Alternating communication over two different communication networks

Abstract

Examples illustrate a method of call-to-call communication between at least four communication terminals. Other examples also illustrate a terminal adapted for connection to a communication accessory and a communication accessory adapted for connection to two terminals on two different communication networks. Figure from the abstract: [Fig. 5]

Description

Title of the invention: Alternating communication over two different communication networks technical field

[0001] This disclosure falls within the domain of push-to-talk communications. Previous technique

[0002] Push-to-talk (PT-TO-TALK) communications are bidirectional, non-simultaneous communications based on the activation of a physical or virtual button by a user to switch from receive mode to transmit mode and vice versa. These communications use half-duplex communication channels.

[0003] Alternate communications are widely used, particularly by emergency services or law enforcement services in the context of their operations.

[0004] These communications can be improved. Summary

[0005] In this regard, a method of alternating communication between at least four communication terminals is proposed; at least one first terminal and a second communication terminal being adapted to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to back-to-back communications, on a first communication network using the internet protocol; at least a third terminal and a fourth communication terminal being adapted to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to back-to-back communications, on a second communication network using a protocol different from the internet protocol; the second terminal and the third terminal being also connected to the same communication accessory; the process comprising: - a transmission, by the fourth terminal, to the third terminal, of a data stream of an alternating communication, on a specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network; - a transmission, by the third terminal, to the accessory, of an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication; - a transmission, via the accessory, to the second terminal, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network; - identification, by the second terminal, of a specific alternate transmission channel of the first network associated with the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network, based on the identifier of this channel; - a transmission, via the accessory, to the second terminal, of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication; - a transmission, by the second terminal, to the first terminal, of a data stream of a two-way communication corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory, on the specific two-way transmission channel of the first network.

[0006] Optionally, the accessory includes a microphone and a loudspeaker, and prior to the transmission, by the accessory, to the second terminal, of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the call-to-call communication, the method further includes: - a conversion of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication into a sound signal emitted by the accessory's speaker; then - a conversion of the sound signal emitted by the speaker and captured by the accessory's microphone into an audio signal.

[0007] Optionally, the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network corresponds to a frequency of the specific alternate broadcast channel.

[0008] Optionally, the identification, by the second terminal, of the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network associated with the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network, includes: - a selection of a specific alternate transmission channel from the first network associated with the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel from the second network in a pre-established lookup table

[0009] This disclosure also relates to another method of alternating communication between at least four communication terminals; at least one first terminal and a second communication terminal being configured to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to back-to-back communications, on a first communication network using the internet protocol; at least a third terminal and a fourth communication terminal being configured to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to back-to-back communications, on a second communication network using a protocol different from the internet protocol; the second terminal and the third terminal being also connected to the same communication accessory; the process comprising: - a transmission, by the first terminal, to the second terminal, of a data stream of a call-to-call communication on a specific call-to-call transmission channel of the first network; - identification, by the second terminal, of a specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network; - a transmission, by the second terminal, to the accessory, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network; - a transmission, by the second terminal, to the accessory, of an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication; - a transmission, via the accessory, to the third terminal, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission on the broadcast channel at the specific alternate of the second network; - a transmission, via the accessory, to the third terminal, of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication; and - a transmission, by the third terminal, to the fourth terminal, of a data stream of a call-to-call communication corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory, on the specific call-to-call broadcast channel of the second network.

[0010] This disclosure also relates to an alternative communication terminal adapted to be connected to a communication accessory

[0011] In initial examples, the terminal is configured to perform initial operations including:

[0012] after receiving a start-of-data transmission signal from the accessory, indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of a specific alternate broadcast channel of a second network; - identify a transmission channel at the specific alternate of a first network associated with the broadcast channel at the specific alternate of the second network, from the identifier of the broadcast channel; and after receiving an audio signal from the accessory, corresponding to an alternating communication transmitted on the second network: - send a data stream over the transmission channel to the specific alternate of the first identified network, the data stream corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory.

[0013] Optionally, the first operations may also include at least one of the following operations: - select a transmission channel at the specific alternate of the first network associated with the identifier of the broadcast channel at the specific alternate of the second network in a pre-established correspondence table; - send a signal indicating the start of transmission on the transmission channel to the specific alternate of the first determined network; or - send a signal indicating the end of transmission on the transmission channel to the specific alternate, when the audio signal of the communication to the alternate is terminated;

[0014] In second examples, the terminal is configured to perform second operations including:

[0015] after receiving a data stream from an alternating communication on a specific transmission channel of a first network: - identify a specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network; - send, to the accessory, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network; and send, to the accessory, an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to the alternating received on the specific transmission channel of the first network.

[0016] Optionally, the second operations may further include the following operation: - select a specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network in a pre-established correspondence table.

[0017] Optionally, the terminal is configured to perform the first and second operations.

[0018] This disclosure also relates to a communication accessory adapted to be connected to a communication terminal of a first communication network and to a communication terminal of a second communication network, the communication terminal of the first network being configured to exchange data streams, corresponding to alternate communications, on a first communication network using the internet protocol.

