JP2012205095A - Communication terminal and content acquisition method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire content of a data size which corresponds to a communication method at the time of content acquisition.SOLUTION: A communication terminal 10 according to the present invention, which can communicate in multiple communication methods differing in transmission rate, comprises: a history storage unit 11 which stores therein communication method information, or information on communication methods, as a history concerning communication methods after correlating them to the time of day at which the communication method information was acquired; a communication method selection unit 12 which selects, based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11, a communication method whose transmission rate is the slowest among the communication methods which may be changed from one to another; and a communication unit 14 which transmits a content acquisition request in order to acquire content corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12 and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal and a content acquisition method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in mobile communication terminals that can communicate with a plurality of communication methods (RAT: Radio Access Technology) having different transmission speeds, a technique for acquiring content such as moving images from a server according to the communication method used is known. Yes. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, in a mobile phone that can be used by switching between a plurality of types of communication methods, information on the communication method currently used is written in a predetermined field of the HTTP request, and the HTTP request is stored in the content distribution server. The structure which transmits to is disclosed. Patent Document 1 below discloses a configuration in which a content distribution server reads out information on a communication method written in an HTTP request and transmits content having a data size corresponding to the communication method to a mobile phone. Yes.

JP 2008-182646 A

  However, since the available area differs depending on the communication method, there are the following problems. For example, when a mobile phone can communicate with LTE (Long Term Evolution) capable of transmitting data of up to 75 Mbps and 3G (3rd Generation) capable of transmitting data of up to 7.2 Mbps, the area where LTE can be used is Since it is narrow, there is a possibility that it will immediately move to an area where only 3G can be used. In such a case, the cellular phone disclosed in Patent Document 1 must acquire large-capacity content for LTE at 3G, which is slower than LTE, even if LTE information is written and an HTTP request is transmitted. There is.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal and a content acquisition method capable of acquiring content having a data size corresponding to a communication method at the time of content acquisition in order to solve such problems.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the communication terminal of the present invention is a communication terminal capable of communicating with a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds, and the communication method information is acquired from the communication method information that is information related to the communication method. Communication that selects the communication method with the slowest transmission speed from among the communication methods that can be switched based on the history stored in the history storage device and the history storage unit that stores the history related to the communication method in association with the specified time A method selection unit; and a communication unit that transmits a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request. And

  The content acquisition method of the present invention includes history storage means for storing information relating to a communication method as a history relating to the communication method in association with the time when the information is acquired, and communication capable of communication using a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds. A content acquisition method in a terminal, a communication method selection step for selecting a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that may be switched based on the history stored in the history storage means, and a communication method selection step And a transmission step for transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to the communication method selected in step (b), and an acquisition step for acquiring content corresponding to the content acquisition request.

  According to the present invention, a communication method with the slowest transmission speed is selected from among communication methods that can be switched, and a content acquisition request for acquiring content according to the selected communication method is transmitted. The content corresponding to the communication method can be acquired. Therefore, for example, when located near the area boundary of the communication method, it is possible to make a content request according to the communication method with the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods that may be switched. For this reason, according to the present invention, even if the communication method is switched to a communication method having a low transmission speed at the time of content acquisition, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition can be acquired.

  Further, the communication terminal of the present invention further comprises a visiting area discriminating means for discriminating which area of the plurality of communication systems is supported, and the communication means is information for identifying the communication system at the start of communication. The communication method selection means receives the communication method identification information, the communication method selection means, the area determined by the located area determination means, the communication method identification information received by the communication means, and the history stored in the history storage means It is preferable to select a communication method based on this. According to this configuration, the communication method can be selected and switched based on the communication method capable of communicating in the area where the communication terminal is located, the communication method at the start of communication, and the communication method history. It is possible to determine a possible communication method with higher accuracy.

  In the communication terminal of the present invention, the communication method selection unit selects the communication method when the area determined by the area detection unit is an area where only one communication method can be used. The area determined by the determining means is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the communication method identified by the communication method identification information received by the communication means is the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods usable in the area. In the case of a communication method, the communication method with the slowest transmission speed is selected, the area determined by the area determination unit is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the communication method received by the communication unit is identified. If the communication method identified by the information is not the slowest transmission method among the communication methods available in the area, or when the communication means starts communication If it does not receive another information, it is preferable to select a communication scheme based on the history.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to select a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that can be used in the service area. For example, when only one communication method can be used in the area where the station is located, other communication methods cannot be used in that area. In such a case, by selecting an available communication method, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition. Even if multiple communication methods can be used in the service area, if the communication method with the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods available in the service area is set at the start of communication, this communication method is used. May also be used during content acquisition. In such a case, by selecting a communication method set at the start of communication, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition.

