Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Method, Server, and Terminal for Modifying
Service Data Stored in a Server
This invention relates to a method as set forth in the
preamble of claim 1, to a server as set forth in the
preamble of claim 7, and to a terminal as set forth in
the preamble of claim 8.
Terminals for telecommunications networks, particularly
telephone sets, offer various functions that make it
simpler or easier to operate the terminals. Many of
these functions are permanently incorporated in the
terminals and are immediately available, such as last
number redial, whereby a previously dialed number can
be repeated by a single depression of a specific redial
key. Before other functions can be used, however, the
terminals must be specifically programmed; for example,
a multidigit number to be assigned to a name key for
speed calling, with which this number can be retrieved
by a single key depression, must be entered into a
terminal and stored in the terminal.
More extensive and individually adaptable functions of
a terminal, such as a user interface, are difficult to
implement by the means of a terminal, since a terminal
generally offers only a few special keys in addition to
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a numeric keypad. Therefore, the individually adaptable
functions of a terminal are frequently configured on a
separate data processing device, such as a personal
computer; which, besides being provided with a
keyboard, has a graphical input aid, such as a mouse.
The configured functions are then loaded as a software
package from the data processing device over a
connecting line into the terminal.
There are terminals, however, into which software
packages can be loaded from an external source located
within a telecommunications network. Such a system,
consisting of a service provisioning facility and a
terminal into which control data are loadable, is
implemented in the product line ADSI (A_nalog Display
Services Interface) of Alcatel Telecom. In the printed
publication 3CL 00300 0001 TQZZA - Ed. 1 - DC/10/96 of
Alcatel Telecom, it is described in a section entitled
"Alcatel 1461" how a user with a terminal, here an
Alcatel ADSI terminal with the designation "Alcatel
2595", registers with the service provisioning facility
and selects there from service packages. These service
packages are written in a language interpretable by the
ADSI terminal, and are loaded from the service
provisioning facility into the ADSI terminal. The ADSI
terminal executes the functions contained in the
service packages. Functions typical of an added-feature
terminal adapted to the needs of a user of the
terminal, such as a personal telephone directory or a
display of the caller's name, must be programmed
locally at the ADSI terminal, because the ADSI terminal
must offer these functions without the assistance of
the service provisioning facility. This is apparent
from the printed publication 3CL 00301 0001 TQZZA - Ed.
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2 - DC/10/96 of Alcatel Telecom, which deals
specifically with the ADSI terminal "Alcatel 2595", in
the sections entitled "Directory" and "Caller
Identification Management". In addition, during
communication with the service provisioning facility,
the terminal cannot be reached by other communications.
facilities ("partners"). During that time, the
functions of a telephone are not executable with the
terminal.
There are other terminals which - even while a call is
in progress - can be in direct contact with an
associated server over a data connection and, together
with the respective associated server, provide
telecommunications services. The server may either be
located somewhere in a telecommunications network and
preferably be connected to the terminal via a virtual,
packet-oriented connection or be inserted in a data
connection between the terminal and the
telecommunications network, for example into a
connection between the terminal and a local exchange
serving the terminal. The server determines the name of
a caller from the number transmitted in a calling line
identity (CLI) message and then communicates this name
to the terminal for display. The server also may
contain a customer-specific telephone directory whose
entries can be searched and retrieved by the customer
with the aid of the terminal. Such configuration data
of the server for providing telecommunications services
are difficult to create by the means of the terminal,
such as a numeric keypad or a simply display.
Therefore, these data are modified directly at the
server by specifically trained operating personnel that
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modifies the data according to instructions given by a
user of the terminal, e.g. by telephone.
It is an object of the invention to modify data stored
in a server, with which the server can provide
telecommunications services in cooperation with a
telecommunications terminal, in a convenient manner.
This object is attained by a method according to the
technical teaching of claim 1, by a server according to
the technical teaching of claim 7, and by a terminal
according to the technical teaching of claim 8. Further
advantageous aspects of the invention are apparent from
the dependent claims and the description.
The idea underlying the invention is to set up a data
connection from a data terminal to a server containing
data with which the server, in cooperation with a
telecommunications terminal, can provide functions.
These data are then modified at the data terminal in
interactive communication with the server. After that,
the data connection is released, and using the modified
data, new functions can be provided or already defined
functions can be used in modified form at the
telecommunications terminal.
