WO2015128561A1

WO2015128561A1 - Method and device for discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2015128561A1
Application number: PCT/FR2015/050360
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ghislain Moncomble; Romain Carbou; Fabrice Fauchoux
Original assignee: Orange
Priority date: 2014-02-26
Filing date: 2015-02-13
Publication date: 2015-09-03
Also published as: FR3018027A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiver terminal (12). A sender terminal (11) dispatches (31) to a receiver terminal (12) a message of discovery of communication capabilities of the receiver terminal. The sender terminal receives (32) a message of response to the said discovery message. On the basis of the response message received, the sender terminal obtains (33) an item of information representative of a communication application, termed the alternative communication application, able to be used to establish a communication between the sender terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiver terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from a native communication application of the receiver terminal. The sender terminal restores (34) said item of information representative of the alternative communication application in association with an item of information regarding contact of the user of the receiver terminal.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISCOVERING COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES RELATING TO A USER OF A TERMINAL

Today, it is possible for users to establish a communication in different modes from the same terminal. For example, a user of a first terminal can establish a communication voice or video mode or an instant messaging session with a second terminal. The first terminal can also establish a communication with a mail server associated with the second terminal so that the user of the first terminal files a voice message, or video to the user of the second terminal. During a communication established between the first terminal and the second terminal or the mail server, it is possible for the first terminal:

to share a multimedia file with the second terminal or with the mail server,

or to transfer a multimedia file to the second terminal or to the mail server.

Such modes of communication will be referred to hereafter as communication capabilities.

The communication standard RCS (for "Rich Communication Suite" in English) allows terminals supporting this standard to establish an enriched communication. For example, when two terminals are in communication, the RCS standard allows a user of one of the two terminals to share with the user of the other terminal content of video, audio, text, and so on. The RCS standard also allows a user to initiate an instant message type communication with a contact of his address book having a RCS enabled terminal.

In order to establish a communication according to a given communication capacity between a first terminal and a second terminal, for example according to a communication capability RCS, the first terminal must know the communication capabilities supported by the second terminal and vice versa.

According to the RCS standard, when a first terminal wishes to know the communication capabilities RCS supported by a second terminal with which it wishes to establish a communication, the first terminal sends to the second terminal a capacity discovery message in the form of a message. OPTIONS according to the SIP protocol (for "Session Initiation Protocol"). On receipt of the capability discovery message sent by the first terminal, the second terminal sends the first terminal a response message including the enrichment capabilities of the RCS standard that the second terminal is able to implement. Following receipt of the response message sent by the second terminal, the first terminal returns to a user of the first terminal, the communication capabilities RCS supported by the second terminal and the first terminal is also able to implement. Such a restitution can be made when viewing the address book associated with the first terminal. For each contact registered in the address book associated with the first terminal, the communication capabilities RCS supported by the contact's terminal are displayed with the information relating to the contact and possibly a photo associated with the contact.

Thus, the user of the first terminal is aware of the enrichment capabilities that the second terminal is able to implement and it can use during a communication with a user of the second terminal.

However, this technique makes it possible to know the enrichment capabilities of a communication that can be used during a communication established according to a communication capacity implemented by a native communication application of the first terminal and the second terminal. By native communication application of a terminal is meant here a communication application that is provided by a communication network operator to which the user of the terminal is subscribed and which is installed on the terminal. The user of the first terminal and the user of the second terminal may have other communication services provided by a third party service provider different from the operator of the communication network of the first terminal or the second terminal. According to these other communication services, the users of the first and second terminals generally have an identity different from the identity provided by the operator of the first and second terminals. For example, the users of the first and second terminals can communicate in VoIP (for Voice Over IP in English) using a service provided by an operator that does not have a communication network.

When a first terminal initiates a communication to a second terminal, if the second terminal does not accept the communication, the first terminal is generally redirected to a mail server associated with the second terminal. The messaging service associated with the second terminal is generally provided by the operator of the communication network with which the user of the second terminal is subscribed.

Even if the messaging server is compatible with the RCS standard, the first terminal is not aware of the RCS communication capabilities supported by the messaging server of the second terminal. The user of the first terminal is then not encouraged to use enhanced communication capabilities RCS to establish a communication with the mail server associated with the second terminal. For example, the user of the first terminal is not prompted to drop a video message or transfer a multimedia file to be stored on the mail server.

Thus, the user of the first terminal is not aware of all the communication means according to which he can communicate with the user of the second terminal, nor the communication capabilities relating to these communication means.

One of the aims of the invention is to provide improvements over the state of the art mentioned above.

It proposes for this purpose a method of discovering the communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal. According to the invention, the method comprises: a step of sending to said receiving terminal, by a transmitting terminal, a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal,

a step of receiving a response message to said discovery message, a step of obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, capable of being used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from a native communication application of the receiving terminal,

a step of restitution by the transmitting terminal of said representative information of the alternative communication application in association with a contact information of the user of the receiving terminal.