  Further, in the communication terminal of the present invention, the communication method selection means has the highest transmission rate among the switched communication methods when the communication method is switched in a predetermined time zone before the content acquisition request is made. It is preferable to select a slow communication method. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of the possibility of switching communication methods. For example, when the communication method is switched immediately before the content acquisition request is made, the communication terminal may be located near the boundary of the area where the currently set communication method can be used. For this reason, at the time of content acquisition, there is a possibility that the communication terminal has moved outside the area. In such a case, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition can be acquired by selecting a communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among communication methods that may be switched.

  Further, in the communication terminal of the present invention, the communication method selection means transmits the communication among the switched communication methods when the communication method has been switched more than a predetermined number of times in a predetermined time zone before making the content acquisition request. It is preferable to select the communication method with the slowest speed. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of the possibility of switching communication methods. Can be selected. For example, if communication system switching frequently occurs in a certain time zone before making a content acquisition request, it is considered that the setting of the communication system is unstable due to some factor. In such a case, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition can be acquired by selecting a communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among communication methods that may be switched.

  In the communication terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the communication method selection means selects the communication method having the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods set in the past in the time zone including the time when the content acquisition request is made. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to a communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of a network usage tendency in a time zone. For example, since there are many communication users in the evening or the like, even if LTE communication is possible, switching to 3G may occur when the capacity of the network is exceeded. When such a tendency is seen in the past same time zone, there is a possibility of switching to 3G in that time zone. In such a case, by transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to 3G, even if the communication method is switched to 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition is acquired. can do.

  The communication terminal of the present invention further includes position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal, the history storage means stores the position information in the history, and the communication method selection means includes: When making a content acquisition request, it is preferable to select a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods set in the past within a predetermined range including the current position. According to this configuration, a communication method corresponding to the current position of the communication terminal can be selected. For example, in the vicinity of a position where communication was performed in 3G in the past, there is a possibility of switching to 3G even if communication is possible in LTE. In such a case, by transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to 3G, even if the communication method is switched to 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition is acquired. can do.

  In the communication terminal of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of communication methods include LTE and 3G. LTE has a higher transmission speed than 3G, but the area where LTE can be used is narrower than the area where 3G can be used. Therefore, when there is a possibility that the communication method is switched to 3G when transmitting a content acquisition request in an area where LTE can be used, a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to 3G can be transmitted. Even if the communication terminal moves to an area where 3G can be used, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to the communication method at the time of acquisition.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to the communication method at the time of content acquisition.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the area of each communication system. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the log | history regarding a communication system. It is a figure which shows the communication system selected when LTE and 3G are available. It is a flowchart which shows the content delivery process of the communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication system selection process of the communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a communication terminal and a notification method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes a communication terminal 10, a base station 20, an exchange 30, and a distribution server 40.

  The communication terminal 10 is, for example, a mobile phone, and is a device having a communication function such as mobile communication that can communicate with a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds. As will be described later, the communication terminal 10 performs communication using a set communication method. Further, the communication terminal 10 selects a communication method that is predicted to be set at the time of content acquisition based on a log (history) related to the communication method, and RAT information (communication method identification) that can identify the communication method. Information) is added and a content acquisition request is made.

  The base station 20 is provided corresponding to each communication method, and performs communication with the communication terminal 10 according to the corresponding communication method. For example, the 3G base station 20a is used when 3G communication is performed with the communication terminal 10. The LTE base station 20b is used when performing communication with the communication terminal 10 by LTE. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes a plurality of 3G base stations 20a and LTE base stations 20b.

  The power range (cover area) of the antenna of each base station 20 is an area (geographic range) where the communication method corresponding to the base station 20 can be used. Further, it is known that the antenna coverage area (hereinafter referred to as “3G area”) of the 3G base station 20a is wider than the antenna coverage area (hereinafter referred to as “LTE area”) of the LTE base station 20b. . Note that the 3G base station 20a and the LTE base station 20b may share an antenna, or may be provided with an antenna, respectively.

  In the communication system 1, the 3G base station 20a is provided alone or together with the LTE base station 20b. On the other hand, the LTE base station 20b is provided together with the 3G base station 20a, but is not provided alone. As a result of installing the base station 20 in this way, the LTE area is included in the 3G area. Therefore, when the communication terminal 10 can use LTE, 3G can also be used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of each communication method area in the communication system 1. As shown in FIG. 2, there are, for example, an area A _3G and an area A _LTE as an area for each communication method. Area A _3G indicates a 3G area. Area A _LTE indicates an LTE area. Further, as described above, the area A _LTE is included in the area A _3G . That is, in Area A _LTE , not only LTE communication but also 3G communication is possible.

