Mobile communications system, mobile communications network controller, mobile communications terminal, and method of controlling mobile communications network

• US 7,257,394 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2002
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Kenichi, Sakamoto, Kenji, Kikuta, Yoko, Yokoyama, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/191,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20030013435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/440, 455/456.5, 455/415, 455/436, 455/457, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mobile communications system of the present invention obtains in advance information on communications environments in a mobile communications system and provides users with the information on communications environments. The mobile communications system also predicts the movement of users and provides seamless services based on the predictions.

A mobile communications system of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit for obtaining information regarding resources of a given object, an information memory for storing the obtained information on resources of a given object, and an information provision unit for searching the information memory in response to a request for provision of the information on resources of a given object transmitted from a mobile communications terminal, and providing the information on resources of a given object found in the search to the mobile communications terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile communications system comprising an information communications terminal and a network controller;

wherein

the network controller comprising;

a resource management unit configured to obtain and manage an ID of each available device, a function of each available device, and a location of each available device, in association with one another, based on information obtained from each available device via a radio interface; and

an information provision unit configured to obtain a location of an inquiring information communications terminal in accordance with a request for provision of information transmitted from the inquiring information communications terminal, to extract an ID of a suitable device which is associated with a particular function included in the request and a location of the suitable device with the extracted ID located in a vicinity of the location of the inquiring information communications terminal, and to provide the location of the suitable device with the extracted ID to the inquiring information communications terminal; and

the information communications terminal comprising;

an information provision request transmitter configured to transmit the request; and

an indicator configured to indicate the location of the suitable device provided from the network controller.

2. The mobile communications system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a location information management server configured to manage the location of the information communications terminal and the suitable device provided by the network controller;

wherein

the location information management server is configured to calculate a distance between the information communications terminal and the indicated location of the suitable device provided by the network controller; and

the information provision unit is configured to provide the calculated distance to the information communications terminal.

3. A mobile communications system comprising an information communications terminal and a network controller;

wherein

the network controller comprising;

a resource management unit configured to manage ID of available radio communications channels, a sensing area of each radio communications channel associated with each respective ID, and a radio bandwidth assigned to each radio communications channel associated with each respective ID based on information obtained via a radio interface; and

an information provision unit configured to obtain a location of an inquiring information communications terminal in accordance with a request for provision of information transmitted from the inquiring information communications terminal to extract an ID of a suitable radio communications channel which is associated with a particular radio bandwidth included in the request and the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel with the extracted ID located in a vicinity of the location of the inquiring information communications terminal, and to provide the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel associated with the extracted ID of the suitable radio communications channel; and

the information communications terminal comprising;

an information provision request transmitter configured to transmit the request; and

an indicator configured to indicate the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel provided from the network controller.

4. The mobile communications system as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a location information management server configured to manage the location of the information communications terminal and the sensing area;

wherein

the location information management server is configured to calculate a distance between the information communications terminal and the indicated sensing area provided by the network controller; and

the information provision unit is configured to provide the calculated distance to the information communication terminal.

5. A method of controlling a mobile communications network comprising:

transmitting a request for provision of information from an inquiring information communications terminal;

obtaining and managing an ID of each available device, a function of each available device, and a location of each available device, in association with one another at a network controller;

obtaining a location of the inquiring information communications terminal in accordance with the request transmitted from the inquiring information communications terminal at the network controller;

extracting an ID of a suitable available device which is associated with a function included in the request and a location of the suitable available device with the extracted ID located in a vicinity of the location of the inquiring information communications terminal at the network controller;

providing the location of the suitable available device with the extracted ID at the network controller; and

indicating the location of the suitable available device with the extracted ID provided from the network controller.

6. A method of controlling a mobile communications network comprising:

transmitting a request for provision of information from an inquiring information communications terminal;

obtaining and managing an ID of each available radio communications channel, a sensing area of each available radio communications channel associated with each respective ID, and a radio bandwidth assigned to each available radio communications channel associated with each respective ID at the network controller;

obtaining a location of the inquiring information communications terminal in accordance with the request transmitted from the inquiring information communications terminal at the network controller;

extracting an ID of a suitable radio communications channel which is associated with a particular radio bandwidth included in the request and the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel with the extracted ID located in a vicinity of the location of the inquiring information communications terminal at the network controller;

providing the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel associated with the extracted ID of the suitable radio communications channel at the network controller; and

indicating the sensing area of the suitable radio communications channel provided from the network controller.