Communication network connection service provision system, and WIFI router therefor

Abstract

To maintain a communication environment even in the event of an unexpected communication failure due to a natural disaster, such as an earthquake and thunderstorm, and a human disaster such as a failure and an accident in communication equipment.SOLUTION: A communication network connection service provision system enables the use of two or more communication lines of different communication service providers (carriers) to provide a connection to a communication network. If each access to the two or more available communication lines is by radio, a priority is put to each communication line to be used, and in a state that connection to the communication network cannot be performed for a certain time, the communication line to be used is changed according to the priority, so that a communication environment is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication network connection service providing system that enables the use of two or more communication lines and provides connection to a communication network. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, a WiFi router is equipped with a SIM card from a single telecommunications carrier to communicate. Therefore, if a communication failure occurs on the line of that carrier, it will be impossible to connect to the communication network.

[0003] As the Internet has become closely intertwined with people's lives and work, a stable connection environment to the communication network has become inevitable, but there is also a risk of unexpected communication failures due to natural disasters such as earthquakes and thunderstorms, or man-made disasters such as failures or accidents in communication equipment. Therefore, if there were a system that could maintain the communication environment even when such communication failures occur, it could potentially prevent social unrest (panic) and secondary damage.

[0004] Incidentally, Patent Document 1 discloses a mobile router that can accept two SIM cards (equipped with a first SIM slot and a second SIM slot) and automatically switches between the SIM cards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6482078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The mobile router disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be equipped with two SIM cards, but automatically switches between them to automatically select the SIM card that is best suited to the application used on the user terminal. In other words, it automatically switches to a SIM card designed for low-speed communication for applications that do not require much speed or capacity, such as social networking services, and to a SIM card designed for high-speed communication for applications where speed is important, such as video.

[0007] However, selecting the optimal SIM card (communication line) for each application must be done while the device is connected to the network; it will not function if a problem occurs with the communication line being used and the line becomes unusable.

[0008] In response to this, the inventors of the present invention conceived and completed the present invention with the objective of "maintaining the communication environment even when a communication failure occurs," which is completely different from that of Patent Document 1. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first invention of the present application is a communication network connection service providing system that enables the use of two or more communication lines operated by different communication operators (carriers) to provide connection to a communication network, and is characterized by the fact that if access to two or more available communication lines is all wireless, the system prioritizes the communication lines to be used, and if it is not possible to connect to the communication network for a certain period of time, it changes the communication line to be used according to the priority, thereby maintaining the communication environment. The second invention is a communication network connection service providing system that provides connection to a communication network by enabling the use of two or more communication lines operated by different communication operators (carriers), and is characterized in that if access to two or more available communication lines includes both wired and wireless connections, the communication line accessed via wired connections is given first priority for use, and the remaining communication lines accessed via wireless connections are given second or subsequent priority for use, and in a situation where it is not possible to connect to the communication network for a certain period of time, the communication line to be used is changed according to the priority, thereby maintaining the communication environment. The third invention is a communication network connection service providing system characterized by enabling a service provider to use two or more communication lines leased from a communication operator (carrier) to provide connection to a communication network. A fourth invention is a WiFi router used in the communication network connection service providing system according to the first to third inventions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention has the following effects. (1) By enabling the use of two or more communication lines from different telecommunications carriers, prioritizing the communication lines to be used, and changing the communication line to be used according to the priority in situations where it is not possible to connect to the communication network for a certain period of time, it is possible to avoid communication lines that have experienced communication problems and maintain the communication environment. (2) By enabling service providers to use two or more communication lines leased from telecommunications carriers (carriers) and providing connections to communication networks, service users are no longer required to sign contracts and pay fees with multiple telecommunications carriers, and can maintain a communication environment with minimal burden (contract and maintenance costs). (3) By using a Wi-Fi router, it is possible to provide service users with a very simple and reliable communication environment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2) for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (5) for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the communication network connection service providing system according to the present invention will be described using a WiFi router used therein.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, conventional Wi-Fi routers connect to the Internet only via specific fixed or mobile lines (Figure 1, left). In such cases, if a communication failure occurs in the communication service provided by a particular carrier due to a natural disaster or a problem with that particular carrier, the Internet connection environment cannot be maintained and the network becomes unusable (Figure 1, right).