[0019] In early examples, the accessory is configured to perform the following operation:

[0020] after receiving an audio signal corresponding to a data stream of an alternate communication transmitted on a specific broadcast channel of the second network, originating from the communication terminal of the second network: - send, to the communication terminal of the first network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network.

[0021] In second examples, the accessory is configured to perform the following operation:

[0022] after receiving a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network, from the communication terminal of the first network: - send, to the communication terminal of the second network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network.

[0023] Optionally, the accessory is configured to perform the following operation:

[0024] after receiving an audio signal corresponding to a data stream of an alternate communication transmitted on a specific broadcast channel of the second network, from the communication terminal of the second network: - send, to the communication terminal of the first network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network; and the accessory is configured to also perform the following operation:

[0025] after receiving a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network, from the communication terminal of the first network: - send, to the communication terminal of the second network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network.

[0026] The application further relates to a computer program product comprising instructions for implementing any of the processes presented in this disclosure when this program is executed by at least one processor.

[0027] Finally, the application relates to a non-transient computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for the implementation of any of the methods presented in this disclosure when this program is executed by at least one processor.

[0028] The present disclosure, according to its various embodiments, thus enables two groups of alternate communication terminals, belonging to different communication networks, to communicate with each other, so that from the perspective of the users of the terminals in the two communication groups, a single communication group exists. In particular, the electronic and network architectures of the terminals have not been modified to allow the implementation of this solution. The configurations of a terminal and a communication accessory of the communication system 1 can be modified and are sufficient to enable this operation, so that the proposed solution is inexpensive and simple to implement. In particular, existing terminals can be used without the need for any structural or functional adaptation. Brief description of the drawings

[0029] Other features, details and advantages will become apparent upon reading the detailed description below, and upon analysis of the accompanying drawings, on which:

[0030] [Fig.1] schematically represents an example of a communication system.

[0031] [Fig.2] schematically represents an example of an accessory according to the present disclosure.

[0032] [Fig.3] schematically represents an example of a terminal according to the present disclosure.

[0033] [Fig.4] schematically represents an example of a communication process at alternating between at least four communication terminals.

[0034] [Fig.5] schematically represents a communication diagram of the example of a communication process with alternating between at least four communication terminals illustrated in [Fig.4].

[0035] [Fig.6] schematically represents another example of a communication process alternating between at least four communication terminals.

[0036] [Fig.7] schematically represents a communication diagram of the example of a communication process alternating between at least four communication terminals illustrated in [Fig.6]. Description of the implementation methods

[0037] An example of a communication system 1 is now described with reference to [Fig. 1] in which a half-duplex communication method, a first example of which is described with reference to [Fig. 4] and a second example of which is described with reference to [Fig. 6], can be implemented. System 1 allows the exchange of data streams, corresponding to half-duplex communications, between communication terminals, notably using a communication accessory.

[0038] In this disclosure, the terms "communication terminal" or "terminal" refer to a communication device configured to communicate with other communication terminals on a communication network. A "call-back communication terminal" therefore refers to a communication terminal configured to implement call-back communications.

[0039] A communication terminal can, for example, correspond to a computer, a telephone, or a walkie-talkie. A communication terminal can thus correspond to a fixed device, such as a desktop computer, or to a mobile device, such as a mobile phone.

[0040] For the purposes of this disclosure, "communication network" or "network" means an interconnected system enabling the exchange of data between different devices belonging to the network.

[0041] For the purposes of this disclosure, "data stream" or "stream" means at least two successive packets of data.

[0042] In this application, "half-duplex communication" means non-simultaneous, bidirectional communications based on a user pressing a physical or virtual button, or an equivalent computer command, to switch from receive mode to transmit mode. These half-duplex communications, more commonly known as Push-To-Talk or Press-To-Transmit (hereinafter PTT), use half-duplex communication channels. These half-duplex communication channels are called half-duplex transmission channels, half-duplex broadcast channels, or half-duplex communication channels.Specifically, in this disclosure, a transmission channel will be referred to as an alternate transmission channel when referring to a communication channel using a first communication network, while a broadcast channel will be referred to as an alternate broadcast channel when referring to a communication channel using a second communication network. The first and second communication networks will be detailed later.

[0043] The inventors noted that operators who had to use call-and-response communication channels to communicate and coordinate did not always have access to communication terminals enabling them to communicate on the network on which call-and-response communication channels were open. Thus, an operator The individual in question may have access to a specific terminal enabling communication on a first communication network, while the communication channel they wish to use is open on a second communication network, different from the first. Consequently, the individual's specific communication terminal does not allow them to communicate on this second communication channel.

[0044] System 1, according to this disclosure, proposes a solution to this problem by creating a communication gateway between two call-to-call communication channels belonging to two different communication networks. In this way, a user of a communication terminal communicating on a communication channel open on a first communication network also communicates on a communication channel open on a second communication network. As detailed below, System 1 proposes using a communication accessory, connected to both a communication terminal of the first network and a communication terminal of the second network, to transmit call-to-call communications from one network to the other.The accessory acts as a relay between the two communication channels and also transfers various signals related to speech management between the participating communication terminals of the two communication channels.

