JP2007068119A - Method for providing communication service - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for providing communication services which can dynamically select and change a terminal, an application and a network as communication resources attaining the communication services. <P>SOLUTION: Each user on the transmission side and reception side selects a terminal (a PDA, cellular phone or computer), an application (a video telephone or VoIP) and a network (IEEE802.11b or EV-DO) as communication resources attaining the communication services upon starting the communication services and during execution on the basis of presence information of each terminal registered in a presence server, and registers the selected communication resources to a session control server 14. The session control server 14 establishes a session utilizing the selected communication resources between users. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication service providing method, and more particularly to a communication service providing method capable of dynamically selecting and changing a terminal, an application, and a network as communication resources for realizing the communication service.

  As a mobility support method for communication terminals, a network switching method in which communication is not disconnected even when the IP address changes when the communication terminal is carried around has been mainly studied. Although this method can conceal changes in the network from the application, it does not support more flexible mobility support that switches applications or switches terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) used in VoIP is a protocol for starting a session between users. On the other hand, Non-Patent Document 1 defines a REFER method on SIP. The REFER method executes a call transfer. As a specific usage example, when the communication terminal A transmits “REFER to the communication terminal C” to the communication terminal B from the state where the communication terminal A and the communication terminal B are communicating, this request The communication terminal B that has received the message shifts to a call with the communication terminal C. In this operation, the communication partner of the communication terminal B is switched from the communication terminal A to the communication terminal C, and execution of terminal switching is realized.
IETF RFC3515 The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Refer Method

  The above method using the REFER method is a terminal change on the premise that the application is fixed, and can be used in a very limited scenario. Therefore, application to a telephone transfer function or the like is preferable.

  On the other hand, in an environment where communication terminals are diversified and ubiquitous, it is not always possible to execute communication services using only uniform applications. For example, even if it is assumed that a service is provided for users to talk to each other, depending on the environment surrounding the user, VoIP is appropriate in some cases, and videophones are suitable in some cases. Switching is also required.

  A specific example of the entire service is a scenario in which a user who is using VoIP communication outdoors using a mobile phone switches communication to a videophone using a PC when returning to the office. At the time of switching, it may be possible to display a videophone screen on a PC but use a mobile phone for voice input / output.

  Furthermore, in today's communication, communication between terminals between local networks separated by a gateway such as NAT is frequently performed. However, the terminal change by the REFER method is not a problem when the global network or all the terminals exist on a single local network, but the terminal change to the communication terminal in the local network, etc. Can not be executed due to sex issues.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and provide a communication service providing method capable of dynamically selecting and changing a terminal, an application, and a network as communication resources for realizing a communication service.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a communication terminal, an application, and an application on a communication session established between a caller and a receiver via a network in which a session management server and a presence server are arranged. A communication service providing method for providing a predetermined communication service by combining communication resources of a network includes the following procedure.

  (1) At least one terminal including the caller's calling terminal logs on to the presence server and registers presence information, and at least one terminal including the receiver's called terminal logs on to the presence server and presence A procedure for registering information, a procedure for selecting communication resources for realizing a desired communication service for each of at least one of a terminal, an application, and a network in the calling terminal, and the calling terminal is selected. A procedure for transmitting a call request including a communication resource and a call destination to a session management server; a procedure for the session management server to acquire presence information of each terminal from a presence server; and Determining a called terminal based on the presence information received, and the session The management server transmits a call request including presence information of each terminal and the selected communication resource to the call receiving terminal, and selects a communication resource based on the call request at the call receiving terminal. A procedure, a procedure in which the called terminal notifies the selected communication resource to a session management server, and the session management server receives information on the selected communication resource from the calling terminal and the called terminal. A procedure for creating a session table, a procedure in which the session management server notifies each terminal of a caller and a receiver of communication resources to be used based on the registered contents of the session table, A receiver starts communication based on the notified communication resource.

  (2) In the calling terminal and the called terminal, each communication resource of the communication terminal, application, and network is selected in a predetermined order, and selection of other communication resources that cannot be combined with the selected communication resource is prohibited. It is characterized by.

  (3) In one terminal of a sender and a receiver that communicate with each other, a procedure for selecting a communication resource to be switched, a procedure for notifying the session management server of switching of the communication resource from the one terminal, A session management server includes a procedure for selecting a notification destination of communication resource switching based on a session table; and a procedure for the session management server to notify the selected notification destination terminal of switching of the communication resource, The communication resource is switched on one side of the sender and the receiver, and the communication resource is not switched on the other side.

  (4) In one terminal communicating with each other, a procedure for selecting a communication resource to be switched, a procedure for notifying the session management server of switching of the communication resource from the one terminal, and the session management server, A procedure for transmitting a communication resource switching notification to the other terminal in communication with each other; a procedure for determining a communication resource after switching based on the communication resource switching notification in the other terminal; and the other terminal. A procedure for notifying the determined communication resource to the session management server, a procedure for the session management server to register the switched communication resource notified from each of the one and the other terminals in a session table, and the session The procedure for the management server to select the communication resource switch notification destination based on the session table and Session management server, and a procedure for notifying the switching of the communication resource to the selected notification destination terminal, characterized by the callers and in one and the other recipients that communication resources are switched.

  (5) The present invention is characterized in that a terminal other than the calling terminal, the called terminal, and the communicating terminal can be selected as a communication resource.

  (6) When the application has a plurality of functions that can be divided, at least one of the terminal and the network can be selected or switched for each function.

