Method and arrangement for determining at least one suggestion for a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal

• US 20090176497A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Klein, Cornel
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data

Abstract

According to a current user location, at least one favorable user location in the vicinity of a respective current user location for a mobile terminal is, as a suggestion for changing location, determined from communications requests for at least one respective application and from available network services in the vicinity of the current user location by virtue of the fact that, in favorable locations, network services can be more efficiently and/or economically used.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method for determining a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal, comprising:

checking whether a characteristics of a network available at a current location is sufficient to perform a data transfer under a requirement of the data transfer;

requesting the current position of the terminal;

determining if a change of location is desired, wherein in response to desiring the location change;

requesting a network service possible in a vicinity according to a route plan,

determining a favorable location based on a first criteria selected from the group consisting of requirement for the data transfer, preference of the user, and combinations thereof,

suggesting the favorable location to the user, and

recognizing from a second criteria when the user has reached the favorable location, the second criteria selected from the group consisting of location information, service available at the location information, combinations thereof;

initiating a handover into the mobile radio network with the desired characteristic available at the favorable location is initiated when necessary;

executing the data transfer; and

informing the user about status of the data transfer, the status selected from the group consisting of beginning of the data transfer, progress of the data transfer, end of the data transfer, and combinations thereof.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the favorable location is determined using a third criteria selected from the group consisting of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and combinations thereof.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein a plurality of favorable locations are determined such that the requirement and a service offering are weighted and optimized in regards to quality, costs and availability.

20. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein a confirmation is requested from the user when the corresponding data transfer is possible at the current location but would be expensive.

21. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising informing the user in response to the end of the data transfer that the user can leave the favorable location.

22. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the current user location is determined approximately on the basis of a cell identification in the network, a subnet mask of the IP network or on the basis of a MAC address or a network identification of a WLAN access point.

23. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the current user location is entered manually or imported from an external system.

24. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the available network services are requested from a central directory.

25. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the available network services are requested from a directory that is maintained within the mobile terminal or in another terminal connected locally to the mobile terminal, the directory including information about a newly visited location, a service of the newly visited location and a characteristic of the service of the newly visited location.

26. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the available network service is requested from a directory of the mobile terminal, that exchanges or synchronizes information with corresponding directory services of other mobile terminals in the vicinity of the relevant user.

27. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein a requirement regarding transmission capacity is determined by the mobile terminal on the basis of a third criteria selected from the group consisting of a protocol used, a number of bytes exchanged, information derived from the protocol, an exchanged message and combinations thereof.

28. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the favorable location is a WLAN hotspot.

29. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the current network uses a different protocol to communicate with the terminal than a protocol used by the mobile radio network with the desired characteristic available at the favorable location.

30. A device for determining a suggestion for a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal having an application, comprising:

a data exchange unit to exchange data with a current network,

a user information unit that informs a user of the terminal about the suggested change of location;

a handover unit that initiates a handover of the unit for data exchange from the current network to another network and informs the application about the handover;

a position determining unit that determines a geographical position of the terminal and provides to the position to the application;

a capability unit that determines a capability of the current network available to the application; and

a service unit for determining a service available to the terminal in a vicinity of the terminal based on the position of the terminal, the service unit further determines a characteristic of the determined service,

wherein depending on the user location, in response to a communication requirement of the application and based on available network services in the vicinity of the user location, a favorable location in the vicinity the user location is determined for a mobile terminal and is suggested to the user.

31. The device as claimed in claim 30,

further comprising a capability management unit,

wherein a requirement regarding the data transfer of application is collected and the capability management unit determines the suggestion for a change of location and the informs the application if a network service with the requested capability is available.

32. The device as claimed in claim 30,

further comprising a capability management unit,

wherein a plurality of requirement regarding the data transfer for a plurality of applications in the terminal are collected and the capability management unit determines the suggestion for a change of location and informs the plurality of applications if a network service with the requested capabilities is available.

33. The device as claimed in claim 30, wherein for an impending substantial data transfer, the terminal performs the determination a suggestion for a change of location autonomously for a user and stops the corresponding applications until such time as the suggested location is reached.