WO2001091432A1

WO2001091432A1 - Method for managing a public telephone network providing access to internet, public telephone and management server therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2001091432A1
Application number: PCT/FR2001/001633
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nelson Ollier; Rodolphe Grunenwald
Original assignee: Schlumberger Systemes
Priority date: 2000-05-26
Filing date: 2001-05-25
Publication date: 2001-11-29
Also published as: FR2809563B1; EP1284086A1; FR2809563A1; AU2001264033A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for managing a public telephone network (1) comprising at least a management server (3) and public telephones (10, 10') providing access through an appropriate interface to a data transport system (2) such as the WEB and Internet. The invention is characterised in that the data exchanged by the users of said public telephones (10, 10') when accessing said data transport system are supervised to generate databases concerning the identity of users and/or the type of operations carried out such as consulting sites or sending messages.

Description

METHOD FOR MANAGING A PUBLIC TELEPHONY NETWORK PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, PUBLIC TELEPHONE AND MANAGEMENT SERVER FOR IMPLEMENTING IT

The present invention relates to a method for managing a public telephone network allowing access to an information transport system of the Internet type. The invention also relates to a public telephone and a management server adapted to the implementation of this method. A public telephone network consists of public telephones distributed over a given territory. Public telephones are connected to a communication network, constituted for example by the switched telephone network, with which they communicate by means of a modem. Obviously, these public telephones can be connected to other types of networks such as digital networks, such as the integrated service digital network, or even as mobile radiotelephony networks, whatever their nature: GSM, CDMA, TDMA, AMPS, D-AMPS or even PCS. A public telephone network also includes one (or more) management server, often called PMS (acronym of the English term "Payphone Management System"), allowing the network operator to operate the supervision of the various public telephones. This server, which is connected by modem to the switched telephone network, has the function of exchanging with the fleet of public telephones information relating to the functioning of the telephony system.

Conventionally, such a management server calls or is called regularly by each of the public telephones across the network. telephone at a time when the telephone is not used by a user. The purpose of this call is to transfer data concerning the number of communications made, the number of corresponding units and any faults encountered. All this information is then consolidated by the management server to establish various statistics. Conversely, the supervision server can supply information to each public telephone, such as new tariff tables when these have been modified by the operator. Since public telephone networks are today faced with competition from cellular radiotelephones, the operators of these networks are seeking to offer new services likely to once again attract users to public telephones. Among these new services is access to the Web and the Internet.

Information transport systems are known, such as the World Wide Web, known as the Web, which with its data distribution medium, the Internet, constitutes a heterogeneous and distributed universe of multimedia information accessible by different telecommunications networks.

The techniques specific to the Web and the Internet make it a simple, powerful and universal information transport system which has become a world reference model for the communication of information. A multitude of services have been set up from the Web and the Internet, such as the provision of targeted information (news, stock market prices, timetables, etc.), banking operations, the purchase of goods remote tangible or intangible, also called e-commerce, promotional communication or advertising, email, etc.

On the Web and the Internet, information, and therefore services, are located on computers also called servers, which are responsible for responding to requests for information, known as requests, from different requesters, known as client computers, is to say to transmit the desired information to them, and to receive from them certain information or data, specifying for example the requests for information. These servers can for example be machines dedicated to processing electronic mail or else dedicated to multimedia information.

This communication principle, known as client-server, is one of the foundations of the Web and the Internet: It ensures, in conjunction with Web and Internet standards, the decentralized and evolving nature of the transport system. information they constitute. Anyone can publish information, provided they set up a server or use an existing server, and anyone can read it provided they have a client computer.

The Internet links all client computers and all servers together. The notion of universality of access to information is reflected in the fact that anyone can have access to information freely accessible from servers and this, using any type of computer equipped with the elements and necessary software.

For a long time, the Web and the Internet have only been accessible through personal or desktop computers, known as PCs. Given the increasingly large place taken by the Web and the Internet in people's lives both in their personal and professional life, there is now a strong demand from the public to have access points to these networks other than through personal computers.

Access to the Web and the Internet via public telephones, which are generally well distributed throughout the territory, is a response to this expectation. This was clearly analyzed in an article by Peter Meade for America's Network of June 1, 1997, entitled "Cyberbooths: the new payphone? ”, Which describes the interest, both for consumers and for operators of public telephone networks, of having access to the Internet and the Web via public telephones.