[0045] System 1 comprises at least four communication terminals, referenced 10a to 10d on [Fig.1].

[0046] Among these at least four communication terminals, at least one first terminal 10a and one second terminal 10b are configured to exchange data streams with each other, corresponding to call-and-call communications, on a first network using the Internet Protocol. The Internet Protocol is defined in particular in RFC 791. A network using the Internet Protocol is generally referred to as an "IP network," a term well known to those skilled in the art. The at least one first terminal 10a and one second terminal 10b form a first group of communication terminals configured to exchange call-and-call communications with each other on the first network.

[0047] Among these at least four communication terminals, at least a third terminal 10c and a fourth terminal 10d are configured to exchange data streams, corresponding to call-and-response communications, over a second network using a protocol other than the Internet protocol. In some examples, the second network may be a network using a radio protocol. The radio protocol may, for example, be a digital mobile radio protocol, generally referred to by the English term "Digital Mobile Radio" (DMR). The digital mobile radio protocol is notably defined in the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) standard TS 102 361, in particular in parts 1 to 4. Similar to the Internet Protocol, the Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) protocol is well known to those skilled in the art. At least one third 10c terminal and a fourth 10d terminal form a second group of communication terminals configured to exchange communications alternately with each other on the second network, separate from the first.

[0048] Thus, the communication system 1 presented comprises at least four terminals, divided into two groups of terminals, each including at least two different terminals. Each group of terminals is configured to exchange data streams, corresponding to back-and-forth communications, over a respective network. In the example in [Fig. 1], each group of communication terminals comprises two terminals, but it is understood that each of these groups can include more.

[0049] The communication system 1 further includes a communication accessory 20. The communication accessory 20 is connected, on the one hand, to a terminal suitable for exchanging data streams on the first network, and on the other hand, to another terminal suitable for exchanging data streams on the second network. In the example of [Fig. 1], the communication accessory 20 is connected to both the second terminal 10b and the third terminal 10c.

[0050] A communication accessory means, in this application, a device separate from communication terminals and adapted to exchange audio signals, analog or digital, with at least one communication terminal to which it is connected.

[0051] Therefore, a shared communication protocol is established between a specific terminal and the communication accessory 20 when the specific terminal and the communication accessory 20 are connected.

[0052] The communication accessory 20 can also be adapted for: 1. Convert a sound signal into an analog or digital audio signal; and 2. Convert an analog or digital audio signal into a sound signal.

[0053] In some examples, a communication accessory 20 might, for instance, correspond to a combination of a remote microphone and loudspeaker. Visually, the communication accessory might resemble a "pear-shaped microphone-speaker," that is, a small, lightweight unit, generally worn on the user's chest or shoulder and connected by a cable to a terminal that is generally larger, heavier, and worn on the belt.

[0054] In some examples, the communication accessory 20 may include a microphone 21 adapted to convert a sound signal into an analog or digital audio signal.

[0055] In some examples, the accessory 20 may include a loudspeaker 22 adapted to convert an analog or digital audio signal into a sound signal.

[0056] In examples, the communication accessory 20 may include a connection interface 23 enabling it to connect to at least one communication terminal 10.

[0057] In examples, the connection interface 23 may, for instance, include a wireless interface configured to support a wireless communication protocol, for example, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol. The Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy communication protocols are defined, in particular, in the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

[0058] In examples, the connection interface 23 may, for example, include a wired interface configured to support a wired communication protocol, for example a Universal Serial Bus communication protocol (“Universal Serial Bus”), usually referred to as the USB protocol.

[0059] An example of an accessory comprising a microphone 21, a speaker 22 and a connection interface 23 is shown schematically in [Fig.2].

[0060] In the examples shown in [Fig.1] in which the accessory 20 is connected to one or more terminals, for example when it is connected to the second 10b and the third 10c terminals, the terminal or terminals concerned may also include a connection interface 13 allowing a connection to be established with the connection interface 23 of the accessory and thus connect to the accessory 20. In these examples, a shared communication protocol is implemented between the accessory 20 and a terminal 10 to which it is connected.

[0061] In examples, the connection interface 13 of a terminal may include a wireless interface configured to support a wireless communication protocol, for example a Bluetooth communication protocol, or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol.

[0062] In examples, the connection interface 13 of a terminal may include a wired interface configured to support a wired communication protocol, for example a universal serial bus communication protocol.

[0063] In examples, a terminal 10, and in particular the second terminal 10b, may include a memory 11 configured to store a lookup table between alternate transmission channels of the first network and alternate broadcast channels of a second network. These examples will be detailed later.

[0064] An example of a communication terminal 10 comprising a memory 11 and a connection interface 13 is schematically represented in [Fig.3].

[0065] The described system 1 enables communication between two groups of call-to-call terminals belonging to two different networks in a simple manner, without requiring modification of the terminals' electronic architecture, i.e., without modifying the terminals' hardware. More specifically, the described system 1 allows two call-to-call communication groups belonging to two different, and a priori incompatible, networks to be combined into a single communication group, transparently for users, while resolving the specific problems related to voice management in call-to-call communications. In particular, when a user of a communication terminal belonging to one communication group on the first network speaks, users of communication terminals belonging to the other communication group on the second network cannot speak.The transmission of the data stream to the two groups of terminals is thus reserved for the user of the first group until the end of their data transmission. This is made possible by the clever use of the communication accessory, connected to both a terminal of the first network and a terminal of the second network, which acts as a relay by transmitting signals indicating the start of data transmission (i.e., signals indicating the start of a call) from one network to the other.