According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.
According to the above feature (1), when a communication service is provided, communication resources (terminal, application, network) for realizing the communication service can be freely combined, so the degree of freedom is high and mobility is achieved. It is possible to provide an optimal communication service that is excellent in performance and suitable for the capabilities of the communication partner.

  According to the feature (2) described above, when selecting communication resources for terminals, applications, and networks, selection of communication resources that cannot be combined is prohibited, so that erroneous resource selection can be prevented in advance.

  According to the above feature (3), the communication resource (terminal, application, network) for realizing the communication service can be freely switched even while the communication service is being executed. It will be possible to provide communication services that are highly adaptable to changing circumstances. Furthermore, regarding resource switching that does not affect the communication resource of the other party, it becomes possible to perform resource switching without notifying the other party of the switching of the communication resource.

  According to the above feature (4), the communication resource (terminal, application, network) for realizing the communication service can be freely switched even during the execution of the communication service. It will be possible to provide communication services that are highly adaptable to changing circumstances. Furthermore, regarding resource switching that affects the communication resource of the other party, the communication resource switching is also notified to the other party, so that resource switching can be performed reliably.

  According to the feature (5) described above, since a terminal other than the calling terminal, the called terminal, and the communicating terminal can be used as a communication resource, the communication has a high degree of freedom and is excellent in mobility and adaptability to changes in circumstances. Service can be provided.

  According to the feature (6) described above, when the application includes a plurality of functions that can be divided such that the application of the videophone includes a voice communication function and an image communication function, different communication resources (terminals) are used for each function. And network), it is possible to provide an optimal communication service with a higher degree of freedom, excellent adaptability to mobility and changes in the situation, and suitable for the capabilities of the communication partner.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a network configuration of a communication service providing system according to the present invention. The server group 1 provides various communication services, a plurality of office networks or home networks 2 (2a, 2b), and a mobile phone. Telephone base stations 3 are connected to each other via a wide area network 4 such as the Internet.

  A presence server 13 and a session management server 14 are connected to the server group 1 via a router 11 and a hub 12. In the office / home network 2a of the user A, a personal computer (PC) 23a, a DHCP server 24a, and a wireless access point (AP) 25a as user terminals are connected to a UPnP router 21a having a NAT function and a FW function. Connected through. A VoIP application and a videophone application are mounted on the PC 23a, and a USB camera 26a and a headset 27a are connected thereto. The AP 25a accommodates a PDA 28a as a user terminal having a wireless LAN function. The user A of the office / home network 2a further has a mobile phone 29a as a user terminal.

  Similarly, the office / home network 2b of the user B includes a UPnP compatible router 21b, a hub 22b, a PC 23b, a DHCP server 24b, and an AP 25b, and a USB camera 26b and a headset 27b are connected to the PC 23b. The AP 25b accommodates a PDA 28b having a wireless LAN function. User B of the office / home network 2b further owns a mobile phone 29b.

  The presence server 13 has a presence function for managing the status of each user and terminal as presence and notifying those data in real time. The presence function is a function for immediately notifying another user of a change in the state of the user, and immediately notifying another terminal of the same user of the change in the state of the user terminal.

  The session management server 14 has a session management function for relaying requests and responses, and uses the SIP MESSAGE method to control connection processing to a communication partner, negotiation during application switching, and terminal switching. The UPnP-compatible NAT device 21 has a function for supporting device detection by UPnP, a function for supporting port mapping requests from devices in the LAN, and a function for notifying the WAN-side IP address to the devices in the LAN.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of each user terminal. The controller 101 executes a “logon / logoff function” for logging on to and logging off from the presence server 13, a “call connection function” for attempting to connect to a user logged on to the presence server 13 with a predetermined application and terminal, "Application switching function" for switching the application currently running, "Terminal switching function" for switching the running terminal, "Status display function" for displaying information on the user and the terminal and the link interface currently used, and logon to the presence server 13 "Buddy list display function" that displays users who are logged in or logged off, icon file and terminal name used for status display function, ID and password used to log on to presence server 13 It is equipped with various features such as a "user profile settings function".

  The network manager 102 detects the change of the IP address and the link interface, and notifies the service manager 103 of the “IP address / link interface monitoring function”. According to the instruction of the service manager 103, the link interface is changed to IEEE802.11b106 and EV- Various functions such as “link interface switching function” for switching to DO (Evolution Data Optimized) 107 and “NAT device control function” for controlling NAT devices that support UPnP using UPnP messages. Yes.

  The service manager 103 reads the setting file held by the “client function” and application for controlling the presence server 13 such as logon / logoff, user management and presence subscription request / unsubscription, and the application according to the setting. “Application control function” for starting / stopping the network, “network manager control function” for making a request to the network manager 102 in response to a user instruction by the controller 101, a request by setting the application, and the MESSAGE method of IP Are provided with various functions such as a “session management server client function” for communicating with the session management server 14.

  The TV phone application 104 captures audio through a microphone interface, and receives a packet transmitted from the other party by RTP, a voice input / transmission function for transmitting to the other party by RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), and sends it to the speaker. Audio output / reception function to output, image input / transmission function to capture images via USB camera and send to the other party by RTP, and image output to receive packets sent from the other party by RTP and output them on the screen A reception function and various functions such as a service manager interface function for making a request to the service manager 103 and a response to the request from the service manager 103 are provided.

