Mobile communication terminal, mobile communication system, and storage medium

• US 8,010,145 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Osamu, Miyabayashi, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iqbal; Khawar
• Application Number:
  US11/324,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20060154670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/411, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/444, 455/69, 455/67.11, 455/522, 379/221.01, 379/352, 379/88.17, 370/338, 370/331, 370/318, 370/311
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

When moving from a public wireless area to a local wireless area, a mobile communication terminal transmits its telephone number to a local wireless service authentication server to inquire whether the mobile communication terminal can receive a local wireless service. The local wireless service authentication server, in response to the inquiry, determines whether the telephone number of the mobile communication terminal itself is registered in a local telephone number storage unit. When the number is registered therein, a transmission power level reduction instruction signal is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal. The mobile communication terminal, in response to the reception of the signal, controls the wireless unit to reduce output level of the transmission power in a wireless unit to a level that it can be received by a local base station while it cannot be received by a public base station. This enables restricting communication that uses public wireless network.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

communication availability determination means which determines whether a second communication network is available, in accordance with movement of the mobile communication terminal from a communication area of a first base station constituting a first communication network to a communication area of a second base station constituting the second communication network which is different from the first communication network;

communication means which performs transmission and reception to enable communications via at least the first communication network; and

restriction means which controls the communication means to restrict communication that uses the first communication network, by controlling transmission power for communication to be reduced to a degree such that the first base station cannot receive a radio wave from the mobile communication terminal but reception by the mobile terminal from the first base station is maintained and the transmission power maintains the communication with the second communication network, when the communication availability determination means determines that the second communication network is available;

wherein the restriction means, when the communication availability determination means determines that a status in which the second communication network is available is changed to a status at which the second communication network is unavailable, controls the transmission power for communication to recover to such a degree that the first base station can be communicated with, so that data transmission using the first communication network is enabled.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the restriction means, when the communication availability determination means determines that the second communication network is available, restricts communication using the first communication network by restricting calling to another mobile communication terminal that cannot use the second communication network.

3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the restriction means, when the communication availability determination means determines that the second communication network is available, originates a call to a first communication network for another mobile communication terminal that cannot use the second communication network, and originates a call to a second communication network for another mobile communication terminal that can use the second communication network.

4. A mobile communication system comprising:

a first communication network;

a second communication network which is different from the first communication network;

a mobile communication terminal which is configured to perform transmission and reception to enable communication using at least the first communication network; and

an authentication unit which determines whether the mobile communication terminal can use the second communication network,

wherein the mobile communication terminal comprises;

communication inquiry means which, in accordance with movement of the mobile communication terminal from a communication area of a first base station that constitutes the first communication network to a communication area of a second base station that constitutes the second communication network, determines whether the second communication network is available, by sending terminal identification information specific to the mobile communication terminal to the authentication unit; and

restriction means which, when being notified by the authentication unit that the second communication network is available, enables communication that uses the second communication network and restricts communication that uses the first communication network by controlling transmission power to a degree such that the first base station cannot receive a radio wave from the mobile communication terminal but reception by the mobile terminal from the first base station is maintained and the transmission power maintains the communication with the second communication network, so that communication using the first communication network is restricted;

wherein the restriction means, when a communication availability determination means of the mobile terminal determines that a status in which the second communication network is available is changed to a status at which the second communication network is unavailable, controls the transmission power for communication to recover to such a degree that the first base station can be communicated with, so that data transmission using the first communication network is enabled.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein the authentication unit comprises:

terminal identification information storage means which stores terminal identification information identifying a mobile communication terminal that can use the second communication network;

terminal identification information reception means which receives the terminal identification information transmitted by the communication inquiry means;

first terminal identification information determination means which determines whether the terminal identification information received by the terminal identification information reception means is stored in the terminal identification information storage means; and

first inquiry result notification means which, when the first terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, an inquiry result being provided to the mobile communication terminal indicating that the mobile communication terminal can use the second communication network.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein the first inquiry result notification means, when the first terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, provides an inquiry result indicating that the mobile communication terminal can use the second communication network, by transmitting a transmission power reduction instruction signal that instructs the mobile communication terminal to reduce its transmission power, and the restriction means, when receiving the transmission power reduction instruction signal transmitted by the first inquiry result notification means, controls the transmission power to communicate with the first base station to be reduced to a degree such that the first base station cannot receive the radio wave from the mobile communication terminal and the transmission power maintains the communication with the second communication network, so that communication using the first communication network is restricted.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 4,

wherein the communication inquiry means, in accordance with the movement of the mobile communication terminal from the communication area of the first base station to the communication area of the second base station, transmits second base station identification information identifying the second base station, together with the terminal identification information, to the authentication unit via the second base station;

the authentication unit comprises;

base station identification information storage means which stores base station identification information that identifies base station of a communication network in which availability of communication can be determined;

terminal identification information storage means which stores, separately for each base station in which availability of communication can be determined, terminal identification information registered in advance that identifies a mobile communication terminal that can use the network;

identification information reception means which receives the terminal identification information and the second base station identification information from the communication inquiry means;

base station identification information determination means which determines whether the base station identification information corresponding to the second base station identification information received by the identification information reception means is stored in the base station identification information storage means;

terminal identification information obtaining means which, when the base station identification information determining means determines that the corresponding base station identification information is found, obtains terminal identification information corresponding to the second base station identification information from the terminal identification information storage means;

second terminal identification information determination means which determines whether the terminal identification information obtained by the terminal identification information obtaining means is stored in the terminal identification information storage means; and

second inquiry result notification means which, when the second terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, and provides an inquiry result to the mobile terminal which indicates that the second communication network is available.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 7, wherein the second inquiry result notification means, when the second terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, transmits, to the mobile communication terminal, all the information obtained by the terminal identification information obtaining means, thereby notifying the mobile communication terminal of the inquiry result indicating mobile communication terminals which are able to use the second communication network, and the restriction means, when receiving one or more pieces of terminal identification information transmitted by the second inquiry result notification means, restricts calling to the mobile communication terminal not indicated in the inquiry result, thereby restricting communication using the first communication network.

9. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a third base station which constitutes the first communication network; and

connection switching means which, in response to connection request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the third base station, determines a location of a destination end of communication, connects the mobile communication terminal to the first communication network when the destination end of communication is within the first communication network, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the second communication network when the destination end of communication is within the second communication network.

10. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the connection switching means, in response to a connection request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the second communication network, determines a location of a destination end of communication, connects the mobile communication terminal to the third base station when the destination end of the communication is within a communication area of the third base station, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the first communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the first communication network exterior to the communication area of the third base station.

11. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the connection switching means which, in response to a communication request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the first network, determines a location of a destination end of communication, connects to the first communication network when the destination end of communication is within the first communication network, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the third base station when the destination end of the communication is within a communication area of the third base station.

12. The mobile communication system according to claim 9, wherein the connection switching means, based on information stored in the authentication unit, determines whether a destination end of communication is within the second communication network.

13. A mobile communication system having an authentication unit which determines whether a mobile communication terminal connected to a first communication network and a second communication network and capable of performing transmission and reception to enable communication using the first communication network can use the second communication network,

wherein the authentication unit comprises:

terminal identification information storage means which stores terminal identification information identifying a mobile communication terminal that can use the second communication network;

terminal identification information reception means which receives the terminal identification information transmitted by the mobile communication terminal;

first terminal identification information determination means which determines whether the terminal identification information received by the terminal identification information reception means is stored in the terminal identification information storage means; and

first inquiry result notification means which, when the first terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, provides a notification to the mobile communication terminal, by transmitting a transmission power reduction instruction signal that instructs the mobile communication terminal to reduce its transmission power to a degree such that a first base station cannot receive a radio wave from the mobile communication terminal but reception by the mobile terminal from the first base station is maintained and the transmission power maintains the communication with the second communication network, a restriction means of the mobile terminal, when a communication availability determination means of the mobile terminal determines that a status in which the second communication network is available is changed to a status at which the second communication network is unavailable, controlling the transmission power for communication to recover to such a degree that the first base station can be communicated with, so that data transmission using the first communication network is enabled, and an inquiry result indicating that the mobile communication terminal can use the second communication network.

14. The mobile communication system according to claim 13, wherein the authentication unit comprises:

base station identification information storage means which stores base station identification information that identifies base stations of a communication network in which availability of communication can be determined;

terminal identification information storage means which stores, separately for each base station in which availability of communication can be determined, terminal identification information registered in advance that identifies a mobile communication terminal that can use the network;

identification information reception means which receives the terminal identification information and second base station identification information from the mobile communication terminal;

base station identification information determination means which determines whether the base station identification information corresponding to the second base station identification information received by the identification information reception means is stored in the base station identification information storage means;

terminal identification information obtaining means which, when the base station identification information determination means determines that the corresponding base station information is found, obtains terminal identification information corresponding to the second base station identification information from the terminal identification information storage means;

second terminal identification information determination means which determines whether the terminal identification information obtained by the terminal identification information obtaining means is stored in the terminal identification information storage means; and

second inquiry result notification means which, when the second terminal identification information determination means determines that the received terminal identification information is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, provides a result of the inquiry to the mobile communication terminal.

15. The mobile communication system according to claim 14, wherein the second inquiry result notification means, when the terminal identification information received by the identification information reception means is stored in the terminal identification information storage means, transmits all information obtained by the terminal identification information obtaining means, thereby notifying, to the mobile communication terminal, the inquiry result indicating mobile communication terminals which are able to use the second communication network, and the mobile communication system further comprising data transmission restriction means which, when receiving at least a piece of terminal identification information, restricts calling to the mobile communication terminal not indicated in the inquiry result, thereby restricting communication using the first communication network.

16. The mobile communication system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a third base station which constitutes at least the first communication network; and

connection switching means which;

in response to a connection request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the second communication network, determines a location of a destination end of communication, connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the third base station when the destination end of the communication is within a communication area of the third base station, connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the first communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the communication area of the first communication network other than the communication area of the third base station, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the second communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the communication area of the second communication network;

in response to the connection request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the third base station, determines the location of the destination end of the communication, connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the first communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the communication area of the first communication network, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the second communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the communication area of the second communication network; and

in response to the connection request transmitted from the mobile communication terminal via the first communication network, determines the location of the destination end of the communication, connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the first communication network when the destination end of the communication is within the first communication network, and connects the mobile communication terminal to the destination end of the communication via the third base station when the destination end of the communication is within the communication area of the third base station.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon a program which makes a computer included in a mobile communication terminal operate as:

communication availability determination means which determines whether a second communication network is available, in accordance with movement of the mobile communication terminal from a communication area of a first base station constituting a first communication network to the communication area of a second base station constituting the second communication network which is different from the first communication network;

communication means which performs transmission and reception to enable communications using at least the first communication network; and

restriction means which controls the communication means to restrict communication that uses the first communication network, by controlling transmission power for communication to be reduced to a degree such that the first base station cannot receive a radio wave from the mobile communication terminal but reception by the mobile terminal from the first base station is maintained and the transmission power maintains the communication with the second communication network, when the communication availability determination means determines that the second communication network is available;

wherein the restriction means, when the communication availability determination means determines that a status in which the second communication network is available is changed to a status at which the second communication network is unavailable, controls the transmission power for communication to recover to such a degree that the first base station can be communicated with, so that data transmission using the first communication network is enabled.