Advantageously, access to the data of the server is
strictly controlled, so that only an authorized user
can manipulate the data. The data connection is
established either through an on-line
telecommunications network, such as the Internet, or
through a telecommunciations network for telephony,
such as an integrated services digital network (ISDN).
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The invention and its advantages will become more
apparent from the following description of an
embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows an arrangement for carrying out the .
method according to the invention, comprising
a server (CS) according to the invention and a
data terminal (DT) according to the invention
that are interconnected via a data connection
(CON); and
Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of Fig. 1, supplemented
with an on-line data network (ODN).
Fig. 1 shows an exemplary arrangement for carrying out
the method according to the invention. A connection VL,
indicated by a heavy dashed line, links a terminal TER
with a server CS. The terminal TER contains a central
control unit MPT for controlling the functions of the
terminal TER, a display device DIST for visualizing
information, a keypad KEPT for operating the terminal
TER, and a memory MEMT containing data for basic
functions and data for special functions. The terminal
TER further includes an interface device INTT, which
serves to establish communications links. The
components of the terminal TER are interconnected by
connections not shown in Fig. 1.
A telecommunications network is symbolized in Fig. 1 by
an exchange VST. The telecommunications network may
also comprise further nodes and trunks. It may also be
a mobile radio network, and the terminal TER may be a
terminal suitable for such a network.
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The server CS exemplifies a data-providing facility
that can make data available to the terminal TER. It
can be a single computer or a network of interconnected
computers. Of the components of the
server CS, a controller MPS, a memory MEMS, and an
interface device INTS are shown by way of example. The
controller MPS may be, for example, a single processor
or a group of processors that execute instruction
sequences stored in the memory MEMS. The memory MEMS
additionally contains data with which functions can be
provided at the terminal TER. Besides serving the
terminal TER, the server CS may supply data to further,
similar terminals (not shown in Fig. 1).
A connection VC, which also runs through the exchange
VST, for example a B channel of an ISDN connection,
links the terminal TER with a communication partner CP,
e.g. another terminal. The terminal TER incorporates
the basic functions of a telephone set, such as
dialing, voice input and voice output. The means
necesary for voice input and voice output, microphone
and loudspeaker, are not shown in Fig. 1 in order to
simplify the illustration. In addition, after loading
of data, the terminal TER may offer further special
functions, such as the presentation of special
information on the display device DIST or a specific
layout of the same. After the terminal TER has received
data necessary for special functions from the server
CS, the special functions can be either executed by the
control unit MPT immediately after reception or stored
in the memory MEMT for later use.
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Over the connection VL, the terminal TER can exchange
data with the server CS. The connection VL can exist
before, after, and during a connection VC to the
partner CP, and is independent of the connection VC to
the partner CP. In this manner, the terminal TER can be
supplied with data from the server CS at any time. The'
connection VL may be a voice link on a separate
subscriber line, or the connection VC and the
connection VL together use a subscriber line on one
channel each.,The channel for the connection VL may be,
for example, a control channel of a mobile radio
network, a D channel on an ISDN subscriber line, or an
in-band signaling channel that is independent of the
channel used for the connection VC. The connection VL
may also be implemented as a virtual, packet-oriented
data connection.
Fig. 1 further shows a data terminal DT, from which a
data connection CON exists via an interface device INTD
and the interface device INTS to the server CS. The
data connection CON can be established as a telephone
connection, such as a DATEX-P connection or a D channel
of an ISDN, or it is a connection through an on-line
data network, such as the Internet. The various ways to
set up the data connection CON are discussed later. The
data terminal DT comprises a controller MPD, e.g. a
processor, a memory MEMD containing, among other
things, programs executable for the controller MPD, a
display device DISD, such as a screen or a liquid
crystal display (LCD), and an input device in the form
of a keyboard KEYD. The components of the data terminal
DT are interconnected by connections not shown in Fig.
1. As a further 'input device, the data terminal DT may
have a mouse, so that in cooperation with the keyboard
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KEYD and the display device DISD, GUI user prompting
(GUI = _Graphical user _Interface) becomes possible at
the data terminal DT'. The data terminal DT may be a
personal computer, for example.
