File downloading apparatus and method for mobile communication system

• US 7,289,817 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Chun, Chang-Bum
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US10/465,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/452.2, 455/466, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243

Abstract

A file downloading apparatus of a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system, includes a signal processing unit which processes a signal received through an antenna of the mobile terminal, a memory which stores data outputted from the signal processing unit, a download status checker which checks the download status of a file by monitoring the data stored in the memory, and a CPU which controls the signal processing unit and the download status checker. In the file downloading mechanism, it is possible to resume downloading of the file from the point at which the download was stopped in the previous data transfer session even though the data transfer link is broken during the downloading of the file due to unexpected network problems or other problems.

Claims

1. A file downloading apparatus of for a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system which supports a file download service, the apparatus comprising:

a signal processing unit which processes a signal received through an antenna of the mobile terminal;

a memory which stores data outputted from the signal processing unit;

a download status checker which checks a download status of a file by monitoring the data stored in the memory; and

a CPU which controls the signal processing unit and the download status checker,

wherein the download status checker generates download status information of the file based on the checked download status, and the download status checker stores the download status information in a storage unit.

2. The file downloading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the download status checker updates the download status information periodically.

3. The file downloading apparatus of claim 2, wherein the download status information includes a data amount of the file stored in the memory.

4. The file downloading apparatus of claim 2, wherein the download status information includes a next expected byte offset number of the file.

5. The file downloading apparatus of claim 3, wherein the download status information includes a next expected byte offset number of the file.

6. The file downloading apparatus of claim 5, wherein a base station system informs the mobile terminal that the download of the file is suspended or can be resumed using information bits of a reverse channel when the download of the file is suspended or resumed by a system request signal.

7. The file downloading apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal requests a suspension or resumption of the download of the file to the base station system using information bits of a forward channel when the download is suspended or resumed by a user request signal.

8. A file downloading apparatus of for a mobile terminal in a mobile communication system which supports a file download service, the apparatus comprising:

a signal processing unit which processes a signal received through an antenna of the mobile terminal;

a memory which stores data outputted from the signal processing unit;

a download status checker which checks a download status of a file by monitoring the data stored in the memory; and

a CPU which controls the signal processing unit and the download status checker,

wherein the download status checker stores a download status information and a portion of the file downloaded just before a data link for downloading the file is broken so that the downloading of the file can be resumed from a downloading interrupted point in the file.

9. The file downloading apparatus of claim 8, wherein the download status information includes an IP address information of a contents server having the file, a directory in which the file is stored, and a next expected byte offset number of the file.

10. The file downloading apparatus of claim 9, wherein a base station system informs the mobile terminal that the download of the file is suspended or can be resumed using information bits of a reverse channel when the download of the file is suspended or resumed by a system request signal.

11. The file downloading apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal requests a download suspension or download resumption to the base station system by using information bits of a forward channel when download is suspended in file downloading or resumed by a user request signal.

12. A file downloading method for a mobile terminal in a communication system which supports a file download service, the method comprising:

(a) determining whether or not a file download signal for a target file is inputted;

(b) establishing a data transfer link with a contents server when the download signal is inputted;

(c) downloading the target file;

(d) determining whether or not the downloading of the target file is completely finished;

(e) determining whether or not a download termination signal for the target file is inputted when the downloading of the target file is not finished;

(f) storing a portion of the target file downloaded up to the download termination signal being inputted, as a temporary file when the download termination signal is inputted; and

(g) terminating the downloading of the target file.

13. The file downloading method of claim 12, further comprising:

(h) determining whether the file download signal is a user request file download signal or a system request file download signal.

14. The file downloading method of claim 13, further comprising:

(i) performing a user request file download procedure when the file download signal is the user request file download signal.

15. The file downloading method of claim 14, wherein the user request file download procedure includes:

determining whether or not download status information on the target file exists;

transmitting a download request signal including the download status information to the contents server when the download status information on the target file exists; and

resuming the downloading of the target file from a next expected data.

16. The file download method of claim 15, wherein the user request file download procedure further includes:

transmitting a download request signal without the download status information to the contents server when the download status information on the target file does not exist; and

starting the downloading of the target file from a start of the target file.

