KR20150101094A - Method for providing of tethering service, apparatus and system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing a tethering service, and to a terminal and a system for supporting the same. The method for providing a tethering service is capable of providing a tethering service by activating a tethering function in accordance with a request of a terminal which uses the tethering function, even if there is no additional setting process to support the tethering service in the terminal which provides the tethering function. To this end, the terminal for supporting the method for providing the tethering service, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a communications unit for supporting transmission and reception of information; and a control unit which searches for a terminal which provides tethering within a predetermined radius through the communications unit, requests the activation of the tethering function by transmitting identification information to the searched terminal, and when the tethering function is activated in the terminal which provides tethering, uses a data service based on an application provided by a specific service apparatus by connecting itself to the activated terminal which provides tethering.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a tethering service providing method, a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service,

The present invention relates to a method of providing a tethering service, and in a terminal providing a tethering function, even if there is no setup process for supporting a separate tethering service, a tethering function is activated according to a request of a terminal using a tethering function, A tethering service providing method capable of providing a service, and a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the present embodiment and do not constitute the prior art.

With the development of the mobile communication network and the development of the terminal specification, the mobile communication terminal has become a necessity of modern people and has evolved into a total entertainment device beyond the conventional category of simple communication apparatus or information providing apparatus. Particularly, as one of the additional functions of the mobile communication terminal, there is a tethering function in which the terminal itself acts as a wireless modem (modulation / demodulation device). Here, the tethering function may include a navigation device, a notebook computer, a netbook, a tablet PC, a desktop PC, an electronic book terminal, and a mobile phone terminal through a universal serial bus (USB), a bluetooth device, PDA and other devices to connect the wireless Internet to the connected devices.

In order to use this tethering function, the tethering terminal must first activate the tethering function. However, in general, in order to activate a tethering function in a tethering terminal, a tethering function is activated through various stages according to a complicated user interface.

In addition, the tethering-providing terminal does not activate the tethering function according to the request of the terminal to use the tethering function, but activates the tethering function in the tethering-providing terminal to substantially use the tethering function There is a problem in that unnecessary power consumption may be caused due to the activation of the tethering function even if it is not provided.

Published Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0042133, April 22, 2011 (Name: Concurrent Internet Protocol Connectivity for Access Terminal and Tethered Device)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tethering method and a tethering method, To provide a tethering service providing method capable of providing a tethering service, and a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service.

The present invention also provides a tethering service capable of providing a more efficient tethering service by selecting and connecting an optimal terminal for using the tethering service according to the terminal status information when there are a plurality of terminals providing a tethering function And a terminal and a system supporting the same.

In addition, when the tethering service uses an application-based tethering service and the information of the application held by the terminal using the tethering function is different from the information of the application held by the terminal providing the tethering function, By providing the data to the terminal using the tethering function, the terminal that provides the tethering function can more efficiently manage the data traffic to the service device and provide the application information to the terminal using the tethering function without any cost And to provide a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service.

However, the object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal for supporting a method for providing a tethering service, comprising: a communication unit for supporting transmission and reception of information; And a communication unit for searching for a tethering-providing terminal within a certain radius, transmitting identification information to the searched tethering-providing terminal through the communication unit, requesting activation of the tethering function, and then, when the tethering function is activated in the tethering- And a control unit connected to the tethering providing terminal and using an application-based data service provided by a specific service apparatus.

At this time, if the terminal status information is received from the tethering providing terminal through the communication unit, the controller can confirm that the tethering function is activated in the tethering providing terminal.

A display unit for supporting output of information; And an input unit for supporting user input. When a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals exist, the controller displays the terminal status information received from the tethering providing terminal through a display unit, A user can select one of the tethering-providing terminals according to a user's request and establish a connection with the selected tethering-providing terminal.

If there are a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals, the controller compares the received terminal state information received from the tethering providing terminal, selects one of the tethering providing terminals, establishes a connection with the selected tethering providing terminal can do.

