Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and apparatuses for transmitting information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatuses for transmitting information comprising first and second information to and/or from a mobile terminal in environments where different wireless access technologies are available. In accordance with the inventive method, the first information is transmitted by means of far field communication to and/or from a base station of a first communications network, and the second information is transmitted by means of short range communication to and/or from a short range communication device which is communicatively coupled to a second communications network. The second communications network is communicatively coupled to the first communications network.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is the US National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2007/054927, filed May 22, 2007 and claims the benefit thereof The International Application claims the benefits of European application No. 06013526.6 filed Jun. 29, 20076, both of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatuses for transmitting information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatuses for transmitting information in environments where different wireless access technologies are available. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Today, countless wireless communication techniques exist allowing wireless and/or mobile voice and data communication among terminals or between terminals and a communications network. These wireless communication techniques can be generally categorized in far field communication and short range communication techniques. Short range communication is sometimes also referred to as near field communication. 
         [0004]    Far field (wireless) communication techniques are typically designed for bridging distances of up to hundreds of kilometers. Examples include techniques such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and its railway variant GSM-R, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), satellite communications, WLAN (Wireless LAN), and TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio). Other well known far field techniques are Flash OFDM, CDMA, UTRAN, GERAN, RAN, HSDPA, HSCSD, and GPRS. 
         [0005]    By contrast, short range (wireless) communication techniques are typically designed for bridging short distances ranging from contact or near-contact (less than 1 centimeter) up to 10-50 meters. Examples include NFC (Near Field Communication), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), IrDA (infrared interface defined by the Infrared Data Association), ZigBee, and Bluetooth. 
         [0006]    A number of wireless devices are commercially available that comprise transceivers for both communication techniques such as GSM or UMTS mobile phones having a Bluetooth interface. Disadvantageously, the duality of wireless interfaces in such mobile phones is presently only used to replace wires that were previously needed to attach a headset or to connect the mobile phone to other devices such as personal computers. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and apparatuses for advanced communications better utilizing said duality of wireless interfaces. 
         [0008]    In accordance with the foregoing objects, there is provided by the invention a method for transmitting information comprising first and second information to and/or from a mobile terminal. In accordance with the inventive method, the first information is transmitted by means of far field communication to and/or from a base station of a first communications network, and the second information is transmitted by means of short range communication to and/or from a short range communication device which is communicatively coupled to a second communications network. The second communications network is communicatively coupled to the first communications network. 
         [0009]    By this method, communication may for example be initiated using the far field communication techniques, in particular the security and authentication methods implemented therein, and commenced using the short range communication techniques in order to save costly bandwidth on the far field communication channels and to exploit local vicinity. In an embodiment, encryption keys needed for secure communication between two mobile terminals are exchanged using the far field communication techniques and then used for securing the information exchange over the short range communication path. 
         [0010]    Also, communication between the first network and the (first) mobile terminal may be resumed using short range communication if the far field communication becomes (temporarily) unavailable, for example indoors, in tunnels, etc., by means of a short range communication device still having connectivity to the first network (either directly or via a second network). Such short range communication device may in turn be a (second) mobile terminal such as a mobile phone having connectivity either by UMTS, GSM, . . . , or by means of short range communications to yet another short range communication device. The second mobile terminal would then act as a relay for the first mobile terminal. 
         [0011]    In accordance with the invention, there is also provided a mobile terminal, comprising: 
         [0012]    a first transceiver for connecting to a first communications network by means of far field communication; 
         [0013]    a second transceiver for connecting, by means of short range communication, to a short range communication device communicatively coupled to a second communications network, the second communications network communicatively coupled to the first communications network; and 
         [0014]    means for performing the inventive method. 
         [0015]    In accordance with the invention, there is further provided a network arrangement comprising: 
         [0016]    a first communications network comprising a base station for transmitting first information to and/or from a mobile station by means of far field communication; 
         [0017]    a second communications network communicatively coupled to the first communications network, the second communications network communicatively coupled to a short range communication device comprising a transmitter and/or receiver for transmitting second information to and/or from a mobile station by means of short range communication; and 
         [0018]    means for performing the inventive method. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to drawings, wherein: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  depicts a generic embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  schematically shows the application of the present invention to mobile payment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0022]    In  FIG. 1 , there is schematically shown a first mobile terminal  112  being served by a first base station  116  of a first network  110  by means of a first antenna  114 , using any far field communication technique such as GSM, UMTS, WLAN, or WiMAX. First terminal  112  comprises a first transceiver  113 A and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for connecting to first network  110  by means of far field communication. First terminal  112  also comprises a second transceiver  113 B and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for communicating using any short range communication technique such as Bluetooth, NFC, or RFID. 
         [0023]    A second mobile terminal  122  shown in  FIG. 1  is being served by a second base station  126  of a second network  120  by means of a second antenna  124 , using any far field communication technique such as GSM, UMTS, WLAN or WiMAX. Note that the far field communication technique may in embodiments be different from that used by first base station and antenna  114 ,  116 . In other embodiments, both mobile terminals  112 ,  122  are connected to the same network, for example first network  110 , using the same or different far field communication techniques. 
