FR2847359A1 - Architecture for mobile applications with simplified radio terminal, comprises mobile radio terminal which may be connected to traditional server via an adapter or directly to new style server - Google Patents

Abstract

A simplified mobile radio terminal (TS) is in communication with an Internet type communications network using a system such as GPRS. It may be connected directly to new style application servers (SA) or to traditional servers (SAt) through adapters (ADT). The simplified terminal uses IP protocol and has driven software but the user application programs are in the servers or server/adapters Independent claims are also included for the following: 1) Method of communication between user applications in communication network and a mobile radio terminal using direct calls to equipment drivers in terminal 2) Terminal equipment which includes physical devices controlled by driver programs directly accessible by radio

Description

ARCHITECTURE FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS WITH SIMPLIFIED WIRELESS TERMINAL

  The present invention relates to the field

  digital mobile telecommunications.

  The present invention relates more particularly to the field of mobile applications. Today we find more and more functions in mobile terminals. If the first wireless terminals offered only cellular telephone functions, the most recent terminals offer very diverse applications such as for example the functions of SMS, MMS, WAP, E-mail, digital camera, or GPS. The object of the present invention is to present a simplified terminal which does not have any of the abovementioned functions but includes means for accessing, within the digital mobile telecommunications network, these functions, and any other function which does not exist.

still today.

  The prior art already knows, by PCT patent application WO 01/11903, a wireless terminal, accompanying circuits intended for a computer

  remote, and an associated operating mode.

  The architecture of the terminal is designed to optimize a high-speed wireless data network so that there is no longer any need to use a versatile CPU and associated memories located in the terminal. The terminal is wirelessly connected to a centralized server with the CPU and the memory capacity to run the desired applications. User input at the terminal is wirelessly transmitted to the server which runs the applications and produces a corresponding graphical display output. This output is digitally compressed and transmitted wirelessly to the terminal. A graphics processor located at the terminal decompresses the display output for display at the terminal. In this operating mode, the wireless terminal can become a low-power "virtual PC" or a

  entertainment display device.

  We also know, by patent application

  American US 6409602, a thin gaming terminal system.

  A computer game system and an operating method both reduce the cost of game stations and provide access to multiple game programs at the same time from a single game station. The computer of the present invention allows transparent modifications and updates to game programs by executing game programs on a server / host computer connected to a plurality of client / terminal computers by means of communication. Each client / terminal computer has a client / terminal program that allows input and output streams of the game program running on the server / host computer to be separated and redirected to the client / terminal computers. As the game programs are fully executed on the server / host computer, with only counting input and display output operations executed on client / terminal computers, the hardware and software costs required for each computer client / terminal are very small. The user of a client / terminal computer can have access to any

  game program running on the server / host computer.

  Changes and updates need only be made on the server / host computer. By using the stereo display with a joystick and wireless communication means, the present invention allows the user to be in a real

mobile gaming environment.

  The evolution of the service offer on cellular networks systematically comes up against the problem of the installed base which does not have access to new services, and therefore the need to deploy new terminals with the arrival of each new service. . All this is costly and tedious for all actors in the service chain (end user, operator of

  mobile telecommunications, other service operators).

  The invention described here makes it possible to isolate the terminal as much as possible from the evolution of services and makes it possible to deploy new services without necessarily having to deploy new terminals. The method also makes it possible, when desired, to reduce the cost of the terminal.

to the bare minimum.

  The present invention intends to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a simplified wireless terminal connected to an application client and to an application server, the application client exchanging with the terminal digital data usable by the drivers of the simplified wireless terminal. To this end, the invention relates in its most general sense to a system comprising at least one computer application server, at least one client for computer applications and at least one terminal comprising means for exchanging digital data by a wireless link with said application server, characterized in that the application client is not located in the terminal but in the network, in that the terminal comprises physical devices controlled by pilot computer programs, the client d '' applications comprising means for delivering and receiving data transmitted by the wireless link,

  directly exploitable by said pilots.

  Alternatively, the computer application client and the computer application server are

  find themselves confused in the same computer program.

  Advantageously, the system further comprises

a terminal adapter.

  According to a variant, at least one function is also associated with the terminal, said function being implemented in the traditional way including the client.

  of said function in the terminal and not in the network.

  Preferably, said terminal is compatible with at least one of the following standards: GSM, CDMA, GPRS,

EDGE, PCS, PHS, UMTS, DECT, Wi-Fi.

  The present invention also relates to a method of communication between a client of computer applications and a terminal connected by a wireless link characterized in that the data exchanged between said client and said terminal are constituted by direct calls to the primitives of the pilots devices

physical of said terminal.

  The present invention also relates to a terminal device for implementing the system according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises physical devices controlled by pilot computer programs accessible directly through a

wireless link.

  The present invention also relates to a computer application program for the implementation of the system according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises means for delivering and receiving data transmitted by a wireless link, directly usable by the programs. computer drivers

  physical devices of a terminal.

  The invention will be better understood using the

  description, given below for purely explanatory purposes,

  of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended figures: - Figure 1 shows the overall physical architecture; - Figure 2 shows the overall logical architecture; - Figure 3 shows an adapter of simplified wireless terminals; - Figure 4 shows the physical E-mail architecture; and - Figure 5 shows the architecture

E-mail logic.

