System for providing multimedia value-added services

• US 6,829,474 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Adachi, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/651,069
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/413, 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/566, 379/67.1, 379/88.18, 379/93.07, 379/93.08, 379/201.03, 379/201.04, 379/201.05, 340/825.37
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A multimedia value-added services providing system allowing a user to easily obtain desired value-added services is disclosed. A control server controls a plurality of value-added service servers. A gateway server connected to the control server and a terminal includes a translator for performing a translation between information according to a protocol used in each of the value-added service servers and information according to a generalized description language operable in a user'"'"'s terminal. The gateway server provides a unified interface to the terminal such that the terminal is allowed to gain access to any of the value-added service servers under a single interface condition.

Claims

1. A system for providing value-added services to a subscriber through a telecommunication network, comprising:

a value-added service server, comprising a plurality of servers, each of said plural servers providing the subscriber with a different type of value-added service;

a control server connected to the plurality of servers through respective interfaces, for controlling the plurality of servers;

a terminal of the subscriber, which is connected to the telecommunication network and has a browser installed therein, wherein the browser is operable according to a generalized description language;

a gateway server which is connected to the control server and is connected to the terminal through the telecommunication network, wherein the gateway server includes a translator for performing a translation between information according to a protocol used in each of the plural servers and information according to the generalized description language; and

a personal database for retrievably storing a plurality of service scenarios defined by individual subscribers,

wherein the control server controls the value-added service server and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on a service scenario retrieved from the personal database according to an instruction issued by the subscriber operating the menu displayed on a display.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway server provides a unified interface to the terminal such that the terminal is allowed to gain access to any of the plural servers under a single interface condition.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control server controls the plural servers and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on a requested service received from the terminal.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the control server performs an incoming call transfer control from the terminal to a requested destination by controlling the switching system that received an incoming call to the terminal.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the control server instructs an intelligent network to perform an incoming call transfer control from the terminal to a requested destination by controlling the switching system that received an incoming call to the terminal.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control server stores a predetermined service scenario for providing a desired combination of value-added services to the subscriber, wherein the control server controls the value-added service server and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on the service scenario stored.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a new service scenario is stored in the personal database by an authenticated subscriber.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the service scenarios stored in the personal database is allowed to be updated by a corresponding authenticated subscriber.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scenario server for retrievably storing a plurality of service scenarios created by an authenticated third party,

wherein the control server controls the value-added service servers and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on a service scenario retrieved from the personal database according to an instruction received from a subscriber.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein each of the service scenarios stored in the scenario server is allowed to be updated by the authenticated third party.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a billing database for billing the subscriber by using the service scenario under control of the control server.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the telecommunication network includes a mobile network, a fixed telephone network, and Internet.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is a mobile telephone terminal.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the generalized description language is one of HTML (hypertext markup language), XML (extensible markup language), and WML (wireless markup language).

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein a new service scenario is stored in the personal database by an authenticated subscriber operating the menu displayed on the display.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein each of the service scenarios stored in the personal database is updated by a corresponding authenticated subscriber operating the menu displayed on the display.

15. A system for providing value-added services to a subscriber through a telecommunication network, comprising:

a value-added service server comprising a plurality of servers, each of said plural servers provides the subscriber with a different type of value-added service;

a control server connected to the plurality of servers through respective interfaces, for controlling the plural servers;

a terminal of the subscriber, which is connected to the telecommunication network and has a browser installed therein, wherein the browser is operable on a display according to a generalized description language;

a gateway server which is connected to the control server and is connected to the terminal through the telecommunication network, wherein the gateway server includes a translator for performing a translation between information according to a protocol used in each of the plural servers and information according to the generalized description language; and

a personal database for retrievably storing a plurality of service scenarios defined by individual subscribers,

wherein the terminal performs an access control to any of the plural servers by operating a menu displayed on the display, and

wherein the control server controls the value-added service server and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on a service scenario retrieved from the personal database according to an instruction issued by the subscriber operating the menu displayed on the display.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the gateway server provides a unified interface to the terminal such that the terminal performs the access control under a single interface condition.

19. A system for providing value-added services to a subscriber through a telecommunication network, comprising:

a value-added service server comprising a plurality of servers, each of said plural servers providing the subscriber with a different type of value-added service;

a control server connected to the plurality of servers through respective interfaces, for controlling the plurality of servers;

a mobile telephone terminal of the subscriber, which is connected to the telecommunication network and has a browser installed therein, wherein the browser is operable according to a generalized description language selected from one of HTML (hypertext markup language) and XML (extensible markup language);

a gateway server which is connected to the control server and is connected to the terminal through the telecommunication network, wherein the gateway server includes a translator for performing a translation between information according to a protocol used in each of the plural servers and information according to the generalized description language; and

a personal database for retrievably storing a plurality of service scenarios defined by individual subscribers,

wherein the control server controls the value-added service server and a switching system included in the telecommunication network based on a service scenario retrieved from the personal database according to an instruction issued by the subscriber operating the menu displayed on a display.