Communication control method, communication control apparatus and storage medium

• US 7,627,676 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Tetsuya, Chikada, Michiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US11/284,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224.225, 709/227, 709/226, 709/238, 707/203, 715/701, 455/452, 455/453
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Even if a communication is interrupted, a communication control module in a data terminal reestablish the communication without informing a communication module that the communication has been interrupted in a case where it is possible to reestablish the communication. The communication control module determines that the communication can be reestablished if the interruption is temporary, or the condition of a network is good. The communication module does not recognize the interruption of the communication if the communication can be reestablished. Therefore, when the communication circuit is reestablished, the data communication is restored retrospectively to the time of the interruption of the communication.

Claims

1. A communication control method for a data terminal which includes data communication module for transmitting data to or receiving data from another data terminal connected with the data terminal through a communication line, the method comprising:

detecting an interruption of the communication line; and

when it is detected that the communication line is interrupted, reestablishing the communication line without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line,

wherein a wireless communication station forms a wireless zone, wherein the data terminal detects whether it is in the wireless zone, wherein the detecting step detects the interruption of the communication line based on receiving quality of the communication line at the data terminal, the receiving quality being determined based on whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and

wherein the reestablishment step comprises watching for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time to determine whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and reestablishes reestablishing the communication line to the data terminal based on information determined for reestablishment of the communication line if the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone within the predetermined watching time.

2. A communication control method according to claim 1 further comprising judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line, wherein when it is detected that the communication line is interrupted, and it is judged that the communication line should be reestablished, the communication line is reestablished without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

3. A communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication station comprises a base station;

wherein the base station forms the wireless zone; and

wherein the receiving quality is determined to be good if the data terminal is found within the wireless zone.

4. A communication control method according to claim 3, wherein the data terminal comprises a mobile telephone.

5. A communication control method according to claim 3, further comprising judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line, wherein when the interruption of the communication line is detected, the interrupted communication line is reestablished without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

6. A communication control method according to claim 5, wherein the data communication module performs data communication through a portable terminal which wirelessly communicates with the base station, and

wherein judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line is based on whether or not the portable terminal is within the wireless zone of the base station and on the receiving quality of radio base stations around the portable terminal.

7. A communication control method according to claim 1 wherein watching for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time to determine whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone comprises the data terminal periodically checking during the predetermined watching time whether it is in the wireless zone.

8. A communication control apparatus for controlling a data terminal with a data communication module for performing a data communication with another data terminal,

the communication control apparatus comprising:

a detector for detecting an interruption of the communication line; and

a communication controller for reestablishing, when the detector detects an interruption of the communication line,

the communication line without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line,

wherein a wireless communication station forms a wireless zone, wherein the data terminal detects whether it is in the wireless zone, wherein the detector detects the interruption of the communication line based on receiving quality of the communication line at the data terminal,

the receiving quality being determined based on whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and

the communication controller watches for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time to determine whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and reestablishes the communication line to the data terminal based on information determined for reestablishment of the communication line if the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone within the predetermined watching time.

9. A communication control apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising a judging module for judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line, wherein when the detector detects an interruption of the communication line, and the judging module determines that the communication line should be reestablished, the communication controller reestablishes the interrupted communication line without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

10. A communication control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the wireless communication station comprises a radio base station, and the judging module judges, based on whether or not the portable terminal is within the wireless zone of the radio base station and on the receiving quality of radio base stations around the portable terminal, whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line.

11. A communication control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the wireless communication station comprises a base station;

wherein the base station forms the wireless zone; and

wherein the receiving quality is determined to be good if the data terminal is found within the wireless zone.

12. A communication control method according to claim 11, wherein the data terminal comprises a mobile telephone.

13. A communication control method according to claim 11, further comprising a judging module for judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line, wherein when the detector detects an interruption of the communication line, and the judging module determines that the communication line should be reestablished, the communication controller reestablishes the interrupted communication line without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

14. A communication control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the data communication module performs data communication through a portable terminal which wirelessly communicates with the base station, and

the judging module judges, based on whether or not the portable terminal is within the wireless zone of the base station and on the receiving quality of base stations around the portable terminal, whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line.

15. A communication control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication controller watches for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time by having the data terminal periodically check during the predetermined watching time whether the data terminal is in the wireless zone.

16. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program executed by a data terminal which includes data communication module for performing data communication with another data terminal through a communication line, the program comprising the steps of:

detecting an interruption of the communication line; and

when it is detected that the communication line is interrupted, reestablishing the communication line without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line,

wherein a wireless communication station forms a wireless zone, wherein the data terminal detects whether it is in the wireless zone, wherein the detecting step detects the interruption of the communication line based on receiving quality of the communication line at the data terminal, the receiving quality being determined based on whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and

wherein the reestablishment step comprises watching for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time to determine whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone, and reestablishing the communication line to the data terminal based on information determined for reestablishment of the communication line if the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone within the predetermined watching time.

17. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program according to claim 16, the program further comprising the step of judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line, wherein when it is detected that the communication line is interrupted, and it is judged that the communication line should be reestablished, the communication line is reestablished without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

18. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program according to claim 16, wherein the with wireless communication station comprises a base station;

wherein the base station forms the wireless zone; and

wherein the receiving quality is determined to be good if the data terminal is found within the wireless zone.

19. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program according to claim 18, the program further comprising the step of judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line,

wherein when the interruption of the communication line is detected, the interrupted communication line is reestablished without informing the data communication module of the interruption of the communication line.

20. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program according to claim 19, wherein the data communication module performs data communication through a portable terminal which wirelessly communicates with the base station, and

wherein the step of judging whether to reestablish the interrupted communication line is based on whether or not the portable terminal is within the wireless zone of the base station and on the receiving quality of radio base stations around the portable terminal.

21. A computer readable storage medium that stores a communication control program according to claim 16 wherein watching for the receiving quality for at least a predetermined watching time to determine whether the data terminal detects that it is in the wireless zone comprises the data terminal periodically checking during the predetermined watching time whether it is in the wireless zone.