         [0024]    Second terminal  122  comprises a first transceiver  123 A and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for connecting to second network  120  by means of far field communication. Second terminal  122  also comprises a second transceiver  123 B and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for communicating using any short range communication technique such as Bluetooth, NFC, or RFID. 
         [0025]    First and second terminals  112 ,  122  may for example be mobile phones, portable or mobile computers, personal digital assistants, etc., or any combination thereof. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  also shows a third terminal, or short range communication device  132  connected to a third network  130 . Third terminal  132  may be portable or stationary. Third terminal  132  comprises a transceiver  133  and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for communicating using any short range communication technique such as Bluetooth or NFC. 
         [0027]    Networks  110 ,  120 , and  130  may be interconnected using wireline or wireless connections (not shown). 
         [0028]    In operation, the network arrangement depicted in  FIG. 1  may be used to establish secure and authenticated communication between mobile terminals  112 ,  122 . To that end, encryption key sets are generated in networks  110  and  120  that allow encryption and decryption of data. First network  110  provides a first key or key set to first mobile terminal  112  using far field communication, and second network  120  provides a corresponding second key or key set to second mobile terminal  122 , also using far field communication. The first and second keys or key sets are then used for secure short range communication between mobile terminals  112 ,  122 . 
         [0029]    Thereby direct secure, short range communication between mobile terminals  112 ,  122  is facilitated that does not require the use of expensive far field communication channels, while the well established and trusted authentication and/or authorization methods of the far field communication networks  110 ,  120  are utilized for securing the communication. Interception of the short range communication and password espionage are thus made much more difficult. 
         [0030]    Of course, further terminals, mobile or stationary, such as third terminal  132 , may likewise be included in the communication. 
         [0031]    The present invention may also be utilized to allow first mobile terminal  112  to receive payload data from second network  120  trough second mobile device  122 , which then acts as a relay. Assuming for example that first mobile terminal  112  comprises a GSM transceiver  113 A (e.g., a GSM modem card in a portable computer), the bandwidth available for first mobile terminal  112  is quite limited. Second mobile terminal  122  on the other hand may be connected to a high-bandwidth far field network  120  such as a WLAN or WiMAX network. Then, once first mobile terminal  112  is properly authenticated and/or authorized using the corresponding methods of first network  110 , first mobile terminal may use short range communication to transmit and/or receive data from second mobile device  122 , which in turn receives and/or transmits this data from second network  120 , which in turn is connected to first network  110 . For example, networks  110  and  120  may be different access networks of a unique telecommunications provider. 
         [0032]    Instead of being connected by means of far field communication to second network  120 , second mobile terminal  122  may alternatively be connectively coupled by short range communication to third terminal  132 , which is connected to third network  130 . Such an arrangement may be useful if first terminal  112  is out of range for direct short range communication with third terminal  132 . 
         [0033]    The present invention may for example be used in connection with mobile payment, as explained in the following with reference to  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 2 , there is again shown mobile terminal  112  being served by first base station  116  of first network  110  by means of first antenna  114 , using any far field communication technique such as GSM, UMTS, WLAN, or WiMAX. 
         [0034]      FIG. 1  also shows a second terminal, or short range communication device  232  connected to a second network  230 . Short range communication device  232  may be portable or stationary. Second terminal  232  comprises a transceiver  233  and a corresponding antenna (not shown) for communicating using any short range communication technique such as Bluetooth, NFC, or RFID. 
         [0035]    Networks  110  and  230  are schematically shown to be interconnected using wireline or wireless connections. 
         [0036]    Operation of payment system  200  of  FIG. 2  is given as follows: A user approaches payment terminal  233 , for example a cash register equipped with any short range communication technique compatible to the user&#39;s mobile phone  112 . As the user&#39;s mobile phone  112  comes into range of payment terminal  233  (which may be near-contact or up to  10  cm for NFC), the user will be prompted on his/her mobile phone  112  whether he/she would like to make a payment. Upon acknowledgement by the user, during which the user may have to (re)enter some credentials at the mobile phone in order to prevent users of stolen or lost phones from making payments in the mobile phone proprietor&#39;s name, the authorization and/or trusting process over the far field communication may be initialized by sending the mobile phone&#39;s credentials across the short range communication to the cash register  233 . These credentials may be accompanied by information how the user&#39;s payment and/or network provider may be reached. Additionally, user preferences such as language may be transferred. 
         [0037]    Both the mobile phone  112  and the payment terminal  233  will independently receive information through the corresponding far field channels and networks, allowing the mobile phone  112  to verify the credentials and identity of the payment terminal  233  and vice versa, in embodiments including also encryption key for encrypting future communication between mobile phone  112  and payment terminal  233 . The far field communication to mobile phone  112  is then no longer needed and may be released. The payment terminal  233  will now present further information such as a personalized welcome, the user&#39;s balance, the amount due, information on returns and/or refunds, vouchers, etc. 
         [0038]    In another embodiment, the payment terminal  233  may be replaced by an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Such ATM may then no longer require a ATM card slot nor a display, making it easier to design and more fraud and vandalism proof. 
         [0039]    While the present invention has been described by reference to specific embodiments and specific uses, it should be understood that other configurations and arrangements could be constructed, and different uses could be made, without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.