Mobile telecommunication networks and digital broadcasting services

• US 20050043020A1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lipsanen, Matti, Kamarainen, Jouni
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

At integrated hybrid telecommunication system for providing voice, packet data and digital broadcast/multicast services to a mobile terminal (100) is disclosed. In an embodiment of the invention, the system includes a mobile telecommunication network (110) for providing lower bandwidth services and a digital broadband network (140) for delivering higher bandwidth broadcast content. In an embodiment, a broadcast service such as a video broadcast can be viewed by selecting the service on e.g. a portal page displayed on the mobile terminal (100). The request is received by the mobile telecommunication network (110), which is coupled to the broadcast network (140) for retrieving the associated service parameters. The service parameters are transmitted to the mobile terminal (100) via the mobile telecommunication network (110). The received parameters enable a broadcast receiver in the mobile terminal (100) to receive the broadcast service transmitted by the broadcast network (140).

Claims

1. A system for providing services to a mobile terminal characterized in that said services include broadband services and lower bandwidth services, comprising:

a mobile telecommunication network;

at least one mobile telecommunication service server coupled to the mobile telecommunication network for providing said lower bandwidth services;

a broadcast network;

at least one broadcast service server coupled to the broadcast network for providing broadband services; and

a portal server coupled to the mobile telecommunication network and the at least one broadcast service server, said servers communicating with the mobile terminal via the mobile telecommunication network for providing information relative to the services.

2. The system according to claim 1 characterized in that the mobile terminal is capable of receiving the provided services independent of the service using the information relative to the services provided by the common portal server.

3. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the mobile terminal is a multimedia terminal comprising voice and packet data telecommunication functionality, a browser for interfacing with the packet data, and a broadcast receiver for receiving digital broadcasts from the broadcast network.

4. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the mobile terminal includes a browser capable of operating with any one of WAP, XHTML, CHTML, and HTML protocols for transmitting and receiving packet data with the mobile telecommunication network.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower bandwidth services comprise mobile services and packet data services transmitted via mobile telecommunication network.

6. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the mobile telecommunication network is a network such as UMTS/GPRS or WCDMA network wherein packet data is capable of being exchanged between the network 4 and the mobile terminal.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the broadband services comprise digital broadcast services.

8. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the broadcast network is a digital broadband broadcast network such as DVB-T or DAB.

9. A system according to claim 8 characterized in that the broadcast service such as a TV program is broadcast to the mobile terminal (100) from the broadcast server (via the DVB-T network 1.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that a portal page (160) provides the information relative to the services to the mobile terminal (100).

11. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that a portal page is hosted on the portal server (429) and displayed on the mobile terminal (100) in the form of selectable hyperlinks.

12. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the mobile telecommunication network and the broadcast network each host a connection to the Internet for accessing content from servers from the Internet.

13. A portal server coupled to a broadband network and to a lower bandwidth network for providing broadband and lower bandwidth service transmissions to a mobile terminal, characterized in that said portal server comprises:

means for accessing selectable service information relative to said broadband service transmissions;

means for accessing selectable service information relative to said lower bandwidth service transmissions; and

a controller for selecting service information for said broadband and lower bandwidth service transmissions based on a service request by a user of the mobile terminal.

14. The portal server of claim 13, characterized in that the portal server further comprises means to route the service request by the user to a selected service provider.

15. The portal server of claim 13, characterized in that the portal server further comprises means for transmitting the selected service information to the mobile terminal based on the service request by the user of the mobile terminal.

16. A method of accessing a telecommunication system by a mobile terminal for receiving voice, packet data, and broadcast services, wherein the telecommunication system is comprised of a mobile network linked to a telecom server and a portal server, a broadcast network 9 linked to a broadcast server and to the mobile network, and wherein the mobile terminal is capable of communicating with the mobile network and receiving broadcasts from the broadcast network, the method is characterized in that the service information associated with a broadcast from the broadcast network is obtained by the mobile terminal via the mobile network, thereby lowering power consumption by the mobile terminal by avoiding alternative high power actions for obtaining said information.

17. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the mobile network exchanges packet data with the mobile terminal using the UMTS/GPRS protocol.

18. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the broadcast network 3 broadcasts signals in accordance with the DVB-T standard.

19. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal comprising mobile voice and packet data telecommunication functionality, a browser for interfacing with the packet data, and a broadcast receiver for receiving digital broadcasts from the broadcast network.

20. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the mobile network is a voice and packet data capable network such as a UMTS network.

21. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the accessing of the portal page and data communication between the mobile terminal and the mobile network is performed using the WAP or HTTP protocols.

22. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the broadcast services include at least one of TV programs, movies, digital radio, music files, data files, or interactive games which are broadcasted in a carousel or streaming manner over the air.

23. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the service parameters transmitted to the mobile terminal include at least one of a tuning frequency, IP address, Program ID (PID), time, or encryption keys for enabling the reception of the broadcast service.

24. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the service parameters are requested from the mobile network and retrieved from the broadcast network via the Internet, especially if they are geographically distant.

25. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the broadcast network 1 broadcasts digital audio using DVB-T or MPEG-2 format to the mobile terminal.

26. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the broadcast services are broadcast by the mobile network using the native broadcast functionality in UMTS.

27. A method according to claim 16 characterized in that the mobile terminal can be preprogramed to display or save broadcasted content starting at the appropriate scheduled time of the broadcast.

28. A wireless handheld mobile terminal 100 for providing services to a user characterized in that said mobile terminal comprises:

a radio frequency transceiver for communicating with a mobile telecommunication network for receiving lower bandwidth services;

a broadcast receiver for receiving broadband services from a digital broadcast network;

an input user interface including selectable links to access service information relative to broadband and lower bandwidth services for entering user request to selected service to be transmitted via the mobile telecommunication network;

a CPU connected to said radio frequency transceiver and to said broadcast receiver for controlling communication with the mobile telecommunication network and the reception of broadband services; and

a means for displaying requested service to the user.

29. A wireless handheld terminal according to claim 28 characterized in that the terminal further comprises means for obtaining service information related to the broadcast content via the mobile telecommunication network.

30. A wireless handheld terminal according to claim 28, characterized in that the terminal further comprises a media decoder connected to the broadcast receiver and the CPU to decode the broadcast content received over the air.

31. A wireless handheld terminal according to claim 28, further comprising means for audio output for reproducing high quality audio associated with the broadcast content.

32. A computer program product comprising program instructions executable by a computing system for operating networks that provide mobile telecommunication services and digital broadcast content to a mobile terminal, comprising:

computer program code for receiving a user request from the mobile terminal for information necessary for receiving the broadcast content which is sent via the mobile telecommunications network;

computer program code for executing the user request and sending the information to the mobile terminal using packet data transmission;

computer program code for facilitating communication between a mobile telecommunication network and a broadcast network hosting the broadcast content; and

computer program code for performing the transmission of broadcast content from the broadcast network (to the mobile terminal.

33. A computer program product according to claim 32, further comprises means for operating a telecom server and/or a portal server connected to the telecommunication network.

34. A computer program product according to claim 32, further comprises means for operating a broadcast server connected to the broadcast network and to the telecommunication network.

35. A computer program product according to claim 32 wherein the program code for sending information necessary for receiving the broadcast content, such as frequency, time, PID, or IP address port etc., to the mobile terminal is implemented in a data transmission protocol such as WAP or HTTP.

36. An Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for comprising information on broadband services provided by a broadband network, characterized in that the Electronic Program Guide information is accessible to a wireless mobile terminal via a portal page communicated through a mobile telecommunication network, and wherein broadcast service parameters associated with a user selected broadcast service are sent via a portal server coupled to the broadband network and the mobile telecommunication network.