[0014] In contrast, the WiFi router (communication network connection service providing system) of the present invention comes standard with two or more SIM cards from different telecommunications carriers (here, SIM cards from three domestic mobile phone carriers), as shown in Figure 2. Normally, the router connects to a primary carrier (here, let's call it "Company D") for communication (left diagram of Figure 2). However, if a communication failure occurs with the primary service, the router maintains its Internet connection by connecting to a secondary carrier (here, let's call it "Company S"); and if a communication failure also occurs with the secondary service, the router uses a tertiary carrier (here, let's call it "Company A") (right diagram of Figure 2).

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates this embodiment in a different illustration from FIG. 2. The SIM card used in this embodiment, i.e., the telecommunications carriers to be connected to, is prioritized, and communication is normally established via a primary carrier as long as connection is possible without issue. However, if a connection is not possible for a certain period of time, the system automatically connects to a secondary carrier and then a tertiary carrier, thereby creating a robust communication environment. Note that the change of carrier when connection is not possible for a certain period of time need not be "automatic" but may be "manual." Furthermore, the priority of telecommunications carriers may be changed as appropriate through settings (for example, the priority may be set in descending order of the telecommunications carriers with the least occurrence of communication failures depending on the communication status of the nearest telecommunications carrier).

[0016] Here, in this embodiment, a connection to a communication line is described using a "SIM card," but a software version of a SIM card such as an "eSIM" or "virtual SIM" may also be used.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, a robust communication environment can be created by combining fixed and portable WiFi routers. Fixed-type routers can provide a stable Internet connection environment to many users, making them extremely effective in situations where many people need Internet access, such as in evacuation shelters during disasters. On the other hand, portable routers can maintain a communication environment even during power outages and can be used outside the facility, supporting flexible disaster response.

[0018] In addition, for stationary routers, there are cases where communication lines are accessed via "wired" rather than "wirelessly" in home use, etc. In this case, the communication line accessed via "wired" is given first priority, and the remaining communication lines accessed via "wireless" are given second priority, third priority, etc. This allows you to create a robust communication environment even in a wired communication environment.

[0019] As shown in Figure 5, if you use two or more SIM cards from different telecommunications providers (carriers) (in this case, SIM cards from three domestic mobile phone providers), you will usually have to sign contracts with three telecommunications providers and incur communication fees for all three companies (Figure 5, left). However, in this embodiment, a service provider (e.g., an MVNO) provides a connection to a communication network by equipping a user with a SIM card related to a communication line leased from a communication carrier, thereby eliminating the need for service users to sign contracts with and pay fees to multiple communication carriers. Therefore, it becomes possible to maintain a communication environment with the minimum necessary contracts (procedures) and communication costs. However, it goes without saying that the communication network connection service providing system according to the present invention may be implemented not only by an MVNO but also by a communication carrier (carrier). [Industrial Applicability]

[0020] The present invention can be widely used as a communication network connection service providing system that provides connection to a communication network by installing a SIM card.

Claims

1. A communication network connection service providing system that enables the use of two or more communication lines of different communication carriers and provides connection to a communication network, This communication network connection service providing system is characterized by prioritizing the communication lines to be used if all accesses to two or more available communication lines are wireless, and by changing the communication line to be used in accordance with the priority order in a situation where connection to the communication network cannot be made for a certain period of time, thereby maintaining the communication environment.

2. A communication network connection service providing system that enables the use of two or more communication lines of different communication carriers and provides connection to a communication network, This communication network connection service providing system is characterized in that, if access to two or more available communication lines includes both wired and wireless lines, the communication line accessed via wired lines is given first priority for use, and the remaining communication lines accessed via wireless lines are given second or subsequent priority for use, and in a situation where connection to the communication network cannot be made for a certain period of time, the communication line to be used is changed in accordance with the priority, thereby maintaining the communication environment.

3. 3. A communication network connection service providing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the service provider provides connection to a communication network by enabling the use of two or more communication lines leased from a communication carrier.

4. A Wi-Fi router used in the communication network connection service providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images