After having set up the data connection CON to the
server CS, the data terminal DT sends to the server CS
a request to access the service data with which the
server CS can provide the service functions to the
terminal TER. As the access request, the subscriber
number assigned to the terminal TER may be sent, for
example. "
Advantageously, the server CS checks the access request
to determine whether it can permit access to the
service data of the terminal TER. In connection with
the access request, a personal identification number
(PIN), for example, may be sent from the data terminal
DT to the server CS. Only if the PIN entered at the
data terminal DT is identical with a PIN expected by
the server CS in connection with the access request
will the server CS permit acces to the service data.
This ensures that only an authorized subscriber or his
substitutes can access the service data. It may also be
predetermined, however, that the mere entry of the
number of the subscriber terminal suffices to obtain
access to the service data. The latter variant may be
chosen, for example, if the service data are to be only
read, not modified, or if the service data are only
modifiable to a very limited extent.
If access to the service data cannot be permitted, the
server CS will notify this to the data terminal DT.
Then, either a new access attempt can be made at the
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data terminal DT with a different access
identification, e.g., with a different PIN, or the
connection between the server CS and the data terminal
DT will be released.
If the subscriber at the data terminal DT has been
given access to his service data, the server CS and the
data terminal DT will process the service data in an
interactive mode. The server CS sends service data to
the data terminal DT, which can then output this data
on an output medium, e.g., on the display'device DISD
or through a loudspeaker (not shown in Fig. 1). If the
data are modified at the data terminal DT via an input
medium, such as the keyboard KEYD, the data terminal DT
will send the modified data to the server CS. The
server CS stores the modified data in its memory MEMS.
It is also within the scope of the invention, however,
that the data are only read by the data terminal DT,
not modified.
By modifying the service data, settings of service
functions provided by the server CS for the terminal
TER can be changed. For example, additional service
functions are requested, or in the case of service
functions that have already been booked, the operating
parameters are changed. A service function of the
server CS may be, for example, that the server
determines the name of a caller associated with a
number received from the terminal TER over the
connection VC within a calling line identity (CLI)
message. The terminal TER forwards the CLI message over
the connection VL to the server CS, which then sends
the caller's name over the connection VL to the
terminal TER for presentation on the display device
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DIST. This service function for the terminal TER can be
created with the aid of the data terminal DT.
A further service function will now be described to
illustrate the interaction of the server CS and the
terminal TER. Using the data of the server CS and in
response to preceding operating steps of a user, the
terminal TER can change the assignment of functions to
the keys of the keypad KEPT, which can be called up by
depressing respective keys at the terminal TER. The
current key assignment is then visualized on the
display device DIST, for example by presentation of
symbols or texts. On depression of a key of the keypad
KEYT, the terminal TER sends a corresponding message to
the server CS, which replies with data for providing
these service functions. These data may contain
instruction sequences, for example, which are loaded
from the memory MEMS into the memory MEMT and
subsequently executed by the controller MPT. In the
instruction sequences, a particular type and design of
the display on the display device DIST may be
specified. A menu mode is thus available to the user,
which is adapted with the data from the server CS to
the current situation. Thus, the functions of the
terminal TER are offered to the user through the
interaction of the server CS and the terminal TER. Such
a service function, like other service functions not
mentioned here, can be booked at the server CS via the
data terminal DT.
If a service function has already been booked, the
operating parameters for this service function can be
adapted to current requirements from the data terminal
DT. For the above-mentioned conversion of a CLI message
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to a message containing the name of the caller, the
server CS will generally determine the caller's name
from a telephone directory accessible to the public.
However, it may also be desirable, for example, that a
caller should be identified at the terminal TER not by
his or her "official" name, but by his or her pet name
or by his or her position within a family. Then it can
be fixed in the server CS via the data terminal DT that
in the case of a call from a friend, "Frank" instead of
"F. Mustermann" will appear on the display device DIST,
and that in the case of a call from mother, "Mother"
instead of, e.g., "Anna Schmidt" will be displayed.
The memory MEMS of the server CS also may contain a
customer-specific telephone directory whose entries can
be searched and retrieved from the terminal TER. In the
interest of better central maintenance and for lack of
capacity of the memory MEMT, such a directory is stored
not in the terminal TER, but in the server CS. Using
the data terminal DT, particularly the above-mentioned
GUI prompting, such a directory can be easily and
conveniently modified, e.g., updated.
