Multimode universal mobile telecommunications system

• US 6,400,946 B1
• Filed: 02/11/1998
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jormalainen, Janne, Vazvan, Behruz
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wyche, Myron K.
• Application Number:
  US08/913,390
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435, 455/552, 455/437, 455/444, 455/427, 455/406, 455/432, 455/430, 455/414, 455/434, 455/433, 455/405
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18541 for handover of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• 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

The invention relates to a mobile communication entity, which combines several mobile communication networks, which can be part of different mobile communication systems (31, 33, 34, 44), and in which a mobile terminal can operate and establish connections to a receiver via said mobile communication networks. The mobile terminal selects a first mobile communication network based on a certain criterion or criteria, and establishes a first connection to the receiver using the first mobile communication network. After that the mobile terminal selects a second mobile communication network based on a certain criterion or criteria and establishes a second connection to the receiver. After the second connection has been successfully established, the mobile terminal disconnects the first connection.

Claims

1. Mobile communication entity providing communication between a mobile terminal and plural mobile communication networks, which communication networks are parts of different mobile communication systems (31, 32, 33, 34, 44), wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, said data including services provided by respective ones of said networks, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks, said mobile terminal having means for indicating a selection of a first connection with a first mobile communication network and a first service offered by the first mobile communication network, the selection being based on a certain criterion or criteria, wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to provide a selection of a second mobile communication network and a second service offered by the second mobile communication network, and is operative to maintain open communication channels concurrently with said first and said second mobile communication networks during said selection, said mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative further to establish a second connection with the second mobile communication network when a certain criterion or criteria is met, and the mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to disconnect said first connection after said second connection has been established;

and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, and wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, said criterion or criteria being based on said parameters.

2. Mobile communication entity according to claim 1, further comprising means for delivering information about said first and second mobile communication networks and services centralized to the mobile terminals (42, 43) connected to said first and second mobile communication networks.

3. Mobile communication entity according to claim 2, wherein said information delivering means comprises a pricing system, which has been arranged to receive price information from said first and second mobile communication networks to be further delivered to said mobile terminals (42, 43).

4. Mobile communication entity according to claim 1, wherein said mobile communication networks comprise means for offering circuit switched and packet switched data services, and said data application selects the data service between the switched data service and the packet data service based an said criterion or criteria.

5. Mobile communication entity according to claim 4, wherein, during a transfer between said switched data service and packet data service, the connection remains unbroken.

6. Mobile communication entity according to claim 1, further comprising a mobile communication network based on satellites, wherein said satellite based mobile communication network is operative to direct seemingly fixed coverage areas, including cells in terrestrial mobile communication networks, to the earth, said coverage areas comprise a first coverage area and a second coverage area, and said satellite based mobile communication network is operative to transfer a radio communication from said first coverage area to said second coverage area in relation to the movement of the satellites.

7. Mobile communication entity providing communication between a mobile terminal and plural mobile communication networks, which communication networks are parts of different mobile communication systems (31, 32, 33, 34, 44), wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, said data including services provided by respective ones of said networks, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks, said mobile terminal is operative to indicate a first message and a sender of the first message, and is operative to establish a first connection from the sender to the mobile terminal (42, 43), wherein the mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to indicate a second message and a sender of the second message, and is operative to establish a second connection from the sender of the second message if the sender of the second message is the same as the sender of said first message, said mobile terminal being operative to maintain open communication channels concurrently with the sender of said first message and the sender of said second message, and subsequently to disconnect said first connection;

and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, and wherein criterion or criteria for a selection by the mobile terminal is based on said parameters.

8. Mobile communication entity according to claim 7, further comprising means for delivering information about said mobile communication networks centralized to said mobile terminals (42, 43).

9. Mobile communication entity according to claim 8, wherein said information delivering means comprise a pricing system, which has been arranged to receive price information from said mobile communication networks to be further delivered to said mobile terminals (42, 43).

10. Mobile communication entity according to claim 7, wherein said mobile communication networks comprise means for offering circuit switched and packet switched data services, and said data application selects the data service between the switched data service and the packet data service based on said criterion or criteria.

11. Mobile communication entity according to claim 10, wherein, during a transfer between said switched data service and packet data service, the connection remains unbroken.