[0066] With reference to [Fig. 4], an example of a method 100 for alternating communication between at least four communication terminals is now presented. This is a communication method between the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the example system 1 presented above and divided into two groups. The accessory 20 is thus connected to both the second terminal 10b and the third terminal 10c. A communication diagram representing different operations of the method 100 is also schematically illustrated in [Fig. 5] to facilitate understanding of the method 100 described with reference to [Fig. 4].

[0067] It should also be noted that [Fig. 4] is merely an illustration of the process 100 example, representing, by means of blocks, the various operations that may be included in the process and described below. As such, and unless otherwise stated, this illustration does not imply any sequence between the operations. In other words, the operations described with reference to [Fig. 4] are not necessarily carried out sequentially and may be carried out in a different order than that shown in [Fig. 4]. Furthermore, an operation of process 100 may be carried out several times before the implementation of another operation of process 100. Thus, unless otherwise stated, the frequency of implementation of each operation of process 100 is specific to it and is not necessarily linked to the implementation of the other operations.

[0068] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the method 100 comprises an operation 110 of transmitting, by the fourth terminal 10d, to the third terminal 10c, a data stream of a half-time communication. This half-time communication is carried out on a specific broadcast channel of the second communication network.

[0069] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the method 100 comprises an operation 120 of transmitting an audio signal from the third terminal 10c to the accessory 20. The audio signal corresponds to the data stream of the two-way communication sent by the fourth terminal 10d to the third terminal 10c, formatted so that it can be read by the communication accessory 20. The audio signal is sent in accordance with the connection protocol shared between the third terminal 10c and the accessory 20 for their connection.

[0070] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the method 100 comprises a transmission operation 130, by the accessory 20, to the second terminal 10b, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network. In this operation 130, the accessory 20 indicates to the second terminal 10b that there is communication on a specific broadcast channel of the second network.

[0071] In examples, the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network corresponds to a frequency of the specific alternate broadcast channel. In particular, when the second network uses a radio protocol, the identifier may correspond to a frequency of the radio protocol of the specific alternate broadcast channel, for example, the carrier frequency of the specific alternate broadcast channel.

[0072] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the method 100 comprises an operation 140 of identification, by the second terminal 10b, of a specific alternate transmission channel of the first network associated with the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network, based on the identifier of that channel. In this operation 140, the second terminal 10b links the specific broadcast channel of the second network to a corresponding specific transmission channel of the first network.

[0073] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the method 100 comprises a transmission operation 150, by accessory 20, to the second terminal 10b, of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the half-day communication transmitted on the second network. Thus, accessory 20 transmits an audio signal corresponding to the half-day communication sent by the fourth terminal 10d to the third terminal 10c using the second network, to the second terminal 10b using the first network.

[0074] As illustrated in [Fig.3], the method 100 comprises an operation 160 of transmission, by the second terminal 10b, to the first terminal 10a, of a data stream of a half-time communication corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory 20. This data stream is transmitted on the specific half-time transmission channel of the first network.

[0075] Therefore, method 100 according to this disclosure allows a user transmitting a call-to-call communication on a communication channel of a communication network other than the IP network to communicate with communication terminals connected to a corresponding communication channel of the IP network, while ensuring voice management between users specific to call-to-call communications. It should be noted that in call-to-call communications, when a terminal communicates on a specific channel, other terminals connected to that specific channel cannot transmit.

[0076] Other operations may optionally be incorporated into process 100 and are described later in this disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated, these operations may be incorporated into process 100 in combination with each other.

[0077] In examples, the identification operation 140, by the second terminal 10b, of the transmission channel to the specific alternate of the first network associated with the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network, may include: - a selection 141 of a specific alternate transmission channel of the first network associated with the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network in a pre-established lookup table.

[0078] In these examples, the second terminal 10b may have memory 11 configured to store the lookup table associating alternate transmission channels of the first network with alternate broadcast channel identifiers of the second network. Thus, after receiving an identifier of an alternate broadcast channel of the second network, the second terminal 10b can identify which transmission channel of the first network this identifier corresponds to. It will therefore be able to transmit the audio signal of the alternate communication, received from accessory 20, on the corresponding channel of the first network.

[0079] In examples, subsequent to the identification operation 140 of the transmission channel to the specific alternator, the method may further comprise: - an operation 142 of transmission, by the second terminal 10b, of a signal indicating a start of transmission on the transmission channel to the specific identified alternate of the first network.

[0080] Operation 142 allows the specific channel of the first transmitting network to be reserved for the second terminal 2b. This signal, insofar as it is sent on the transmission channel at the specific alternating current of the first network, is notably transmitted to the first terminal 10a, as shown in [Fig.5].