At this time, the UE status information may include at least one of name information of a tethering terminal, connected network type, network status information, and hardware resource information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tethering service providing system for searching a tethering-providing terminal within a predetermined radius, transmitting identification information to a searched tethering-providing terminal, and requesting activation of a tethering function A tethering access terminal connected to the activated tethering providing terminal and using an application-based data service provided by the specific service device when the tethering function is activated in the tethering providing terminal; And when the identification information is received from the tethering terminal, activates the tethering function to connect to the tethering terminal, and receives an application-based data service provided by the specific service device from the service device at the request of the tethering terminal And a tethering providing terminal for transmitting the tethered terminal to the tethering terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a tethering service, the method comprising: searching a tethering terminal for a tethering terminal within a predetermined radius; Requesting activation of a tethering function by transmitting identification information to a tethering-providing terminal where the tethering-enabled terminal searches; Establishing a connection with a tethering terminal when the tethering function is activated in the tethering terminal; And requesting and using the application-based data service provided by the tethering-enabled terminal from the specific service device through the tethering-providing terminal to the service device.

At this time, in the step of establishing the connection, if the terminal using the tethering terminal receives the terminal status information from the terminal providing the tethering, it can be confirmed that the tethering function is activated in the terminal providing the tethering.

In addition, when there are a plurality of searched tethering-providing terminals, the step of establishing a connection includes: displaying tethering-providing terminal's terminal status information of the tethering-providing terminal; Selecting a tethering terminal according to a user input; And establishing a connection with the tethering-enabled terminal to the selected tethering-provided terminal.

The step of displaying the terminal status information may include the steps of: confirming a service operation history of the tethering terminal provided with the tethering terminal; And sorting and displaying the tethering-providing terminal based on the service operation history of the tethering-providing terminal.

In addition, when there are a plurality of searched tethering-providing terminals, the step of establishing the connection includes comparing the terminal status information of the tethering-providing terminal with the tethering-ending terminal. Selecting one of the tethering terminals based on the comparison result; And establishing a connection with the tethering-enabled terminal to the selected tethering-provided terminal.

Also, in the step of selecting any one of the tethering-providing terminals, the tethering terminal checks the terminal status information of the tethering terminal to select a tethering terminal that is connected to the free network service or has a large amount of available hardware resources .

In addition, the utilizing step may include: executing an application provided by a specific service apparatus by the tethering terminal; Transmitting a request for providing a data service including information on an application to a tethering terminal; Comparing the information about the application and the information about the application held by the terminal with the tethering providing terminal, and transmitting the necessary data to the tethering terminal when the tethering providing terminal is different; Updating the application using the data provided from the tethering-providing terminal by the tethering-utilizing terminal; Requesting a tethering-providing terminal to provide a data service in order to request a service device to provide a data service when the tethering-using terminal updates the application; And receiving and using the data service provided from the service device through the tethering providing terminal by the tethering utilizing terminal.

Furthermore, the present invention can provide a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing a tethering service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above is recorded.

According to the tethering service providing method, the terminal supporting the tethering service, and the terminal supporting the tethering service according to the present invention, even if there is no setup process for supporting a separate tethering service in the terminal providing the tethering function, Function is activated to provide a tethering service, it is possible to use the tethering service more easily.

According to the present invention, unnecessary power consumption can be prevented beforehand in a terminal providing a tethering function by activating a tethering function at the request of the terminal using the tethering function.

In addition, according to the tethering service providing method, the terminal and the system supporting the tethering service of the present invention, when there are a plurality of terminals providing a tethering function, an optimal terminal for using the tethering service is selected and connected according to the terminal status information , It is possible to provide a more efficient tethering service, and the terminal providing the tethering function can transmit the necessary application information to the terminal using the tethering function, thereby enabling more efficient data management.

In addition, various effects other than the above-described effects can be directly or implicitly disclosed in the detailed description according to the embodiment of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a main configuration of a tethering service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a tethering terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a tethering service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating a tethering service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a data flow diagram for explaining a tethering service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention. This is to omit the unnecessary description so as to convey the key of the present invention more clearly without fading. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof, It is to be understood that the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements, and are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another, Not used. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component.

In addition, when referring to an element as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it means that it can be connected or connected logically or physically. In other words, it is to be understood that although an element may be directly connected or connected to another element, there may be other elements in between, or indirectly connected or connected.

Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprising "or" having ", as used herein, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, It should be understood that the foregoing does not preclude the presence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Now, a tethering service providing method, a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the same reference numerals are used for similar functions and functions throughout the drawings, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a main configuration of a tethering service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a tethering service providing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first terminal 10 using a tethering function and a second terminal 20 providing a tethering function, . A service device 40 connected via a communication network 30 according to a request of the first terminal 10 using a tethering function and providing a specific data service through the second terminal 20, .

The tethering service providing system 100 can permanently store data for executing various applications in a server on the Internet. Data for executing an application is stored in the service apparatus 40 on the Internet, and the data is transmitted to the communication network 30 The second terminal 20 can be used anytime and anywhere.