  The exchange 30 is an apparatus that is provided corresponding to each communication method and relays communication between the base station 20 and the distribution server 40. For example, the 3G switch 30a communicates with the 3G base station 20a, and the LTE switch 30b communicates with the LTE base station 20b. In the following description, the base station 20 and the exchange 30 may be collectively referred to as a network (mobile communication network) NW.

  The distribution server 40 stores contents such as images to be provided, WEB page data, and application programs in a database (not shown). The distribution server 40 stores content having data sizes corresponding to a plurality of communication methods for each content ID or content title for identifying content. The content corresponding to each communication method has a data size suitable for distribution at the transmission speed of each communication method. The distribution server 40 stores, for example, LTE content, 3G content, and the like for one content ID. Since LTE can transmit data at a maximum of 75 Mbps, the content for LTE is set to a large capacity. Since 3G can transmit data at a maximum of 7.2 Mbps, the content for 3G is set to a data size smaller than the content for LTE.

  The distribution server 40 receives a content acquisition request from the communication terminal 10 via the base station 20 and the exchange 30, and distributes content corresponding to the content acquisition request to the communication terminal 10. Specifically, when receiving the content acquisition request, the distribution server 40 reads the RAT information added to the content request. Then, the distribution server 40 determines, as a distribution target, content corresponding to the communication method indicated by the read RAT information from among a plurality of contents corresponding to the content ID (or content title) specified in the content acquisition request. . Next, the distribution server 40 reads the content determined as the distribution target from the database and distributes it to the communication terminal 10.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 10 physically includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 and ROM 103 (Read Only Memory), which are main storage devices, and an auxiliary device such as a hard disk device. A storage device 104, a communication module 105 that transmits / receives data to / from the base station 20 or the like using a set communication method, a GPS communication device 106 that receives a GPS signal and acquires a current position of the communication terminal 10, It is configured by hardware such as an input device 107 such as an input device that is an input device and a microphone, a display that is an output device, and an output device 108 such as a speaker.

  Each function of the communication terminal 10 to be described later is configured such that predetermined computer software is read on hardware such as the CPU 101 and the RAM 102 shown in FIG. 3, and the communication module 105, the GPS communication device 106, and the input are controlled under the control of the CPU 101. This is realized by operating the device 107, the output device 108, and the like, and reading and writing data in the RAM 102 and the auxiliary storage device 104.

  Subsequently, each function of the communication terminal 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication terminal 10. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication terminal 10 includes a history storage unit 11, a communication method selection unit 12, an acquisition request generation unit 13, and a communication unit 14. Note that the communication terminal 10 may further include a position information acquisition unit 15 when performing a later-described fourth communication method selection process. When performing a later-described fifth communication method selection process, the communication terminal 10 Further, it may be provided.

  The history storage unit 11 functions as a history storage unit that stores communication method information, which is information related to a communication method, in association with a time when the communication method information is acquired as a history related to the communication method. The history storage unit 11 associates at least RAT information, which is information capable of identifying the communication method set in the communication terminal 10, and time information indicating the time when the RAT information is acquired, and the history related to the communication method. Remember as. The history storage unit 11 may further store status information indicating the state of the communication terminal 10, position information indicating the position of the communication terminal 10, and the like in association with each other.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a history relating to a communication method. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the history storage unit 11 stores “time”, “state”, “RAT (bearer)”, and “position” in association with each other as a history relating to a communication method. The data stored in “Time” is time information indicating the time when this information is acquired. For example, the data “2011 0203 143000” indicates 14:30 on February 3, 2011. The data stored in the “state” is status information indicating the state of the communication terminal 10. In this “state”, for example, “standby” indicating that the communication terminal 10 is in a standby state, “communication” indicating that the communication terminal 10 is communicating, and the like are stored.

  The data stored in “RAT (bearer)” is RAT information that is information that can identify the communication method. The “RAT (bearer)” indicates, for example, “3G” indicating that the communication method set by the communication terminal 10 is 3G, and indicates that the communication method set by the communication terminal 10 is LTE. “LTE”, “GSM” indicating that the communication method set by the communication terminal 10 is GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), and the like are stored. The data stored in the “position” is position information for specifying the position of the communication terminal 10, for example, information indicating latitude and longitude.

  For example, the history storage unit 11 is configured to perform communication when the communication method set during standby of the communication terminal 10 is switched, when the communication method set during communication of the communication terminal 10 is switched, When the terminal 10 starts communication, when the communication terminal 10 ends communication, when the state of the communication terminal 10 (standby, communication) changes, when the communication terminal 10 acquires position information, etc. Information is acquired and stored as a history related to the communication method.

  The communication method selection unit 12 functions as a communication method selection unit that selects a communication method based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11. That is, the communication method selection unit 12 predicts the communication method set at the time of content acquisition in response to the content acquisition request based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11, and selects the predicted communication method. The communication method selection process performed by the communication method selection unit 12 will be described later.