[0081] In examples where the accessory 20 includes a microphone 21 and a loudspeaker 22, prior to the operation 150 of transmitting the audio signal from the accessory 20 to the second terminal 10b, the method 100 may further include: - an operation 148 converting the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication into a sound signal broadcast by the speaker of accessory 20; then - an operation 149 of converting the sound signal emitted by the loudspeaker 22 and captured by the microphone 21 of the accessory 20 into an audio signal.

[0082] In these examples, the audio signal of the communication to the alternating broadcast firstly on the second network to the first network cleverly using the accessory 20 connected to the two networks as a broadcaster of the communication to the alternating broadcast via its loudspeaker 22, for the user of the accessory 20, and as a recorder of the communication to the alternating broadcast by the loudspeaker 22 via the microphone 21 for the users of the first network.Thus, from the perspective of a user at the first terminal 10a, when a user at the fourth terminal 10d speaks on the specific broadcast channel of the second network, they hear the fourth terminal 10d's speech on the corresponding specific transmission channel of the first network, but this speech is transmitted to them via the second terminal 10b, which is also connected to the specific transmission channel, and this occurs in a completely transparent manner. More generally, each user of a terminal connected to the specific broadcast channel of the first network or the specific transmission channel of the second network hears the fourth terminal 10d transparently and cannot speak, since each of these channels is reserved for them according to the principle of call-to-call communication.

[0083] In the examples comprising operations 148 and 149, prior to the conversion operation 149, and subsequent to the identification operation 140 of the transmission channel to the specific alternating current, the method may further comprise the following operation: - an operation 143 of transmission, by the second terminal 10b, to the accessory, of an activation command for the microphone 21. The operation 143 allows the accessory 20 to be told that the microphone 21 should be used to capture and then transmit the sound on the specific transmission channel of the first network.

[0084] In examples in which process 100 includes step 142, step 143 is advantageously carried out after step 142 so that a The message that the microphone 21 of the accessory 20 begins to record, i.e. from the alternating communication transmitted on the second network and broadcast by the loudspeaker 22, can be directly transmitted on the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network.

[0085] In some examples, the method 100 may further include a transmission operation 170, by the second terminal 10b, of a signal indicating the end of transmission on the specific alternate transmission channel, when the audio signal of the alternate communication has ended. This signal, insofar as it is sent on the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network, is notably transmitted to the first terminal 10a, as shown in [Fig. 5]. The operation 170 allows the specific alternate transmission channel to be released from transmission to allow other users of the specific alternate transmission channel, notably the user of the first terminal in the example system 1, to speak on that channel.

[0086] Of course, the operations of the method 100 presented are designed to be executed in real time so that as soon as the user of the fourth terminal lOd speaks on the specific broadcast channel of the second network, the start of transmission signal can be transmitted almost instantaneously from the accessory 20 to the second terminal 10b which can reserve the specific transmission channel of the first network for the speech of the user of the fourth terminal lOd.

[0087] With reference to [Fig. 6], another example of a method 200 for call-to-call communication between at least four communication terminals is now presented. This is a mirror image of the method presented with reference to [Fig. 4], the call-to-call communication being transmitted this time from the first IP communication network to the second communication network. Consequently, this is also a method of communication between the communication terminals 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the example system 1 with the accessory 20 connected to both the second terminal 10b and the third terminal 10c. For the sake of brevity, the elements presented with reference to method 100 in [Fig. 3], and which are reused in method 200 in [Fig. 6], will not be described again. A communication diagram representing the different operations of process 200 is schematically illustrated in [Fig.7] in order to facilitate understanding of the process illustrated schematically in [Fig.6].

[0088] It should also be noted that [Fig. 6] is only an illustration of the example of process 200, representing, by means of blocks, the various operations possibly included in the process and described later in this document. As such, this illustration does not convey any sequence between the operations unless such a sequence is expressly explained by this disclosure. In other In short, the operations described with reference to [Fig. 6] are not necessarily carried out sequentially and may be performed in a different order than that shown in [Fig. 6]. Furthermore, an operation of process 200 may be carried out several times before the implementation of another operation of process 200. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the frequency of implementation of each operation of process 200 is specific to it and is not necessarily linked to the implementation of the other operations.

[0089] As illustrated in [Fig.6], the method 200 comprises a transmission operation 210, by the first terminal 10a, to the second terminal 10b, of a data stream of a call-to-call communication on a specific call-to-call transmission channel of the first network.

[0090] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], the method 200 comprises an operation 220 of identification, by the second terminal 10b, of a specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network. The second terminal 2b knows on which specific alternate transmission channel of the first network the alternate communication from the first terminal 10a is transmitted. Consequently, it is able, for example from a pre-established lookup table, examples of which have already been presented above, to identify the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network corresponding to the specific alternate broadcast channel of the first network.

[0091] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], the method 200 comprises a transmission operation 230, by the second terminal 10b, to the accessory 20, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network. In this way, the accessory 20 can reserve the broadcast channel to the specific alternate in transmission.

[0092] As illustrated in [Fig.6], the method 200 includes an operation 240 of transmission, by the second terminal 10b, to the accessory 20, of an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication received from the first terminal 10a.