For convenience of explanation, the first terminal 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can not directly connect to the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, that is, The second terminal 20 is a tethering terminal that tries to request a tethering service to a terminal as soon as possible so that the second terminal 20 can directly access the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, It is an example of a tethered terminal that provides Internet access and provides a tethering function.

First, the first terminal 10 is a tethering terminal that can not directly access the communication network 30 to a tethering terminal that intends to use the tethering function according to an embodiment of the present invention, but provides a tethering terminal Means a terminal capable of indirectly accessing the communication network 30 through the second terminal 20. The first terminal 10 can communicate with the second terminal 20 by a short distance communication method. For example, the first terminal 10 may communicate with the second terminal 20 via Bluetooth, infrared, Zigbee, UWB, near field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi communication Method can be used to perform communication. Also, the first terminal 10 may perform communication using a cable connection method such as a USB cable with the second terminal 20.

In particular, the first terminal 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention searches for a second terminal 20, which is one or more tethering providing terminals within a certain radius, and transmits the identification information to the second terminal 20 You can request activation of the dirring function. When the activation of the tethering function is detected in the second terminal 20, the second terminal 20 can use the data service, especially the application-based data service, provided by the service device 40 in connection with the second terminal 20.

The first terminal 10, which is a tethering terminal, may be a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a TV terminal, a portable large screen terminal, or a navigation device May be a part or whole of the electronic communication system built in the vehicle.

The second terminal 20 is a terminal that provides a tethering function according to an embodiment of the present invention and directly communicates with the service device 40 through the communication network 30. The second terminal 20 may form a communication channel with the first terminal 10 by using a local area communication method and may form a data communication channel with the service terminal 40 at the request of the first terminal 10 can do. In particular, when the identification information is transmitted from the first terminal 10, the second terminal 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention automatically activates the tethering function even if there is no direct intervention of the user, And to provide tethering services. The second terminal 20 may be any mobile communication device, an information communication device, a multimedia device, a wired terminal, a fixed terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) terminal that can access the service device 40 through the communication network 30 . Particularly, the second terminal 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention has various mobile communication specifications such as a mobile phone, a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a MID (Mobile Internet Device), a smart phone and an information communication device And can be advantageously used when the mobile terminal is used.

The service device 40 means a device capable of providing data service to the second terminal 20 through the communication network 30. [ The service device 40 stores various data and is connected to the communication network 30 to transmit the required data service to the second terminal 20 according to a request of the second terminal 20. For example, navigation-related data, multimedia playback-related data, and the like can be provided to the second terminal 20. Also, the service device 40 may preferably provide a data service based on an application. The service device 40 may provide an application to the first terminal 10 through the second terminal 20 or the second terminal 20 and may transmit the application to the first terminal 10 or the second terminal 20, 2 terminal 20 to provide an application-based data service.

In addition, the processor mounted on the first terminal 10, the second terminal 20 and the service device 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention can process program instructions for executing the method according to the present invention. In one implementation, the processor may be a single-threaded processor, and in other embodiments, the processor may be a multithreaded processor. Further, the processor is capable of processing instructions stored on a memory or storage device.

In addition, the communication network 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention supports transmission and reception of signals required for the data communication service between the second terminal 20 and the service device 40. [ That is, when the second terminal 20 requests data communication to the service device 40, the communication network 30 transmits a connection request of the second terminal 20 to the service device 40 at the request of the second terminal 20, And may transmit the data supported by the service device 40 to the second terminal 20 according to whether the service device 40 is permitted or not.

The communication network 30 performing the above functions is an i-bimetry that provides a large amount of data transmission / reception service and a data service without a disconnection phenomenon through the Internet protocol. (All IP) network. Also, the communication network 30 may be one of a wired communication network, a mobile communication network, a Wibro (Wireless Broadband) network, a HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network, and a satellite communication network. In the case where the communication network 30 is a Wi-Fi network and a wireless LAN access point (AP) is installed near a current location and is a local area network capable of providing high-speed Internet within a certain distance, 2 terminal 20 can communicate with the service device 40 via the Wi-Fi network and transmit / receive data according to the execution of the application. In addition to the above-described communication methods, other widely known or later-developed communication methods may be included.

Hereinafter, a main configuration and an operation method of a tethering terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a tethering terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a tethering terminal, i.e., a first terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, a control unit 13, a storage unit 14, And a display unit 15.