  The VoIP application 105 captures voice through a microphone interface and transmits a voice input / transmission function transmitted to the other party via RTP, a voice output / reception function that receives a packet transmitted from the other party via RTP, and outputs the packet to a speaker. And various functions such as a service manager interface function for responding to a request to the service manager 103 and a response to the request from the service manager 103.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where the user A calls the user terminal B1 of the user B from his / her PDA 28a (user terminal A1) and starts communication.

  In this embodiment, as will be described in detail below, users A and B that communicate with each other communicate with a communication terminal (PC 23, PDA 28, mobile phone 29 ...), application (videophone, VoIP ...), and network as communication resources. (IEEE802.11b, EV-DO...) Can be arbitrarily selected under predetermined conditions to start communication, and can be arbitrarily switched during communication. It is necessary to perform “terminal logon” in advance. By this “terminal logon”, the user terminal can share the presence information of each terminal with other user terminals of the user terminal.

  Further, regarding the caller terminal (A1) on the caller side and the callee terminal (B1) on the callee side, in addition to the “terminal logon”, “user logon” is previously performed on the presence server 13. There is a need. With this “user logon”, the calling terminal (A1) and the called terminal (B1) can share the presence information of each terminal.

  FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of terminal logon executed when the controller 101 is activated in one terminal of each user. Here, the terminal is online (terminal logged on), etc. Presence registration processing for notifying the other terminals of the presence information including “” is performed.

  In step S1, when the controller 101 of the PDA 8a is activated, processing such as initialization of the controller 101 and initialization of the service manager 103 is started. In step S2, a currently valid IP address is acquired. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the acquired IP address is a local address. In this embodiment, if the network part of the IP address is in the private address range, it is determined as a local IP address. If this determination is false, the determination is made based on whether or not there is a UPnP-compatible router on the network.

  In step S4, when the determination result in step S3 is a local address, a WAN-side IP address acquisition request is transmitted from the service manager 103 to the network manager 102. In step S5, in response to this acquisition request, a UPnP message is transmitted from the network manager 102 to the NAT function of the UPnP-compatible router 21. The NAT function returns the WAN side IP address in response to the UPnP message.

  In step S <b> 6, a terminal logon request is transmitted from the service manager 103 to the presence server 13. The presence server 13 processes the request and updates the presence information of the corresponding terminal. In step S7, presence information related to the other user terminal that has already logged on to the terminal is transmitted from the presence server to the user terminal. In step S8, the logon presence update notification is notified to the other terminals (23a, 29a) of the user A, and the other terminals are informed that the PDA 28a is online.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the connection / status screen displayed on the PDA 28a. The user icon E1, the user ID dialog box E2, the terminal icon E3, the terminal name dialog box E4, and the status dialog box E5 are shown. A link interface name dialog box E6, a logon / logoff button E7, an application selection button E21, a terminal selection button E22, a connection button E11, a switching button E12, a disconnect button E13, and a guide area E14 are set.

  The application selection button E21 and the terminal selection button E22 are exclusively turned on. As shown in FIG. 11, if the application selection button E21 is pressed, the application icon list E9 and the terminal icon list E10 are displayed below the application selection button E21. They are displayed side by side in order. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, if the terminal selection button E22 is pressed, the terminal icon list E10 and the application icon list E9 are displayed vertically below in that order.

  In the status dialog box E5, any one of “logon processing”, “logoff processing”, “offline”, “online”, “[current application name]”, and “switching operation” is displayed as the user status. Is displayed. In the link interface dialog box E6, for example, “IEEE802.11b” or “EV-DO” is displayed as the name of the link interface being used. In the logon / logoff button E7, a blue signal is lit during logon, and a red signal is lit during logoff.

  In the application icon list E9, the icon of the selected application is displayed in color, and the other icons are displayed with low luminance. In the terminal icon list E10, only icons of terminals that can be used in the selected application are displayed, and icons of terminals that cannot be used are not displayed. Similarly, in this terminal icon list E10, the icon of the selected terminal is displayed in color, and the icons of the other terminals are displayed with low luminance.

  As shown in FIG. 12, if the terminal selection button E22 is pressed, the icons of all terminals that are currently logged on to the terminal are displayed in the terminal icon list E10, and are selected in the application icon list E9. The icons of the applications that can be used on the terminal being displayed are displayed in color, and the icons of the other applications are displayed with low brightness.

  In the present embodiment, when the selected application has a plurality of functions that can be divided, such as video communication and audio communication, such as a videophone, a separate terminal can be assigned to each function. . In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, if each function icon (image icon K1 and audio icon K2) is dragged and dropped onto the icon of each terminal, different functions can be assigned to each terminal. In the present embodiment, the image display function is assigned by dragging and dropping the image icon K1 to “PC of study”, and the voice call function is assigned by dragging and dropping the audio icon K2 to “PDA”.

  An error message is displayed in the guide area E14. In the present embodiment, error messages such as “failed to log in to the presence server” and “failed to connect to *** (user name)” are prepared.

  FIG. 4 shows the presence information of each terminal registered in the presence server 13 in the caller terminal A1 on the caller side and the callee terminal B1 on the callee side. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a user logon control procedure for sharing user logon information). Here, a case where the number of terminals that can perform user logon is limited to one for each user will be described as an example.