  The acquisition request generation unit 13 functions as an acquisition request generation unit that adds RAT information that identifies the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12 and generates a content acquisition request. The acquisition request generation unit 13 generates a content acquisition request to which RAT information is added by writing RAT information in a field defined in advance in a header of a content acquisition request such as an HTTP request, for example.

  The communication unit 14 functions as a communication unit that transmits a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12 and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request. Specifically, the communication unit 14 functions as a communication unit that transmits the content acquisition request generated by the acquisition request generation unit 13 and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request. The communication unit 14 transmits a content acquisition request to the distribution server 40 via the base station 20 and the exchange 30. When the distribution server 40 receives the content acquisition request, the content corresponding to the RAT information added to the content acquisition request is distributed and acquired by the communication unit 14.

  The communication unit 14 is set with any one of a plurality of communication methods supported by the communication terminal 10, and performs standby and communication based on the set communication method. For example, when the communication terminal 10 starts communication, the communication unit 14 moves from the network NW side when the communication terminal 10 moves from an area where the currently set communication method can be used to an area where it cannot be used. RAT information is received and changed to the communication method indicated by the RAT information. Note that the communication unit 14 may not receive RAT information from the network NW side at the start of communication.

  Therefore, the communication unit 14 transmits the content acquisition request using the communication method set when transmitting the content acquisition request. For this reason, the communication unit 14 may transmit the content acquisition request by a communication method different from the communication method identified by the RAT information added to the content acquisition request. Moreover, the communication part 14 acquires the content using the communication system set when acquiring a content. For this reason, the communication unit 14 may acquire content by a communication method different from the communication method identified by the RAT information added to the content acquisition request.

  Next, the 1st-5th communication system selection process performed by the communication system selection part 12 is demonstrated. The communication method selection unit 12 selects a communication method in any one of the first to fifth communication method selection processes.

(First communication method selection process)
The communication method selection unit 12 selects the communication method having the slowest transmission speed among the switched communication methods when the communication method is switched in a predetermined time zone before transmitting the content acquisition request. More specifically, the communication method selection unit 12 determines whether the RAT information is stored in the time zone (for example, 30 minutes) immediately before the content acquisition request is transmitted based on the history related to the communication method stored in the history storage unit 11. It is determined whether or not it has been changed. If the RAT information has been changed, the communication method with the slowest transmission speed is selected from the communication methods switched in that time zone. A time zone for determining whether or not the RAT information has been changed is set in advance in the communication method selection unit 12. This time zone can be any time.

  The first communication method selection process will be described using the history relating to the communication method of FIG. For example, when a content acquisition request is sent at 14:32:00 on February 3, 2011, the RAT information is changed from 3G to LTE between information <1> and information <2> in the last 30 minutes. Has been. In this case, the communication method set at the time of content acquisition request transmission is LTE, but the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G, which is the communication method with the lower transmission speed. On the other hand, when a content acquisition request is transmitted at 15:32:00 on February 3, 2011, the RAT information has not been changed in the last 30 minutes. Therefore, the communication method selection unit 12 selects LTE, which is a communication method set at the time of content acquisition request transmission.

(Second communication method selection process)
The communication method selection unit 12 selects the communication method with the slowest transmission speed among the switched communication methods when the communication method has been switched more than a predetermined number of times in a predetermined time zone before transmitting the content acquisition request. select. More specifically, the communication method selection unit 12 determines that the RAT information is stored in the time zone (for example, one hour) immediately before the content acquisition request is transmitted based on the history regarding the communication method stored in the history storage unit 11. Count the number of changes. Then, when the number of times the RAT information is changed is equal to or greater than the threshold value N, the communication method selection unit 12 selects the communication method having the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods switched in that time zone. Note that both the time zone for counting the number of times the RAT information has been changed and the threshold value N are preset in the communication method selection unit 12.

  The second communication method selection process will be described using the history related to the communication method in FIG. For example, the time zone for counting the number of times the RAT information is changed is 1 hour, and the threshold value N is 3 times. When a content acquisition request is transmitted at 15:02:30 on February 3, 2011, between information <1> and information <2>, between information <3> and information <4>, information <4 > And information <5>, the RAT information has been changed three times in total. In this case, although the communication method set at the time of transmitting the content acquisition request is LTE, the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G having the slowest transmission speed among the switched communication methods. On the other hand, when a content acquisition request is transmitted at 15:42:00 on February 3, 2011, the RAT information is changed only once between information <4> and information <5>. In this case, the communication method selection unit 12 selects LTE, which is a communication method set at the time of content acquisition request transmission.

