Communication terminal, control device, communication system, and program

• US 8,184,552 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• 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: Onda, Yasushi, Kano, Izua, Kamiya, Dai, Kushida, Yusuke, Murakami, Keiichi, Yamada, Eiju, Yamada, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US12/525,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20100329183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/278, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

A communication terminal providing optimal communication services between content providers comprising a property management table with an appraised value registered for each of a predetermined set of communication media properties for various types of communication media, a first user specified priority ranking list and a second priority ranking list specified by an application program provider with rankings for the set of communication media properties, whereby the desired communication medium is selected by adding weightings for priority from the first and second priority ranking lists and adding the appraised value for each item from the property management table and using the highest total to specify the optimum communication medium for use when commencement of communication is specified by a predetermined application program, and establishing communication connections between opposing devices using the selected optimum communication medium. Also disclosed are a communication system, control device and program including the communication terminal'"'"'s elements.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a property management table in which an appraised value of each of a plurality of types of communication media is registered for each of a plurality of predetermined items that shows communication media properties;

a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by users for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by a provider of an application program for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

selecting means for selecting a preferred communication medium from among the plurality of types of communication media in response to the results of an addition operation, wherein in the event that a commencement of communication is specified according to a predetermined application program, for each of the plurality of types of communication media, a first weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the first priority ranking list and a second weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table;

establishing means for establishing a plurality of communication connections between opposing devices by means of said plurality of communication media selected by the selecting means; and

communicating means for communicating by the plurality of communication connections according to the application program.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

acquiring means for acquiring the property management table from a predetermined control device.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 2 wherein:

the plurality of predetermined items includes at least a communication speed; and

the communication terminal further comprises;

measuring means for measuring the communication speed when communication is performed according to the application program by means of a communication connection established by the establishing means; and

transmitting means for transmitting, to the control device, data showing the communication speed measured by a measuring means as triggered by a completion of communication according to the application program by associating with an identifier that uniquely identifies communication media selected by the selecting means.

4. A control device, comprising:

a property management table in which an appraised value of each of a plurality of types of communication media is registered for each of a plurality of predetermined items showing communication media properties;

a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking for each of the plurality of predetermined items assigned by communication terminal users is registered;

a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking for each of the plurality of predetermined items assigned by an application program provider is registered;

selecting means for selecting, from among the plurality of types of communication media, a preferred communication medium for which the communication should be mediated in response to the results of an addition operation, in which a first weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the first priority ranking list and a second weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table for each of the plurality of types of communication media in the event that the communication terminal communicates with an opposing device according to the application program; and

notifying means for notifying the communication terminal of the results of a selection by the selecting means.

5. A communication system including a control device by which a communication terminal communicates with a second communication terminal by means of a communication connection according to a predetermined application program, the communication terminal establishing a connection with an opposing device, wherein:

the control device comprises;

a property management table in which an appraised value of each of a plurality of types of communication media is registered for each of a predetermined plurality of predetermined items showing communication media properties; and

transmitting means for transmitting said property management table to the communication terminal in response to a request from the communication terminal, and

the communication terminal comprises;

a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by users for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by a provider of the application program for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

selecting means for selecting a preferred communication medium from among the plurality of types of communication media in response to the results of an addition operation, in which a first weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list and a second weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table for each of the plurality of types of communication media when a commencement of communication is specified by the application program; and

establishing means for establishing a communication connection between the opposing devices by means of said communication media selected by the selecting means.

6. A communication system including a control device by which a communication terminal communicates with a second communication terminal by means of a plurality of communication connections according to a predetermined application program, the communication terminal establishing a connection with an opposing device, wherein:

the control device includes a property management table in which an appraised value of each of a plurality of types of communication media is registered for each of a plurality of predetermined items showing communication media properties;

the communication terminal includes a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by communication terminal users for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

the communication terminal further includes a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by a provider of the application program for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered;

the communication terminal further includes establishing means for establishing said communication connections between the opposing devices by means of said plurality of types of communication media that is notified by the control device as an access point communication media while the first and second priority ranking lists are transmitted to the control device when a commencement of communication is specified according to the application program,

the control device has selecting means for selecting, from among the plurality of types of communication media, the preferred communication medium for which the communication should be mediated in response to the results of an addition operation, in which a first weighting granted in response to a priority ranking registered in a first priority ranking list received from the communication terminal and a second weighting granted in response to a priority ranking registered in a second priority ranking list received from the communication terminal are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table for each of the plurality of types of communication media when the communication terminal communicates with an opposing device according to the application program; and

the control device has a notifying means for notifying the communication terminal of results of a selection by the selecting means.

7. A non-transitory program causing a computer device to execute a process, the computer device including a property management table in which an appraised value is registered for each of a plurality of predetermined items showing communication media properties for each of a plurality of types of communication media, a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by users for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered, and a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by a provider of the application program for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered, the process comprising:

selecting a preferred communication medium from among the plurality of types of communication media in response to the results of an addition operation, in which a first weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the first priority ranking list and a second weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table for each of the plurality of types of communication media when a commencement of communication is specified according to a predetermined application program;

establishing a communication connection between opposing devices by means of the selected communication media; and

communicating by means of said communication connection according to the application program.

8. A non-transitory program causing a computer device to execute a process, the computer device including a property management table in which an appraised value of each of a plurality of types of communication media is registered for each of a plurality of predetermined items showing communication media properties, a first priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by communication terminal users is registered for each of the plurality of predetermined items, and a second priority ranking list in which a priority ranking assigned by a provider of an application program for each of the plurality of predetermined items is registered, the process comprising:

selecting, from among the plurality of types of communication media, a preferred communication medium for which the communication should be mediated in response to the results of an addition operation, in which a first weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the first priority ranking list and a second weighting granted for each of said plurality of predetermined items in response to a priority ranking registered in the second priority ranking list are added to an appraised value of the each item registered in the property management table for each of the plurality of types of communication media when the communication terminal communicates with an opposing device according to the application program; and

notifying the communication terminal of the results of a selection.