Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1996-04-12
2001-04-17
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2756)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C370S270000, C379S210010, C379S219000, C709S222000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219702
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of switching service profiles of a remote terminal from one to another according to a given condition, and a terminal apparatus for utilizing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ISDN (integrated services digital network) manages service profiles, which are information pieces including user telephone numbers and services given to users. A service is supplied to a user's terminal apparatus according to a service profile identifier (SPID) that is transmitted from the terminal apparatus to the network when a layer-2 link is established between them. The service profiles and end-point initialization are specified in ITU-T Recommendation Q.932. It should be easy to switch the service profiles from one to another, in order to expand the range of use of the service profiles.
According to a prior art, a service profile identifier (SPID) for specifying a service profile in an ISDN must directly be registered to a terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus requests the network to initialize an end point according to the SPID. Whenever a different user uses the terminal apparatus, the user must register its own SPID to the terminal apparatus.
When the terminal apparatus requests the network to initialize the end point according to an SPID, the network allocates a service profile to the terminal apparatus and transmits information related to the service profile to the terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus downloads the information and allocates functions to physical keys according to the downloaded information. At this time, a feature corresponding to the service profile is newly activated even if the feature has been activated previously.
A terminal apparatus of an ISDN is used in various ways. It may be used by different users. In this case, each user must enter its own SPID whenever the user uses the terminal apparatus. When the terminal apparatus is used at predetermined hours or on predetermined days by a specific user, the SPID must be entered into the terminal apparatus each time. This is troublesome.
Each SPID must be unique in the network. Namely, terminal apparatuses are not allowed to use the same SPID at the same time. If a second terminal apparatus sends an SPID, which is already registered in a first terminal apparatus, to the network, the network rejects the request to initialize an end point of the second terminal apparatus according to the SPID.
In this case, the user of the second terminal apparatus calls the user of the first terminal apparatus and asks him or her to delete the registered SPID and release a service profile for the SPID. Thereafter, the user of the second terminal apparatus the SPID to the second terminal apparatus so that the service profile for the SPID is allocated to the second terminal apparatus. If no user is present at the first terminal apparatus, it will be impossible for the user of the second terminal apparatus to use the service profile at the second terminal apparatus.
When a first service profile of a terminal apparatus is switched to a second service profile, information related to the second service profile is transmitted from the network to the terminal apparatus. Until the information is completely downloaded, the terminal apparatus is incapable of starting communication. According to the downloading information, functions are allocated to physical keys of the terminal apparatus. This function assignment is sometimes inconvenient for the user, and therefore, the user must reallocate the functions to the keys. Every time information is downloaded, this kind of confusion occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art and automatically switch service profiles from one to another even from a remote place.
A method of switching service profiles from one to another at a terminal apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to
FIG. 1
as follows:
The method of switching service profiles from one to another at a terminal apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.
1
. (1) A method of switching service profiles controlled by a network
8
from one to another includes the steps of selecting one of service profile identifiers (SPIDs) stored in a memory
4
of a terminal apparatus according to switching conditions and switching a present service profile to one for the selected SPID.
Further, the method may include the steps of storing SPIDs and temporal information as a switching condition in the memory
4
, monitoring time with a timer
5
of the terminal apparatus, and switching a present service profile to one for an SPID selected according to the temporal information.
The method may include the steps of storing, in the memory
4
, SPIDs, service profile switching conditions, and retry conditions such as the number of retry actions related to the switching conditions, selecting one of the SPIDs according to the switching conditions, switching a present service profile to one for the selected SPID, and if the switching operation is unsuccessful, repeating the switching operation according to the retry conditions.
The method may include the steps of storing SPIDs and a given period in the memory
4
and releasing a present service profile when the unused period of the service profile exceeds the given period.
The method may include the steps of storing SPIDs and a frequency of use in the memory
4
and releasing a service profile when the frequency of use of the service profile is below the stored frequency of use.
The method may include the steps of storing downloaded information corresponding to the SPIDs, respectively, in the memory
4
, determining whether or not information for a selected SPID is in the memory
4
, and only when the information is not in the memory
4
, downloading the information.
The method may include the step of allocating functions to physical keys of the terminal apparatus according to information downloaded from the network
8
, wherein a given function is allocated to a given physical key in advance.
The method may include the steps of storing a feature activated for one or all of the SPIDs into the memory
4
, switching a service profile to a given service profile, retrieving a feature corresponding to the given service profile from the memory
4
if it is stored therein, and activating the retrieved feature.
The method may include the steps of registering an SPID to the terminal apparatus from a remote place through a line, or selecting one of the service profiles stored in the terminal apparatus from the remote place through the line, to thereby switch a service profile of the terminal apparatus to one for the registered or selected SPID.
The method may include the steps of transferring an SPID as user—user information with a call setup message from the remote placed to the terminal apparatus and setting the SPID in the terminal appratus.
The method may include the steps of transferring an SPID with an in-band multifrequency signal (DTMF) through an established path from the remote place to the terminal apparatus and setting the SPID in the terminal apparatus.
The method may include the steps of transferring an SPID with a password whose number of digits is determined according to the degree of security, from the remote place to the terminal apparatus and setting or choosing the transferred SPID at the terminal apparatus only when the password is identical to one stored in the terminal apparatus.
The method may include the steps of determining that it is an illegal service profile switching request if the request is repeated for a predetermined number of times with a password that is different from the password stored in the terminal apparatus, and recording a caller number related to the request.
The method may include the step of informing the remote place of a result of the setting or choosing of the SPID requested by the remote place as well as a result of
Gotoh Shigeki
Ikehara Tetsuo
Fujitsu Limited
Geckil Mehmet B.
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
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