(Third communication method selection process)
The communication method selection unit 12 selects the communication method having the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods set in the past in the time zone including the time when the content acquisition request is made. More specifically, the communication method selection unit 12 is based on the history related to the communication method stored in the history storage unit 11, and the past in a predetermined time zone including the time (hour minute second) at which the content acquisition request is transmitted. RAT information is extracted and its communication method is selected. Note that the predetermined time zone is set in advance in the communication method selection unit 12 as, for example, 15 minutes before and after the time when the content acquisition request is made. The communication method selection unit 12 may refer to all past histories in the same time period, or may refer to the history of a predetermined day. Moreover, it is good also as time same as the time which transmits a content acquisition request instead of the time slot | zone containing the time which transmits a content acquisition request. Which history is to be referred to is preset in the communication method selection unit 12.

  The third communication method selection process will be described using the history relating to the communication method of FIG. For example, suppose that it is set to refer to the history of the previous day. When a content acquisition request is transmitted at 18:00:00 on February 4, 2011, the communication method set at 18:00:00 on the previous day is 3G. In this case, even if the communication method set when the content acquisition request is transmitted is LTE, the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G.

(Fourth communication method selection process)
When making a content acquisition request, the communication method selection unit 12 selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods set in the past in a predetermined range including the current position of the communication terminal 10. In this case, the communication terminal 10 further includes a position information acquisition unit 15.

  The position information acquisition unit 15 functions as a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal 10. Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 15 acquires the position information of the communication terminal 10 via the GPS communication device 106. The location information acquisition unit 15 acquires location information of the communication terminal 10 at a constant cycle (for example, a cycle of 5 minutes) by the auto GPS function. Further, the position information acquisition unit 15 may acquire the position information of the communication terminal 10 when using a service using GPS information or when a user makes an inquiry about GPS information.

  When the position information is acquired by the position information acquisition unit 15, the history storage unit 11 described above stores the position information, the communication method set in the communication terminal 10 when the position information is acquired, and the position information. Communication method information including time information indicating the acquired time is stored as a history related to the communication method. The history storage unit 11 may further store the communication method information including the status information of the communication terminal 10 when the position information is acquired.

  The communication method selection unit 12 acquires position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal 10 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 15. The communication method selection unit 12 is set in the past in a predetermined range including the current position of the communication terminal 10 when transmitting the content acquisition request based on the history regarding the communication method stored in the history storage unit 11. The communication method used. And the communication system selection part 12 selects the communication system with the slowest transmission speed among the extracted communication systems.

  The predetermined range is, for example, a range having a radius of 500 m with the current position of the communication terminal 10 as the center. A plurality of sections may be defined in advance, and the section to which the communication terminal 10 belongs may be set as a predetermined range. The method for determining the predetermined range is set in the communication method selection unit 12 in advance. Note that the communication method selection unit 12 may extract a communication method set in the past at the same position as the current position of the communication terminal 10 and select the communication method having the slowest transmission speed. When a plurality of communication methods are extracted, the communication method selection unit 12 may select a communication method set at a position closest to the current position of the communication terminal 10. In addition, when a plurality of communication methods are extracted, the communication method selection unit 12 may select the most recently set communication method.

  The fourth communication method selection process will be described using the history related to the communication method in FIG. For example, it is assumed that the current position of the communication terminal 10 is 35.658704 degrees north latitude and 139.7745408 degrees east longitude. When transmitting a content acquisition request at 14:31:15 on February 3, 2011, the communication method selection unit 12 includes information <1> and information <2 having position information within a predetermined range including this position information. RAT information is extracted from>. In this case, although the communication method set at the time of transmitting the content acquisition request is LTE, the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G, which is the communication method with the slowest transmission speed, from the extracted RAT information.

(Fifth communication method selection process)
The communication method selection unit 12 selects a communication method based on a communication method that can be used at the current position of the communication terminal 10. In this case, the communication terminal 10 further includes a located area determination unit 16.

  The located area discriminating unit 16 functions as a located area discriminating unit that discriminates whether the communication terminal 10 is located in an area where any one of a plurality of communication methods can be used. For example, for each communication method, the located area determination unit 16 holds in advance an area map of the geographical range of the area where the communication method can be used. Then, the located area discriminating unit 16 discriminates which communication method is available in the area where the communication terminal 10 is located based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit 15 and the area map. .

  When the communication terminal 10 is located in an area where only one communication method among a plurality of communication methods supported by the communication terminal 10 can be used, the communication method selection unit 12 is configured as described above. The usable communication method is selected without performing the fourth communication method selection process.