  In step S21, when the logon button E7 is pressed on the connection / status screen, a user logon is requested from the logon / logoff function unit of the controller 101 to the service manager 103 in step S22. In step S23, the service manager 103 logs on the user to the presence server 13, and the service manager 103 subscribes to the user logon presence. Further, the user logon presence is acquired by the service manager 103, and its own information (IM address, online / offline flag, logon terminal address IP) is searched. At this time, if there is no information of its own, new information is added. In step S24, presence data is updated, and the presence update is notified to other users who subscribe to the logon presence. In step S25, the acquired information is set in the GUI and reflected on the connection / status screen and the buddy list screen.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure of a calling phase in which a call is made from the sender side to the receiver side. Here, the case where the user A calls the user B from the terminal A1 whose user is already logged on is shown. Will be described as an example.

  In step S31, the communication resource of the terminal, the application, and the network is selected by the user A on the connection / status screen of the calling terminal A1 according to a desired communication service. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, “study PC” and “PDA” are prepared as user terminals, “TV phone” and “VoIP” are prepared as applications, and “network” is provided as “network”. IEEE802.11b "and" EV-DO "are available. When each communication resource is sequentially selected by the user A, the selection result is reflected on the connection / status screen in step S32.

  In step S33, the calling party is designated by the user A. In step S34, the selection result is reflected on the screen. Here, the description has been made assuming that the calling party is specified after selecting the communication resource, but conversely, the communication resource may be selected after specifying the calling party.

  In step S35, when the connection button E11 is pressed on the connection / status screen by the user A, a call is made to the session management server 14 in step S36. Information notified at this time is (1) session information, (2) application information, and (3) resource information.

  The (1) session information includes the calling user's SIP URI, the calling user's tag, and the called user's SIP URI. The (2) application information includes information regarding the calling user's application vendor name, the calling user's application name, and the calling user's application execution. The (3) resource information includes a SIP URI for each function ID of the calling user and an IP address for each function ID of the calling user.

  The “SIP URI for each function ID of the calling user” means that a SIP URI can be attached to each function when the application includes two functions that can be divided, such as video communication and voice communication, such as a video phone. I mean. Similarly, “IP address for each function ID of the calling user” means that two IP addresses can be assigned different IP addresses. Thus, by setting the SIP URI and IP address for each function of the application, it becomes possible to select a communication resource for each function.

  In step S <b> 37, the session management server 14 acquires presence information regarding the user B from the presence server 13. In step S38, the terminal B1 that has been logged on by the user among the terminals of the user B is selected as the called terminal based on the acquired presence information.

  In step S39, the session management server 14 makes a call to the selected called terminal B1. Information notified to the terminal B1 at this time includes (1) session information (SIP URI of the calling user, tag of the calling user, SIP URI of the called user), (2) application information (application of the calling user) Vendor name, calling user application name, calling user application execution information) and (3) resource information (IP address for each calling user's function ID), and the SIP URI of the terminal used by user A is Not notified.

  In step S40, the session management server 14 provisionally creates a session table based on the information received from the terminal A1. The session table temporarily created here includes (1) session information (SIP URI of the calling user, tag of the calling user, SIP URI of the calling user) and (2) resource information (function ID of the calling user). SIP URI for each, IP address for each function ID of the calling user) is registered.

  In step S41, a response screen to the connection request is displayed on the user terminal B1. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the “response to connection request” screen displayed on the incoming call terminal B1 of the user B. For the service being executed, the type of service and the terminal being used are displayed. Furthermore, a connection request service icon E15, an available terminal icon E16, a connection button E17, a cancel button E18, and the like are displayed. In this embodiment, since the VoIP icon is displayed on the connection request service icon E15, it can be seen that the caller is requesting a VoIP call.

  Returning to FIG. 5, in step S42, the communication resource for executing the VoIP is selected by the user B on the response screen. In step S43, when the connection button E17 is pressed on the response screen by the user B, in step S44, the determined information is transmitted to the session management server 14 by a resource determination notification. Information sent here includes (1) session information (SIP URI of the calling user, tag of the calling user, SIP URI of the called user, tag of the called user), (2) application information (application vendor name) , Application name, information related to application execution) and (3) resource information (the SIP URI of the user terminal used for each function ID of the called user and the IP address of the user terminal used for each function ID of the called user) It is.

  In step S45, the session management server 14 creates a session table based on the resource determination notification received from the terminal B1. This session table includes (1) session information (calling user / calling user SIP URI, calling user / calling user tag), and (2) application information (application vendor name, application name, application execution Information), (3) resource information (SIP URI for each function ID of the calling user / calling user, IP address for each function ID of the calling user / calling user), and (4) binding information (calling user / Information that binds the SIP URI for each function ID of the called user and the IP address for each function ID) is registered.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of the communication resource notification phase that is activated following the call phase. In step S52, the communication resource notified to each user terminal by the session management server 14 is displayed in the session table. To be determined. In step S53, a communication resource notification is transmitted to the user terminal A1.

  Information transmitted to the user terminal A1 by this communication resource notification includes (1) session information (SIP URI of the calling user, tag of the calling user, SIP URI of the called user, tag of the called user), (2 ) Application information (application vendor name, application name, information related to application execution), and (3) resource information (SIP URI for each calling user function ID, IP address for each calling user function ID, called user's ID) IP address for each function ID). In step S54, predetermined processing is executed in each terminal. In step S55, after the processing is completed, a communication resource setting completion notification is performed by the user terminal A1.

  In step S56, a communication resource notification is transmitted to the user terminal B1. At this time, the information transmitted to the user terminal B1 is (1) session information (SIP URI of the calling user, tag of the calling user, SIP URI of the called user, tag of the called user) as in step S53. , (2) Application information (application developer, application name, application execution information), (3) Resource information (IP address for each calling user function ID, SIP URI for each calling user function ID, incoming call IP address for each user function ID). In step S57, a predetermined process is executed on each terminal. In step S58, after the process is completed, the user terminal B1 notifies the communication resource setting completion.