First, the communication unit 11 supports a function of performing communication with the first terminal 10. [0033] FIG. In particular, the communication unit 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention searches for one or more second terminals 20 providing a tethering function within a certain radius through a short distance communication method, To request activation of the tethering function. The communication unit 11 can transmit and receive various information for establishing a communication channel with the second terminal 20. When a communication channel is established and a connection is established with the second terminal 20, The second terminal 20 can receive information related to the provided application-based data service.

The input unit 12 transmits various information such as numbers and character information input from the user, various functions, and signals inputted in relation to the function control of the first terminal 10, to the control unit 13. In particular, the input unit 12 of the present invention can support user input for using a tethering service. For example, user input for using a tethering service can be supported through a user menu screen or a hot key. When the list of the searched second terminals 20 is displayed on the display unit 15, the input unit 12 can support a user input for selecting a specific second terminal 20 among the displayed second terminals 20 have. In addition, the input unit 12 of the present invention can support user input for execution of a specific application. Here, the application may be various types of applications that can be used on a data service basis, such as a navigation application and a music reproduction application.

As described above, the input unit 12 may include a key input unit such as a keyboard or a keypad, a touch input unit such as a touch sensor or a touch pad, a voice input unit, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetism sensor, an acceleration sensor and a proximity sensor, And gesture input means including at least one or more gesture input means.

In addition, it can include all forms of input that are currently under development or can be developed in the future.

The control unit 13 performs overall control of the first terminal 10 and includes at least one processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) / MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and at least one memory loading data (For example, a register and / or a RAM (Random Access Memory)) to be loaded and a bus (BUS) for inputting / outputting at least one or more data to / from the processor and the memory. Also, a predetermined program routine (Routine) or program (program) loaded into the execution memory from a predetermined recording medium to perform a function defined in the terminal 10 (for example, a data service function) Data may be included. In other words, to process the tethering service providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine, as a function of the control unit 13, a component that can be processed in software among the functions provided in the first terminal 10 .

The controller 13 of the present invention is functionally connected to at least one component provided to support a tethering service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the control unit 13 is functionally connected to the communication unit 11, the input unit 12, the storage unit 14, and the display unit 15, and controls the flow of signals for power supply and function execution .

In particular, the control unit 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the process of searching at least one second terminal 20 within a certain radius through the communication unit 11 in order to utilize the tethering service at the request of the user can do. At this time, the control unit 13 can receive a beacon transmitted from the second terminal 20 through the communication unit 11 and search for one or more second terminals 20.

The control unit 13 may transmit the identification information, for example, the IP address to the searched second terminal 20 through the communication unit 11 to request activation of the tethering function. Thereafter, when the tethering function is activated in the second terminal 20, the control unit 13 controls the process of performing the tethering service by connecting the activated second terminal 20. [

At this time, if the terminal status information is received from the second terminal 20 through the communication unit 11, the controller 13 may determine that the tethering function is activated in the second terminal 20.

In addition, when there are a plurality of second terminals 20 searched for, the controller 13 may perform a process of selecting a specific second terminal 20 according to a predetermined criterion. More specifically, if there are a plurality of searched second terminals 20, the control unit 13 transmits identification information to the searched second terminal 20 to request activation of the tethering function. When the terminal status information is received from the second terminal 20, it is determined that the second terminal 20 has activated the tethering function, and the terminal status of the second terminal 20 through the display unit 15 Information can be displayed. At this time, the control unit 13 may check the service operation history to display a list of the second terminals 20 that have been connected in the past so as to be displayed at the top of the list.

In addition, the terminal status information of the second terminal 20 includes at least one of name information, connected network type, network status information, and hardware resource information. The controller 13 determines whether the terminal status information is stored in the display unit 15, As shown in Fig.

The control unit 13 can establish a connection with the second terminal 20 by setting a communication channel when a user input for selecting a specific second terminal 20 is detected through the input unit 12.

On the other hand, the controller 13 selects the optimal second terminal 20 using the received terminal status information and displays the selected second terminal 20 in a connection with the selected second terminal 20 without displaying the list of the second terminal 20 . At this time, the controller 13 can establish a connection by selecting a second terminal 20 that is connected to a free network service or a lot of available hardware resources among the plurality of second terminals 20 searched.

When the connection with the specific second terminal 20 is completed through the above process, the control unit 13 can execute a specific application according to a user's request. Then, the second terminal 20 can request service to request data related to the application to the service device 40. Thereafter, when the corresponding data is received from the second terminal 20 via the service device 40, the controller 13 uses the received data.

