Mobile communication terminal, data transmission method, apparatus, and data reception method

• US 8,509,843 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• 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: Takahashi, Masaru, Nakamura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US12/270,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20090131102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/68, 455/132, 455/133, 455/435.2, 455/450, 370/350, 370/352, 370/469, 370/329, 370/331, 370/395.2, 370/466
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

In order to transmit data via a plurality of types of communication networks in accordance with the communication environment at the time of data transmission, a mobile telephone, which is capable of being connected to a plurality of types of mobile communication networks, is provided with a detector for detecting the communication status of a mobile communication network based on a control signal transmitted from this mobile communication network; a storage unit for storing the detected communication status; an allocation unit for allocating data to each connected mobile communication network based on the amount of the data addressed to another communication apparatus and the stored communication status; and a transmitter for transmitting the data that has been allocated to each mobile communication network to the respective mobile communication networks.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal being connected to a plurality of types of communication networks, comprising:

a detector configured to detect a communication status of each of the plurality of types of communication networks to which the mobile communication terminal is simultaneously connected via a plurality of communication schemes on the basis of a control signal transmitted from each communication network;

a memory configured to store the communication statuses detected by the detector, each communication status being associated with a corresponding communication scheme;

a processor configured to allocate data to each communication network based on an amount of data addressed to another communication apparatus and the communication statuses stored by the memory; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the data allocated to each communication network by the processor to the respective communication networks, wherein

the processor is configured to determine whether to perform data division based on the amount of data addressed to the another communication apparatus and a difference of communication speed of each communication network, and divides the data if the data division is determined to be performed.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to re-allocate the data addressed to the another communication apparatus when a communication status of at least one of the communication networks is updated.

3. A communication apparatus capable of being connected to a plurality of types of communication networks and carrying out data communication with the mobile communication terminal described according to claim 1, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive data, which has been allocated and transmitted to each communication network by the mobile communication terminal, from the respective communication networks; and

a processor configured to carry out reconfiguring so as to restore pre-allocation data from the data received by the receiver.

4. A data reception method for a communication apparatus, which is connected to a plurality of types of communication networks, and receives data from the mobile communication terminal described according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving data, which has been allocated and transmitted to each communication network by the mobile communication terminal, from the respective communication networks; and

reconfiguring so as to restore pre-allocation data from the data received in the receiving step.

5. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to perform the data division when the amount of the data addressed to the another communication apparatus is less than a threshold value, and otherwise determines that the data division is to be performed.

6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to perform the data division when a difference in allocation ratios between each communication network is greater than a threshold, and otherwise determines that the data division is to be performed.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine not to perform the data division when one allocation ratio from among each allocation ratio for each communication network is greater than a threshold value, and otherwise determines that the data division is to be performed.

8. A data transmission method for a mobile communication terminal being connected to a plurality of types of communication networks, comprising:

detecting a communication status of each of the plurality of types of communication networks to which the mobile communication terminal is simultaneously connected via a plurality of communication schemes on the basis of a control signal transmitted from each communication network;

storing the detected communication statuses, each communication status being associated with a corresponding communication scheme;

allocating data to each communication network based on an amount of data addressed to another communication apparatus and the stored communication statuses; and

transmitting the data allocated to each communication network to the respective communication networks, wherein

the allocating includes determining whether to perform data division based on the amount of data addressed to the another communication apparatus and a difference of communication speed of each communication network, and dividing the data if the data division is determined to be performed.