In steps S59 to S64, the same processing as in steps S53 to S58 is repeated for each of the user terminals A2 and B2. In steps S65 to S70, the same processing as in steps S53 to S58 is repeated for each user terminal An, Bn. Each process of said step S59-S64 and step S65-S70 is performed in parallel with each process of corresponding step S53-S58.
Note that in each of the above-described steps (S53, S56...), The communication resource notification is targeted for transmission only to the terminal that is about to execute the selected communication service. The communication resource notification is not transmitted. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of a communication execution phase that is started following the communication resource notification phase. In steps S81, S83, and S85, each of user A from the session management server 14 that has received the communication resource setting completion notification is shown. A connection preparation completion notification is transmitted to terminals A1, A2, and An. Similarly, in steps S82, S84, and S86, a connection preparation completion notification is transmitted to each terminal B1, B2, and Bn of user B. The processes in steps S81 to S86 are performed in parallel. By executing the above procedure, the terminal involved in the service execution of each user determines that the communication preparation has been completed at all terminals.

  When the above procedure is completed, the session information of the communication resource selected by each user A and B is registered in the session management server 14, so that the users A and B select themselves based on this session information. It becomes possible to communicate with each other using the communication resources.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when starting a communication service, the user can freely combine communication resources (terminal, application, network) for realizing the communication service. It is possible to provide an optimal communication service that is high, excellent in mobility, and suitable for the capabilities of the communication partner.

  Next, a procedure for switching resources according to a change in a user's situation after starting communication using a desired communication resource as described above will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of a first switching sequence for executing resource switching without negotiation between users. In such a first switching sequence, for example, while the users A and B are transmitting and receiving audio and images by videophone using the PCs 23a and 23b, the user A sets the audio terminal to the PC 23a while keeping the image terminal as the PC 23a. This is executed when the resource switching in one user does not affect the other user, as in the case of switching from the mobile terminal 29a to the mobile terminal 29a.

  In step S91, the communication resource to be switched is selected by the user A. The terminals that can be selected here are not limited to the terminals being used, and any terminal that is logged on to the presence server can be selected. In step S92, the screen of the terminal A1 is switched according to the operation. When the “switch” button E12 on the controller-connection / status screen is pressed in step S93, a switch notification is transmitted from the user terminal A1 to the session management server 14 in step S94. By this switching notification, (1) session information (calling user's SIP URI, calling user's tag, called user's SIP URI, called user's tag), (2) application information (application vendor name, application name) , Information related to application execution), and resource information (function switching ID, SIP URI of the user terminal after switching, IP address of the user terminal after switching).

  In step S95, the session management server 14 searches the communication resource notification destination. In step S96, a communication resource notification is transmitted to each terminal related to the service in the same manner as described above. In step S97, a connection preparation completion notification is transmitted to each related terminal in the same manner as described above. In step S98, the session table is updated.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram of a second switching sequence for performing resource switching after negotiation between users. In such a second switching sequence, for example, while user A and B are talking using mobile phones 29a and 29b, user A switches the application to a video phone, so user B also has a new image terminal. It is executed when resource switching in one user affects the other user, as in the case where the user has to make a selection.

  In step S101, when the user A selects a terminal and / or application after switching on the connection / status screen, in step S102, the screen display is switched in the terminal A1. When the connection / status screen switching button E12 is pressed in step S103, a switching notification is transmitted from the user terminal A1 to the session management server 14 in step S104. The information transmitted by this switching notification includes (1) session information (calling user's SIP URI, calling user's tag, called user's SIP URI, called user's tag), and (2) application information (application Vendor name, application name, application execution information) and resource information (function ID to be switched, SIP URI of calling terminal after switching, IP address of calling terminal after switching).

  In step S105, a switching notification is transmitted from the session management server 14 to the user terminal B1. The information to be notified is the same as the information notified in step S104, except for the SIP URI of the calling terminal after switching. In step S106, provisional addition to the session table is performed. In step S107, a “response to switching request” screen is displayed on terminal B1.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a “response to switching request” screen. An icon indicating a service being executed, an icon indicating a terminal being used, and an icon indicating a service desired by a communication partner And an icon of a terminal that can be used by the user B is displayed.

  In step S108, a resource (terminal) is selected by the user B, and when a switching button on the switching request screen is pressed in step S109, a resource determination notification is transmitted from the terminal B1 to the session management server 14 in step S110. Is done. In step S111, session information is added to the session table.

  In step S112, a communication resource notification is transmitted to each related terminal in the same manner as described above. In step S113, a connection preparation completion notification is transmitted to each related terminal in the same manner as described above. In step S114, the session table is updated.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sequence of disconnection processing. When the disconnect button E13 is pressed on the connection / status screen of the terminal A1 in step S121, disconnection from the terminal A1 to the session management server 14 is performed in step S122. A message is sent. In steps S123, S125, S127, and S129, a disconnect message is transmitted from the session management server 14 to each terminal. In steps S124, S126, S128, and S130, a predetermined disconnection process is executed in the terminal that has received the disconnect message. In step S131, information regarding the disconnected session is deleted from the session management table.

