Information providing apparatus and portable communication terminal

• US 6,341,133 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1997
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Akira, Kawamoto, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US08/860,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/401, 370/465, 370/466, 370/352, 455/550, 455/556, 455/461, 709/203, 709/206, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A portable communication terminal for use in a communication system including the terminal and a terminal server, and an implementation of such a communication system. The communication terminal has a telephone communication means operable to accesses a server and/or a data base connected to a portable telephone system network so as to receive multimedia information from the server and/or data base, and a human-machine interface means operable to receive multimedia information supplied from the telephone communication means. The communication terminal server has an external communication processing means operable to accesses an external server connected to an external information communication network so as to receive multimedia information from the external server, a data processing means for processing or converting multimedia information received from the external communication processing means, and a transfer means for transferring multimedia information from the external communication processing means and/or the data processing means to the portable communication terminal via said portable telephone system network. Communication between the external communication processing means and the external server is carried out using a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as an administrative protocol and using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as an application protocol.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a portable communication terminal having a telephone communication means operable to access a server and/or a data base connected to a portable telephone system network so as to receive multimedia information from said server and/or data base, and a human-machine interface means operable to receive multimedia information supplied from said telephone communication means; and

a portable communication terminal server having an external communication processing means operable to access an external server connected to an external information communication network so as to receive multimedia information from said external server, a data processing means for processing or converting multimedia information received from said external communication processing means, and a transfer means for transferring multimedia information from said external communication processing means and/or said data processing means to said portable communication terminal via said portable telephone system network;

wherein communication between said external communication processing means and said external server is carried out using a modified Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as an administrative protocol and using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as an application protocol, said modified TCP/IP protocol using a header that does not include an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number; and

wherein communication between said portable communication terminal and said portable communication terminal server is carried out using a protocol having an error correction code, a re-transmission capability, a transmission sequence number and an answer acknowledge number.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a broadcasting means for broadcasting common information within a predetermined area; and

said portable communication terminal further comprises

a broadcast reception means for receiving a broadcast from said broadcasting means, a detecting means for detecting an on-air signal indicating that said external broadcasting means is broadcasting or for detecting a broadcast reception instructing signal for instructing said broadcast reception means to receive a broadcast, and an identifier transfer means for transferring an identifier indicative of a place where a user using said portable communication terminal exists to a server connected to said external information communication network when said server connected to said external information communication network is accessed by said external communication processing means so as to transfer multimedia information.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said portable communication terminal includes a data base having stored therein multimedia information to be transferred to a second portable communication terminal in accordance with an access from said second portable communication terminal, or multimedia information to be transferred to a communication terminal associated with an external information communication network in accordance with an access from said communication terminal, and wherein said data processing means has a conversion means for converting an information from said portable communication terminal into a predetermined multimedia information.

4. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a portable communication terminal having a telephone communication means operable to access a server and/or a data base connected to a portable telephone system network so as to receive multimedia information from said server and/or data base, a data processing means for processing or converting the multimedia information received from said telephone communication means, and a human-machine interface means operable to receive multimedia information supplied from said telephone communication means or said data processing means; and

a portable communication terminal server having an external communication processing means operable to access an external server connected to an external information communication network so as to receive multimedia information from said external server, and a transfer means for transferring multimedia information from said external communication processing means to said portable communication terminal via said portable telephone system network;

wherein communication between said external communication processing means and said external server is carried out using a modified Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as an administrative protocol and using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as an application protocol, said modified TCP/IP protocol using a header that does not include an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number; and

wherein communication between said portable communication terminal and said portable communication terminal server is carried out using a protocol having an error correction code, a re-transmission capability, a transmission sequence number and an answer acknowledge number.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said portable communication terminal includes a data base having stored therein multimedia information to be transferred to a second portable communication terminal in accordance with an access from said second portable communication terminal, or multimedia information to be transferred to a communication terminal associated with an external information communication network in accordance with an access from said communication terminal, and wherein said data processing means has a conversion means for converting an information from said portable communication terminal into a predetermined multimedia information.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a broadcasting means for broadcasting common information within a predetermined area; and

said portable communication terminal further comprises

a broadcast reception means for receiving a broadcast from said broadcasting means, a detecting means for detecting an on-air signal indicating that said external broadcasting means is broadcasting or for detecting a broadcast reception instructing signal for instructing said broadcast reception means to receive a broadcast, and an identifier transfer means for transferring an identifier indicative of a place where a user using said portable communication terminal exists to a server connected to said external information communication network when said server connected to said external information communication network is accessed by said external communication processing means so as to transfer multimedia information.

7. A portable communication terminal, comprising:

a telephone communication means operable to access a server and/or a data base connected to a portable telephone system network so as to receive multimedia information from said server and/or data base;

an external communication processing means operable to access an external server connected to an external information communication network so as to receive a multimedia information from said external server, wherein communication between said external communication processing means and said external server is carried out using a modified Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as an administrative protocol and using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as an application protocol, said modified TCP/IP protocol using a header that does not include an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number;

a data processing means for processing or converting multimedia information received from said telephone communication means or said external communication processing means; and

a human-machine interface means to which multimedia information is supplied from said telephone communication means, said external communication processing means and/or said data processing means.

8. The portable communication terminal according to claim 7 further comprising:

a broadcast reception means for receiving a broadcast from a broadcasting means which broadcasts common information within a predetermined area;

a detecting means for detecting an on-air signal indicating that said external broadcasting means is broadcasting or for detecting a broadcast reception instructing signal for instructing said broadcast reception means to receive a broadcast; and

an identifier transfer means for transferring an identifier indicative of a place where a user using said portable communication terminal exists to a server connected to said external information communication network when said server connected to said external information communication network is accessed by said external communication processing means so as to transfer multimedia information.