The control unit 13 transmits identification information to the searched second terminal 20 and a search module 13a that searches for one or more second terminals 20 and receives terminal status information from the second terminal 20 And establishes a connection control module 13b for establishing a connection with the second terminal 20 on the basis thereof.

The storage unit 14 may temporarily store various data generated during execution of the application program, including an application program required for the functional operation according to the embodiment of the present invention. Particularly, the storage unit 14 according to the embodiment of the present invention stores the identification information 14a according to the embodiment of the present invention and can store the information 14b related to the application provided by the service apparatus 40 in advance have.

The storage unit 14 may include a program area and a data area. The program area stores relevant information for driving the first terminal 10, such as an operating system (OS) that boots the first terminal 10. The data area is an area where data generated according to use of the first terminal 10 is stored, and the application information 14b and the like can be stored as described above. The storage unit 14 may be a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card micro-type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a RAM, a ROM ROM), and the like.

The display unit 15 displays information on a series of operation states, operation results, and the like that occur during the functioning of the first terminal 10. In particular, the display unit 15 of the present invention displays a list of the searched one or more second terminals 20, and can display various information related to application execution.

The display unit 15 may be implemented as one touch panel (or touch screen) together with the input unit 12 as described above. When the display unit 15 is implemented together with the input unit 12, It is possible to display various information that is generated along with it.

In addition, the display unit 15 of the present invention as described above can be applied to a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a light emitting diode LED, a flexible display, and a three-dimensional display. Some of these displays may also be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be configured as a transparent display including TOLED (Transparent OLED).

As described above, the main components of the first terminal 10 using the tethering service have been described with reference to FIG. However, not all of the components shown in FIG. 2 are essential components, and the first terminal 10 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, (10) may be implemented. For example, the first terminal 10 may include a sound source output unit (not shown) for converting a sound source, which is an electrical signal, into an analog signal and outputting the analog signal. When the first terminal 10 is implemented as a navigation device, A GPS unit (not shown) that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and collects current position information such as latitude and longitude, and the like.

It should be understood that the location of the main components of the first terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2 may be changed for any purpose or for other reasons. The module configuring the control unit 13 includes only the search module 13a and the connection control module 13b. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control unit 13 may be composed of various modules performing various functions .

The memory mounted on the first terminal 10 stores information therein. In one implementation, the memory is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory may be a volatile memory unit, and in other embodiments, the memory may be a non-volatile memory unit. In one implementation, the storage device is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device may comprise, for example, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or any other mass storage device.

Although the present specification and drawings describe exemplary device configurations, the functional operations and subject matter implementations described herein may be embodied in other types of digital electronic circuitry, or alternatively, of the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents May be embodied in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including, or in combination with, one or more of the foregoing. Implementations of the subject matter described herein may be embodied in one or more computer program products, i. E. One for computer program instructions encoded on a program storage medium of the type for < RTI ID = 0.0 & And can be implemented as a module as described above. The computer-readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter that affects the machine readable propagation type signal, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing.

Hereinafter, a method of providing a tethering service according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The first terminal 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can not be directly connected to the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, The second terminal 20 is a tethering terminal that tries to request a tethering service to a terminal as soon as possible so that the second terminal 20 can directly access the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, It is an example of a tethered terminal that provides Internet access and provides a tethering function.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a tethering service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the first terminal 10 searches for a second terminal 20, which is a tethering providing terminal capable of Internet access within a certain radius (S101). Here, the first terminal 10 can search for a second terminal 20 capable of Internet access within a certain radius according to a user request inputted through a user menu screen or a hot key.

The first terminal 10 may preferably search for the second terminal 20 using a wireless communication method such as Bluetooth, infrared, ZigBee, UWB, NFC, WiFi, or the like. In addition, it is possible to detect and search the second terminal 20 connected by a wired communication method using a wired cable connection method such as a USB cable. At this time, the first terminal 10 can search for the second terminal 20 by receiving the beacon transmitted from the second terminal 20.

Then, the first terminal 10 transmits the identification information to the searched second terminal 20 to establish a connection (S103). Here, the identification information may be the IP address of the first terminal 10. The first terminal 10 may request activation of the tethering function when transmitting the identification information to the second terminal 20. When the tethering function in the second terminal 20 is activated, 20).

At this time, when the first terminal 10 receives the terminal status information from the second terminal 20, the first terminal 10 can determine that the tethering function of the second terminal 20 is activated.