Correlatively, the invention also relates to a device for discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal. The device comprises in particular:

means for sending to said receiving terminal, a message for discovering the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal, means for receiving a response message to said discovery message,

means for obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from a native communication application of the receiving terminal,

means for restitution by the transmitting terminal of said representative information of the alternative communication application in association with a contact information of the user of the receiving terminal.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to inform the user of the transmitting terminal of alternative communication applications that can be used to communicate with the user of the receiving terminal. Such alternative applications may correspond to the messaging service provided by the operator of the communication network to which the user of the receiving terminal is subscribed, or to a communication service provided by a third party operator, for example an operator who does not have network infrastructure.

Advantageously, the method according to the invention uses a mechanism for discovering the communication capabilities of a terminal, for example the SIP OPTIONS message exchange mechanism used by the RCS standard, which makes it possible to know the communication capabilities relating to the device. native communication application of the terminal. By native communication application of the terminal is meant the communication application installed on the terminal and provided by the operator of the communication network to which the user of the terminal is subscribed. According to the prior art, in the mechanism for discovering the RCS communication capabilities relating to a native application of a receiver terminal of a discovery message of the communication capabilities RCS sent by a transmitting terminal, the transmitting terminal only restores to the user of the transmitting terminal that the communication capabilities that the transmitting terminal is also able to implement via the native communication application of the transmitting terminal.

Advantageously, the invention makes it possible for the user of the transmitting terminal to also know alternative communication applications supported by a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, even if the transmitting terminal is not able to implement these applications. communication. Following the return of information representative of such alternative communication applications, the user of the transmitting terminal may request the installation of such alternative communication applications on the transmitting terminal, or the transmitting terminal may propose to install them, or else the operator of the transmitting terminal can provide an interconnection gateway for establishing communication between the native application of the transmitting terminal and an alternative communication application supported by a terminal of the receiving user.

Alternative communication applications for which information is provided to the transmitting terminal are not necessarily supported by the receiving terminal. Such alternative communication applications may be installed on other terminals of the user of the receiving terminal. For example, the user of the receiving terminal can have as a receiving terminal a mobile terminal and a terminal type PC (for Personal Computer in English), or a tablet, or a connected television, etc. Thus, an alternative communication application relating to a terminal other than the receiving terminal may correspond to a native communication application of this other terminal.

The received reply message may be from the receiving terminal or from a server of a communication network placed between the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal.

The various modes or features of realization mentioned below can be added independently or in combination with each other, to the steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiver terminal defined above.

The various embodiments or features mentioned below may be added independently or in combination with each other, to the characteristics of the discovery device defined above.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, in the received response message, the information representative of the alternative communication application is associated with at least one communication capability. During the restitution step, the representative information of the alternative communication application is restored in association with said communication capability, indicating that the alternative communication application is suitable to be used to implement said communication capability. communication during a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal. A communication application can support multiple communication capabilities. For example, the communication application can support voice, video, instant messaging, photo sharing, file transfer ...

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the user of the transmitting terminal is also aware of the communication capabilities relating to the user of the receiving terminal and the communication applications that can be used to implement these communication capabilities. For a given communication capacity, for example a file transfer, the user of the transmitting terminal is aware of the communication applications that he can use to implement this communication capability, for example the native application of the transmitting terminal or a third party communication application.

According to the invention, the communication capabilities relating to the user of the receiving terminal that are returned to the user of the transmitting terminal are not limited to the communication capabilities supported by the receiving terminal. The communication capabilities relating to the user of the receiving terminal that are returned to the user of the transmitting terminal may correspond to communication capabilities that are supported by other terminals of the user of the receiving terminal or by a mail server. associated with the user of the receiving terminal. Such communication capabilities may or may not be supported by the receiving terminal itself.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery method further comprises a step of obtaining, from the received message, at least one identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal with said communication application.