[0093] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], the method 200 comprises a transmission operation 250, via the accessory 20, to the third terminal 10c, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission on the dedicated half-time broadcast channel of the second network. This operation informs the third terminal 10c that a data stream of an audio signal, corresponding to a half-time communication, will be transmitted on the dedicated half-time communication channel of the second network, so that the third terminal 10c can reserve this channel for future transmission of this signal.

[0094] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], the method 200 comprises a transmission operation 260, by the accessory 20, to the third terminal 10c, of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the half-day communication transmitted on the first network. Thus, the accessory 20 transmits an audio signal corresponding to the half-day communication sent by the first terminal 10a to the second terminal 10b using the first network, to the third terminal 10c using the second network.

[0095] As illustrated in [Fig.7], the method 200 comprises an operation 270 of transmission, by the third terminal 10c, to the fourth terminal 1Od, of a data stream of a half-time communication corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory 20, on the specific half-time broadcast channel of the second network.

[0096] Therefore, the method 200 according to this disclosure enables a user emitting a call-and-call communication on a communication channel of an IP network to communicate with communication terminals connected to a corresponding communication channel belonging to a network different from the IP network, while ensuring voice management between users specific to call-and-call communications.

[0097] Other operations may optionally be incorporated into process 200 and are described later in this disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated, these operations may be incorporated into process 200 in combination with each other.

[0098] In examples, the identification operation 220, by the second terminal 10b, of the broadcast channel at the specific alternate of the second network associated with the transmission channel at the specific alternate of the first network, may include: - a selection 221 of a specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network in a pre-established correspondence table.

[0099] In these examples, the second terminal 10b may have memory 11 configured to store a lookup table associating alternate transmission channels of the first network with alternate broadcast channels of the second network. Thus, upon receiving a data stream on an alternate transmission channel of the first network, the second terminal 10b can identify to which broadcast channel of the second network this data stream should be transmitted. The second terminal 10b will therefore be able to transmit to the accessory 20 a start-of-transmission signal associated with an identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network.

[0100] In examples, the method 200 may include an operation 252 of transmitting, by the third terminal 10c, a signal indicating the start of data transmission on the dedicated alternate broadcast channel of the second network. The operation 252 makes it possible to reserve the dedicated channel of the second network for transmission for the third terminal 2b. This signal, insofar as it is sent on the dedicated alternate broadcast channel of the second network, is in particular transmitted to the fourth terminal 10d, as shown in [Fig. 7].

[0101] In examples where the accessory 20 includes a microphone 21 and a loudspeaker 22, prior to the operation 260 of transmitting the audio signal from the accessory 20 to the third terminal 10c, the method 200 may further include: - an operation 258 converting the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication into a sound signal broadcast by the speaker of accessory 20; then - an operation 259 of converting the sound signal emitted by the loudspeaker 22 and captured by the microphone 21 of the accessory 20 into an audio signal.

[0102] In these examples, the audio signal of the communication to the alternating broadcast firstly on the first network to the second network using the accessory 20 connected to the two networks as a broadcaster of the communication to the alternating broadcast via its loudspeaker 22, for the user of the accessory 20, and as a recorder of the communication to the alternating broadcast by the loudspeaker 22 via the microphone 21 for the users of the second network.

[0103] In the examples comprising operations 258 and 259, prior to the conversion operation 259, and subsequent to the transmission operation 250, by accessory 20, to the third terminal 10c, of a signal indicating the start of data transmission, the method may further comprise: - an operation 253 of transmission, by the third terminal 10c, to the accessory 20, of an activation command for the microphone 21.

[0104] Operation 253 allows the accessory 20 to be told that the microphone 21 should be used to capture and then transmit the sound it records on the specific broadcast channel of the second network.

[0105] In examples in which the method 200 includes operation 252, operation 253 is advantageously implemented after step 252 so that a message which the microphone 21 of the accessory 20 begins to record, i.e. from the alternate communication transmitted on the first network and broadcast by the loudspeaker 22, can be directly transmitted on the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network.

[0106] In examples, the method 200 may further include a transmission operation 280, from the third terminal 10c, of a signal indicating the end of transmission on the specific alternate broadcast channel, when the audio signal of the alternate communication has ended. This signal, insofar as it is sent on the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network, is notably transmitted to the fourth terminal 10d, as shown in [Fig. 7]. The operation 280 thus makes it possible to release the specific alternate broadcast channel to allow other users of the channel, notably the user of the fourth terminal 1d in the example system 1, to speak on that channel.

[0107] Just as with method 100, the operations of method 200 presented are designed to be executed in real time so that as soon as the user of the first terminal 10a speaks on the specific transmission channel, the start-of-transmission signal can be transmitted almost instantly from the accessory 20 to the third terminal 10c which can reserve the specific broadcast channel of the second network for the speech of the user of the first terminal 10a.

[0108] This disclosure also relates to a two-phase communication terminal 10 adapted for connection to a communication accessory 20. The two-phase communication terminal described below corresponds to the second terminal 10b in methods 100 and 200 shown above. Consequently, the operations performed by the terminal 10 shown below will have the same reference numerals as the corresponding operations shown with reference to methods 100 and 200 in Figures 3 and 6.