The first terminal 10 may access the Internet through the connected second terminal 20 and use the application-based data service provided by the service device 40 (S105).

In addition, the first terminal 10 can search a plurality of second terminals 20, display a list of a plurality of second terminals 20, select a specific second terminal 20, It can also be established.

This will be described in more detail.

4 and 5 are flowcharts for explaining a method of providing a tethering service according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a process of establishing a connection with a second terminal 20 according to user selection And FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of establishing a connection with the selected second terminal 20 according to the comparison result.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the first terminal 10 searches for a second terminal 20 capable of Internet access within a certain radius (S201), as described with reference to FIG.

If a plurality of second terminals are searched (S203), the first terminal 10 may transmit identification information, e.g., an IP address, to the searched second terminal 20 (S205). Here, the IP address information is used to request activation of the tethering function in the second terminal 20 and to establish a communication channel between the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20, The second terminal 20 transmits the terminal status information to the first terminal 10 and the first terminal 10 can receive the terminal status information from the second terminal 20 in step S207.

The first terminal 10 determines that the tethering function of the second terminal 20 is activated when the terminal status information is received from the second terminal 20, (S209). The first terminal 10 may select the second terminal 20 to display based on the terminal status information of the second terminal 20 before displaying the terminal status information of the second terminal 20 have.

More specifically, the terminal status information is information related to the second terminal 20, and may include information such as name information of the second terminal 20, type of connected network and status, 10 selects the appropriate second terminal 20 to be displayed to the user according to the network type and status information of the second terminal 20 by confirming the information, Status information, preferably only the name information of the second terminal 20 is displayed.

That is, it is assumed that the searched second terminal 20 has searched for the second terminal a and the second terminal b, the second terminal a is connected to the 4G network, and the second terminal b is connected to the Wi-Fi network Assuming that the first terminal 10 selects only the second terminal b connected to the Wi-Fi network, which is a free network service, only the name information of the second terminal b can be provided to the user.

Thereafter, the first terminal 10 selects a corresponding second terminal 20 (S211) when a user input for selecting one of the second terminals 20 is detected from the user (S211) 20) (S213).

The first terminal 10 can use the application-based data service provided by the specific service device 40 through the connected second terminal 20 (S215).

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the selection of one of the second terminals 20 according to the user input among the plurality of second terminals 20 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. 1 terminal 10 may select a suitable second terminal 20 among the plurality of second terminals 20 and establish a connection with the selected second terminal 20. [

5, the first terminal 10 searches for a second terminal 20 capable of Internet access within a predetermined radius (S301), and searches for a second terminal 20 When a plurality of terminals are searched (S303), the first terminal 10 may transmit identification information, e.g., an IP address, to the searched second terminal 20 (S305). Then, the first terminal 10 can receive the terminal status information from the second terminal 20 (S307).

Thereafter, the first terminal 10 compares the received terminal status information (S309). That is, as described above, only the second terminal 20 connected to the Wi-Fi network, which is a free network service, is selected according to the connected network type and status information, or the resource information of the second terminal 20 is checked It is possible to select only the second terminal 20 having a large amount of available resources, such as when there are few applications running on the second terminal 20.

The first terminal 10 may select the second terminal 20 according to the comparison result (S311), and may establish a connection with the selected second terminal 20 (S313). The first terminal 10 may access the Internet through the second terminal 20 and use a specific data service (S315).

Hereinafter, the process of using the application-based data service provided by the specific service device 40 of the first terminal 10 will be described in more detail.

6 is a data flow diagram for explaining a tethering service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

The first terminal 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can not be directly connected to the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, The second terminal 20 is a tethering terminal that tries to request a tethering service to a terminal as soon as possible so that the second terminal 20 can directly access the communication network 30 to which the service apparatus 40 is connected, It is an example of a tethered terminal that provides Internet access and provides a tethering function.

Referring to FIG. 6, the first terminal 10 searches the second terminal 20, which is a tethering providing terminal capable of Internet access within a certain radius (S401). Here, the first terminal 10 can search for a second terminal 20 capable of Internet access within a certain radius according to a user request inputted through a user menu screen or a hot key.

The first terminal 10 may preferably search for the second terminal 20 using a wireless communication method such as Bluetooth, infrared, ZigBee, UWB, NFC, WiFi, or the like. In addition, it is possible to detect and search the second terminal 20 connected by a wired communication method using a wired cable connection method such as a USB cable. At this time, the first terminal 10 can search for the second terminal 20 by receiving the beacon transmitted from the second terminal 20.

