Communication terminal, communication system and communication method

• US 9,313,728 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Furuya, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, MICHAEL K
• Application Number:
  US13/578,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/282, 370/315, 370/331, 370/466, 375/240.25, 455/72, 455/435.1, 455/436
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication terminal is used in a wireless communication environment which involves a plurality of coexisting communication processes with upper limit values being set respectively therein for amounts of data to be transmitted. The communication terminal includes a compressor which compresses data to be transmitted, and a compression controller which controls the compressor to compress the data if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on one of the communication processes which is to be used to transmit the data.

Claims

1. A communication terminal for use in a wireless communication environment which involves a plurality of coexisting communication processes with upper limit values being set respectively therein for amounts of data to be transmitted, comprising:

a compressor configured to compress data to be transmitted;

a compression controller configured to;

if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on a presently used communication process from among the plurality of coexisting communication processes which is to be used to transmit the data and if the presently used communication process is not a maximum capacity communication process, switch the presently used communication process, and, if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on the switched presently used communication process, control said compressor to compress said data;

if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on the presently used communication process and if the presently used communication process is the maximum capacity communication process, control said compressor to compress said data; and

control said compressor to not compress said data if the amount of the data to be transmitted is smaller than said upper limit value set depending on the presently used communication process; and

a base station switching controller which, if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on the presently used communication process, searches for a base station that uses another communication process which has a greater transmission capacity per unit time than a base station with which the communication terminal is currently communicating, and which, if the base station which has a greater transmission capacity per unit time is detected, is configured to switch to the detected base station that uses another communication process which has a greater transmission capacity per unit time for transmitting the data.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of coexisting communication processes includes an LTE process.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said compressor compresses said data according to a lossy data compression process.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the coexisting communication processes having the maximum communication capacity is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) process.

5. A communication system having a wireless communication environment which involves a plurality of coexisting communication processes with upper limit values being set respectively therein for amounts of data to be transmitted, wherein

if an amount of data to be transmitted by a terminal is equal to or greater than an upper limit value set depending on a presently used communication process from among the plurality of coexisting communication processes which is to be used to transmit the data, the terminal is configured to:

when the presently used communication process is a maximum capacity communication process, compress said data and transmit the compressed data;

when the presently used communication process is not the maximum capacity communication process, search for a base station that uses another communication process from among the plurality of coexisting communication processes which has a greater transmission capacity than the presently used communication process, and, if the base station which has a greater transmission capacity is detected, switch to the detected base station for transmitting the data;

if the amount of the data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than an upper limit value set depending on the another communication process, compress said data and transmit the compressed data; and

if the amount of the data to be transmitted is less than the upper limit value set depending on the another communication process, not compress said data and transmit the uncompressed data.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of coexisting communication processes includes an LTE process.

7. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein said data are compressed according to a lossy data compression process.

8. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the coexisting communication processes having the maximum communication capacity is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) process.

9. A communication method to be carried out by a communication terminal for use in a wireless communication environment which involves a plurality of coexisting communication processes with upper limit values being set respectively therein for amounts of data to be transmitted, the upper limit values corresponding to respective communication capacities per unit time of the plurality of coexisting communication processes, and a maximum capacity communication process having a greatest respective communication capacity among the plurality of coexisting communication processes, the communication method comprising:

judging whether or not an amount of data equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on a presently used communication process from among the plurality of coexisting communication processes;

if an amount of data to be transmitted by the communication terminal is equal to or greater than the upper limit value set depending on the presently used communication process;

determining that the presently used communication process is the maximum capacity communication process or that the presently used communication process is not the maximum capacity communication process;

compressing, in response to the determination that the presently used communication process is the maximum capacity communication process, said data;

searching, in response to the determination that the presently used communication process is not the maximum capacity communication process, for a base station that uses another communication process from among the plurality of coexisting communication processes which has a greater transmission capacity than the presently used communication process;

switching, if the base station which has a greater transmission capacity is detected, to the detected base station for transmitting the data, and compressing said data and transmitting the compressed data if said amount of data is equal to or greater than an upper limit value set depending on the another communication process; and

switching, if the base station which has a greater transmission capacity is detected, to the detected base station, and not compressing said data and transmitting data that has not been compressed if said amount of the data is smaller than said upper limit value set depending on the another communication process.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein said plurality of coexisting communication processes includes an LTE process.

11. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein said data are compressed according to a lossy data compression process.

12. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein the coexisting communication processes having the maximum communication capacity is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) process.