  The service operator makes its services available to the user through a chain including applications running on application servers, on an IP (Internet Protocol) network. These applications access wireless terminals through a GPRS wireless infrastructure. The terminals (TS) are on the same IP network as the application servers (SA and Sat). To adapt an already existing traditional application server (Sat) to simplified terminals (TS), a terminal adapter (ADT) is interposed between this traditional application server (Sat) normally connected to traditional cellular terminals and simplified terminals (TS). The work of this adapter is an interface translation work, which makes it possible to present the simplified terminal to the application server, as if it were a

traditional wireless terminal.

  The logical interfaces between the application or the service adapter and the simplified terminal are organized according to FIG. 2. The terminal is connected to the application servers through the IP protocol, on GPRS. The applications directly address the various physical devices of the terminal, through an interface designed for this purpose (API), as if they were directly connected to the server. No intelligence resides in the terminal except the software drivers of its various physical devices, which allow the different primitives to be conveyed between each of the devices between the terminal and the remote application, through IP over

GPRS.

  The terminal also includes the software and hardware necessary to connect to the IP network through GPRS: - a GPRS radio module - a protocol stack with levels 1 to 3 of GPRS

- then an IP stack on GPRS.

  The Simplified Terminal adapter is made necessary when the simplified terminal coexists with other types of more traditional terminals and shares

  with them access to certain application servers.

  The simplified terminal adapter is a program that runs on a computer machine connected to application servers. This program then contains all of the application clients for said servers. Customers direct pilots of

  simplified wireless terminal physical devices.

  Now consider an email application. The E-mail application server and E-mail application client programs run on one or more computers connected to the IP network of the E-mail service provider. The E-mail client addresses the simplified wireless terminal through a GPRS wireless network which it reaches via a GPRS-IP gateway. The simplified wireless terminal allowing access to the E-mail service connects to the IP world through the GPRS network of the mobile operator. In our example E-mail architecture, the application server interfaces with the application client using a protocol such as IMAP4 or SMTP. The application client takes care of all presentation and dialogue problems with the user, and directly addresses the physical devices of the terminal (keyboard, screen and loudspeaker), via their drivers, which they access on the IP protocol, through GPRS. The simplified wireless terminal allowing access to the E-mail service consists of a screen, a keyboard, a speaker, their pilot software

  (drivers), then finally a GPRS modem.

  Each physical device of the terminal is characterized by its ability to act on input to the application or on output to the user or to the environment of the terminal. These capacities will be implemented through functions in the computer sense of the term, which we will call primitives. All

  these primitives will constitute the pilot of the device.

  In our implementation, we make sure that, from the point of view of the E-mail client, everything happens as if the primitives of the terminal devices were executed locally, on the same machine. To do this, we will use the concept of "primitive skeleton". Each primitive P of each device of the terminal will correspond to a primitive skeleton CP, a function executing on the computer where the client is running, and a primitive skeleton TP executing on the terminal. P, SP and TP will have exactly the same parameters. TP and SP will be connected through a STREAM type mechanism on the programming interface "socket Il of TCP / IP. SP on this connection will play the role

  of the "server" and TP that of the client.

  To activate the primitive P (parameters), the E-mail client will call SP (parameters), which will transmit through its "socket" connection to TP, the parameters, on reception, TP will call P (parameters), this having the effect of 'execute the pilot's actual routine. The possibly updated parameters are transmitted to TP, which by the "socket" connection transmits the result to SP,

who forwards it to the E-mail client.

  TABLE 1: List of the primitives of the pilots in our example Keyboard Screen Loudspeaker Activate () Activate () Activate () Deactivate () Deactivate () Deactivate (O DetectButton Brightness (Lum) Sound Level (Level) (Key) Display Shape (Shape, Play (Sound) Position, Color) The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example, it is understood that the person skilled in the art is able to produce different variants of the invention

  without going beyond the scope of the patent.

Claims (4)

  1 - System comprising at least one computer application server, at least one computer application client and at least one terminal comprising means for exchanging digital data by a wireless link with said application server, characterized in that that the application client is not located in the terminal but in the network, in that the terminal comprises physical devices controlled by pilot computer programs, the application client comprising means for delivering and receiving data transmitted by the wireless link,   directly exploitable by said pilots.   2 - System according to claim 1, characterized in that the computer application client and the computer application server are   find themselves confused in the same computer program.   3 - System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it further comprises a terminal adapter. 4 - System according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that one associates   furthermore at least one function at the terminal, said function being implemented in the traditional way by including the client of said function in the terminal and not in the network. - System according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that said   terminal is compatible with at least one of the following standards: GSM, CDMA, GPRS, EDGE, PCS, PHS, UMTS, DECT, Wi-Fi. 6 - Method of communication between a client of computer applications and a terminal connected by a wireless link to be implemented on a system   according to any of the preceding claims   characterized in that the data exchanged between said client and said terminal is constituted by direct calls to the primitives of the pilots of the devices physical of said terminal.   7 - Terminal device for the implementation of the system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises physical devices controlled by pilot computer programs accessible directly to through a wireless link.