Roaming-service-enabling system, roaming-service-enabling method and roaming-service-enabling program

• US 7,835,735 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Okazaki, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US10/853,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/100, 455/433, 455/414, 455/435, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455/432.1, 455/435.2, 455/436, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A roaming-service-enabling system is provided which enables a user to gain access to desired contents and/or to be provided with desired service from any kind of internet connecting device. An SRF (Service Roaming Framework) server has a network controlling unit, subscriber profile storing unit, and subscriber authenticating unit. The subscriber profile storing unit stores information about a type of an access terminal that a user is able to use and subscriber profile information used to identify an access unit corresponding to the access terminal. The network controlling unit transmits data fed from a service providing server to the access terminal by making the data be matched to the type of the access terminal and access unit according to subscriber profile information being stored by the subscriber profile storing unit.

Claims

1. A roaming-service-enabling system for giving an arbitrary service provided by a service providing server to two or more types of terminals being used by a user, said system comprising:

a roaming server comprising;

a profile storing unit to store terminal information about said two or more types of terminals that the user is able to use and profile information to be used to identify a transmission path corresponding to each of said two or more types of terminals; and

a network controlling unit to transmit data fed from said service providing server to an arbitrary terminal selected among said two or more types of terminals, said network controlling unit matching the data to a type of said arbitrary terminal and to the corresponding transmission path according to the profile information being stored in said profile storing unit.

2. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said service providing server comprises a contents distributing server.

3. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said network controlling unit converts a protocol that said service providing server uses to a protocol being matched to said arbitrary terminal and transmits data fed from said service providing server to said arbitrary terminal.

4. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said network controlling unit converts a descriptive language of data fed from said service providing server to a descriptive language being matched to said arbitrary terminal.

5. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said roaming server further comprises a programming unit for enabling the storing of said profile information in said profile storing unit.

6. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said two or more types of terminals comprise one of:

a personal computer;

a portable cellular phone having a Web browser;

a car-mounted Intelligent Transport System terminal placed in an automobile; and

a personal digital assistant having a communication function.

7. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said corresponding transmission path comprises one of:

a digital subscriber line;

a cable line;

a fiber optic line;

a wireless telephone network;

an intelligent transport system; and

a wireless local area network.

8. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said network controlling unit, based on said profile information being stored by said profile storing unit, exerts band control, priority control, and transfer rate control.

9. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said arbitrary terminal that the user is able to use is connected to the Internet via a server in an internet service provider which provides internet connecting service and wherein said profile storing unit and network controlling unit are mounted in said server.

10. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 6, wherein said network controlling unit converts subsets of a Transmission Control Protocol and a Hyper Text Markup Language such that said portable cellular phone can receive said data.

11. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said service providing server comprises a server that issues an account of electronic-mail.

12. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 11, wherein said server that issues said account of said electronic mail and said roaming server are connected by a Virtual Private Network, and

wherein said server that issues said account of said electronic mail has access to said profile storing unit within an intranet, said intranet comprising said roaming server.

13. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said service providing server comprises a server which provides speech service using an internet protocol.

14. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 13, wherein said network controlling unit converts a first voice signal to a first IP packet and transmits said first IP packet to said server which provides speech service using said interne protocol, and

wherein said network controlling unit, when receiving a second IP packet from said server which provides speech service using said internet protocol, converts said second IP packet to a second voice signal and transmits said second voice signal to a portable cellular phone.

15. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 1, wherein said roaming server further comprises:

an authenticating unit to judge, by using information which is fed from the arbitrary terminal and is used for authentication, whether the user going to be provided with service by using said arbitrary terminal is qualified to be provided with service.

16. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 15, wherein said networking controlling unit and said authenticating unit comprise software implemented units.

17. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 15, wherein the network controlling unit converts data received from a Web server to said type of said arbitrary terminal and outputs said converted data to said arbitrary terminal via an internet service provider, and

wherein said authenticating unit specifies said type of said arbitrary terminal and a transfer rate of an outputting of said converted data.

18. The roaming-service-enabling system according to claim 15, wherein said authenticating unit identifies a protocol, transfer rate, and method for maintaining security that matches said arbitrary terminal after determining whether the user going to be provided with service by using said arbitrary terminal is qualified to be provided with service.

19. A roaming-service-enabling method in a roaming server for giving an arbitrary service provided by a service providing server to two or more types of terminals being used by a user, said method comprising:

storing terminal information about said two or more types of terminals that a user is able to use and profile information to be used to identify a transmission path corresponding to each of said two or more types of terminals;

judging, by using information which is fed from an arbitrary terminal selected among said two or more types of terminals and used for authentication, whether the user going to be provided with service by using said arbitrary terminal is qualified to be provided with service; and

transmitting data fed from a service providing server to the arbitrary terminal, by matching the data to a type of said arbitrary terminal and to the corresponding transmission path according to the stored profile information.

20. A roaming-service-enabling program installed in a roaming server for giving one service provided by a service providing server to two or more types of terminals being used by a user to have said roaming server execute processing, said processing comprising:

storing terminal information about said two or more types of terminals that a user is able to use and profile information to be used to identify a transmission path corresponding to each of said two or more types of terminals;

judging, by using information which is fed from an arbitrary terminal selected among said two or more types of terminals and used for authentication, whether the user going to be provided with service by using said arbitrary terminal is qualified to be provided with service; and

transmitting data fed from a service providing server to the arbitrary terminal, by matching the data to a type of said arbitrary terminal and to the corresponding transmission path according to the stored profile information.