Terminal position managing server, access point, and call control server

Abstract

Access points are grouped into access point groups. An access point group table that stores correlation between the access point groups and the access points and a terminal position table that manages the correlation between the access point groups and a terminal are provided for a position managing server that manages the position of the terminal. An access point notifies the position managing server of the identifier of the access point itself and the identifier of the terminal being connected to the access point. In the position managing server, an access point group to which the access point belongs is found by searching the access point group table. The terminal is registered in the column of “access point group” of the terminal position table.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless IP telephone system using a position managing server, an access point, and a call control server according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates configurations of the position managing server, the access points, an SIP server, a usage fee server, and a terminal;

FIG. 3 illustrates an access point group table;

FIG. 4 illustrates a terminal position table;

FIG. 5 illustrates a terminal position table to which a change of the current position of a terminal T has been made;

FIG. 6 illustrates a simultaneous connection table;

FIG. 7 illustrates a usage fee rate table;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart (Part I) of an initial position registering process;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (Part II) of the initial position registering process;

FIG. 10 is (Part I) a flowchart of a moving position registering process;

FIG. 11 is (Part II) a flowchart of the moving position registering process;

FIG. 12 is (Part III) a flowchart of the moving position registering process;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart (Part I) of a simultaneous connection control process;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart (Part II) of the simultaneous connection control process;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart (Part I) of a usage fee calculating process; and

FIG. 16 is a flowchart (Part II) of the usage fee calculating process.

Claims

1. A position managing server that manages a position of a mobile terminal wirelessly connected to an access point of a network, comprising: an access point group table in which a plurality of access points are grouped into a plurality of groups each including at least one access point;a terminal position table in which the groups and the mobile terminal are correlated; anda registering unit that registers a current position of the mobile terminal in the terminal position table based on an identifier of the mobile terminal and an identifier of a connected access point that is an access point to which the mobile terminal is connected.

2. The position managing server according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that changes, when the connected access point does not belong to any of the groups in the terminal position table, the position registered in the terminal position table to the current position based on the access point of the current connection destination.

3. The position managing server according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit that notifies of the group corresponding to the current position of the terminal in response to an inquiry about the current position of the terminal from a call control server.

4. The position managing server according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit that, when the terminal changes connection destinations to another of the access points belonging to a different group while maintaining connection, notifies a call control server of a group to which the other of the access points belongs, and time of change of the connection destinations.

5. The position managing server according to claim 1, wherein a basic service set identification is used as an identifier of the access point.

6. The position managing server according to claim 1, wherein a global internet protocol address is used as the identifier of the access point.

7. An access point that relays between a terminal and a network in wireless connection, comprising: a notifying unit that notifies a server managing a current position of the terminal of a set of an identifier of the access point and an identifier of the terminal being connected to the access point.

8. The access point according to claim 7, wherein a basic service set identification as the identifier.

9. The access point according to claim 7, wherein a global internet protocol address is used as the identifier of the access point.

10. A call control server that controls connection between a terminal and a network, the terminal wirelessly connected to an access point in the network, comprising an acquiring unit that inquires of a server managing a position of the terminal about the current position of the terminal, and that acquires information on the current position from the server.

11. The call control server according to claim 10, further comprising: a simultaneous connection table in which a plurality of access points are grouped into a plurality of groups each including at least one access point, and number of connectable terminals and number of terminal actually being connected are correlated for each of the groups; anda control unit that controls whether to connect the terminal based on information on the current position and information included in the simultaneous connection table.

12. The call control server according to claim 10, further comprising a recording unit that, when the terminal is connected to access points belonging to different groups among groups in which a plurality of access points are grouped, the groups each including at least one access point, connection time for each of the different groups, records the connection time for which the terminal is connected to each of the access points in the different groups for each of the different groups.