  In addition, the communication method selection unit 12 is located in an area where the communication terminal 10 can use two or more of the communication methods supported by the communication terminal 10, and among the two or more communication methods at the start of communication. When RAT information of the communication method with the slowest transmission rate is notified, the communication method indicated by the notified RAT information is selected without performing the first to fourth communication method selection processes described above. On the other hand, the communication method selection unit 12 is located in an area where two or more of the communication methods supported by the communication terminal 10 can be used, and at the start of communication, of the two or more communication methods. When RAT information of a communication method other than the communication method with the slowest transmission rate is notified, or when RAT information is not notified at the start of communication, the first to fourth communication method selection processes described above are performed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a communication method selected by the fifth communication method selection process when the communication terminal 10 can use LTE and 3G. In FIG. 6, “standby state” indicates a communication method set in the standby state of the communication terminal 10. “Area in service area” indicates a communication method that can be used in an area in which the communication terminal 10 is present. For example, when “in-service area” is “3G only”, it indicates that the communication terminal 10 is in an area where only 3G can be used. When the “in-service area” is “LTE”, it indicates that the communication terminal 10 is in an area where LTE and 3G can be used.

  “RAT notified when communication starts” indicates RAT information notified from the network NW side when communication of the communication terminal 10 is started. “Selected communication method” indicates a communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12. When “selected communication method” is “by communication method selection process based on history”, this indicates that the communication method is selected based on the first to fourth communication method selection processes described above.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the area where the communication terminal 10 is located is an area where only 3G is available, 3G is selected. When the area where the communication terminal 10 is located is an area where LTE and 3G can be used (LTE area), the communication method selected according to the RAT information notified at the start of communication of the content acquisition request is different. When 3G RAT information is notified at the start of communication of a content acquisition request, 3G is selected. When the LTE RAT information is notified at the start of communication of the content acquisition request, or when the RAT information is not notified at the start of communication of the content acquisition request, the first to fourth communication method selection processes described above are performed. The communication method is selected based on the history related to the communication method.

  Next, content distribution processing in the communication system 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing content distribution processing of the communication system 1. This process is started when an operation for acquiring content is performed via the input device 107 in the communication terminal 10 (S01). Next, the communication method selection unit 12 of the communication terminal 10 selects a communication method to be added to the content acquisition request (S02, communication method selection step). Details of the communication method selection processing in S02 will be described later. Then, the acquisition request generation unit 13 of the communication terminal 10 generates a content acquisition request by writing RAT information indicating the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12 in S02, for example, in a predetermined field of the header. (S03, acquisition request generation step).

  Subsequently, the communication unit 14 of the communication terminal 10 transmits the content acquisition request generated by the acquisition request generation unit 13 in S03 (S04, transmission step). The communication unit 14 transmits a content acquisition request using the communication method set at the time of transmission. The content acquisition request transmitted by the communication unit 14 is transmitted to the distribution server 40 via the base station 20 and the exchange 30 corresponding to the communication method used by the communication unit 14.

  When the distribution server 40 receives the content acquisition request, the distribution server 40 reads the RAT information added to the content acquisition request. Then, the distribution server 40 reads, from the database, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method identified by the RAT information, among the content related to the content acquisition request (S05). Then, the distribution server 40 distributes the read content to the communication terminal 10 via the exchange 30 and the base station 20 (S06).

  The communication unit 14 acquires content using the communication method set at the time of content acquisition (S07, acquisition step). The communication terminal 10 displays the content acquired in S07 on a display (not shown) (S08).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a communication method selection process of the communication terminal 10. Here, a case where the communication terminal 10 can use LTE and 3G will be described. This process corresponds to the process of S02 in FIG.

  First, the position information acquisition unit 15 acquires position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal 10 via the GPS communication device 106. Next, the located area discriminating unit 16 discriminates which communication method is available in an area based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit 15 and the area map (S21). . When it is determined that only 3G is available (S21; 3G only), the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G as a communication method to be added to the content acquisition request (S22).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in the process of S21 that the mobile terminal is located in an area where LTE and 3G can be used (S21; LTE), the communication method selection unit 12 notifies the network NW at the start of communication of the content acquisition request. It is determined whether the received RAT information indicates 3G (S23). When the RAT information notified from the network NW at the start of communication indicates 3G (S23; Yes), the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G as a communication method to be added to the content acquisition request (S22). On the other hand, when the RAT information notified from the network NW at the start of communication indicates LTE (S23; No), the communication method selection unit 12 refers to the history related to the communication method stored in the history storage unit 11 ( S24).

  And the communication system selection part 12 performs any of the above-mentioned 1st-4th communication system selection process, and determines whether there is a possibility of switching to 3G (S25). When it is determined that there is a possibility of switching to 3G (S25; Yes), the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G as a communication method to be added to the content acquisition request (S22). On the other hand, if it is determined in S25 that there is no possibility of switching to 3G (S25; No), the communication method selection unit 12 selects LTE as a communication method to be added to the content acquisition request (S26). In addition, you may abbreviate | omit the process of S21 and S23.