Advantageously, the data terminal DT sends only
permissibly modified data to the server CS by checking
prior to the sending whether the data modification is
permitted. The server CS, in turn, can check the
received data for plausibility and store only those
data into the memory MEMS which stand the plausibility
check. Maximum security is achieved if both the server
CS and the data terminal DT perform such validation.
After the data modification or only a data inspection
has been successfully completed, the data terminal DT
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releases the data connection CON with the server CS.
The data connection CON may also be released by the
server CS, for example if no input is made at the data
terminal DT over a prolonged period of time, so that
connection capacity of the server CS is blocked for an
unnecessarily~long time by the unused connection to the
data terminal DT, in which case a timeout facility in
the server CS will initiate the connection release.
All communication over the data connection CON between
the data terminal DT and the server CS, particularly
the communication in connection with the access request
and the associated authorization check, can be
protected against unauthorized monitoring and
manipulation by encryption.
In the embodiment described so far, during the
interactive processing of the service data, the server
CS can send only service data as such to the data
terminal DT, which are then interpreted by the data
terminal DT and displayed to a user of the data
terminal DT in a menu. In the opposite direction, the
data terminal DT then sends to the server CS only the
aforementioned access identification and PIN, requests
for-service data, user inputs, or modified service
data. In that case, the interpretation of received
service data, the presentation in menus, and, if
necessary, the check of data entered at the data
terminal DT are performed by the data terminal DT using
software permanently installed in and fetchable from
the memory MEMD. Such software can also be loaded from
the memory MEMS of the server CS into the memory MEMD
of the data terminal DT prior to processing the service
data.
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In a further variant of the invention, it is also
possible for the server CS and the data terminal DT to
exchange service data enriched with additional
instructions for the interpretation. The server CS then
sends the service data to the data terminal DT together
with an additional instruction for display buildup or
an additional instruction for voice output of the data,
for example. Thus, the form of output at the data
terminal DT is controlled directly by the-server CS,
and both changes to and extensions of the form of
output come from the server CS and are no longer
dependent on software permanently installed on a
storage medium of the data terminal DT. The data
terminal DT then comprises means for interpreting the
instructions sent by the server CS.
Particularly if the data connection CON runs through
the Internet, the last-mentioned exchange of extended
data between the server CS and the data terminal DT can
be accomplished using the HyperText Markup _Language
(HTML). The server CS then sends to the data terminal
DT so-called HTML documents, which consist of a
sequence of ASCII (A_merican standard bode for
Information _Interchange) characters and are read and
interpreted by the data terminal DT using a specific
interpretive program, the so-called browser. The syntax
of the HTML documents is precisely defined and makes it
possible, for example, to describe the type of the
written presentation of pages or entire acoustic
sequences using the H.TML language. The data terminal DT
can edit received service data on input fields of a
displayed page, so that the user of the data terminal
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DT can modify the displayed data and the data terminal
DT can send the modified data back to the server CS.
As a further development of the possible descriptions
of information using HTML documents, the language JAVA
offers extended possibilities for the output of data .
and particularly for interactive data modification. If
JAVA is used, the server CS sends an intermediate code
generated from a compiled source text, a so-called JAVA
applet, to the data terminal DT, which translates this
JAVA applet into machine code using a JAVA interpreter
and subsequently executes the machine program thus
generated, i.e., generates image sequences, acoustic
sequences, or input masks for service data. Since
communications means of the Internet protocol family
TCP/IP (Transmission control _Protocol/_Internet
_Protocol) can be incorporated into the JAVA applets,
the retransmission of modified or unmodified service
data or of control commands from the data terminal DT
to the server CS is considerably simplified.
Furthermore, the server CS can be instructed via the
data terminal DT to generate executable programs or
program modules, e.g., so-called macros, and to load
these over the connection VL into the terminal TER. The
terminal TER stores these programs in its memory MEMT
and can fetch the programs from its memory MEMT at any
time and execute them in the control unit MPT for the
provisions of functions. However, since the connection
VL from the terminal TER to the server CS can exist
simultaneously with the connection VC to the partner
CP, the terminal TER can simultaneously load data for
service functions from the server CS and offer
communication with the partner CP. Thus, the terminal
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TER can be reached over the connection VC even during a
download.
