Communications management

• US 8,532,649 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Carter, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US12/737,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20110201329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/411, 455/466, 370/235, 370/230, 705/14.43, 705/14.64, 705/14.41
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A communications manager is disclosed that is provided on a telecommunications network and a terminal registered with that network. The communications manager comprises in the network and on the terminal a service manager; a data manager and a connection manager. The service manager and data manager collect and store data from a plurality of sources. The connection manager prioritises and schedules delivery of the data from the network to the terminal (or vice versa), and selects a communication method to provide the data in accordance with the priority of that data. The communication method may be SMS for high priority data or an activated packet data connection for lower priority data.

Claims

1. A communications manager for managing communications between a telecommunications network core and a terminal registered with the network core, the communications manager including:

a collecting component that collects data from a plurality of sources, wherein the data are generated by at least one of;

a change event, a request message or a control message occurring in relation to an application with which a user of the terminal has made an association;

a delivery component that prioritizes and schedules delivery of the data to the terminal; and

a selecting component that selects a communication method to provide the data to the terminal in accordance with the priority of the data.

2. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the data are prioritised according to at least one of an origin of the data or a type of the data.

3. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the selecting component selects one of a plurality of bearers to deliver the data to the terminal.

4. The communications manager of claim 3, wherein the bearers include at least one of:

SMS or an activated packet data connection.

5. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the delivery component is operable to adjust the prioritising and scheduling of delivery of the data in dependence upon the network communication conditions.

6. The communications manager of claim 5, wherein the network communication conditions include the level of available network capacity.

7. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the delivery component is operable to adjust the prioritising and scheduling of delivery of the data in dependence upon the type of subscription between the user of the terminal and the network.

8. The communications manager of claim 7, wherein the type of subscription includes at least one of a type of tariff of the user of the terminal or whether the user of the terminal is roaming in the network.

9. The communications manager of claim 1, further comprising:

a storing component that stores details of contacts used by the user of the terminal, which details of contacts are also stored on the terminal, wherein the data includes updates to the contacts from third parties, and wherein the delivery component and the selecting component are operable to synchronise the details of the contacts on the terminal with the details of the contacts on the network.

10. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal that communicates with the network core via a radio access network.

11. The communications manager of claim 1, wherein the network core is the network core of at least one of:

a GSM, a UMTS or a SAE/LTE network.

12. A method of managing communications between a telecommunications network core and a terminal registered with the network, the method comprising:

collecting data from a plurality of sources, wherein the data are generated by at least one of;

a change event, a request message or a control message occurring in relation to an application with which a user of the terminal has made an association;

prioritising and scheduling delivery of the data to the terminal; and

selecting a communication method to provide the data to the terminal in accordance with the priority of the data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein prioritizing and scheduling of delivery of the data depends upon a type of subscription between the user of the terminal and the network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the type of subscription includes at least one of:

a type of tariff of the user of the terminal or whether the user of the terminal is roaming in the network.

15. Computer software, provided in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, that manages communications between a telecommunications network core and a terminal registered with the network core, the software comprising:

executable code that collects-data from a plurality of sources, wherein the data are generated by at least one of;

a change event, a request message or a control message occurring in relation to an application with which a user of the terminal has made an association;

executable code that prioritizes and schedules delivery of the data from the terminal to the telecommunications network core; and

executable code that selects a communication method to provide the data to the telecommunications network core in accordance with the priority of the data.

16. The computer software of claim 15, wherein the data are prioritized according to at least one of:

an origin of the data or a type of the data.

17. The computer software of claim 15, wherein prioritizing and scheduling of delivery of the data depends upon a type of subscription between the user of the terminal and the network.

18. The computer software of claim 17, wherein the type of subscription includes at least one of:

a type of tariff of the user of the terminal or whether the user of the terminal is roaming in the network.

19. The computer software of claim 15, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal that communicates with the network core via a radio access network.

20. The computer software of claim 15, wherein the network core is the network core of at least one of:

a GSM, a UMTS or a SAE/LTE network.