Mobile station, communication system and telephone communication switching method

• US 20070123209A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasao, Nobuaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/142 over the same radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection

Abstract

A mobile station such as a cellular phone, a communication system, and a telephone communication mode switching method that enable smooth switching between telephone communication using a public telephone line and telephone communication using the Internet shortly are provided. A mobile station control part is provided that determines whether a radio communication level of telephone communication using a public telephone line is below a first reference value, acquires, if determined so, location information of the mobile station, transmits the location information to a network server, receives wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server according to the location information, establishes wireless LAN connection based on the wireless LAN spot information, and establishes, if the radio communication level is determined to be below a second reference value smaller than the first reference value, a call of telephone communication using the Internet with a switching unit by wireless LAN connection.

Claims

1. A mobile station that performs telephone communication over a public telephone line or the Internet by radio via a switching unit that switches the telephone communication using the public telephone line and the telephone communication using the Internet, comprising:

a radio communication level determination means for determining, when performing telephone communication using the public telephone line, whether a radio communication level of the telephone communication using the public telephone line is below a first reference value or a second reference value which is smaller than the first reference value and, when performing the telephone communication using the Internet, whether a radio communication level of the telephone communication using the Internet exceeds a third reference value;

a location information acquisition means for acquiring location information of the mobile station when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level is below the first reference value;

a transmission means for transmitting the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means to a network server on which wireless LAN spot information associated with an installation location of a wireless LAN spot for connecting to the wireless LAN spot is stored;

a reception means for receiving the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server in accordance with the location information transmitted by the transmission means;

a wireless LAN connection means for establishing wireless LAN connection to a wireless LAN spot associated with the wireless LAN spot information based on the wireless LAN spot information received by the reception means;

a call establishment means for establishing a call of telephone communication using the Internet with the switching unit via the wireless LAN spot to which the wireless LAN connection is established by the wireless LAN connection means when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level is below the second reference value, and for establishing a call of telephone communication using a public telephone line with the switching unit when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level exceeds the third reference value; and

a communication means for performing telephone communication using the Internet via the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using the Internet is established with the switching unit by the call establishment means and for performing telephone communication using a public telephone line via the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using a public telephone line is established with the switching unit by the call establishment means.

2. The mobile station according to claim 1;

further comprising;

a storage means for storing connection information for establishing wireless LAN connection to the wireless LAN spot by attaching an index to each of the wireless LAN spots in a memory, wherein

the wireless LAN spot information is information to which the same index as that attached to the connection information is attached, and

the wireless LAN connection means searches for the connection information corresponding to the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server based on the index to establish wireless LAN connection based on the searched connection information.

3. The mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the communication means includes a switching instruction means for transmitting a switching instruction of telephone communication to the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using the Internet or a public telephone line is established with the switching unit.

4. A communication system comprising a mobile station that can perform telephone communication using a public telephone line by radio and telephone communication using the Internet via a wireless LAN spot by radio,

a network server that can communicate with the mobile station and stores wireless LAN spot information associated with an installation location of a wireless LAN spot for connecting to the wireless LAN spot in a memory, and

a switching unit that has a function to switch telephone communication using a public telephone line and telephone communication using the Internet and relays telephone communication from the mobile station, wherein

the mobile station includes:

a radio communication level determination means for determining, when performing telephone communication using a public telephone line, whether a radio communication level of telephone communication using the public telephone line is below a first reference value or a second reference value which is smaller than the first reference value and, when performing telephone communication using the Internet, whether the radio communication level using the Internet exceeds a third reference value;

a location information acquisition means for acquiring location information of the mobile station when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level is below the first reference value;

a transmission means for transmitting the location information acquired by the location information acquisition means to the network server;

a reception means for receiving the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server in accordance with the location information transmitted by the transmission means;

a wireless LAN connection means for establishing wireless LAN connection to a wireless LAN spot associated with the wireless LAN spot information based on the wireless LAN spot information received by the reception means;

a call establishment means for establishing a call of telephone communication using the Internet with the switching unit via the wireless LAN spot to which wireless LAN connection is established by the wireless LAN connection means when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level is below the second reference value, and for establishing a call of telephone communication using a public telephone line with the switching unit when the radio communication level determination means determines that the radio communication level exceeds the third reference value; and

a communication means for performing telephone communication using the Internet via the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using the Internet is established with the switching unit by the call establishment means and for performing telephone communication using a public telephone line via the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using a public telephone line is established with the switching unit by the call establishment means.

5. The communication system according to claim 4;

further comprising;

a storage means for storing connection information for establishing wireless LAN connection to the wireless LAN spot by attaching an index to each of the wireless LAN spots in a memory, wherein

the wireless LAN spot information is information representing a wireless LAN spot to which the same index as that attached to the connection information is attached, and

the wireless LAN connection means searches for the connection information corresponding to the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server based on the index to establish wireless LAN connection based on the searched connection information.

6. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the communication means includes a switching instruction means for transmitting a switching instruction of telephone communication to the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using the Internet or a public telephone line is established with the switching unit, and

the switching unit switches telephone communication based on the switching instruction after receiving the switching instruction from the mobile station.

7. A telephone communication switching method;

comprising;

a first radio communication level determination step for determining, when performing telephone communication using a public telephone line, whether a radio communication level of telephone communication using the public telephone line is below a first reference value,

a location information acquisition step for acquiring location information of the mobile station when the radio communication level is determined to be below the first reference level,

a transmission step for transmitting the acquired location information to a network server on which wireless LAN spot information associated with an installation location of a wireless LAN spot for connecting to the wireless LAN spot is stored,

a reception step for receiving the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server in accordance with the transmitted location information,

a wireless LAN connection step for establishing wireless LAN connection to a wireless LAN spot associated with the wireless LAN spot information based on the received wireless LAN spot information,

a second radio communication level determination step for determining whether the radio communication level is below a second reference value which is smaller than the first reference value,

a first call establishment step for establishing a call of telephone communication using the Internet with the switching unit via a wireless LAN spot to which wireless LAN connection is established when the radio communication level is determined to be below the second reference value,

a first communication step for performing telephone communication using the Internet via the switching unit after establishing a call of telephone communication using the Internet with the switching unit,

a third radio communication level determination step for determining, when performing telephone communication using the Internet, whether the radio communication level of the telephone communication using the Internet exceeds a third reference value,

a second call establishment step for establishing a call of telephone communication using a public telephone line with the switching unit when the radio communication level is determined to exceed the third reference value, and

a second communication step for conducting telephone communication using a public telephone line via the switching unit after establishing a call of telephone communication using the public telephone line with the switching unit.

8. The telephone communication switching method according to claim 7, wherein

connection information for establishing wireless LAN connection to the wireless LAN spot is stored in a memory of the mobile station by attaching an index for each wireless LAN spot,

the same index as that attached to the connection information for the wireless LAN spot is attached to the wireless LAN spot information, and

in the wireless LAN connection step, the connection information corresponding to the wireless LAN spot information transmitted from the network server is searched for based on the index to establish wireless LAN connection based on the searched connection information.

9. The telephone communication switching method according to claim 7, wherein the communication means includes a switching instruction means for transmitting a switching instruction of telephone communication to the switching unit after a call of telephone communication using the Internet or a public telephone line is established with the switching unit.