Other alternative solutions for accessing the Web and the Internet are, however, being marketed, and in particular those offered by the new cellular radio telephones using the technology known as WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) which allows the transfer of Internet data through the cellular radio networks. If such devices are still expensive and not very user-friendly, in particular due to a display screen of limited size, current developments suggest that in the near future these drawbacks should be resolved. Faced with these competing emerging offers, public telephone network operators cannot therefore limit themselves to offering simple access to the Web and the Internet in the hope of permanently attracting new customers who are increasingly demanding. However, these are not the few pieces of information on the consumption of teletaxes or the duration of the communication available to operators thanks to the management servers which today allow operators of public telephone networks to define an attractive and competitive offer. The present invention therefore aims to remedy these drawbacks by offering operators of public telephone networks tools enabling them to know the expectations of their users and to offer them perfectly adapted services. The management method according to the invention relates to a public telephone network comprising at least one server such as a management server and / or an Internet access server and public telephones allowing access by means of an appropriate interface to an information transport system such as the WEB and the Internet,

According to the invention, the method for managing a public telephone network is characterized in that the information exchanged by the users of public telephones during access to the information transport system is supervised to generate databases relating to the 'identity of the users and / or the nature of the operations carried out such as the sites consulted or the types of messages sent.

According to another characteristic of the management method which is the subject of the invention, the access to the information transport system is supervised at the level of each public telephone in the telephone network, the data thus collected being periodically transmitted to an associated server for generate network-wide databases.

According to another characteristic of the management method which is the subject of the invention, the data collected on the accesses to the information transport system include messages or cookies generated during the consultation of the Internet sites.

According to another characteristic of the management method which is the subject of the invention, the access interface to the information transport system implemented in public telephones is periodically modified to take into account the data thus collected on the entire network.

According to another characteristic of the management method which is the subject of the invention, the modifications to the access interface to the information transport system can also be personalized for each public telephone, taking account of the data collected locally.

According to another characteristic of the management method which is the subject of the invention, messages are sent to the users listed in the databases in order, for example, to inform them of the modifications made to the telephone network.

The present invention also relates to a public telephone for implementing the method according to the invention. According to the invention, the public telephone is characterized in that it comprises means of access to an information transport system cooperating with an appropriate man-machine interface, means of transmitting data to a suitable server , means for receiving data and software transmitted by this server, means for supervising access to the Internet and means for creating and storing databases relating to access to the information transport system.

The present invention also relates to a server such as a management server or an Internet access server for the implementation of the method according to the invention.

According to the invention, the server is characterized in that it comprises means for transmitting data and software intended for the public telephones attached to it, means for receiving data transmitted by the public telephones, means for creation and storage of databases relating to access to the transport system of information transmitted by telephones.

According to another characteristic of the server which is the subject of the invention, the latter comprises means for processing the data thus collected, these means for processing data relating to access to the information transport system cooperating with software development tools used by the human machine interfaces of public telephones allowing access to the information transport system, this software being intended to be transmitted in public telephones by the aforementioned means of transmission.

According to another characteristic of the server which is the subject of the invention, the means for processing data relating to access to the information transport system cooperate with means for sending messages to the destinations of the users listed in the databases.

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawing, given by way of nonlimiting example will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

Figure 1 is a diagram of a public telephone network for the implementation of the method according to the invention.

In Figure 1 is shown a public telephone network 1 consisting of a plurality of public telephones 10, 10 '. These public telephones are intended for use by the public in self-service and are therefore installed for this purpose in public places, such as the street, or semi-public, such as shopping centers, airports, hotel halls, restaurants, shops, etc.

These public telephones allow users to make telephone calls to private telephones that are not shown or to other public telephones through, for example, the public switched network (PSTN) or a digital integrated services network (ISDN) or any other known telephony network. These public telephones are also suitable for accessing an information transport system and in particular the Internet.

The service offered to the user, whether it is the possibility of calling another telephone set or connecting to the Internet, is invoiced either at the level of the public telephone itself, by means of coins, pre-paid cards. , electronic purses, or other equivalent means, or billed in a deferred manner, for example by bank cards or subscriber cards.

These public telephones are terminals specially designed for their use on public or semi-public sites, with specificities in terms of components and software (microprocessor, memory, etc.), energy consumption, ergonomics. use, operating costs (in particular updates, maintenance, etc.).

Each public telephone 10 therefore includes a certain number of particular elements inherent in a public telephone, in particular for ergonomics. There are in particular display and data entry devices, such as a screen 11 and a keyboard 12 with keys. On the other hand, the public telephone 10 implements software making it possible to exchange and represent information according to specific formats better adapted to its ergonomics, although operating according to the principles of hypermedia links.

In particular, each public telephone integrates in these electronic circuits the material and especially software resources, such as a browser, necessary for the installation and the operation of a man-machine interface allowing access. to the Web and the Internet, and in particular to consult sites, send electronic messages or consult their electronic messaging.

The public telephone network 1 is therefore intended to be connected to an information transport system 2 using standard formats for exchanging and representing information. As illustrated in FIG. 1, this system 2 can be the Internet web with its set of information servers 21 or of electronic mail in particular.

