party 3 connected to a fixed telephone network 34 more generally known as a switched telephone network. Thus, first of all, the telephone 2, during a step 35, sends a message requesting the setting up of a communication. During a step 36, this message is sent to the station 11 by means of the network 6. The station 11 sets up a communication, during a step 37, with the telephone 12 in order to send it the message requesting the setting up of a communication. This message is finally sent, during a step 38, to the terminal 9 of the network 4. The network 4, during a step 39, acknowledges this message requesting the setting up of a communication. A message pertaining to this acknowledgment is returned during this step 39 to the calling party 2 through the telephone 12, the stations 5 and 11 and the network 6. Should this message requesting the setting up of a communication be accepted by the network provider 10, a communications channel is made available to the calling party 2. The calling party 2 can then send an information element on the address of the called party 3 to the network 34 in a step 40. In this example, the called party 3 is connected to a switched telephone network. An information element on the address of the called party is therefore a telephone number. Thus, in a step 41, the network 34 searches for a subscriber associated with this telephone number and then sends him this call request during a step 41. When the called party 3 accepts this call, then the communication can be set up during a step 42 between the calling party 2 and the called party 3.

To enable the network 34 to receive a telephone number, this telephone must be connected to the network 4. For this purpose, the network 4 has a second access terminal 43 (Figure 1). The network 34 is connected to this terminal 43 by means of a local link 44 such as the link 15.

Thus, the link 44 is seen by the network 34 as a telephone line.

Furthermore, the information sent by the telephone 2 and therefore on the link 15 may be voice information or data information. Consequently, the network provider 10 proposes two types of access terminal. A first type of access terminal is designed to receive voice information. A second type of access terminal is designed to receive data information. If the telephone 2 chooses to use the network 4 to convey voice information, then the link 15 is provided with a conversion device 45. This device 45 is designed to convert 8 a voice information element coming from the telephone 12 into a data information element with an IP format intended for the network 4 and to convert a data information element with an IP format coming from the network 4 into a voice information element intended for the telephone 12.

This entails frame encapsulation procedures with an IP voice information format and de-encapsulation procedures during the extraction of a voice information element from an IP frame. Generally, the terminal 9 has this device 45, namely it is managed by the network provider. In this case, the network 4 is called an ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) network.

Similarly, for the terminal 43, if the link 44 is designed to convey voice information, then the terminal 43 must also be provided with a conversion device 46.

On the contrary, if the telephone 2 chooses to send data to a computer 47 or any other system capable of interpreting the data sent by the telephone 2, then the terminal 43 does not have this device 46. In this case, the network 4 is called an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Indeed, the telephone 2 may send data directly in the IP format. If this is not the case, it is also possible to connect the telephone 2 to a computer 48 by means of a link 49, for example a series type link. Should the telephone 2 send a call request to a computer, then the address information element is sent in the form of an IP type address. Furthermore, the telephone 2 may wish to communicate with a computer 50 connected to the network 4 by means of a modem 51. Thus the device 46 in this case is a modem. Indeed, the computer 50 connected to the network 34 by means of a modem is seen as a fixed telephone such as the telephone 3. A communication through the link 1 is obtained chiefly by a juxtaposition of the links 7, 14, 15 and 44 which are local links but also to the link between the station 5 and the station 11 as well as the link between the terminal 9 and the terminal 43.

In one alternative embodiment, a piece of information on the telephone number of the called party 3 is placed in the message 8, comprising especially information on the setting up of a link with the network 4. In this variant, when a link is set up with the terminal 9, then the part of the message 8 comprising especially the telephone number of the called party 3 is sent to the terminal 43. Thus, the telephone 2 is provided with a short-cut key to send a call through the Internet. This key is pressed and a 9 telephone number of the called party 3 is entered. A validation of this call has the effect of sending the message 8 with a telephone number with which to contact the telephone 12 and a telephone number with which to contact the called party 3. It would have been possible, in a menu of the telephone 2, to place a label pertaining to the use of the network 4 as a communications medium for a call. This label could have replaced the short cut key or been an addition to it.

When the called party is connected to the network 34, then a call request to a called party connected to a mobile telephony network is transmitted by means of a link 52. This is better in this case since in every case, the network 34 and the network 6 will be used to set up a communication between the calling party and the called party.

Claims

1. Method for implementing a comprehensive communications link (1) through an Internet type network (4) comprising a first access terminal (9) between a first mobile telephone (2), the calling party, and a called party (3), the first mobile telephone (2) being connected to a mobile telephony network (6) by a first base station (5), wherein:

- a message (8) requesting the setting up of a communication is sent from the first mobile telephone (2) to the first access terminal (9), - this message (8) requesting the setting up of a communication is conveyed up to the first access terminal (9), this first access terminal (9) permitting the setting up of a link with the first mobile telephone (2), this link being used thereafter to send a call request to the called party (3) connected to a second access terminal (43), characterized in that to convey this message (8) requesting the setting up of a communication:

- the message (8) requesting the setting up of a communication is sent to the first base station (5), - with the first base station (5), this message (8) requesting the setting up of a communication is sent to a second telephone (12) that is made according to an architecture of a mobile telephone with an antenna (13), - a communication is set up between the mobile telephony network (6) and the Internet network (4) by connecting the second telephone (12) firstly through a first local link (14), by means of the antenna (13), with the second base station (11) and secondly through a second local link (15), by means of a communications interface (16) of the second telephone (12), with the first access terminal (9).

2. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that:

- from the mobile telephony network (6), this message (8) requesting the setting up of a call is sent to a second base station (11) of the mobile telephony network.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that:

- the second local link (15) is provided with a conversion device (45) whose function is to convert a voice information element coming from the second telephone (12) into a data element intended for the Internet network 11 (4) and convert a data element coming from the Internet network (4) into a voice information element intended for the second telephone (12).

4. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 3 characterised in that - an address information element of the called party (3) is sent from the first mobile telephone (2) once the local link (7, 14, 15) has been set up between the first terminal (9) and the first telephone (2), an address information element being related to a telephone number or to an Internet address.

5. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 3 characterised in that:

- an information address element is placed in the message requesting the setting up of a local link (7, 14, 15) with the first terminal (9), an address information element being related to a telephone number or to an Internet address.

6. Device (12) for the connection of a first mobile telephone (2) communicating with a first base station (5) of a mobile telephony network (6) to a third, called instrument (50, 3), through a network (4) of the Internet type, characterized in that it comprises a second telephone (12) made according to an architecture of a mobile telephone with an antenna (13) and communicating with the first base station (5) having the function of setting up a communication between the mobile telephony network (6) and the Internet network (4) by means of a communication interface (16) of the second telephone (12) and an access terminal (9) to the Internet network.

7. Device (12) according to claim 6 characterised in that the communications interface (16) comprises a first communications port (30) connected to a second communications port (31), the first communications port (30) being connected by a link to an access terminal (9) to the Internet (4) and the second communications port (31) being connected to a communications means (17) of the second telephone (12) receiving or sending information coming from or intended for the antenna (13) of the second telephone (12) respectively, this interface (16) being controlled by a microprocessor (18).

8. Device (12) according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the first telephone (2) has a short-cut key to sent a call through the Internet network.

9. Device (12) according to one of the claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the first telephone (2) has a label, in a menu of the first telephone (2), pertaining to a use of the Internet (4) network as a communications medium for a call.

10. Method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.

11. Device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to. figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.