  Next, the effect of the communication terminal 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated. In the communication terminal 10 capable of communicating with a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds, the history storage unit 11 stores communication method information that is information on the communication method in association with the time when the communication method information is acquired, Based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11, the communication method selection unit 12 selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among communication methods that may be switched. In addition, the communication unit 14 transmits a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit 12, and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request.

  As described above, the communication terminal 10 selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among communication methods that may be switched, and transmits a content acquisition request for acquiring content according to the selected communication method. Thus, the content corresponding to the selected communication method can be acquired. Therefore, for example, when located near the area boundary of the communication method, it is possible to make a content request according to the communication method with the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods that may be switched. Therefore, according to the present invention, even when switching to a communication method having a transmission speed slower than that at the time of content acquisition at the time of content acquisition, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to the communication method at the time of content acquisition.

  Further, in the communication terminal 10, the located area determination unit 16 may determine which area is in which of the plurality of communication methods. The communication unit 14 receives RAT information for identifying the communication method at the start of communication, and the communication method selection unit 12 receives the area determined by the located area determination unit 16 and the RAT information received by the communication unit 14. The communication method may be selected based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11. According to this configuration, the communication method can be selected based on the communication method capable of communication in the area where the communication terminal 10 is located, the communication method at the start of communication, and the communication method history. It is possible to more accurately determine a communication method that can be switched.

  Moreover, in the communication terminal 10, the communication method selection part 12 may select the said communication system, when the area discriminated by the located area discrimination | determination part 16 is an area which can use only any one communication system. In addition, the communication method selection unit 12 is an area in which the area determined by the located area determination unit 16 is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the RAT information received by the communication unit 14 can be used in the area. In the case of information identifying a communication method having the slowest transmission speed, the communication method having the slowest transmission speed may be selected. In addition, the communication method selection unit 12 is an area in which the area determined by the area determination unit 16 is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the communication method identified by the RAT information received by the communication unit 14 Based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11 when the communication method other than the slowest transmission method among the communication methods available in the area or when the communication unit 14 does not receive the RAT information at the start of communication. A communication method may be selected.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to select a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that can be used in the service area. For example, when only one communication method can be used in the area where the station is located, other communication methods cannot be used in that area. In such a case, by selecting an available communication method, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition. Even if multiple communication methods can be used in the service area, if the communication method with the slowest transmission speed among the communication methods available in the service area is set at the start of communication, this communication method is used. May also be used during content acquisition. In such a case, by selecting a communication method set at the start of communication, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition.

  Further, in the communication terminal 10, the communication method selection unit 12 has the slowest transmission rate among the switched communication methods when the communication method is switched in a predetermined time zone before the content acquisition request is made. A communication method may be selected. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of the possibility of switching communication methods. For example, when switching from 3G to LTE immediately before making a content acquisition request, the communication terminal 10 may be located near the boundary of the LTE area. For this reason, there is a possibility that the communication terminal 10 has moved outside the LTE area at the time of content acquisition. In such a case, it is determined that there is a possibility of switching to 3G, and even if the communication method is switched to 3G by selecting 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition is selected. Can be acquired.

  Further, in the communication terminal 10, the communication method selection unit 12 transmits the transmission speed among the switched communication methods when the communication method has been switched more than a predetermined number of times in a predetermined time zone before making the content acquisition request. The slowest communication method may be selected. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of the possibility of switching communication methods. For example, if switching between LTE and 3G frequently occurs in a certain time zone before making a content acquisition request, the setting of the communication method becomes unstable due to some factors, and switching to 3G is possible. It is thought that there is sex. In such a case, by selecting 3G, even if the communication method is switched to 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition can be acquired.

  Further, in the communication terminal 10, the communication method selection unit 12 may select a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods set in the past in a time zone including the time when the content acquisition request is made. According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to the communication method at the time of content acquisition in consideration of the usage tendency of the network NW at the time. For example, since there are many communication users in the evening or the like, even if communication is possible in LTE, switching to 3G may occur when the capacity of the network NW is exceeded. When such a tendency is seen in the past same time zone, there is a possibility of switching to 3G in that time zone. In such a case, by transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to 3G, even if the communication method is switched to 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition is acquired. can do.

  Moreover, in the communication terminal 10, the position information acquisition part 15 acquires the position information which shows the present position of a communication terminal. Then, the history storage unit 11 may store the history information including position information, and the communication method selection unit 12 is set in the past within a predetermined range including the current position when making a content acquisition request. The communication method having the slowest transmission speed may be selected from the communication methods. According to this configuration, a communication method corresponding to the current position of the communication terminal 10 can be selected. For example, in the vicinity of a position where communication was performed in 3G in the past, there is a possibility of switching to 3G even if communication is possible in LTE. In such a case, by transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to 3G, even if the communication method is switched to 3G, content having a data size corresponding to the communication method at the time of content acquisition is acquired. can do.

