Data transmission method and apparatus

• US 7,768,994 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tuomainen, Petri, Tarnanen, Teemu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/134,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20020163938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,021 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/450, 370/351, 370/352, 370/357, 370/431
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels

Abstract

A data transmission method and apparatus for performing a data transmission between end terminals of a telecommunication network, where the data is transmitted from at least one of the end terminals using the first data bearer. Then, data transmission is switched from the first to the second data bearer, if a predetermined bearer need condition has been determined or in order to obtain a subscriber identity used for gathering charging data. The network service provided by the operator can be improved, since the bearer switching allows an increase of the overall speed of the data transmission, an adaptation of the bearer bandwidth to the data amount, and a provision of the subscriber identity. The first data bearer may be a USSD or SMS data bearer, and the second data bearer may be a circuit-switched data bearer or a GPRS bearer, or vice versa.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating data transmission from an intelligent network access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data upon request for communication with the access server by the mobile station;

receiving content by the access server from an origin server upon request for content by the mobile station and transmitting said content to the mobile station on the first data bearer of a first type;

switching said data transmission to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, when said set-up phase of the second data bearer is completed and when a predetermined bearer need condition of said second data bearer has been determined, said predetermined bearer need condition being associated with the amount of data to be transmitted from the origin server to the mobile station as a result of said request for content, and continuing said data transmission on said second data bearer of a second type, wherein said data transmission delivers the content from the origin server to the mobile station, and

determining an address number of said intelligent network access server by an intelligent network number translation, wherein said intelligent network number translation is determined by customized applications for mobile network enhanced logic support.

2. A method comprising:

initiating data transmission from an intelligent network access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data;

receiving content by the access server from an origin server upon request for communication with the access server by the mobile station and transmitting said content to the mobile station on the first data bearer of a first type;

switching said data transmission to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, when said set-up phase of the second data bearer is completed and when a predetermined bearer need condition of said second data bearer has been determined, said predetermined bearer need condition being associated with the amount of data to be transmitted from the origin server to the mobile station, wherein said data transmission is used for retrieving said requested content from said origin server, and

determining an address number of said intelligent network access server by an intelligent network number translation, and wherein said intelligent network access server is arranged in a wireless application protocol gateway.

3. A method comprising:

initiating data transmission from an access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data upon request for communication with the access server by the mobile station;

receiving content by the access server from an origin server upon request for content by the mobile station and transmitting said content to the mobile station on the first data bearer of a first type;

switching said data transmission to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, when said set-up phase of the second data bearer is completed and when a predetermined bearer need condition of said second data bearer has been determined, said predetermined bearer need condition being associated with the amount of data to be transmitted from the origin server to the mobile station as a result of said request for content, and continuing said data transmission on said second data bearer of a second type, wherein said data transmission delivers the content from the origin server to the mobile station, and wherein said switching is performed during downloading of said requested content using said first data bearer, so that remaining content of said requested content is downloaded using said second data bearer.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is the completion of the set-up phase of said second bearer.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said first data bearer is an unstructured supplementary service data or short message service bearer, and said second data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the amount of data is determined from at least one of the following:

a service address, a content size and a content type of a service information to be transmitted.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is determined on the basis of a time duration since a last transmission request.

8. A method according to claim 3 wherein said first data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer, and said second data bearer is a unstructured supplementary service data or short message service bearer.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein said switching comprises a wireless application protocol session suspend and resume operation.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the wireless application protocol session is suspended via said first data bearer and resumed via said second data bearer.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a bearer control switch configured to control a transmitter for initiating a data transmission from an access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data; and

a detector configured to detect a predetermined bearer need condition;

wherein said bearer control switch is configured to switch said transmitter to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, based on completion of the set-up phase of the second data bearer and based on the detected predetermined bearer need condition, and configured to control said transmitter to continue the data transmission from said access server to said mobile station on the second data bearer,

wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is associated with the amount of data to be transmitted from an origin server to the mobile station via the access server as a result of a request for content from the mobile station to the access server.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is the completion of the set-up phase of said second bearer.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said first data bearer is an unstructured supplementary service data or short message service bearer, and said second data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein an amount of data is determined from at least one of the following:

a service address, a content size and a content type of a service information to be transmitted.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is determined on the basis of a time duration since a last transmission request.

16. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said first data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer, and said second data bearer is an unstructured supplementary service data or short message service bearer.

17. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said apparatus is provided in a wireless application protocol gateway, and wherein said bearer control switch is configured to perform said switching by using a wireless application protocol session suspend and resume operation.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a bearer control switch configured to control a transmitter for initiating a data transmission from an access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type to transmit data from an origin server to the mobile station via the access server, wherein said initiating includes actual transmission of data from the access server using said first data bearer; and

a detector configured to detect a predetermined bearer need condition, wherein said bearer control switch is configured to switch said transmitter to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, based on completion of the set-up phase of the second data bearer and based on the detected predetermined bearer need condition, and configured to control said transmitter to continue the data transmission on the second data bearer of a second type from said access server to said mobile station, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is associated with the amount of data to be transmitted as a result of a request for content.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said first data bearer is an unstructured supplementary service data or short message service bearer, and a second data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer or a general packet radio service bearer.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said apparatus is provided in a wireless application protocol gateway, and wherein said bearer control switch is configured to perform said switching by using a wireless application protocol session suspend and resume operation.

21. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is the completion of the set-up phase of said second data bearer.

22. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is determined on the basis of a time duration since a last transmission request.

23. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said data transmitted by said access server is received from an origin server.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said bearer control switch is configured to control said transmitter so as to switch to said second data bearer during a downloading of said requested content from said origin server to said mobile station using said first data bearer, so that remaining content of said requested content is swapped to said second data bearer.

25. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the detector is configured to detect a subscriber identity from the data transmission with said first data bearer, wherein said bearer control switch is configured to gather subscriber charging data by using said detected subscriber identity, and wherein said subscriber identity is a mobile station integrated services digital network.

26. A terminal equipment for a telecommunication network, comprising:

an input device configured to activate a browser function; and

a user agent responsive via the browser function to said input device, configured to request content retrieval from an origin server via an access server by using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data and a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type for transmitting data, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, wherein said content retrieval includes actual data and is performed by using said first data bearer during set-up of the second data bearer and switching to said second data bearer after said set-up of the second data bearer and upon detection of a predetermined bearer need condition, said predetermined bearer need condition being associated with the amount of data to be transmitted as a result of said requested content retrieval.

27. A terminal equipment according to claim 26, wherein said first data bearer is an unstructured supplementary service data or short message service data bearer, and said second data bearer is a circuit-switched data bearer or a general packet radio service bearer.

28. A terminal equipment according to claim 26, wherein said terminal equipment is provided in a mobile station.

29. An apparatus comprising:

means for controlling a transmitter for initiating a data transmission from an access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data upon request for communication with the access server by the mobile station; and

means for detecting a predetermined bearer need condition;

wherein said means for controlling controls said transmitter so as to switch to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, based on completion of the set-up phase of the second data bearer and based on the detected predetermined bearer need condition, and configured to control said transmitter to continue the data transmission from said access server to said mobile station on the second data bearer, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is associated with the amount of data to be transmitted as a result of said request for content, wherein said data transmitted by said access server is received from an origin server, and wherein said means for controlling switches said transmitter to said second data bearer during a downloading of said requested content from said origin server to said mobile station using said first data bearer, so that remaining content of said requested content is downloaded using said second data bearer.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is the completion of the set-up phase of said second bearer.

31. A method comprising:

initiating data transmission from an access server to a mobile station using a first data bearer of a first type for transmitting data upon request for communication with the access server by the mobile station;

receiving content by the access server from an origin server upon request for content by the mobile station and transmitting said content to the mobile station on the first data bearer of a first type;

switching said data transmission to a second data bearer of a second type different from said first type, said second data bearer having a different set-up phase than the first data bearer, when said set-up phase of the second data bearer is completed and when a predetermined bearer need condition of said second data bearer has been determined, said predetermined bearer need condition being associated with the amount of data to be transmitted from the origin server to the mobile station as a result of said request for content.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is the completion of the set-up phase of said second data bearer.

33. A method according to claim 31, wherein said predetermined bearer need condition is determined on the basis of a time duration since a last transmission request.

34. A method according to claim 31, further comprising using a subscriber identity, obtained from the data transmission with said first data bearer, for gathering subscriber charging data, wherein said subscriber identity is a mobile station integrated service digital network.