The server CS can offer programs or program modules
e.g. in the form of symbols, so-called icons, on the
above-mentioned GUI for selection by a user of the data
terminal DT. The user then determines which programs or
program modules are loaded, singly or in combination,
from the server CS into the terminal TER for temporary
10 use or for permanent storage in the memory MEMT.
The terminal TER and the data terminal DT may be
situated in different places. Thus it is possible to
set up a data connection CON from any place to the
server CS and modify service data stored therein. In
Fig. 1, however, it is indicated by a dash-dotted box
USERDESK that in this example, the data terminal DT and
the terminal TER are colocated.
The terminal TER may also be a combination terminal
that can provide the functions of the terminal TER and
the above-described functions of the data terminal DT
in cooperation with the server CS. Such a combination
terminal can, for example, provide the functions of a
telephone set over the connection VC, load data for
special functions, and additionally communicate over
the data connection CON with the server CS for data
manipulation. In that case, the control unit MPT
additionally performs the functions of the control unit
MPD, the display device DIST additionally performs the
functions of the display device DISD, the keypad KEPT
additionally performs the functions of the keyboard
KEYD, the memory MEMT additionally performs the
functions of the memory MEMD, and the interface device
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INTT additionally performs the functions of the
interface device INTD. The combination terminal may be,
for example, an added-feature telephone like the
terminal TER, which is also suitable for communication
with the server CS for data manipulation. Also, a
personal computer can be equipped with input and output
means, such as a microphone and a loudspeaker, and with
software suitable for high-convenience telephony like
the terminal TER, and additionally permit data
manipulation in a similar manner as the data terminal
DT.
The combination terminal can set up the data
connection CON and the connection VL successively or
simultaneously on a common channel, such as the above-
mentioned D channel, or on separate channels, such as a
B channel and a D channel of an ISDN subscriber line.
In both alternatives, the combination terminal can
communicate with the partner CP while implementing a
data modification in cooperation with the server CS. It
is also possible, however, that during such a data
modification, the combination terminal cannot be
reached by the partner CP, for example because a B
channel is being used for a data connection CON and no
further B channel to the combination terminal is
available to the partner CP.
One way of setting up a data connection to the server
CS through an on-line data network is illustrated in
Fig. 2, which contains essentially the same elements as
Fig. 1. In addition, however, Fig. 2 shows an on-line
data network ODN, e.g., the Internet. When the data
terminal DT and the terminal TER are using a common
subscriber line, the data terminal DT can set up a
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connection DC1 to the on-line data network ODN through
the exchange VST and further equipment (not shown in
Fig. 2) of a telecommunications network. In Fig. 2, the
connection DC1 is a telephone connection to a gateway
(not shown) of the on-line data network ODN, i.e., an
interface between the telecommunications network and .
the on-line data network ODN. The data terminal DT can
then exchange data with the on-line data network ODN
over the connection DC1, e.g. via a modem or an ISDN
interface card. A modem will be used if the connection
DC1 permits only analog transmission, and-an ISDN
interface card if the connection DC1 permits the
transmission of digital ISDN data packets. If the on-
line data network ODN is the Internet, the
establishment of the connection DC1 from a data
terminal DT in the form of a personal computer using
suitable interface software is generally known. Devices
in the on-line data network ODN, particularly a server
and a router (not shown in Fig. 2), then complete the
path to the server CS, including the connection DC2
between the on-line data network ODN and the server CS.
Particularly if the on-line data network ODN is the
Internet; the connection setup between the data
terminal DT and the server CS is very simple. The
server CS is assigned a so-called URL (_Uniform Resource
Locator) address, which only needs to be entered at the
data terminal DT to establish the connection. With this
URL address, it is possible in the Internet to
establish a connection from the data terminal DT via
the aforementioned gateway and the interface device
INTS to a so-called home page of the server CS. This
home page is then written in the aforementioned HTML
language and permits the manipulation of service data.
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In a further constellation, which is not illustrated by
a figure, the server CS may be inserted in a
connection between the exchange VST and the terminal
TER. This connection may be, for example, a D channel
of a subscriber line which is routed through the server
CS. Over this connection, as over the connection VL,
the server CS can load or manipulate data to influence
the functions of the terminal TER.
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30