[0109] The alternate communication terminal 10 may include the memory 11 configured to store a lookup table between alternate transmission channels of the first network using the internet protocol, and alternate broadcast channels of a second network using a protocol different from the internet protocol.

[0110] In initial examples, terminal 10 can be configured to perform the following initial operations:

[0111] after receiving a signal from accessory 20 indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of a specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network: - determine 140 a transmission channel at the specific alternate of the first network associated with the broadcast channel at the specific alternate of the second network, from the identifier of the broadcast channel; and after receiving an audio signal from accessory 20, corresponding to an alternating communication transmitted on the second network; - send 160 a data stream of a communication to the alternate on the specific transmission channel to the alternate of the first determined network, the data stream of the communication to the alternating corresponding to the audio signal received from the accessory.

[0112] In the first examples, terminal 10 can also be configured to perform at least one of the following initial operations: - select 141 a specific alternate transmission channel of the first network associated with the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network in a pre-established correspondence table; - send 142 a signal indicating the start of transmission on the transmission channel to the specific alternate of the first determined network; - send 143 to accessory 20, a recording command for microphone 21 of accessory 20; or - send 170 a signal indicating an end of transmission on the transmission channel to the specific alternate, when the audio signal of the communication to the alternate is finished.

[0113] It is understood that the first examples correspond to the operations carried out by terminal 10 within the framework of process 100.

[0114] In second examples, possibly combinable with the first examples, terminal 10 can be configured to perform the following second operations:

[0115] after receiving a data stream from an alternate communication on a specific transmission channel of the first network: - determine 220 a specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network; - send 230 to accessory 20, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier for the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network; and - send 240 to accessory 20, an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to the alternating received on the specific transmission channel of the first network.

[0116] In the second examples, terminal 10 can also be configured to perform the following second operation: - select 221 a specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network associated with the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network in a pre-established correspondence table.

[0117] It is understood that the second examples correspond to the operations carried out by terminal 10 in the context of process 200.

[0118] Insofar as the second examples are possibly combinable with the first examples, terminal 10 can therefore implement operations operations presented only in the first examples, operations presented only in the second examples, or operations presented in both the first and second examples.

[0119] The particular configuration of terminal 10 according to this disclosure therefore allows for the exchange of communications alternately between two communication networks using different protocols.

[0120] This disclosure further relates to a communication accessory 20, adapted to be connected to a communication terminal of a first communication network and to a communication terminal of a second communication network, the communication terminal of the first network being configured to exchange data streams, corresponding to back-and-forth communications, on the first network using the internet protocol; the communication terminal of the second network being configured to exchange data streams, corresponding to back-and-forth communications, on the second network using a protocol different from the internet protocol.

[0121] The communication accessory 20, which will be described below, corresponds to the communication accessory 20 used in processes 100 and 200 shown above. Consequently, the operations performed by the accessory 20 shown below will have the same reference numerals as the corresponding operations shown with reference to processes 100 and 200 in Figures 3 and 6. It should also be noted that the communication terminal of the first network referred to in connection with the accessory 20 shown below corresponds to the second terminal 10b of processes 100 and 200, while the communication terminal of the second network referred to below in connection with the accessory corresponds to the third terminal 10c of processes 100 and 200.The terms "first terminal" and "second terminal" were not reused to avoid confusion with the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b, which are part of the communication system of [Fig. 1]. However, such terms could have been used instead of "communication terminal of a first network" and "communication terminal of a second network".

[0122] In early examples, accessory 20 can be configured to perform the following operation:

[0123] after receiving an audio signal corresponding to a data stream of an alternate communication transmitted on a specific broadcast channel of the second network, originating from the communication terminal of the second network: - send 130, to the communication terminal of the first network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network.

[0124] In early examples, accessory 20 can also be configured to perform the following operation: - send 150, to the communication terminal of the first network, an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to the alternating received from the communication terminal of the second network;

[0125] In second examples, possibly combinable with the first examples, accessory 20 can be configured to perform the following operation:

[0126] after receiving a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network, from the communication terminal of the first network: - send 250, to the communication terminal of the second network, a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of the broadcast channel to the specific alternate of the second network.

[0127] In second examples, accessory 20 can also be configured to perform the following operation:

[0128] after receiving an audio signal from an alternate communication transmitted on a specific transmission channel of the first network, originating from the communication terminal of the first network: - send 260, to the communication terminal of the second network, an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to the alternating received from the communication terminal of the first network.

[0129] Insofar as the second examples are possibly combinable with the first examples, accessory 20 can therefore implement operations presented only in the first examples, operations presented only in the second examples, or operations presented in both the first and second examples.

[0130] The particular configuration of accessory 20 according to this disclosure therefore allows for the exchange of communications alternately between two communication networks using different protocols.

[0131] The present disclosure, according to its various embodiments, thus enables two groups of alternate communication terminals, belonging to different communication networks, to communicate with each other, so that from the point of view of the users of the terminals of the two communication groups, a single group Communication infrastructure already exists. In particular, the electronic and network architectures of the terminals have not been modified to allow the implementation of this solution. The configurations of a terminal and a communication accessory of communication system 1 can be modified and are sufficient to enable this operation, so the proposed solution is inexpensive and simple to implement. Specifically, existing terminals can be used without any need for structural or functional adaptation.

