System and method for selection of a communication network by a terminal

• US 20060155829A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange France (Orange S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Orange France (Orange S.A.)
• Inventors: Annic, Etienne
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

System for selecting an architecture (15, 16, 17) dedicated to a communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) in a terminal (10) including a user interface (11). The connection to the communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) is set up by means of a PDP context link via a mobile network. The system controls access to a dedicated architecture manager (19) integrated into the terminal (10) to manage an architecture (15, 16, 17) dedicated to a communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) and to process simultaneously the operation of the dedicated architectures (15, 16, 17) of the terminal (10) connected to a plurality of the communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52). The system can be used for selecting access to a communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) of a set of communications networks each offering a set of services via a dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17) integrated into the terminal (10) which is connected to a public mobile network to which the user is a subscriber.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A system for making a selection from a set of architectures (15, 16, 17) dedicated to communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) in a terminal (10) that includes a user interface (11) and is adapted to be connected simultaneously to a plurality of said communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), which system is characterized in that, the connections to the communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) being set up via a mobile network by means of PDP context links to said communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), the system comprises selection means (18) integrated into the user interface (11) of the terminal (10) for selecting the APN of one of the communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), for controlling access to a dedicated architecture manager (19) integrated into the terminal (10) for managing the architecture (15, 16, 17) dedicated to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), and for connecting the dedicated architecture manager (19) to the PDP context link to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) in order to process a state of said link and to adapt a resource to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52).

10. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the dedicated architecture manager (19) includes means for controlling, separately or in combination, creation, modification, suspension and closure of a dedicated architecture, according to the management function selected by the selection means (18).

11. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the dedicated architecture manager (19) manages all the dedicated architectures (15, 16, 17), which, in order to maintain the independence of the various communications networks, have no functions for managing PDP context links.

12. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the selection means (18) are associated with a selection means control device.

13. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that, as a function of the selection means (18), the dedicated architecture manager (19) is connected to a first transmission means (20) for managing transmission using a dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17) of the terminal (10).

14. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that, as a function of the selection means (18), the dedicated architecture manager (19) is connected to second transmission means (21) for managing transmission to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52).

15. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that, as a function of the selection means (18), the dedicated architecture manager (19) is connected to a resource of the terminal (10) accessible by a dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17).

16. A method of making a selection in a terminal (10) from a set of architectures (15, 16, 17) dedicated to communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), said terminal (10) including a user interface (11) and being adapted to be connected simultaneously to a plurality of said communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), which method is characterized in that, the connections to the communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52) being set up via a mobile network by means of PDP context links to the communications networks (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52), the method comprises the steps of:

integrating selection means (18) with the user interface (11) of the terminal (10);

activating the selection means (18) of the terminal (10) to select an APN of one of the communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52);

the selection means (18) controlling access to a dedicated architecture manager (19) integrated into the terminal (10) to manage a state of a dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17);

the dedicated architecture manager (19) controlling first means (20) of transmission to the dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17) of the terminal (10);

the dedicated architecture manager (19) controlling second means (21) of transmission to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52);

the dedicated architecture manager (19) processing a state of the PDP context link to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52); and

the dedicated architecture manager (19) accessing a resource of the terminal (10) accessible by the dedicated architecture (15, 16, 17) and adapted to the selected communications network (40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52).