GB2366946A

GB2366946A - Cellular phone network and data communication system

Info

Publication number: GB2366946A
Application number: GB0022406A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dan Duong
Original assignee: Sagem SA
Current assignee: Sagem SA
Priority date: 2000-09-13
Filing date: 2000-09-13
Publication date: 2002-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2020-09-13
Also published as: GB0022406D0; DE10145135B4; DE10145135A1; FR2814032B1; GB2366946B; FR2814032A1

Abstract

A cellular radiotelephone network terminal includes means (modules 2, 5) for handling an application protocol and wireless data transmission / reception circuits 13, 14 for linking with a local telephone network 30, which are linked to the protocol handling 2, 5. The terminal may use DECT for transceiving and DPRS for data handling. A removable battery may carry the transceiver circuits. Data may be retransmitted from the local telephone network to the mobile network.

Description

2366946

DESCRIPTION

Cellular Radiotelephone Network and Data Communication System Including Such a Terminal The present invention relates to cellular radiotelephone terminals envisaged for handling data exchange applications, such as for example those related to the WAP wireless application protocol.

A WAP-enabled terminal allows access to an internet site across the radio network, GSM for example, so as to make an on-line purchase, consult a databank or for any other application.

Within an enterprise, one can likewise also access a local network, of the Intranet kind, linked by a gateway to the cellular radiotelephone network. Such a mode of access is not however entirely satisfactory since it calls upon a public radiotelephone network, hence with associated communication costs and limited confidentiality of the data transmitted.

The present invention aims to avoid these drawbacks.

To this end, the invention firstly relates to a cellular radiotelephone network terminal, comprising means for handling an application protocol, and wireless data transmission/reception means for linking with a local telephone network, which are linked to the protocol handling means.

The invention also relates to a computer data communication system, including - a local telephone network with wireless links - a computer network - a gateway linking the two networks, and - at least one terminal including means for handling an application protocol and including wireless data transmission/reception means for linking with a local telephone network, which are linked to the protocol handling means.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of an exemplary embodiment of a system and terminal according to the invention, with reference to the single figure which diagrammatically represents a computer data communication system according to the invention, comprising the terminal linked to remote servers across radio networks, here GSM and DECT.

The terminal represented is a portable telephone, with its casing 1, which receives a removable battery assembly 11. The casing 1 contains a functional module 2 for browsing the Internet, which communicates with a functional module 3 for managing communications with the GSM network 20 across transmitter/receiver radio circuits 4. The module 2 also communicates with a functional module 5 for managing a serial wire link 12 linking it to a functional radio link module 13 associated with radio circuits 14, which are carried by the battery of the assembly 11, and are the counterparts of the functional module 3 and of the radio circuits 4 but envisaged for a local radio network, here DECT with base 30.

The link 12, including a connector for linking the battery assembly 11 to the casing 1, and the functional modules and circuit 5, 13, 14 which utilize this link 12 here conform to the DPRS Data Packet Radio Service standard. The functional module 13, managing the link 12, handles the transporting of the data across the DECT network and exchanges data for this purpose with the circuits 14 managing the radio exchanges according to conventional DECT frames. The functional module 13 consists of a software module which uses a processor carried by the battery of the assembly 11 and makes it possible to utilize the WAP protocol across the DECT network. A keypad 8 and a screen 9 are linked to the browsing functional module 2. A relaying functional module 6 is here provided for linking the functional modules 3 and 5 so as to thus form a local gateway linking the GSM 20 and DECT 30 networks.

The GSM network 20 is linked to a gateway 21 for accessing an equipment item or data server 23 across a computer network 22 complying with the Internet IP standard.

The DECT base 30 handles the IP protocol and locally offers the same kind of access service, via a gateway 31 for access to a local Intranet network 32 to which a data server 33 is linked. The base 30 could also be linked to the STN or any other public network and to an external gateway such as that referenced 21.

The gateways 21, 31, the networks 22 and 32 and the servers 23, 33 are here envisaged for handling the wireless link WAP application protocol.

The manner of operation of the terminal represented will now be explained in greater detail.

The user of the bimode terminal represented can, by calling via the GSM network 20, reach and utilize the server 23, or any other equivalent item of data transmission equipment, and talk to the latter according to the WAP protocol for a specified application.

It can likewise reach and utilize the local server 33 via the functional modules and circuits 5, 12, 13, 14, when the terminal is situated in the area of radio coverage of the base 30, hence without GSM metering. As stated above, provision may be made for the base 30 to be linked to an external telephone network (GSM, STN) or computer network (Internet 22), allowing the terminal to access the local server 33 even when it is out of radio range of the base 30.

The functional module 13 encapsulates the DPRS data packets, originating from the browser 2 via the link 12, to be sent by the terminal, in a DPRS transport envelope across the DECT network and the base 30 includes counterpart circuits which decapsulate, or extract, the data, thus eliminating the service signals which are specific to the DECT and DPRS transport, and transmit them to the gateway 31 which adapts them to the IP format. The same transformations take place on the data transmitted in the opposite direction, from the local server 33, to the gateway 31 and to the DECT radio link functional module 13 then browser functional module 2 of the terminal.

The browser bimode functional module 2 can thus choose between two radio networks, operationally paralleled, to reach a server and communicate with the latter according to the WAP protocol.

5 The relaying or retransmission functional module 6 makes it possible furthermore, by means of two such terminals similar to that represented, to link two DECT networks across the GSM network 20, thereby making it possible to integrate into a single functional 10 assembly a plurality of local servers 33 distributed between two local networks 32 which are remote from one another or are impossible to link directly.

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Claims

1. A cellular radiotelephone network terminal, comprising means for handling an application protocol, and wireless data transmission/reception means for linking with a local telephone network, which are linked to the protocol handling means.

2. A terminal according to Claim 1, including a removable battery carrying the wireless transmission/reception means and associated with connection means for linking the transmission/reception means to the handling means.

3. A terminal according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission/reception means are DECT means.

4. A terminal according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the handling means are DPRS means.

5. A terminal according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein there are provided means for retransmitting the data from the local telephone network to the cellular radiotelephone network.

6. A computer data communication system, including - a local telephone network with wireless links, - a computer network, - a gateway linking the two networks, and - at least one terminal including means for handling an application protocol and including wireless data transmission/reception means for linking with a local telephone network, which are linked to the protocol handling means.

7. A cellular radiotelephone network terminal, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A computer data communication system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.