Claims

1.

2. Demands Method (100) of alternating communication between at least four communication terminals; at least one first terminal (10a) and one second terminal (10b) communication systems adapted to exchange data flows between them of data, corresponding to alternating communications, on a first communication network using the internet protocol; at least a third terminal (10c) and a fourth terminal (lOd) communication systems adapted to exchange data flows between them data, corresponding to back-and-forth communications, on a second communication network using a protocol different from the internet protocol; the second terminal (10b) and the third terminal (10c) being further connected to the same communication accessory (20); the process comprising: - a transmission (110), by the fourth terminal (lOd), to the 1 (10c), of a data stream of an alternating communication, on a specific alternating channel of the second network; - a transmission (120), by the third terminal (10c), to 1' an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to - a transmission (130), by the accessory (20), to the second tn signal indicating a start of data transmission and including a broadcast 1 specific to the second network; - an identification (140), by the second terminal (10b), of a specific tra nat channel of the first network associated with the broadcast channel to the alternate xth network, from the identifier of this channel; - a transmission (150), by the accessory (20), to the second audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to the - a transmission (160), by the second terminal (10b), to the j 0a), of a data stream of a communication to the corresponding alternating received from the accessory (20), on the specific alternating transmission channel. Method (100) according to the preceding claim, in which The accessory (20) includes a microphone (21) and a speaker (22), and in which, prior to transmission (150), by the accessory (20), destined for the second terminal (10b), of the audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the alternating communication, the process further includes: - a conversion (148) of the audio signal corresponding to the alternating data stream dn into a sound signal broadcast by the loudspeaker (22) of the accessory - a conversion (149) of the sound signal broadcast by the loudspeaker (22) and phone (21) of the accessory (20) into an audio signal.

3. Method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second network corresponds to a frequency of the specific alternate broadcast channel.

4. A method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identification, by the second terminal (10b), of the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network associated with the specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network, comprises: - a selection (141) of the specific alternating transmission channel of the first network with the identifier of the specific alternating broadcast channel of the second network from a pre-established lookup table.

5. Method (200) of alternating communication between at least four communication terminals; at least a first communication terminal (10a) and a second communication terminal (10b) being adapted to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to alternating communications, on a first communication network using the internet protocol; at least a third communication terminal (10c) and a fourth communication terminal (10d) being adapted to exchange data streams between them, corresponding to alternating communications, on a second communication network using a protocol different from the internet protocol; the second terminal (10b) and the third terminal (10c) being further connected to the same communication accessory (20);the process (200) comprising: - a transmission (210), by the first terminal (10a), to the dei (0b), of a data stream of an alternating communication on a specific alternating channel of the first network;

6. - an identification (220), by the second terminal (10b), of a specific dil channel of the second network associated with the transmission channel to the alterr first network; - a transmission (230), by the second terminal (10b), to 1' a signal indicating the start of data transmission and including an inal of broadcast to the specific alternating of the second network; - a transmission (240), by the second terminal (10b), to the 'an audio signal corresponding to the data stream of the communication to - a transmission (250), by the accessory (20), to the third the signal indicating a start of data transmission on the specific diff channel of the second network; - a transmission, via the accessory (20), to the third terminal audio corresponding to the data flow of the communication to the alternating; - a transmission, by the third terminal (10c), to the fourth of a data stream of a communication to the alternating corresponding to the accessory (20), on the specific alternating broadcast channel of the communication terminal (10) to the alternating adapted to be connected to a communication accessory (20); the terminal (10) being configured to perform first operations including: after receiving a data transmission start signal from the accessory, indicating the start of data transmission and including an identifier of a specific alternate broadcast channel from a second network; - identify (140) a transmission channel at the specific alternating frequency of a first network to the broadcast channel at the specific alternating frequency of the second network, from broadcast channel; and after receiving an audio signal from the accessory (20), corresponding to an alternating communication transmitted on the second network: - send (160) a data stream over the transmission channel to the first identified alternate network, the data stream corresponding to the audio signal re< or the terminal being configured to perform secondary operations including: after receiving a data stream from a call-to-call communication on a specific transmission channel of a first network: - identify (220) a specific call-to-call broadcast channel of the second specific call-to-call transmission channel of the first network; - send (230), to the accessory, a signal indicating a data start and including an identifier of the call-to-call broadcast channel of the network; and - send (240), to the accessory, an audio signal corresponding to the call-to-call communication received on the specific network transmission channel.

7. Terminal (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein: the first operations further comprise at least one of the following operations: - select (141) the specific alternate transmission channel of the first with the identifier of the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second pre-established matching network; - send (142) a signal indicating a start of transmission on the specific alternate channel of the first determined network; or - send (143) a signal indicating an end of transmission on the specific alternate channel, when the audio signal of the alternate communication or the second operations further comprise: - select (221) the specific alternate broadcast channel of the second with the specific alternate transmission channel of the first network in pre-established matching.

8. Terminal (10) according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the terminal is configured to perform the first and second operations.

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