As shown in FIG. 1, the public telephone network 1 is connected to the information transport network 2 via a server 20, also called a gateway, comprising in particular an interpreter • which is software capable of converting information from standard formats of network 2 to specific formats of network 1. Obviously, this architecture is not limiting of the invention and any other device allowing the connection of public telephones 10, 10 ′ to the Internet 2 can be used.

The server 20 has the function of translating the data or instructions in “http” format of the network 2, into data or instructions directly interpretable by the public telephones 10, 10 'and this, more particularly in the case where the latter have not hardware and software resources to use the "http" protocol. Indeed, given the low power levels of public telephones, it is difficult to install the computing capacities required for such protocols. In fact, public telephones are limited to using only the "TCP / IP" protocol. The server 20 is also connected to an Internet service provider ISP (Internet Service Provider) to access the network 2 and to the various servers 21 of the Web and the Internet.

The link between the public telephone network 1 and the server 20 is made by physical access modules connected to the PSTN or ISDN network. This link can also be done via network 2 and an ISP.

The main functions of the server 20 are as follows: recognizing the type of public telephone 10, and therefore the specific formats to be used, as indicated to it by the public telephone, thus implementing the format negotiation principle; convert the information contained in HTML pages, or any information of any existing standard format of exchange and representation including information storage (in particular databases), to specific formats of representation adapted to each type of telephone public, formats which may be specific to each type; convert the requests sent between the public telephone 10 and the information, service or electronic mail servers 21, following actions or input of user data, and which may be a format specific to each type of telephone public, in http requests, or in any standard request format; and finally, ensuring the transport of information between the public telephone 10 and the Internet service provider and therefore also with the servers 21 of the Web and the Internet. The interpreter is thus adapted to each type of public telephone 10, each type of public telephone (determined by the type of ergonomics, for example: characteristics of the screen, of the keyboard, etc.) possibly corresponding to a configuration, or version, of the interpreter. The use of a server 20 to obtain the interoperability of a fleet of public telephones on the Web and the Internet and therefore for information and services has only been described as an example of realization and could for example be replaced by appropriate means installed at each public telephone.

As can be seen in Figure 1 through a public telephone schematized 10 ', they are equipped with TCP / IP communication protocols in accordance with the technical recommendations of the IETF ("Internet Engineering Task Force"). Public telephones also have suitable software such as a browser for accessing the Web and the Internet, as well as for transmitting and receiving electronic messages.

In FIG. 1, a server 3 for managing public telephones 10, 10 ′, is also shown. This server 3 is also called PMS (English acronym for “Payphone Management System”), it has the function of '' exchange information relating to the functioning of the telephone system with the public telephone fleet. The public telephones 10, 10 ′ and the management server 3 are provided with appropriate means of supervision and of reception / transmission of data and software, these means which are in themselves known will not be described in more detail.

These supervision and reception / transmission means are responsible for organizing exchanges of information between public telephones 10, 10, ... and PMS 3, especially to control ^• file transfers and / or software between public telephones and the

PMS 3.

In addition, the supervision means manage the initialization sessions of public telephones and establish statistical data from information received from public telephones 10, 10 ', ... The means for transferring software and / or files are intended either to provide public telephones with files necessary for their operation, such as rate tables, configuration parameters concerning the type of dialing for example , opposition or watch lists, public telephone status files, i.e. to receive from public telephones information relating to their use, namely a daily report comprising data relating to transactions carried out, traffic, and a report of alarms which make it possible to report to the PMS the occurrence of incidents on a public telephone, such as a breakdown in the card reader or a torn handset, so as to anticipate the intervention of a surveillance officer.

The management server 3 also has means for creating and developing software used for the implementation of the interface for public telephone access to the Web and the Internet.

In accordance with the invention, public telephones also include supervision means incorporated into the navigation software which controls access to the Web and the Internet. These essentially software means collect non-confidential information in the form of cookies, such as the websites visited or the addresses of the electronic messages consulted.

These cookies mainly take the form of short character strings stored by the browser in appropriate memories of the public telephone. Their role is to temporarily or permanently store information relating to the site visited.

These cookies can be generated automatically or even on request. In the latter case, appropriate means then trigger the creation of cookies. These means can be located in the public telephone or in the server 20. The The information contained in the cookies thus collected is then stored in the form of databases in appropriate memories RAM of public telephones or even in the server 20. This information on connections to the Web and the Internet is then periodically transferred to the management server 3. This therefore has means, also software, for receiving the data thus collected on Internet accesses, as well as means for creating and storing databases gathering all the information transmitted by each telephone. public. Obviously, when this information is stored on the server 20, it may be possible to process it directly on the server 20 without transferring it to the management server 3, the operator also having access to the server 20. Thanks to these databases, data, the network operator is able to have very detailed information on the users of public telephones, which allows him to have a better understanding of the users and their expectations.

