Communication method and telecommunication network for providing a data stream to a mobile terminal

• US 7,272,405 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Maillard, Herve
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US10/989,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/456.5, 455436- 43, 455/439, 455/437, 455/438
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A telecommunication method for a telecommunication network providing discontinuous radio coverage is provided, in which the telecommunication network a plurality of cells, The method includes providing a data stream to a mobile terminal within the coverage of a first one of the plurality of cells, interrupting the data stream when the mobile terminal is moved outside the coverage, determining the location of the mobile terminal outside the radio coverage, predicting a second one of the plurality of cells to be the target cell of the mobile terminal, providing the data stream to a server being assigned to the second one of the plurality of the cells, resuming the data stream to the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within the coverage of the second one of the plurality of the cells.

Claims

1. A telecommunication method for a telecommunication network providing radio coverage which is discontinuous, the telecommunication network having a plurality of cells, the method comprising:

providing a data stream to a mobile terminal within a coverage area of a first one of the plurality of cells,

interrupting the data stream when the mobile terminal is moved outside the radio coverage of the telecommunications network,

determining a location of the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is outside the radio coverage of the telecommunications network,

predicting a second one of the plurality of cells to be a target cell of the mobile terminal on based on the determined location,

providing the data stream to a server being assigned to the second one of the plurality of the cells, and

resuming the data stream to the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is moved within a coverage area of the second one of the plurality of the cells from outside the radio coverage of the telecommunication network.

2. The telecommunication method of claim 1, wherein the data stream is encrypted and further comprising transmitting a cryptographic key to the server prior to arrival of the mobile terminal within the coverage of the second one of the plurality of cells.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing data descriptive of a plurality of alternative itineraries of the mobile terminal, and

determining an itinerary of the plurality of alternative itineraries based on the determined location,

wherein the predicting of the second one of the plurality of the cells is performed based on the determined itinerary.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting a time of arrival of the mobile terminal within the coverage area of the second one of the plurality of the cells for resumption of the data stream.

5. A computer program product for a telecommunication network providing radio coverage which is discontinuous, the computer program product comprising instructions for:

entering location information being descriptive of a location of a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is outside the radio coverage of the telecommunication network,

predicting one of a plurality of cells of the telecommunication network to be the target cell of the mobile terminal based on the location information, and

providing a data stream to the one of the plurality of the cells prior to arrival of the mobile terminal within a coverage area of the one of the plurality of the cells from outside the radio coverage of the telecommunication network.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, the instructions being adapted to provide a cryptographic key to a server being assigned to the one of the plurality of cells prior to arrival of the mobile terminal within the coverage of the one of the plurality of cells.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising instructions for:

acquiring of a movement pattern of the mobile terminal,

identification of a bifurcation location in the movement pattern,

requesting location information from a presence server being indicative of an actual location of the mobile terminal past the bifurcation.

8. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of cells providing radio coverage which is discontinuous; and

a controller for controlling the transmission of a data stream to the plurality of cells, the controller being adapted to be coupled to a presence server for receiving of location information regarding a location of a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is outside the radio coverage of the plurality of cells, and the controller being adapted to control a transmission of a data stream to the mobile terminal based on the location information,

the control server having a storage component for storing of information being descriptive of a historical movement pattern of the mobile terminal for prediction of a target cell of the plurality of cells when the mobile terminal is outside the radio coverage.

9. The telecommunication network of claim 8, the presence server belonging to a network providing continuous radio coverage.