Thereafter, when the second terminal 20 is searched (S403), identification information is transmitted to the searched terminal 20 (S405), and the searched terminal 20 is requested to activate the tethering function.

The first terminal 10 may receive the UE status information from the second terminal 20 and may determine that the tethering function of the corresponding second terminal 20 is activated when the UE status information is received do. The first terminal 10 can display the terminal status information of the second terminal 20 in step S407 and the second terminal 20 on the basis of the terminal status information of the second terminal 20 It is also possible to display only the second terminal 20 selected.

More specifically, the terminal status information is information related to the second terminal 20, and may include information such as name information of the second terminal 20, type of connected network and status, 10 selects the appropriate second terminal 20 to be displayed to the user according to the network type and status information of the second terminal 20 by confirming the information, Only the name information of the second terminal 20 can be displayed.

Thereafter, the first terminal 10 selects a second terminal 20 according to a user's request or according to a specific criterion (S409), and establishes a connection with the selected second terminal 20 (S411).

Thereafter, the first terminal 10 executes the application to be used according to the request of the user (S413). For example, the first terminal 10 may execute a navigation application (S413).

At this time, preferably, the first terminal 10 should have an application to be used. When the application is executed, a request for providing a service, for example, a request for providing route data to a destination is transmitted to the service device 40 First, a service provision request is made to the second terminal 20 (S415). At this time, the first terminal 10 may transmit the application information together with the second terminal 20, and the second terminal 20, which has received the application information, compares the application information (S417). For example, the application information may include version information for the application. As a result of the comparison, if the version of the application held by the first terminal 10 is lower than the version of the application held by the second terminal 20, the second terminal 20 is different from the first terminal 10 And provides information on the generated portion, for example, an update (S419).

The first terminal 10 can update the application information by updating the version of the application (S421). When the update is completed, the first terminal 10 can transmit the completion information to the second terminal 20 (S423).

The second terminal 20 receives the service provision request, that is, the path data providing request of the first terminal 10, to the service device 40 (S425) Data can be transmitted to the first terminal 10 (S427) (S429).

As described above, according to the tethering service providing method of the present invention, even if there is no setup process for supporting a separate tethering service in the terminal providing the tethering function, i.e., the second terminal 20, The tethering function is activated according to a request of the first terminal 10 to provide a tethering service, thereby making it possible to use the tethering service more easily.

In addition, by activating the tethering function at the request of the first terminal 10, it is possible to prevent unnecessary power consumption in the terminal providing the tethering function in advance.

In addition, according to the tethering service providing method of the present invention, when there are a plurality of second terminals 20 providing the tethering function, an optimal terminal for using the tethering service is selected and connected according to the terminal status information, The second terminal 20 providing the tethering function can transmit the necessary application information to the first terminal 10 using the tethering function, thereby enabling more efficient data management. have.

The method for providing the tethering service according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

The method of providing a tethering service of the present invention as described above may be provided in the form of a computer-readable medium suitable for storing computer program instructions and data. At this time, a computer-readable medium suitable for storing computer program instructions and data includes, for example, a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) Optical media such as a DVD (Digital Video Disk), a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk, and a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM , Random Access Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The processor and memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuits. Examples of program instructions may include machine language code such as those generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that may be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. Such a hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

While the specification contains a number of specific implementation details, it should be understood that they are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or claim, but rather on the description of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention Should be understood. Certain features described herein in the context of separate embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments, either individually or in any suitable subcombination. Further, although the features may operate in a particular combination and may be initially described as so claimed, one or more features from the claimed combination may in some cases be excluded from the combination, Or a variant of a subcombination.

Likewise, although the operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, it should be understood that such operations must be performed in that particular order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result, or that all illustrated operations should be performed. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, the separation of the various system components of the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and the described program components and systems will generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products It should be understood.

The present invention relates to a method of providing a tethering service, and in a terminal providing a tethering function, even if there is no setup process for supporting a separate tethering service, a tethering function is activated according to a request of a terminal using a tethering function, A tethering service providing method capable of providing a service, and a terminal and a system supporting the tethering service.

According to the present invention, even if there is no setup process for supporting a separate tethering service in a terminal providing a tethering function, a tethering service is provided by activating a tethering function in response to a request of a terminal using the tethering function, It is possible to use the tethering service, which can contribute to the development of the tethering service industry.

