MULTIMODE PORTABLE TERMINAL AND MODE SWITCH-OVER METHOD

• US 20090111510A1
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ono, Tomohiro
• Application Number:
  US12/297,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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

[PROBLEMS] To provide a multimode portable terminal capable of variously switching over the mode of a network connection according to various needs such as high-quality and high-speed data communication or inexpensive data communication, and a mode switch-over method. [MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] A multimode portable terminal capable to any one of a plurality of radio communication networks with different standards includes a mode selecting device 51 for presetting mode selection information by input of the user, a network judging device 52 for judging which area of the radio communication networks the multimode portable terminal is present based on presence of control signals peculiar to each radio communication network, and a network selecting device 53 for selecting one of the radio communication networks in whose area the multimode portable terminal is present in the order of priority according to the mode selection information.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A multimode portable terminal capable of being connected to a plurality of radio communication networks of different standards, the terminal comprising:

a mode selecting device that sets mode selection information in advance by input of a user;

a network judging device that judges which area of the plurality of radio communication networks the terminal is located based on presence of control signals peculiar to each radio communication network; and

a network selecting device that selects and connects to the radio communication networks within the area according to a priority order set based on the mode selection information.

17. The multimode portable terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein the mode selecting device has the user select a mode selection menu displayed on a display so as to set the mode selection information.

18. The multimode portable terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the mode selection menu includes at least three alternatives of “

select from infrastructures”

, “

select from contents”

, and “

select from indexes”

;

in a case of “

select from infrastructures”

, the mode selection information according to selection made directly from the plurality of radio communication networks is set to the mode selecting device;

in a case of “

select from contents”

, the mode selection information according to selection made further from types of contents is set to the mode selecting device based on a database; and

in a case of “

select from indexes”

, the mode selection information according to selection made further from communication indexes is set to the mode selecting device based on the database.

19. The multimode portable terminal as claimed in claim 16, wherein the network judging device identifies a mobile radio communication network, an IEEE802.16e WiMAX network, and an IEEE802.11 radio LAN as the plurality of radio communication networks of different standards.

20. The multimode portable terminal as claimed in claim 16, comprising an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface that performs data communication by being connected to external equipment.

21. The multimode portable terminal as claimed in claim 20, which is configured as a communication extension module by having the interface associated with an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface that is provided to the external equipment.

22. A multimode portable terminal capable of being connected to a plurality of radio communication networks of different standards, the terminal comprising:

mode selecting means for setting mode selection information in advance by input of a user;

network judging means for judging which area of the plurality of radio communication networks the terminal is located based on presence of control signals peculiar to each radio communication network; and

network selecting means for selecting and connecting to the radio communication networks within the area according to a priority order set based on the mode selection information.

23. A computer readable recording medium storing a multimode portable terminal program that causes a computer of a multimode portable terminal capable of being connected to a plurality of radio communication networks of different standards to execute:

a function of storing mode selection information that is set in advance by input of a user;

a function of judging which area of the plurality of radio communication networks the terminal is located based on presence of control signals peculiar to each radio communication network; and

a function of selecting and connecting to the radio communication networks within the area according to a priority order set based on the mode selection information.

24. A computer readable recording medium storing the multimode portable terminal program as claimed in claim 23 that causes the computer to execute:

in a case of “

select from infrastructures”

on a mode selection menu, a function of setting the mode selection information according to selection made directly from the plurality of radio communication networks;

in a case of “

select from contents”

on the mode selection menu, a function of setting the mode selection information according to selection made further from types of the contents based on a database; and

in a case of “

select from indexes”

on the mode selection menu, a function of setting the mode selection information according to selection made further from communication indexes based on the database.

25. A computer readable recording medium storing the multimode portable terminal program as claimed in claim 23 that causes the computer to execute a function of identifying a mobile radio communication network, an IEEE802.16e WiMAX network, and an IEEE802.11 radio LAN as the plurality of radio communication networks of different standards.

26. A computer readable recording medium storing the multimode portable terminal program as claimed in claim 23 that causes the computer to execute a function of becoming associated with external equipment via an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface.

27. A computer readable recording medium storing the multimode portable terminal program as claimed in claim 23 that causes the computer to execute a function of becoming associated with Ethernet (registered trademark) interface that is provided to external equipment via the Ethernet (registered trademark) interface.

28. A mode switch-over method for a multimode portable terminal capable of being connected to a plurality of radio communication networks of different standards, comprising:

setting mode selection information in advance by input of a user;

judging which area of the plurality of radio communication networks the terminal is located based on presence of control signals peculiar to each network; and

selecting and connecting to the radio communication networks within the area according to a priority order set based on the mode selection information.

29. The mode switch-over method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the mode selection information is set manually by having a user make selection from a mode selection menu in the multimode portable terminal.

30. The mode switch-over method as claimed in claim 29, wherein:

the mode selection menu includes at least three alternatives of “

select from infrastructures”

, “

select from contents”

, and “

select from indexes”

;

in a case of “

select from infrastructures”

, the mode selection information according to selection made directly from the plurality of radio communication networks is set;

in a case of “

select from contents”

, the mode selection information according to selection made further from types of contents is set based on a database; and

in a case of “

select from indexes”

, the mode selection information according to selection made further from communication indexes is set based on the database.

31. The mode switch-over method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the plurality of radio communication networks of different standards are a mobile radio communication network, an IEEE802.16e WiMAX network, and an IEEE802.11 radio LAN.