  Next, an operation procedure when the mobile phone 29 is used as a user terminal will be described. When the communication service of the present invention is selected on the menu screen, the terminal logon process described with reference to FIG. 3 and the user logon process described with reference to FIG. 4 are continuously executed, and an example is shown in FIG. The initial screen D1 is displayed.

  On the initial screen D1, a user name “UserA” and status information “Online (online)” of the mobile phone are displayed. All online user names in the same group are registered in the online list 501, and when the triangle button 502 is pressed, a user name list display screen D2 is displayed. The application list 503 displays a list of icons of available applications. When the online list reacquisition button 509 is pressed, the online list is updated.

  When the user A selects a desired connection destination (UserB in this embodiment) from the online list and further presses (clicks) the connection button 504, an application selection screen D3 is displayed. On the application selection screen D3, the user name “UserB” of the selected connection destination and the IM address “UserB@xxx.jp” are displayed. Again, when the triangle button 505 is pressed, a list of all available applications is displayed. When the user A selects a desired application (VoIP in this embodiment) from the application list and further presses the selection button 506, a voice terminal selection screen D4 is displayed. Again, when the triangle button 507 is pressed, a list of all available voice terminal names is displayed.

  When user A selects a desired terminal (in this case, a mobile phone) from the voice terminal list and further presses select button 508, a processing screen D6 shown in FIG. 16 as an example is displayed, and a response from the server Wait in preparation for. If the selected application is not a VoIP but a videophone, the voice terminal selection screen D4 is shifted to the image terminal selection screen D5, and an image terminal (living room PC) is selected. After that, when connected to the user B, the communication screen D7 is displayed, and VoIP communication becomes possible.

  On the other hand, in the mobile phone of user B, when an incoming call from user A is detected, an incoming call screen D8 in FIG. 17 is displayed. User B can recognize the other party's user name “UserA” and service “VoIP” by referring to this incoming call screen D8. When the approval button 510 is pressed by the user B, the voice terminal selection screen D9 is displayed. When a voice terminal is selected from the voice terminal list by the user B on the voice terminal selection screen D9 and the selection button 511 is further pressed, a processing screen D11 is displayed and waits for a response from the server. If the application selected by the user A is not a VoIP but a videophone, the voice terminal selection screen D9 is shifted to the image terminal selection screen D10, and an image terminal (here, a living room PC) is further selected. After that, the process proceeds to the processing screen. Thereafter, when a response from the server is detected, the in-communication screen D21 in FIG. 21 is displayed, and VoIP communication becomes possible.

  Next, a procedure when user A switches the application to a video phone during VoIP communication will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the switching button 512 of the communication screen D7 is pressed by the user A, the application switching screen D12 is displayed. When an application is selected by the user A on the application switching screen D12 as described above and the selection button 513 is pressed, the voice terminal switching screen D13 is displayed. Further, when the voice terminal is selected by the user A on the voice terminal switching screen D13 in the same manner as described above and the selection button 514 is pressed, the image terminal selection screen D14 is displayed. Furthermore, when an image terminal (here, a living room PC) is selected by the user A on the image terminal selection screen D14 and the selection button 515 is pressed, a switching screen D15 in FIG. 19 is displayed, and a response from the server is displayed. Prepare and wait. When switching to the videophone is completed, a communication screen D16 is displayed.

  On the other hand, on the user B's mobile phone, a switching request screen D17 is displayed in response to the switching request by the user A, as shown in FIG. When the consent button 516 is pressed on the switching request screen D17, a voice terminal selection screen D18 is displayed. User B can recognize from the display of “VoIP → TVPone” at the top of the screen that the request is for switching from VoIP communication to videophone.

  When the voice terminal is selected by the user B on the voice terminal selection screen D18 and the selection button 517 is pressed, the image terminal switching screen D19 is displayed. Further, when an image terminal is selected on the image terminal switching screen D19 and the selection button 518 is pressed, a switching screen D20 is displayed, and the apparatus waits for a response from the server. When a response from the server is detected, the in-communication screen D22 in FIG. 22 is displayed and a videophone call is enabled.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication resource (terminal, application, network) for realizing the communication service can be freely switched even during execution of the communication service. Communication services with excellent adaptability to mobility and changing circumstances will be provided.

  Next, another scenario to which the present invention is applied will be described separately at the start and after the start of the communication service.

[Service start scenario]
Case A: A voice call is requested and a service is started by voice call.
(a-1): User A makes a call from a mobile phone, and user B starts a voice call at the terminal that has received the call. User A uses the calling terminal and user B uses the receiving terminal as it is as a service execution terminal. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), a desired service (voice call), and a service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a) from the mobile phone 29a and presses a call button.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a voice call.
Procedure 3: User B presses the call button, selects the desired terminal 29b, and then presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: A voice call is started between the mobile phone 29a of user A and the mobile phone 29b of user B.

(a-2): User A makes a call from a mobile phone, and user B starts a voice call on a terminal other than the terminal that has received the call. User A uses a calling terminal, and user B uses a terminal different from the receiving terminal as a service execution terminal. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), a desired service (voice call), and a service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a) from the mobile phone 29a and presses a call button.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a voice call.
Procedure 3: User B presses the call button, selects the desired service execution terminal (PC 23b), and then presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: A voice call is started between the mobile phone 29a of the user A and the PC 23b of the user B.