In addition, since the present invention is not only possible to be marketed or operated, but also can be practically and practically carried out, it is industrially applicable.

10: terminal 11: communication unit 12: input unit
13: control unit 13a: search module 13b: connection control module
14: storage unit 14a: identification information 14b: application information
15: display section 30:
100: Tethering service providing system

Claims (14)

A communication unit for supporting transmission and reception of information; And
Searches for a tethering-providing terminal within a certain radius through the communication unit, transmits identification information to the searched tethering-providing terminal through the communication unit, requests activation of the tethering function, and then activates the tethering function at the tethering- A control unit connected to the activated tethering providing terminal and using an application-based data service provided by a specific service device;
The terminal supporting the tethering service providing method. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
Wherein when the terminal status information is received from the tethering providing terminal through the communication unit, the tethering providing terminal confirms that the tethering function is activated. 3. The method of claim 2,
A display unit for supporting output of information; And
An input unit for supporting user input;
Further comprising:
The control unit
If there are a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals,
The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying the UE status information received from the tethering-providing terminal through the display unit, selecting one of the tethering-providing terminals according to a user request input through the input unit, The method comprising the steps of: 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit
If there are a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals,
Comparing the UE status information received from the tethering provision terminal and selecting one of the tethering provision terminals and establishing a connection with the selected tethering provision terminal. Terminal. 3. The method of claim 2,
The UE status information
Wherein the terminal comprises at least one of name information of the tethering terminal, connected network type, network status information, and hardware resource information. The mobile terminal searches for a tethering-providing terminal within a predetermined radius, transmits identification information to the searched tethering-providing terminal, requests activation of the tethering function, and then activates the tethering function in the tethering- A tethering access terminal using an application-based data service provided by a specific service device; And
Wherein the tethering terminal is connected to the tethering terminal when the identification information is received from the tethering terminal, activating a tethering function, and transmitting the application-based data service provided by the specific service device to the service terminal To the tethering terminal, and transmits the tethering terminal to the tethering terminal;
And a tethering service providing system. The terminal for tethering searching for a tethering-provided terminal within a certain radius;
Requesting activation of a tethering function by transmitting identification information to a tethering-providing terminal where the tethering terminal is searched;
Establishing a connection with the tethering terminal when the tethering function is activated in the tethering terminal; And
The tethering terminal requests and uses an application-based data service provided by a specific service device to the service device through the tethering-providing terminal;
The method comprising the steps of: 8. The method of claim 7,
The step of establishing the connection
Wherein the tethering terminal confirms that the tethering function is activated in the tethering terminal when the terminal information is received from the tethering terminal. 9. The method of claim 8,
If there are a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals,
The step of establishing the connection
The tethering terminal displaying terminal status information of the tethering terminal;
Selecting one of the tethering terminals according to a user input; And
Establishing a connection with the selected tethering terminal;
The method comprising the steps of: 10. The method of claim 9,
The step of displaying the terminal status information
Confirming a service operation history of the tethering terminal provided with the tethering terminal; And
Wherein the tethering-enabled terminal aligns and displays the tethering-providing terminal on the basis of a service operation history of the tethering-providing terminal;
The method comprising the steps of: 9. The method of claim 8,
If there are a plurality of searched tethering providing terminals,
The step of establishing the connection
Comparing terminal status information of the tethering terminal provided with the tethering terminal;
Selecting one of the tethering terminals from the tethering terminal according to the comparison result; And
Establishing a connection with the selected tethering terminal;
The method comprising the steps of: 12. The method of claim 11,
The step of selecting any one of the tethering-
Wherein the tethering terminal checks the terminal status information of the tethering terminal and selects a tethering terminal that is connected to the free network service or has a lot of available hardware resources. 8. The method of claim 7,
The utilizing step
Executing the application provided by the specific service apparatus by the tethering terminal;
Transmitting, by the tethering terminal, a request for providing a data service including information on the application to the tethering terminal;
Comparing the information about the application with the information about the application held by the tethering providing terminal and transmitting the necessary data to the tethering terminal if the tethering providing terminal is different;
The tethering terminal updating the application using data provided from the tethering terminal;
Requesting the tethering-providing terminal to provide a data service to the tethering terminal in order to request a data service provision to the service terminal when the tethering terminal updates the application; And
Receiving and using a data service provided from the service device through the tethering providing terminal;
The method comprising the steps of: A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the tethering service providing method according to any one of claims 7 to 13.

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