The operator of a public telephone network, like many operators of self-service devices, has no direct contact with its customers. The only information available to date, concerned the number, duration and location of telephone calls made from a public telephone, which is very insufficient to know the profile of customers, and therefore offer a service corresponding to the expectations of those -this.

Thanks to the information provided by users when accessing the WEB and the Internet, the operator of the public telephone network finally has tools that allow him to improve the service offer and to be able to develop perfectly targeted communication campaigns.

With regard to the service offer, it is thus possible to provide for regular updates of the welcome menus of the interface for accessing the Web and the Internet, updates adapted in particular according to the addresses. the most popular web and internet. Similarly, it is possible to offer a standard message service, ready to fill, for example:

"We have arrived in Stockholm, we are at the hotel _, room no., Telephone"

These messages can be developed from the global analysis of the messages most commonly used on the network and, on the other hand, can be adapted to the possible specificities inherent in each public telephone, particularly because of its location. Thus, the services of a public telephone located in an airport terminal may differ from those offered by a public telephone installed in a rural municipality or even those offered by a public telephone from a seaside resort campsite.

Thus, messages can be differentiated according to seasonality: greeting cards at the end of the year or even during the holidays, an electronic postcard service corresponding to the location of public payphones.

The implementation of these modifications to the interface for accessing the Web and the Internet can for example be carried out using the aforementioned means of creation and development of software used for the implementation of the interface of of payphones to the Web and the Internet. These means can thus be coupled with the databases for accessing the Web and the Internet and exploit the content to evolve the content of the access interface for payphones. The new interfaces are then downloaded to each of the public telephones. The updates can be common to all public telephones, they can also vary according to the public telephones by operating local specificities. As for communication companions, it finally becomes possible to communicate with users by sending them messages, for example, to their email addresses. These messages may relate, for example, to the functionality of public telephones or else to payment cards, such as collection cards. To do this, simply search the databases for users' email addresses. These communication procedures can be more or less integrated in the management server 3, which can for example have means for sending messages connected to said databases for this purpose.

Obviously, the illustrated embodiment has been given by way of example and is in no way limitative of all of the solutions that can be implemented thanks to the present invention. Thus the public telephone network described above can be replaced by any network of devices offering the public and self-service full or partial access to the Internet. Such public terminals can, for example, be dedicated to this service by being made up of all the elements of a PC, but assembled in a specific box suitable for their public use.

Claims

1. Method for managing a public telephone network (1) comprising at least one server (3; 20) and public telephones (10, 10 ') allowing access by means of an interface suitable for a system ( 2) of information transport such as the WEB and the Internet, characterized in that the information exchanged by the users of said public telephones (10, 10 ^* ) when accessing said information transport system are supervised to generate databases relating to the identity of users and / or the nature of the operations carried out, such as the sites consulted or the types of messages sent.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the supervision of access to said information transport system is carried out at each public telephone (10, 10 ') of the telephone network (1), the data thus collected being periodically transmitted to an associated server (3; 20) to generate network-wide databases (1).

3. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that among the data collected on access to said information transport system appear messages or cookies generated during the consultation of websites.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the access interface to said information transport system implemented in public telephones (10, 10 ') is periodically modified to take account of the data thus collected across the entire network (1).

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the modifications to the access interface to said transport system information can also be personalized for each public telephone (10, 10 ') taking into account the data collected locally.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that messages are sent to the users listed in said databases to for example inform them of the modifications made to said network (1).

7. Public telephone (10, 10 ') for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises means of access to a system (2) for transporting information cooperating with an appropriate man-machine interface, means for transmitting data to a server (3; 20), means for receiving the data transmitted by said server (3; 20), means for supervising access to Internet and means for creating and storing databases relating to access to said information transport system (2).

8. Server (3; 20) for public telephones (10, 10 ') according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises means for transmitting data to public telephones (10, 10') which are attached to it , means for receiving data transmitted by said public telephones (10, 10 ′), means for creating and storing databases relating to accesses to said system (2) for transporting information transmitted by said telephones.

9. Server (3) for public telephones (10, 10 ') according to claim 7, characterized in that it also comprises means for processing said data, said means for processing data relating to access to said system (2) of transport of information cooperate with software development tools used by human machine interfaces of public telephones allowing access to said information transport system (2), said software being intended to be transmitted in public telephones by said transmission means.

10. Server (3) for public telephones (10, 10 ') according to claim 7, characterized in that said means for processing data relating to access to said system (2) for transporting information cooperate with transmission means. messages to the destinations of the users listed in said databases.