(a-3): User A makes a call from a mobile phone and makes a voice call with user B using a terminal other than the mobile phone. User B starts a voice call at the terminal that received the call. User A uses a service execution terminal different from the calling terminal, and user B uses the receiving terminal as a service execution terminal. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), a desired service (voice call), and a service execution terminal (PC 23a) from the mobile phone 29a, and presses a call button.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a voice call.
Procedure 3: User B presses the call button, selects the desired service execution terminal (mobile phone 29b), and presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: A voice call is started between the user A's PC 23a and the user B's mobile phone 29b.

(a-4): User A originates from a mobile phone, makes a voice call with user B using a terminal other than the mobile phone, and user B starts a voice call with a terminal other than the terminal that has received the call. User A uses a terminal different from the calling terminal and user B uses a terminal different from the receiving terminal as a service execution terminal. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), a desired service (voice call), and a service execution terminal (PC 23a) from the mobile phone 29a and presses a call button.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a voice call.
Procedure 3: User B presses the call button, selects the desired service execution terminal (PC 23b), and then presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: A voice call is started between the user A's PC 23a and the user B's PC 23b.

Case B: A user who wants a videophone and starts a service by videophone Compared to Case A above, the difference when the application at the start is a videophone is that multiple terminals may be used. It is a point.
(b-1): User A makes a call from a mobile phone, and a videophone call is started between user A and user B. User A uses a mobile phone as a voice communication service execution terminal and uses a PC as an image communication service execution terminal. Similarly, user B uses a mobile phone as a voice communication service execution terminal and uses a PC as an image communication service execution terminal. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), desired service (videophone), and service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a for voice communication, PC 23a for image communication) from the mobile phone 29a, and presses the call button. To do.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a videophone.
Procedure 3: User B presses the call button, selects a desired terminal (cell phone 29b for voice communication, PC 23b for image communication) for each function, and presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: User A and user B start a videophone call.

Case C: A case where a user wishes to make a videophone call and starts a service by voice call. Even if the calling user wishes to make a videophone call, the called user is not necessarily capable of making a videophone call. It is desirable that the voice call can be started as it is when the videophone call cannot be executed due to the terminal performance or the request of the receiving user.
(c-1): User A who desires a videophone calls from a mobile phone. However, user B cannot make a videophone call now, and makes a voice call. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), a desired service (videophone), and a service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a for voice communication, PC 23a for image communication) from the mobile phone 29a, and presses the call button. To do. Here, it is set in advance that a connection process is also performed for a voice call if the connection cannot be established with a videophone.
Procedure 2: The server group (session management server 14 and presence server 13) in the network determines that the videophone cannot be realized from the presence state of the user B, and processes the voice call as a desired call.
Procedure 3: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a voice call.
Procedure 4: User B presses the call button, selects the desired service execution terminal (cell phone 29b, PC 23b, etc.), and then presses the call button again.
Procedure 5: A voice call is started between user A and user B.

(c-2): User A who desires a videophone calls from a mobile phone. However, since user B refuses the videophone call and desires a voice call, the voice call is started. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A selects a communication partner (user B), desired service (videophone), and service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a for voice communication, PC 23a for image communication) from the mobile phone 29a, and presses the call button. To do. Here, it is set in advance that connection processing is also performed for a voice call if the connection cannot be established with a videophone.
Procedure 2: When the user B receives an incoming call with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires a videophone.
Procedure 3: User B selects a voice call, presses the call button, selects the desired service execution terminal (cellular phone 29b), and then presses the call button again.
Procedure 4: User A and user B start a voice call.

[Scenario when switching services]
A: Case of switching terminals or applications
(a-1): While performing a voice call between the mobile phone of user A and the mobile phone of user B, user A makes a request for switching from the mobile phone to the video phone. Here, it is assumed that both users A and B perform voice communication with a mobile phone and perform image communication with a PC. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A who is in a call selects desired service (videophone) after switching and a service execution terminal (mobile phone 29a for voice communication, PC 23a for image communication) from the mobile phone 29a, and presses the switch button. .
Procedure 2: When the user B receives the switching request with the mobile phone 29b, it is displayed on the screen that the user A desires the videophone.
Procedure 3: User B presses the switch button, selects the desired service execution terminal (cellular phone 29b for voice communication, PC 23b for image communication), and then presses the switch button again.
Procedure 4: User A and user B switch voice calls to videophones.

B: Network switching case
(b-1): User A (PDA 28a or mobile phone with a wireless LAN function) is carrying out a voice call with user B's PC 23b. When user A returns home from the outside, the network automatically switches from the mobile network to the home wireless LAN and continues the call. The procedure for this scenario is as follows.
Procedure 1: User A is talking at a location (outdoors) where only the mobile phone can receive radio waves.
Procedure 2: When entering a home or office indoors, the terminal automatically detects that it is a wireless LAN area.
Procedure 3: The terminal automatically switches the network.

C: Remote session control by mobile phone
(c-1): User A is watching the video content distributed from the streaming server to the PC on the television in the living room. Continue to watch streaming as it is in the bedroom by operating from your mobile phone.
Procedure 1: User A selects a service execution terminal after switching (television TV in the bedroom for image communication and stereo in the bedroom for voice communication) on the screen of the mobile phone, and presses the switching button.
Procedure 2: The streaming server or home network proxy server receives the request from the user A and switches the delivery destination.
Procedure 3: User A moves to the bedroom.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, it has been described that the selection or switching of communication resources is performed manually based on the user's switch operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the situation. An optimal communication resource may be automatically selected.

  For example, when the user terminal includes Bluetooth as a communication resource related to the network, when the user terminal enters the communication effective range of Bluetooth, this may be detected and the network may be automatically switched to Bluetooth.

