COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION DETERMINATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20160029193A1
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: IWAI, Takanori, UCHIDA, Norio
• Granted Patent: US 9,615,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a communication system capable of broadcasting and distributing various types of messages. The communication system according to the present invention includes a network operator device (21) disposed in a network (20) managed by a carrier; and a distribution information determination device (30) disposed between the network operator device (21) and a plurality of application servers that provide an application service. The distribution information determination device (30) transmits, to the network operator device (21), a distribution message transmitted from any one of application servers according to an event notification transmitted from a communication device (10_—1), and a distribution policy used to distribute the distribution message, and distributes the distribution message to a plurality of communication devices (10_—1) to (10_—3) based on the distribution policy.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a network operator device disposed in a network managed by a carrier; and

a distribution information determination device disposed between the network operator device and a plurality of application servers that provide an application service via the network, the distribution information determination device including a service policy determined by the plurality of application servers, wherein

the distribution information determination device determines, based on the service policy, a distribution message and a distribution policy to be transmitted to the network operator device, and transmits the determined distribution message and distribution policy to the network operator device, and

the network operator device distributes the distribution message to a plurality of communication devices based on the distribution policy transmitted from the distribution information determination device.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the service policy is one of a service content and a service specification determined by the application servers.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution policy includes at least one of a distribution area, a distribution target communication device, a degree of priority, and a distribution period.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information determination device determines the distribution message and the distribution policy according to event information transmitted from an external device.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the event information includes at least one of a degree of severity of an event occurred, a location of the event occurred, a time zone of the event occurred, and the number of events occurred.

6. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information determination device receives the event information transmitted from the communication devices that perform communication via the network.

7. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information determination device receives the service policy transmitted from the application servers in advance, and determines the distribution message and the distribution policy upon receiving the event information transmitted from the communication devices.

8. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information determination device includes an information table that manages the event information, and the distribution message and the distribution policy which correspond to the event information.

9. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the distribution information determination device is disposed between the application servers and a plurality of network operator devices disposed in different networks, and

upon receiving the event information, the distribution information determination device selects, from among the plurality of network operator devices, at least one network operator device that satisfies the service policy, and transmits the distribution message and the distribution policy to the selected network operator device.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information determination device is disposed in a network managed by the carrier.

11. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information determination device determines whether or not the distribution message is allowed to be distributed according to the event information, and when the distribution information determination device determines that the distribution message is allowed to be distributed, the distribution information determination device transmits the distribution message and the distribution policy to the network operator device.

12. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein when methods for designating a distribution message and a distribution policy differ from network to network, the distribution information determination device converts the distribution message and the distribution policy into a distribution message data format and a distribution policy data format as defined in each network, and transmits the data formats to each network operator device.

13. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information determination device analyzes user data transmitted at an arbitrary timing from the communication devices to the application servers, and transmits the distribution message and the distribution policy to the network operator device according to a result of the analysis.

14. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein when a change of state in an ambient environment of the communication devices is detected by the communication devices or a sensor that detects the state of change, the communication devices transmit the event information to the distribution information determination device.

15. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of the communication devices is one of a mobile phone, a terminal device used in wireless LAN communication, and a terminal device used in near field communication.

16. A distribution information determination device disposed between a network operator device and an application server that provides an application service via a network managed by a carrier, the network operator device being disposed in the network, the distribution information determination device comprising:

an information storage unit that includes a service policy determined by the application server;

a distribution information determination unit that determines, based on the service policy, a distribution message and a distribution policy to be transmitted to the network operator device; and

a communication unit that transmits the determined distribution message and distribution policy to the network operator device that distributes the distribution message to a plurality of communication devices based on the distribution policy.

17. A communication method used in a distribution information determination device disposed between a network operator device and an application server that provides an application service via a network managed by a carrier, the network operator device being disposed in the network, the communication method comprising:

determining a distribution message and a distribution policy to be transmitted to the network operator device based on a service policy determined by the application server; and

transmitting the determined distribution message and distribution policy to the network operator device that distributes the distribution message to a plurality of communication devices based on the distribution policy.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer in a distribution information determination device to execute processing, the distribution information determination device being disposed between a network operator device and an application server that provides an application service via a network managed by a carrier, the network operator device being disposed in the network, the processing comprising the steps of:

determining a distribution message and a distribution policy to be transmitted to the network operator device based on a service policy determined by the application server; and

transmitting the determined distribution message and distribution policy to the network operator device that distributes the distribution message to a plurality of communication devices based on the distribution policy.