Communication method, communication terminal, supervisor terminal and related computer programmes

• US 9,167,202 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Rousseau, Stephane, Klech, Guillaume, Mathieu, Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/134,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20140176658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 381/150, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/418, 455/426.1, 455/445, 455/452.1, 455/466, 455/566, 455/567, 713/167, 715/808, 715/825, 370/338, 709/204, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A communication method in a communications network is provided. The method includes, in a communications network in which a communication link has been communication link having been allocated by a resource manager module in accordance with a first value of a characteristic of data rate, latency or jitter required for providing a first service on the said link between a first and a second communication terminal, the steps of transmitting a request to replace the said first communication service by a second communication service between at least the first and second terminals; further to receipt of the said request by the resource manager module of the network, replacing by the said resource manager module of the first value of the said characteristic by a second value required for providing the said second service; and providing the second communication service instead of the first communication service between the first and second terminals on the said communication link.

Claims

1. A communication method in a communications network, in which a communication link has been allocated by a resource manager module in accordance with a set of characteristics required for the providing of a first service on the link and set up between at least one first communication terminal and a second communication terminal in the communications network, the set of required characteristics comprising a first value of at least one characteristic of at least one of data rate, latency and jitter on the link, the method comprising:

during the providing of the first service on the communication link;

transmitting a request to replace the first communication service by a second communication service between at least the first and second terminals;

after receipt of the request by the resource manager module of the network, replacing by the resource manager module of the first value of the characteristic of the established communication link, by a second value differing from the first value and required for the providing of the second service;

the method further including providing the second communication service instead of the first communication service between the first and second terminals on the communication link;

displaying, during the providing of the first service on the communication link, on a display screen of at least one supervisor terminal remote from the first terminal and from the second terminal, a sub-menu of the operating menu relating to the first service currently being provided, the sub-menu listing a group of at least one second service differing from the first service and comprising at least the second communication service; and

detecting, by the supervisor terminal, the selection made by a user of the supervisor terminal of the second service in the group of the at least one second service differing from the first service, the step of transmitting the request being performed by the supervisor terminal as a function of the step of detecting the selection.

2. The communication method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first and second communication services comprise different services from among alternate or simultaneous bidirectional communication services, of voice call or video call type.

3. The communication method as recited in claim 1 further comprising, during the providing of the first service on the communication link, detecting, by a terminal, from among the first terminal and the second terminal, the selection by a user of the terminal, of the second service from the group of the at least one second service differing from the first service, the step of transmitting the request being performed by the terminal as a function of the step of detecting the selection.

4. The communication method as recited in claim 3 further comprising:

displaying, during the providing of the first service on the communication link, on a display screen of at least one terminal from among the first terminal and the second terminal, a sub-menu of the operating menu of the first service currently being provided, the sub-menu listing the group of the at least one second service different from the first service currently being provided and comprising at least the second communication service; and

detecting, by the terminal of the selection made by a user of the terminal of the second service, from the group of the least one second service differing from the first service, the step of transmitting the request being performed by the terminal in relation to the step of detecting the selection.

5. The communication method as recited in claim 1 further comprising comparing, with a fixed threshold, the time of non-use of a functionality included in the first service and not included in the second service, the step of transmitting the request being a function of the comparing step.

6. The communication method as recited in claim 1 wherein the communication network comprises an LTE network and the resource manager module is a PCRF node.

7. A supervisor terminal comprising:

a display for displaying a supervision menu of a first service implemented between at least one communication terminal and another communication terminal, further to the establishing of a communication link between the at least one communication terminal and the other communication terminal in a communications network, allocated by a resource manager module as per a set of characteristics required for implementing a first service and comprising a first value of at least one characteristic of at least one of data rate, latency and jitter, and further to the implementation of the first service on the communication link, to; and

a transmitter for transmitting, during the implementation of the first service on the communication link, a request to replace the first communication service by a second communication service between at least the communication terminal and the other communication terminal,

the supervisor terminal being adapted, further to the replacement by the resource manager module of the first value of the characteristic of the established communication link by a second value differing from the first value and required for implementing the second service, to display a supervision menu of the second service implemented between the communication terminal and other communication terminal.

8. The supervisor terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein the supervisor terminal is adapted, during the providing of the first service on the communication link to detect the selection by a user of the supervisor terminal of the second service in the group of at least one second service different from the first service, the request transmission step being performed by the terminal in relation to the detection step.

9. The supervisor terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein the first and second communication services comprise different services from among alternate or simultaneous bidirectional communication services, of voice call or video call type.

10. The supervisor terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein the supervisor terminal is adapted, during the providing of the first service on the communication link, to display on a screen of the display of the supervisor terminal, a sub-menu of the operating menu of the first service currently being provided, the sub-menu listing a group of at least one second service differing from those of the first service currently being provided and comprising at least the second communication service;

and adapted to detect the selection by a user of the supervisor terminal of the second service from the group of the at least one second service differing from the first service, the request transmission step being performed by the supervisor terminal in relation to the detection step.

11. The supervisor terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein the supervisor terminal is adapted to compare, with a fixed threshold, the time of non-use of a functionality included in the first service and not included in the second service, the transmission of the request being a function of the comparison step.

12. Non-transitory computer readable media having stored thereon a computer program comprising:

computer executable instructions to control a supervisor terminal of a communications network, to establish a communication link between at least one communication terminal and another communication terminal in a communications network and allocated by a resource manager module as per a set of characteristics required for implementing a first service and comprising a first value of at least one characteristic of data rate and/or latency and/or jitter required for implementation of the first service on the communication link, where said establish step further includes;

displaying a supervision menu of the first service implemented between the terminal and other terminal;

during the implementing of the first service on the communication link, transmitting a request to replace the first communication service by a second communication service between at least the communication terminal and the other communication terminal; and

further to replacement by the resource manager module of the first value of the characteristic of the established communication link by a second value differing from the first value and required for implementing the second service, displaying a supervision menu of the second service implemented between the communication terminal and other communication terminal.