Mobile terminal permitting selection of communication channel for receiving message attachments

• US 6,941,354 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Odamura, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/845,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/229, 709/250, 719/311, 719/313, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

There is provided a mobile terminal capable of properly selecting a communication network according to a kind of data targeted for sending and receiving when data is sent and received using a network. A mobile terminal 201 makes access to a WWW server 223 to acquire contents, and uses a packet communication gateway 225 to first acquire HTML data (main data) of the corresponding contents at the time of display. A tag for referring to various files (accompanying data) such as JPEG constructing the contents is embedded in this HTML data. Therefore, the mobile terminal 201 requests sizes of these files to the WWW server 223 by packet communication, and determines whether these files are acquired by packet communication or by line switching from the acquired file size. If these files are acquired by the line switching, the files are acquired from the WWW server 223 by using a line switching gateway 226 and making connection to an Internet network 222 through a public network 228, an Internet provider 229. By selecting a communication channel according to the files thus, economical communication or speedy communication is ensured. Also, with regard to receiving of electronic mail, a line can be selected similarly.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for receiving data through wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said mobile terminal comprising:

a main data acquisition part for acquiring the main data through a predetermined communication channel,

an individual accompanying data communication channel determination part for determining, from a plurality of communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, a communication channel for receiving the accompanying data according to the information written in the acquired main data, and

a communication channel selection part for selecting, from the plurality of communication channels, the communication channel determined by said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part, for receiving the accompanying data.

2. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part determines the communication channel according to the amount of data in the accompanying data.

3. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part determines the communication channel according to the communication time of the accompanying data.

4. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main data is acquired in a page description language, and the accompanying data comprises various configuration files specified by the page description language.

5. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main data comprises a text body of electronic mail, and the accompanying data comprises a file attached to the electronic mail.

6. A mobile terminal for sending and receiving data through wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said mobile terminal comprising:

a main data communication channel selection part for selecting a communication channel for sending and receiving the main data,

an individual accompanying data communication channel determination part for determining, from a plurality of communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, a communication channel for communication of the accompanying data according to the information written in the communicated main data, and

an accompanying data communication channel selection part for selecting, from the plurality of communication channels, the communication channel determined by said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part.

7. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part determines the communication channel according to the amount of data in the accompanying data.

8. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein said individual accompanying data communication channel determination part determines the communication channel according to the communication time of the accompanying data.

9. A method of receiving data through wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said method comprising:

acquiring the main data through a predetermined communication channel;

selecting, from a plurality of communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, a communication channel to receive the accompanying data based on the information written in the acquired main data; and

receiving the accompanying data through the selected communication channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected communication channel is selected based on the amount of data in the accompanying data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected communication channel is selected based on the communication time of the accompanying data.

12. A method of communicating data through wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said method comprising:

selecting a main data communication channel for communicating the main data;

communicating the main data through the main data communication channel;

selecting, from a plurality of communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, an accompanying data communication channel to communicate the accompanying data based on the information written in the communicated main data; and

communicating the accompanying data through the selected accompanying data communication channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the accompanying data communication channel is selected based on the amount of data in the accompanying data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the accompanying data communication channel is selected based on the communication time of the accompanying data.

15. In a communication system comprising a plurality of wireless communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, a method of receiving data through the wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said method comprising:

acquiring the main data through a predetermined one of the communication channels;

based on the information written in the acquired main data, selecting one of the packet switching channel and the line switching channel to receive the accompanying data; and

receiving the accompanying data through the selected communication channel.

16. In a communication system comprising a plurality of wireless communication channels, including at least a packet communication channel and a line switching channel, a method of communicating data through the wireless communication channels, the data including main data and accompanying data, the main data having written therein information about the accompanying data, said method comprising:

selecting one of the communication channels as a main data communication channel for communicating the main data;

communicating the main data through the main data communication channel;

based on the information written in the communicated main data, selecting one of the packet switching channel and the line switching channel as an accompanying data communication channel to communicate the accompanying data; and

communicating the accompanying data through the selected accompanying data communication channel.