Method and arrangement for determining at least one suggestion for a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal

• US 8,116,777 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Klein, Cornel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US11/630,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 455/436, 455/440, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data

Abstract

According to a current user location, at least one favorable user location in the vicinity of a respective current user location for a mobile terminal is, as a suggestion for changing location, determined from communications requests for at least one respective application and from available network services in the vicinity of the current user location by virtue of the fact that, in favorable locations, network services can be more efficiently and/or economically used.

Claims

1. A method for determining a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal, comprising:

storing user service availability information comprised of service quality information, service capability information and service location information in a directory connected to the mobile terminal;

exchanging or synchronizing service availability information with corresponding directories of other mobile terminals adjacent to the mobile terminal;

checking the directory connected to the mobile terminal to determine whether a characteristics of a network available at a first location is sufficient to perform a data transfer under a requirement of the data transfer, wherein a requirement regarding transmission capacity is determined by the mobile terminal on the basis of a first criteria selected from the group consisting of a protocol used, a number of bytes exchanged, information derived from the protocol, an exchanged message, and combinations thereof;

requesting a current position of the mobile terminal;

determining if a change of location is desired, wherein in response to desiring the location change;

requesting a network service possible in a vicinity according to a route plan,

determining a plurality of first favorable locations such that the requirement and a service offering are weighted and optimized in regards to quality, costs and availability,

determining at least one first favorable location from the plurality of first favorable locations based on (a) a second criteria selected from a group consisting of requirement for the data transfer, preference of the user, and combinations thereof, and (b) a third criteria selected from the group consisting of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and combinations thereof,

suggesting the at least one first favorable location to the user, and

recognizing from a fourth criteria when the user has reached the first favorable location, the fourth criteria selected from the group consisting of location information, service available at the location and combinations thereof;

initiating a handover into a mobile radio network with the desired characteristic available at the first favorable location when necessary;

executing the data transfer; and

informing the user about status of the data transfer, the status selected from the group consisting of beginning of the data transfer, progress of the data transfer, end of the data transfer, and combinations thereof.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a confirmation is requested from the user when the corresponding data transfer is possible at the first location but would be expensive.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising informing the user in response to the end of the data transfer that the user can leave the first favorable location.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current user location is determined approximately on the basis of a cell identification in the network, a subnet mask of the IP network or on the basis of a MAC address or a network identification of a WLAN access point.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current position of the user is entered manually or imported from an external system.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein available network services are requested from a central directory.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein directory is comprised of information about a newly visited location, a service of the newly visited location and a characteristic of the service of the newly visited location.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the favorable location is a WLAN hotspot.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a network available at the first location uses a different protocol to communicate with the terminal than a protocol used by the mobile radio network with the desired characteristic available at the first favorable location.

10. A device for determining a suggestion for a change of location for a user of a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal having an application, comprising:

a data exchange unit to exchange data with a current network;

a user information unit that informs a user of the mobile terminal about the suggested change of location;

a handover unit that initiates a handover of the unit for data exchange from the current network to another network and informs the application about the handover;

a position determining unit that determines a geographical position of the terminal and provides that position to the application;

a capability unit that determines a capability of the current network available to the application;

a service unit for determining a service available to the terminal in a vicinity of the terminal based on the position of the terminal, the service unit further determines a characteristic of the determined service, wherein a requirement regarding transmission capacity is determined by the mobile terminal on the basis of a first criteria selected from the group consisting of a protocol used, a number of bytes exchanged, information derived from the protocol, an exchanged message, and combinations thereof; and

a directory unit, the directory unit configured to store user service availability information comprised of service quality information, service capability information and service location information on the mobile terminal, the directory unit configured to synchronize or exchange service availability information with service availability information stored by directory units of other mobile terminals;

the service unit, directory unit, capability unit, handover unit, data exchange unit and user information unit being configured such that each unit is connectable to at least one other unit;

wherein depending on the user location, in response to a communication requirement of the application and based on available network services in the vicinity of the user location as stored in the directory unit, (a) a plurality of favorable locations are determined such that the requirement and a service offering are weighted and optimized in regards to quality, costs and availability, and (b) a favorable location in the vicinity the user location is determined from the plurality of favorable locations for a mobile terminal at least in part based on (i) a second criteria selected from a group consisting of requirement for the data transfer, preference of the user, and combinations thereof, and (ii) a third criteria selected from the group consisting of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and combinations thereof, the favorable location being suggested to the user via the user information unit.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a capability management interconnected to at least one other unit, wherein a requirement regarding the data transfer of application is collected and the capability management unit determines the suggestion for a change of location and informs the application if a network service with the requested capability is available.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a capability management unit, wherein a plurality of requirements regarding the data transfer for a plurality of applications in the terminal are collected and the capability management unit determines the suggestion for a change of location and informs the plurality of applications if a network service with the requested capabilities is available.

13. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein for an impending substantial data transfer, the terminal is configured to perform the determination for a favorable location autonomously for a user and is configured to stop the corresponding applications until such time as the favorable location is reached.