17. The file downloading method of claim 15, wherein the download status information includes a next expected byte offset number of the target file.

18. The file downloading method of claim 15, wherein the download status information includes an IP address information of the contents server, a directory address of the target file, and a next expected byte offset number of the target file.

19. The file downloading method of claim 13, further comprising:

(j) performing a system request file download procedure when the file download signal is the system request file download signal.

20. The file downloading method of claim 19, wherein the system request file download procedure includes:

informing that the downloading of the target file is suspended;

determining whether or not a download resumption signal is inputted;

establishing a data transfer link with the contents server when the download resumption signal is inputted;

transmitting a download request signal including download status information on the target file, to the contents server; and

resuming the downloading of the target file from a next expected data.

21. The file downloading method of claim 20, wherein the system request file download procedure further includes:

determining whether or not a portion of the target file already downloaded during a previous download session is to be deleted or maintained when there is no download resumption signal; and

deleting the downloaded portion of the target file when a delete signal is received.

22. The file downloading method of claim 20, wherein the download status information includes a next expected byte offset number of the target file.

23. The file downloading method of claim 20, wherein the download status information includes an IP address information of the contents server, a directory address in which the target file is located, and a next expected byte offset number of the target file.

24. The file downloading method of claim 12, further comprising:

(k) determining whether the download termination signal is a user request download termination signal or a system request download termination signal after storing the temporary file.

25. The file downloading method of claim 24, further comprising:

(l) performing a user request download termination procedure when the download termination signal is the user request download termination signal.

26. The file downloading method of claim 25, wherein the user request download termination procedure includes:

determining whether a download suspension signal or a download cancel signal is inputted;

storing the portion of the target file downloaded up to the input of the download termination signal, together with download status information of the target file when the download suspension signal is received; and

finishing the current download session.

27. The file downloading method of claim 26, wherein the user request download termination procedure further includes:

deleting the temporary file when the download cancel signal is inputted.

28. The file downloading method of claim 24, further comprising:

(m) performing a system request download termination procedure when the download termination request signal is a system request download termination signal.

29. The file downloading method of claim 28, wherein the system request download termination procedure includes:

storing the portion of the target file downloaded up to the input of the download termination signal, together with download status information of the target file when the system request download termination signal is received;

storing a download suspension reason; and

finishing the current download session of the target file.

30. A method of downloading a data group, the method comprising:

establishing a data transfer link between a mobile terminal and a host;

beginning a downloading of a target data group from the host to the mobile terminal over a network;

temporarily storing a portion of the target data group downloaded so far when the downloading of the target data group is interrupted; and

resuming the downloading of the target data group from a next downloadable portion of the target data group during a next download session.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

deleting the temporarily stored portion of the target data group if a delete signal is received.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the downloading of the target data group is initiated by a user or system.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

suspending or canceling the downloading of the target data group based on a user-initiated or system-initiated command.

34. A device for downloading a data group, the device comprising:

means for establishing a data transfer link between a mobile terminal and a host;

means for beginning a downloading of a target data group from the host to the mobile terminal over a network;

means for temporarily storing a portion of the target data group downloaded so far when the downloading of the target data group is interrupted; and

means for resuming the downloading of the target data group from a next downloadable portion of the target data group during a next download session.

35. The device of claim 34, further comprising:

means for deleting the temporarily stored portion of the target data group if a delete signal is received.

36. The device of claim 34, wherein the downloading of the target data group is initiated by a user or system.

37. The device of claim 34, further comprising:

means for suspending or canceling the downloading of the target data group based on a user-initiated or system-initiated command.

38. A mobile terminal for downloading data, comprising:

a receiver to receive a signal;

a signal processor to process the signal received by the receiver;

a memory to store data outputted from the signal processor;

a download status checker to check a download status of the data, and to generate download status information of the data based on the checked download status;

a storage unit to store the download status information outputted by the download status checker; and

a controller to control the signal processor and the download status checker.

39. A method for downloading data using a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

downloading, by the mobile terminal, data from a host over a network;

checking, by the mobile terminal, a status of the downloading;

generating download status information of the data based on the checked status of the downloading; and

storing, in a storage unit of the mobile terminal, the download status information.