  Alternatively, if the user terminal is equipped with a GPS and the user terminal enters the home, it automatically switches to the home network, or if the user terminal enters the wireless LAN hotspot (registered trademark) area, the network It may be switched automatically.

  Furthermore, a communication resource to be selected by itself according to the communication service requested from the partner terminal is registered in the user terminal in advance, and the communication resource is determined according to the communication service requested by the partner at the time of incoming call or service switching. It may be automatically selected.

It is the block diagram which showed the network structure of the communication service provision system which concerns on this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the principal part of each user terminal. It is the sequence figure which showed the control procedure of terminal logon. It is the sequence diagram which showed the control procedure of user logon. It is the sequence diagram which showed the procedure of the calling phase. It is the sequence diagram which showed the procedure of the communication resource notification phase. It is a sequence diagram of a communication execution phase. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram of a first switching sequence. It is a sequence diagram of a 2nd switching sequence. It is the figure which showed the sequence of the cutting process. It is the figure which showed an example of the connection / status screen displayed on PDA. It is the figure which showed an example of the connection / status screen displayed on PDA. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a “response to connection request” screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a “response to switching request” screen. It is the figure (the 1) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone It is the figure (the 2) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone It is the figure (the 3) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone It is the figure (the 4) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone It is the figure (the 5) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone. It is the figure (the 6) which showed the transition of the display screen of a mobile telephone It is the figure which showed an example of the screen during communication (D21). It is the figure which showed an example of the screen during communication (D22).

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Server group, 2 (2a, 2b) ... Office network or home network, 3 ... Mobile phone base station, 4 ... Internet, 11 ... Router, 12 ... Hub, 13 ... Presence server, 14 ... Session management server, 21 ( 21a, 21b) UPnP compatible routers ..., 22 (22a, 22b) ... Hub, 23 (23a, 23b) ... Personal computer (PC), 24 (24a, 24b) ... DHCP server, 25 (25a, 25b) ... Wireless access Point (AP), 26 (26a, 26b) USB camera, 27 (27a, 27b) Headset, 29 (29a, 29b) Mobile phone

Claims (9)

A predetermined communication service is provided by combining communication resources of communication terminals, applications, and networks on a communication session established between a caller and a receiver via a network in which a session management server and a presence server are arranged. In the communication service providing method provided,
A procedure for at least one terminal including the caller's calling terminal to log on to the presence server and register presence information;
A procedure in which at least one terminal including the recipient's called terminal logs on to the presence server and registers presence information;
In the calling terminal, with respect to at least one of the terminal, the application, and the network, a procedure for selecting communication resources for realizing a desired communication service one by one;
A procedure in which the calling terminal transmits a call request including the selected communication resource and a call destination to a session management server;
A procedure for the session management server to obtain presence information of each terminal from a presence server;
The session management server determining a called terminal based on the acquired presence information;
A procedure in which the session management server transmits a call request including presence information of each terminal and the selected communication resource to the called terminal;
In the called terminal, a procedure for selecting a communication resource based on the call request;
A procedure in which the called terminal notifies the session management server of the selected communication resource;
A procedure in which the session management server receives information on the selected communication resource from the calling terminal and the called terminal and creates a session table;
The session management server, based on the registration contents of the session table, to notify each terminal of the sender and receiver of information on communication resources to be used,
A communication service providing method, wherein the sender and the receiver start communication based on the notified communication information.   In the calling terminal and the called terminal, the communication resources of the communication terminal, the application, and the network are selected in a predetermined order, and selection of other communication resources that cannot be combined with the selected communication resource is prohibited. The communication service providing method according to claim 1.   The method for providing a communication service according to claim 1, further comprising a step of selecting at least one of a terminal and a network for each function when the application has a plurality of functions that can be divided.    The communication service providing method according to claim 1, wherein a caller terminal other than the calling terminal is selected as a communication resource in a procedure of selecting a communication resource in the calling terminal.    The communication service providing method according to claim 1, wherein a recipient terminal other than the called terminal is selected as a communication resource in the procedure of selecting a communication resource in the called terminal. A procedure for selecting a communication resource to be switched in one terminal of a sender and a receiver that communicate with each other;
A procedure for notifying the session management server of switching of the communication resource from the one terminal;
The session management server selects a notification destination of communication resource switching based on a session table;
The session management server notifying the selected notification destination terminal of the switching of the communication resource,
6. The communication service providing method according to claim 1, wherein a communication resource is switched on one side of the sender and a receiver, and a communication resource is not switched on the other side. A procedure for selecting a communication resource to be switched in one terminal communicating with each other;
A procedure for notifying the session management server of switching of the communication resource from the one terminal;
The session management server transmits a communication resource switching notification to the other terminal in communication with each other;
In the other terminal, a procedure for determining a communication resource after switching based on the communication resource switching notification;
A procedure for notifying the determined communication resource from the other terminal to the session management server;
The session management server registers a communication resource after switching notified from each of the one and other terminals in a session table;
The session management server selects a notification destination of communication resource switching based on a session table;
The session management server notifying the selected notification destination terminal of the switching of the communication resource,
The communication service providing method according to claim 1, wherein communication resources are switched between one and the other of the sender and the receiver.   8. The communication service providing method according to claim 6, further comprising a procedure of switching at least one of a terminal and a network for each function when the application has a plurality of functions that can be divided.    The method of providing a communication service according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a terminal other than a terminal in communication is selected as a communication resource in the procedure of selecting the communication resource to be switched.

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