Communications method between a combinational terminal and multimedia terminal

• US 7,979,062 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Madella, Mario, Cotevino, Agostino, Gullino, Roberto, Mamino, Davide
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US12/309,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20090286523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/550.1, 709/223, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release

Abstract

Communication method between a first terminal and a second terminal on a communications network includes establishing a first connection between the terminals, the first connection being of a first media type at the first terminal and of a multimedia type at the second terminal; establishing a second connection between a repository apparatus and the second terminal, the second connection being coupled to the first connection and being of a second media type at the repository apparatus different from the first media type; said multimedia type including the first and the second media types; disabling the second connection after a request for a third connection between the terminals, the third connection being of the second media type at the first terminal; and establishing the third connection, the first and third connections forming a combinational session at the first terminal and a multimedia type connection at the second terminal.

Claims

1. A communication method between a first terminal and a second terminal on a communications network, comprising:

establishing a first connection between said terminals, the first connection being of a first media type at the first terminal and of a multimedia type at the second terminal;

establishing a second connection between a repository apparatus and the second terminal, the second connection being coupled to said first connection and being of a second media type at the repository apparatus different from said first media type, said multimedia type comprising the first and the second media types;

disabling said second connection after a request for a third connection between said terminals, said third connection being of said second media type at the first terminal; and

establishing the third connection, the first and third connections forming a combinational session at the first terminal and a multimedia type connection at the second terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second terminals comprises a mobile terminal and said network comprises a telephone mobile network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first media type is audio media, said second media type is data media, and said multimedia type is audio-data media.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said second media type is video.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the first connection comprises establishing a corresponding connection based on a circuit subnetwork and establishing the third connection comprises establishing a corresponding connection based on a packet subnetwork.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first terminal is a combinational terminal and said second terminal is a multimedia terminal adapted to support video-calls.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

merging in a first conversion apparatus first media type content transmitted by the first terminal on the first connection and second media type content transmitted by the repository apparatus on the second connection to form a multimedia content; and

transmitting said multimedia content toward the second terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second media type content transmitted by the repository apparatus comprises a content of at least one of video, image, advertising, and waiting message.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

merging in the first conversion apparatus further content of the first and second media types transmitted by the first terminal, respectively on the first and third connections to form a further multimedia content; and

transmitting said further multimedia content toward the second terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein establishing the third connection further comprises:

configuring the switch apparatus in a second operative condition in which the switch apparatus receives corresponding second media type content from the first terminal and transmits corresponding second media type content toward the first conversion apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein configuring the switch apparatus in a second operative condition comprises:

switching receiving/transmitting ports of said switch apparatus from the first operative condition to the second operative condition.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

providing a control device for receiving and transmitting signalling messages to control the communication method.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein said first conversion apparatus further performs a conversion into signals propagating on a corresponding circuit subnetwork of received packet flows, and vice versa.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

splitting in the first conversion apparatus, emitted multimedia content transmitted by the second terminal on the first connection into a first media type content and a second media type content; and

transmitting the first media type content toward the first terminal on said first connection.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting further second media type content toward the first terminal on said third connection.

16. The method according to claim 7, wherein establishing the second connection between the repository apparatus and the second terminal comprises:

configuring a switch apparatus in a first operative condition in which the switch apparatus is connected to said repository apparatus for receiving said second media type content and to transmit the second media type content toward the first conversion apparatus.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting on said first connection and from the first terminal said first media type content under the form of an audio signal propagating on a circuit subnetwork; and

receiving said audio signal at a second conversion apparatus and converting said audio signal into a corresponding audio packet flow propagating on a packet subnetwork.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting the audio packet flow toward the switch apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting on said third connection and from the first terminal said second media type content under the form of a video packet flow propagating on a packet subnetwork; and

receiving said video flow at the switch apparatus.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising performing a synchronization of said audio packet flow and video packet flow.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein said second conversion apparatus converts signalling messages propagating on the circuit subnetwork into signalling messages propagating on the packet subnetwork, and vice versa, which are capable of being adapted to be processed by said control device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first terminal comprises a dual transfer mode terminal and the second terminal is a universal mobile telecommunications system terminal.

23. A communications network comprising:

a first terminal supporting combinational sessions;

a second terminal supporting connections of the multimedia type, the first and second terminals capable of being adapted to establish a first connection between said terminals, the first connection being of a first media type at the first terminal and of said multimedia type at the second terminal;

a repository apparatus storing second media type content and capable of being adapted to establish a second connection toward the second terminal, the second connection capable of being coupled to said first connection and comprising a second media type at the repository apparatus different from said first media type, said multimedia type comprising the first and the second media types; and

a switch apparatus capable of being adapted to selectively assume;

a first operative condition in which the switch apparatus is connected to said repository apparatus for forwarding the second media type content to the second terminal and the first and second connections are established, and

a second operative condition in which the switch apparatus is disconnected from the repository apparatus and is connected to the first terminal in the second operative condition, a third connection of said second media type at the first terminal being established, the first and third connections forming a combinational session at the first terminal and a multimedia type connection at the second terminal.

24. The network according to claim 23, wherein at least one of said first and second terminals comprises a mobile terminal and said network comprises a mobile network.

25. The network according to claim 23, further comprising a conversion apparatus capable of merging first content of the first media type and second content of the second media type to form third content of the multimedia type and splitting the third content of the multimedia type into separated corresponding contents of the first and second media types.