Communication system and mobile station therefor

• US 20060205400A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kiyomoto, Moriaki
• Application Number:
  US11/082,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20060205400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

A communication system in which a calling party mobile station is capable of automatically obtaining information on a plurality of currently available communication modes of a called party mobile station and charge rate information to enable a user of the calling party mobile station to determine which mode is to be used for communication with the called party mobile station based on the information thus obtained. The called party mobile station notifies information on currently available communication modes to a circuit switching station. The circuit switching station stores position information and communication mode information of the called party mobile station, and obtains information on the service provider and so on of the called party mobile station from another switching station. The calling party mobile station places a call for the called party mobile station, to the circuit switching station. The circuit switching station obtains registered information of the called party mobile station from the circuit switching station, calculates a unit price, and notifies the unit price to the calling party mobile station. The calling party mobile station displays the unit price to enable the user to select a communication mode and originate a call.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a mobile station and a switching station for managing the mobile station,

wherein the mobile station comprises:

means for requesting position registration to the switching station;

means for notifying communication mode information to the switching station;

means for requesting a call directed to another mobile station;

means for displaying communication unit price information for each of communication modes transmitted from the switching station; and

means for originating a call in a communication mode selected by a user, and

wherein the switching station comprises;

means for storing position information of the mobile station which has requested the position registration;

means for storing the communication mode information transmitted from the mobile station;

means for receiving a call request for another mobile station from the mobile station;

communication unit price calculating means for calculating a communication unit price for each of communication modes which are supported by the mobile station designated by the request; and

means for notifying the calculated communication unit price information for each of the communication modes to the mobile station which has placed the call request.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit price calculating means of the switching station calculates a communication unit price based on a communication mode which is compatible between two mobile stations among the communication modes supported by these two mobile stations.

2. A communication system comprising a mobile station and a switching station for managing the mobile station,

wherein the mobile station comprises:

means for requesting position registration to the switching station;

means for notifying communication mode information to the switching station;

means for requesting a call directed to another mobile station;

means for displaying communication unit price information for each of communication modes transmitted from the switching station; and

means for originating a call in the communication mode selected by a user, and

wherein the switching station comprises;

means for storing position information of the mobile station which has requested the position registration;

means for storing the communication mode information transmitted from the mobile station;

means for notifying the position information and the communication mode information of the mobile station requested by another switching station;

means for receiving a call directed to another mobile station from the mobile station;

means for receiving the position information and the communication mode information of the mobile station notified by another switching station;

communication unit price calculating means for calculating a communication unit price for each of communication modes supported by the mobile station that is subject to be called; and

means for notifying the calculated communication unit price information to the mobile station which has originated the call request.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the communication unit price calculating means of the switching station calculates a communication unit price based on a communication mode which is compatible between two mobile stations among the communication modes supported by these two mobile stations.

5. A mobile station for performing communication with another mobile station via a switching station, comprising:

means for requesting position registration to the switching station;

means for notifying communication mode information to the switching station;

means for requesting a call directed to another mobile station;

means for receiving information on a communication unit price charged for communication with said another mobile station for each of the communication modes, the communication unit price information being notified by the switching station in response to the call request for said another mobile station;

means for displaying the received communication unit price information for each of the communication modes; and

means for originating a call in the communication mode selected by a user.

6. A mobile station for performing communications with another mobile station via a switching station, comprising:

means for requesting position registration of the mobile station to the switching station;

means for notifying information on communication modes supported by the mobile station to the switching station;

means for requesting a call directed to another mobile station to the switching station;

means for receiving information on a communication unit price charged for communication with said another mobile station, the communication unit price information being notified by the switching station in response to the call request for said another mobile station;

means for displaying the received communication unit price information for each of the communication modes while discriminating and displaying a communication mode which is compatible between the mobile station and said another mobile station; and

means for originating a call according to the communication mode selected by a user.