Method for communicating a cellular radio and satellite communication terminal, and terminal for implementing said method

• US 6,567,673 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mobiwire
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Charbonnier, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US09/485,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/433, 455/414, 455/445, 455/552, 455/553, 455/550, 455/422, 455/3.02, 455/13.2, 455/12.1, 455/98
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

This invention relates to a radio communication terminal, such as for example, a mobile telephone, which has access to a satellite-based communication network. In the course of one and the same communication, the terminal transmits information via an up pathway and receives information via a down pathway. One of the two pathways, up or down, is cellular and the other pathway is satellite-based.

Claims

1. A communication process for a radio communication terminal (20) having access to a cellular communication network (200) and access to a satellite-based communication network (100), in which, in the course of one and the same communication, the terminal (20) transmits information via an up pathway and receives information via a down pathway, one of the two pathways, up and down, being cellular and the other pathway being satellite-based.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which, a system (205) for managing traffic being provided so as to manage the traffic of the information through the satellite-based (100) and cellular (200) networks, the system (205) for managing traffic searches for the most suitable networks for the up pathway and for the down pathway, respectively.

3. The process as claimed in claim 2, in which the search for networks takes account of the respective locations of the terminal (20) and of its opposite party (30) and of the loading of the networks (200, 100).

4. The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the terminal (20) searches for the most suitable networks for the up pathway and for the down pathway.

5. The process as claimed in claim 4, in which the search of the terminal (20) takes account of the requirements of the terminal (20).

6. The process as claimed in claim 2, in which the system (205) for managing traffic and the terminal (20) negotiate the choice of networks for the up pathway and for the down pathway.

7. A radio communication terminal for implementing the process as claimed in claim 1, devised so as to communicate through a cellular network (200) and through a satellite-based network (100), comprising transmission means (1, 2) intended to transmit a stream of information via an up pathway and reception means (1, 2) intended to receive a stream of information via a down pathway, wherein the up pathway can be routed onto one of the two networks, satellite-based (100) and cellular (200), and the down pathway can be routed onto the other network, in the course of one and the same communication.

8. The terminal as claimed in claim 7, in which there are provided coordination means (8) devised so as to route the up pathway and the down pathway onto one of the networks and onto the other network, respectively.

9. The terminal as claimed in claim 7, in which the transmission means (1, 2) and the reception means (1, 2) are devised so as to operate simultaneously.

10. The terminal as claimed in claim 7, comprising network search means (9) devised so as to determine the most suitable networks for the up pathway and for the down pathway, respectively.