12. Mobile communication entity according to claim 7, further comprising a mobile communication network based on satellites, wherein said satellite based mobile communication network has seemingly fixed coverage areas including cells in terrestrial mobile communication networks, and is operative to direct the seemingly fixed coverage areas, including the cells in terrestrial mobile communication networks, to the earth, said coverage areas comprise a first coverage area and a second coverage area, said satellite based mobile communication network is operative to transfer a radio communication from said first coverage area to said second coverage area in relation to the movement of the satellites for offering a terrestrial mobile communication service.

13. Mobile terminal (42, 43), which is operative to establish connections to a receiver via any one of a plurality of mobile communication networks, wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, said data including services provided by respective ones of said networks, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks, said mobile terminal having means for indicating a selection of a first connection with a first mobile communication network and a service offered by the first mobile communication network, the selection being based on a certain criterion or criteria, wherein the mobile terminal is operative to select a second mobile communication network and a second service offered by the second mobile communication network, said mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to establish a second connection to said receiver using a second mobile communication network when a certain criterion or criteria is met, and the mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to disconnect said first connection after said second connection has been established;

and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, and wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, said criterion or criteria being based on said parameters.

14. Mobile terminal (42, 43), which is operative to receive messages from a sender via any one of a plurality of mobile communication networks, wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, said data including services provided by respective ones of said networks, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks, said mobile terminal having means for indicating a selection of a first message and a sender of the first message, the mobile terminal being operative to establish a first connection from the sender to the mobile terminal (42, 43), wherein the mobile terminal (42, 43) is operative to indicate a second message and a sender of the second message, to establish a second connection from the sender of the second message if the sender of the second message is the same as the sender of said first message, and to disconnect said first connection;

and

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, and wherein criterion or criteria for a selection by the mobile terminal is based on said parameters.

15. A method of establishing a connection from a mobile terminal (42, 43) to a receiver in a mobile communication entity, which entity interconnects a plurality of mobile communication networks, which communication networks are parts of different mobile communication systems (31, 32, 33, 34, 44), wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, said data including services provided by respective ones of said networks, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks;

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, and wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, the method comprising steps of;

said mobile terminal (42, 43) selects a first mobile communication network and a first service offered by the first mobile communication network based on a certain criterion or criteria that includes said parameters, said first mobile communication network being one of a plurality of said networks available for communication with said mobile terminal,

said mobile terminal establishes a first connection to said receiver using the first mobile communication network,

said mobile terminal (42, 43) selects a second mobile communication network and a second service offered by the second mobile communication network, said second mobile communication network being one of a plurality of said networks available for communication with said mobile terminal,

said mobile terminal (42, 43) establishes a second connection to said receiver using the second mobile communication network when a certain criterion or criteria based on said parameters is met, and

said mobile terminal (42, 43) disconnects said first connection after said second connection has been established.

16. A method of establishing a connection from a subscriber to a mobile terminal (42, 43) in a communication entity, which entity interconnects a plurality of mobile communication networks, which communication networks are parts of different mobile communication systems (31, 32, 33, 34, 44), wherein said mobile terminal (42, 43) includes control-channel communication means for receiving data from and for transmitting requests to individual ones of said networks via downlink and uplink control channels, and wherein said mobile terminal is located relative to said networks for concurrent capability of communication with a plurality of said networks;

wherein said mobile terminal comprises at least one data application that directs said mobile terminal to select one of said communication networks and a service offered by a selected one of the communication networks, and wherein an individual one of said communication networks offers at least one of a plurality of services from a set of services including circuit switched data service and a packet switched data service subject to a plurality of parameters from a set of parameters including quality of a transmission channel, capacity of a transmission channel, service availability, data transfer speed, amount of data to be transferred, and service price, the method comprising steps of;

selecting, by said mobile station, one of said communication networks and a service for communication with said mobile terminal based on a criterion or criteria that includes said parameters,

indicating a first message and the sender of the first message,

establishing a first connection from the sender to the mobile terminal (42, 43),

indicating a second message and the sender of the second message,

establishing a second connection from the sender of the second message if the sender of the second message is the same as the sender of said first message, and

disconnecting said first connection.