MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION LINE SWITCHING METHOD IN THE MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080026753A1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OKINOI, Masanori, SHINDE, Hiroki
• Application Number:
  US11/460,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20080026753A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A mobile communication system and communication line switching method in the mobile communication system capable of selecting the communication line, if there is a communication line with a better condition than the current communication line. If there is a communication-possible range with a better condition than a communication-possible range of a communication carrier that currently provides a communication line to mobile telephone 102, a communication carrier that provides a communication line to the communication-possible range is selected to enable communication under management of this communication carrier. By this means, it is possible to select a carrier or service area with a better condition than the currently used carrier or service area in terms of usage rate or service and achieve improvement of user convenience.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising a mobile terminal and a management server apparatus that controls a base station communicating with said mobile terminal,

wherein, when there is a communication-possible range with a better condition than the communication-possible range of a communication carrier that currently provides a communication line to said mobile terminal, said management server apparatus selects a communication carrier that provides a communication line to the communication-possible range, and, under management of said communication carrier, enables communication.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said management server apparatus controls a wireless LAN base station connected to a network, a base station connected via another network, or a terrestrial base station of an artificial satellite.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile terminal comprises a communication carrier selection section whereby a user can arbitrarily select a communication carrier other than a contracted communication carrier; and

when a communication carrier is selected at said mobile terminal, said management server apparatus switches a communication line to the selected communication carrier.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said management server apparatus manages a mobile terminal of another communication carrier.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said management server apparatus manages charging information.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile terminal obtains information about another mobile terminal by control of said management server apparatus.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile terminal reports the obtained information about another mobile terminal to the user.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile terminal obtains information about a remote mobile terminal via another mobile terminal different from the remote mobile terminal by control of said management server apparatus.

9. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile terminal communicates via another mobile terminal by control of said management server apparatus.

10. A communication line switching method in a mobile communication system that switches a communication line at a management server apparatus that controls a base station communicating with a mobile terminal, the communication line switching method comprising,

when there is a communication-possible range with a better condition than the communication-possible range of a communication carrier that currently provides a communication line to said mobile terminal, selecting a communication carrier that provides the communication line to the communication-possible range, and, under management of said communication carrier, enabling communication.