Paging control method and paging control system in communication system

• US 6,920,322 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• 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: Okajima, Ichiro, Ikeda, Takehiro, Umeda, Narumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, HUY Q
• Application Number:
  US09/993,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/458, 455/515, 455/551, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/432.1, 455/12.1, 455/427, 455/442, 455/444, 455/436
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Efficient paging control is achieved in a communication system that selectively provides one of communication services implemented by integrating a plurality of communication systems. Before transmitting a downlink signal to a terminal, a gateway requests each of the communication systems to transmit a paging signal to the terminal. Receiving the paging signals transmitted from the communication systems, the terminal selects a communication system A with the lowest communication cost in accordance with communication cost information contained in the paging signal. The terminal sends a request for connection to the selected communication system A. As a result, the communication system A transmits the downlink signal to the terminal.

Claims

1. A paging control method of a communication system that selectively provides to a terminal one of a plurality of communication services implemented by integrating a plurality of communication systems using an intermediary gateway, the paging control method comprising:

a first step of the gateway requesting that each of the plurality of communication systems transmit a paging signal to the terminal when the gateway is to transmit a downlink signal to the terminal;

a second step of each of said plurality of communication systems transmitting the paging signal to the terminal as requested in the first step; and

a third step of said terminal receiving the plurality of paging signals, and of selecting a desired communication system for use in receiving the downlink signal, said desired communication system being selected from said plurality of communication systems in accordance with information contained in the plurality of received paging signals.

2. The paging control method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fourth step of transmitting a connection request signal from said terminal to said desired communication system selected at the third step.

16. A recording medium containing a program code, said program code comprising program code means adapted to perform all the steps of the method of any of claims 1 to 7.

3. A paging control method of a communication system that selectively provides to a terminal one of a plurality of communication services implemented by integrating a plurality of communication systems using an intermediary gateway, and that includes a paging agent for managing paging signals, the paging control method comprising:

a first step of the terminal previously transmitting a selection criteria for a communication system the terminal wishes to use to receive downlink signals, and of transmitting terminal location information, to the paging agent;

a second step the paging agent, registering, the received selection criteria and the terminal location information, characterized in that the selection criteria includes one or more of a communication cost, a transmission rate, and a transmission quantity; and

a third step of said paging agent selecting a communication system from among the plurality of communication systems in accordance with the registered selection criteria and the registered terminal location information, the selected communication system to be used to transmit a downlink signal to the terminal.

4. The paging control method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a fourth step of transmitting the paging signal from said selected communication system to said terminal.

5. The paging control method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a fourth step of transmitting a connection request signal from said terminal to said selected communication system.

6. The paging control method of as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a fourth step of a predetermined communication system transmitting a paging signal including a name of said communication system selected at the third step to carry out transmission of the downlink signal to said terminal, the predetermined communication system being different than the communication system selected to carry out transmission of the downlink signal to said terminal.

7. The paging control method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a fifth step of transmitting a connection request signal from said terminal to said predetermined communication system, and waiting for the downlink signal from said selected communication system identified in said paging signal.

8. A paging control system of a communication system that selectively provides to a terminal one of a plurality of communication services implemented by integrating a plurality of communication systems using an intermediary gateway, the paging control system comprising:

communication control means for requesting that each of the plurality of communication systems transmit a paging signal to the terminal when the gateway is to transmit a downlink signal to the terminal; and

a terminal for receiving the plurality of paging signals transmitted by said plurality of communication systems, and for selecting a desired communication system for use in receiving the downlink signal, said desired communication system being selected from said plurality of communication systems in accordance with information contained in the plurality of received paging signals.

9. The paging control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said terminal is adapted to transmit a connection request signal to said desired communication system.

10. A paging control system of a communication system that selectively provides to a terminal one of a plurality of communication services implemented by integrating a plurality of communication systems using an intermediary gateway, and that includes a paging agent for managing paging signals, the paging control system comprising:

a terminal for previously transmitting a selection criteria for a communication system the terminal wishes to use to receive downlink signals, and for transmitting terminal location information to the paging agent, characterized in that the selection criteria includes one or more of a communication cost, a transmission rate, and a transmission quality;

registering means for registering the received selection criteria and the terminal location information in said paging agent; and

selecting means in said paging agent for selecting a communication system from among said plurality of communication systems in accordance with the registered selection criteria and the registered terminal location information, the selected communication system to be used to transmit a downlink signal to the terminal.

11. The paging control system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising communication control means for causing said selected communication system selected by said selecting means to transmit the paging signal to said terminal.

12. The paging control system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said terminal is adapted to transmit a connection request signal to said selected communication system.

13. The paging control system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

communication control means for a predetermined communication system to transmit a paging signal including a name of said selected communication system selected by said selecting means, the predetermined communication system being different than the selected communication system.

14. The paging control system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said terminal is adapted to transmit a connection request signal to said predetermined communication system, and waits for the download signal from said selected communication system identified in said paging signal.

15. The paging control system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said selecting means is adapted to carry out the selection of said selected communication system in response to a query from said communication control means about what communication system is to be used to transmit the downlink signal to the terminal.