  In communication terminal 10, a plurality of communication methods may include LTE and 3G. LTE has a higher transmission rate than 3G, but the LTE area is narrower than the 3G area. For this reason, when there is a possibility that the communication method may be switched to 3G when transmitting a content acquisition request in the LTE area, a communication terminal can be obtained by transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content according to 3G. Even if 10 moves to an area where only 3G can be used, it is possible to acquire content having a data size according to the communication method at the time of content acquisition.

  The communication terminal and the content acquisition method according to the present invention are not limited to those described in this embodiment. The communication terminal and content acquisition method according to the present invention may be modified or applied to other communication terminals and content acquisition methods according to the embodiments without changing the gist described in each claim.

  For example, in the above embodiment, in the communication terminal 10, the communication method is selected based on the history stored in the history storage unit 11, but in any of the base station 20, the exchange 30, and the distribution server 40, Information relating to the communication method may be stored as a history relating to the communication method in association with the time when the information is acquired and the terminal ID for identifying the communication terminal 10, and the communication method may be selected based on the history.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, LTE and 3G were used as RAT information (communication system), However, It is not limited to this. For example, GSM, W-LAN (Wireless LAN), or the like can be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the communication terminal 10 is performing the selection process about two communication systems, LTE and 3G, you may perform the selection process about three or more communication systems. In this case, the communication method selection unit 12 selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that may be switched. For example, the selection process of LTE (high speed), 3G (medium speed), and GSM (low speed) will be described. When there is a possibility of switching to LTE and 3G, the communication method selection unit 12 selects 3G, and LTE and If there is a possibility of switching to GSM, select GSM. Further, the communication method selection unit 12 selects GSM when there is a possibility of switching to any of LTE, 3G, and GSM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Communication terminal, 11 ... History memory | storage part (history memory means), 12 ... Communication system selection part (communication system selection means), 14 ... Communication part (communication means), 15 ... Position information acquisition part (position information acquisition means) , 16 ... Visited area discriminating section (visited area discriminating means).

Claims (9)

A communication terminal capable of communicating with a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds,
History storage means for storing communication method information, which is information related to the communication method, as a history related to the communication method in association with the time when the communication method information was acquired;
Based on the history stored in the history storage unit, a communication method selection unit that selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that may be switched,
A communication unit that transmits a content acquisition request for acquiring content corresponding to the communication method selected by the communication method selection unit, and acquires content corresponding to the content acquisition request;
A communication terminal comprising: A visiting area determination means for determining which area is in an area corresponding to any of the plurality of communication methods,
The communication means receives communication method identification information that is information for identifying a communication method at the start of communication,
The communication method selection unit performs communication based on the area determined by the area detection unit, the communication method identification information received by the communication unit, and the history stored in the history storage unit. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a method is selected. The communication method selection means includes
If the area determined by the area detection means is an area where only one communication method is available, select the communication method,
The area determined by the located area determination unit is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the communication method identified by the communication method identification information received by the communication unit is a communication method usable in the area. For the communication method with the slowest transmission speed, select the communication method with the slowest transmission speed,
The area determined by the located area determination means is an area where a plurality of communication methods can be used, and the communication method identified by the communication method identification information received by the communication means can be used in the area. When a communication method other than the slowest transmission method is selected among the communication methods, or when the communication means does not receive the communication method identification information at the start of communication, the communication method is selected based on the history. The communication terminal according to claim 2.   The communication method selection means selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among the switched communication methods when the communication method is switched in a predetermined time zone before the content acquisition request is made. The communication terminal as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The communication method selection means selects the communication method having the slowest transmission speed from among the switched communication methods when the communication method has been switched more than a predetermined number of times in a predetermined time zone before the content acquisition request is made. The communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   4. The communication method selection unit selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods set in the past in a time zone including a time at which a content acquisition request is made. The communication terminal according to claim 1. Further comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating a current position of the communication terminal;
The history storage means stores the position information in the history including the position information,
The communication method selection means, when making a content acquisition request, selects a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods set in the past within a predetermined range including a current position. Item 4. The communication terminal according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of communication schemes include LTE and 3G. A content acquisition method in a communication terminal, comprising history storage means for storing information relating to a communication method as a history relating to a communication method in association with a time when the information is acquired, and capable of communicating with a plurality of communication methods having different transmission speeds ,
Based on the history stored in the history storage means, a communication method selection step of selecting a communication method having the slowest transmission speed among communication methods that may be switched,
A transmission step of transmitting a content acquisition request for acquiring content according to the communication method selected in the communication method selection step;
An acquisition step of acquiring content corresponding to the content acquisition request;
A content acquisition method comprising:

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