Communication service unit and connection sequence operating method

• US 7,447,218 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2004
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Yukinari, Oka, Susumu, Kawahata, Yukiyasu, Yoshimoto, Morio, Honma, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US10/545,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20060193345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Communication is performed without paying attention to the fact that the communication is executed between multimedia terminals having communication procedures differing from each other.

A terminal 2 starts a communication procedure that is necessary to establish a communication path to a communication service unit 1, in order to execute communication with a multimedia terminal 3; when a communication protocol conversion unit 7 receives communication start request from the terminal 2, the communication service unit executes identification process of a calling terminal based on the identification number, which exists in communication start request, for determining the multimedia terminal 2, and inquires a terminal information managing unit 9 of the calling terminal. The terminal information managing unit 9 retrieves terminal information related to the calling terminal based on a terminal information request, and informs of the retrieved terminal information to the communication protocol conversion unit 7. The communication protocol conversion unit 7 informs of the communication start request to the terminal 3 when the transmitting the terminal information of the terminal 2 is obtained, and continues a relay process in communication procedure, which is necessary for following establishment of a communication path.

Claims

1. A communication service method, comprising:

establishing a communication link between a first terminal supporting a first communication protocol and a communication service unit configured to convert a received first communication message, sent by the first terminal and complying with the first communication protocol, to a second communication message complying with a second communication protocol for transmitting the second communication message to a second terminal supporting the second communication protocol;

obtaining at the communication service unit terminal information related to the first terminal from the first terminal through the communication link between the first terminal and the communication service unit, the terminal information to be used for executing a sequence for connecting the first terminal to the second terminal; and

recording the terminal information of the first terminal obtained through the communication link in a database accessible by the communication service unit.

2. A communication service method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication link between the communication service unit and the second terminal after the recording.

3. A communication service method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting guidance for explaining communication status or operation methods from the communication service unit to the first terminal.

4. A communication service method according to claim 1, further comprising:

said communication service unit correlating the obtained terminal information of the first terminal with an identification number of the first terminal allocated to the first terminal to be identified on a network; and

the recording comprising recording the terminal information of the first terminal correlated with the identification number of the first terminal.

5. A communication service method according to claim 1, wherein the establishing comprising:

receiving at the communication service unit terminal information including at least one of an encoding-method classification for media that is to be applied during a multimedia communication, unique information for each encoding-method classification for media, and a moving parameter related to encoding.

6. A communication service method according to claim 1, wherein the establishing comprising:

receiving at the communication service unit terminal information including synchronizing timing information to be used to synchronize different kinds of media information under the first communication protocol;

the communication service method further comprising;

allocating timing information to be used under the second communication protocol to media information to be relayed by the communication service unit from the first terminal to the second terminal;

adjusting the timing information based on the synchronizing timing information; and

relaying the adjusted timing information and the media information to the second terminal via the communication service unit.

7. A communication service method according to claim 1, wherein the establishing comprising:

receiving at the communication service unit terminal information including synchronizing timing information to be used to synchronize different kinds of media information under the first communication protocol;

the communication service method further comprising;

allocating time information to be used under the second communication protocol to media information to be relayed by the communication service unit from the first terminal to the second terminal;

adjusting, based on the synchronizing timing information, reference information serving as a reference of the time information under the second communication protocol; and

relaying the adjusted reference information, the time information and the media information to the second terminal via the communication service unit.

8. A communication service method according to claim 1, further comprising:

managing the data base in the recording in an external server.

9. A communication service method, comprising:

establishing a communication link between a first terminal supporting a first communication protocol and a communication service unit configured to convert a received first communication message, sent by the first terminal and complying with the first communication protocol, to a second communication message complying with a second communication protocol for transmitting the second communication message to a second terminal supporting the second communication protocol;

obtaining at the communication service unit terminal information related to the first terminal the terminal information including at least one of an encoding-method classification for media of the first terminal to be applied during a multimedia communication and unique information for encoding-method classification for media of the first terminal from the first terminal through the communication between the first terminal and the communication service unit; and

converting at the communication service unit the received first communication message, sent by the first terminal and complying with the first communication protocol to the second communication message complying with the second communication protocol based on the obtained terminal information related to the first terminal.

10. A communication service method according to claim 9, further comprising:

recording the obtained terminal information of the first terminal in a database accessibly by the communication service unit.