Correlatively, the discovery device comprises means for obtaining the identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal from said communication application. According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the transmitting terminal thus has the identity that the user of the receiving terminal uses when communicating using said alternative communication application. For example, such an identity corresponds to an email address or a user name. The transmitting terminal then has the necessary information to trigger a communication with the receiving terminal according to said alternative communication application.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal can also correspond to an identity on a communication network of a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal. Such an identity is, for example, a public identity such as a telephone number, a SIP URI address (for Uniform Resource Identifier in English), an IP address (for Internet Protocol in English), etc. The transmitting terminal then has information necessary to trigger a communication with the identified terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal can also correspond to a telephone number enabling the sending terminal to access the messaging server associated with the receiving terminal, possibly coupled to an identifier of the receiving terminal on the mail server. Alternatively, the The identification parameter may further include a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multiple Frenquency) code sequence to be dialed by the transmitting terminal to access the receiving device's message drop box. Thus, the user of the transmitting terminal does not need to dial a telephone number, or DTMF codes to access the receiving terminal's message drop box.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery method comprises a step of obtaining, from the received message, a parameter indicating a type of terminal of the user of the receiving terminal capable of implementing said communication application, information representative of said parameter being restored during the restitution step in association with said representative information of the alternative communication application. Correlatively, the discovery device comprises means for obtaining, from the received message, a parameter indicating a type of terminal of the user of the receiving terminal adapted to implement said communication application.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the user of the transmitting terminal is aware of the terminals of the user of the receiving terminal that can implement said alternative communication application. Thus, the user of the transmitting terminal can adapt his communication request to the user of the receiving terminal according to the terminal of the user of the receiving terminal capable of implementing the alternative communication application.

For example, the type of terminal will give the user of the transmitting terminal a clue as to the quality of the communication that can be established, or the environment in which the communication can be established.

For example, if the user of the receiving terminal has a mobile terminal capable of establishing a voice communication and a connected television capable of establishing a video communication, the user of the transmitting terminal can adapt his communication request according to the terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery method further comprises:

a step of detecting a user interaction selecting the alternative communication application corresponding to the information representative of the restored alternative communication application,

a step of triggering a communication request to the receiving terminal or another terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, from the selected alternative communication application and said identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery device comprises corresponding means for implementing these steps.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the user of the sending terminal initiates a communication with the user of the receiving terminal according to a previously selected alternative communication application. The user of the transmitting terminal thus has the possibility of requesting, from his address book, a communication with the user of the receiving terminal from a communication application different from the native communication application of the receiving terminal. The communication request may be initiated to the receiving terminal if the receiving terminal is the terminal able to implement said alternative communication application or to another terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery method furthermore comprises, when a communication is established according to a first communication capacity between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, a step of updating the restitution of the communication capabilities restored prior to the establishment of the communication, to delete at least one communication capacity for which the communication mode is incompatible with the communication mode of the first communication capability.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery device comprises corresponding update means.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the user of the transmitting terminal is thus informed of the communication capabilities and the communication applications that he can use during a communication established with a terminal of the terminal user. receiver. This particular embodiment of the invention makes it possible to prevent the user of the transmitting terminal initiating a communication intended for the user of the receiving terminal in a communication mode incompatible with the mode of the communication in progress. For example, if the current communication is in voice mode, the transmitting terminal will only restore the communication capabilities compatible with this mode of communication, for example file transfer, photo sharing, adding video, instant messaging. According to this example, the transmitting terminal will not restore an alternative communication application for communicating in voice or video mode, or a communication application relating to the messaging of the receiving terminal.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery method further comprises a step of obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a technical capacity relating to a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said technical capability being associated with said communication application. During a communication established according to said communication application between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, the transmitting terminal sends a data processing command to be executed by the technical capacity.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the discovery device comprises means for obtaining, from the received response message, said information representative of a technical capacity and means for sending a control command. data processing to be performed by the technical capability, said sending means being activated during a communication established according to said communication application between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal. According to this particular embodiment of the invention, a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal makes available to the transmitting terminal a technical capacity intended to be used by the transmitting terminal to perform a data processing. Such technical capacity corresponds, for example, to a storage capacity enabling the transmitting terminal to save data during the communication, to a shooting capability enabling the transmitting terminal to capture images or videos of the terminal environment. providing the technical capability, a display capability for the transmitting terminal to control the return of an image, or a video on a remote terminal of the receiving terminal.

The invention also relates to a method for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having at least one receiving terminal. The transmission method comprises:

a step of receiving a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of a receiving terminal, from a transmitting terminal,

a step of determining at least one communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, the said alternative communication application being an application of communication distinct from a native communication application of the receiving terminal,

a step of inserting in a response message information representative of said determined alternative communication application, said information representative of the alternative communication application being intended to be returned by the transmitting terminal in association with a relative contact information to the user of the receiving terminal

a step of sending to the transmitting terminal, the response message to said discovery message.

Correlatively, the invention also relates to a device for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having at least one receiving terminal. The transmission device comprises:

receiving means from a transmitting terminal, a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of a receiving terminal,

means for determining at least one communication application, called an alternative communication application, suitable for use in establishing a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being an application of communication distinct from a native communication application of the receiving terminal, means for inserting into a response message information representative of said determined alternative communication application, said information representative of the alternative communication application being intended to be returned by the transmitting terminal in association with a relative contact information to the user of the receiving terminal, sending means to the transmitting terminal, the response message to said discovery message.

The transmission method and the transmission device according to the invention thus make it possible, during a discovery phase of the communication capabilities of a receiving terminal by a transmitting terminal, to inform the transmitting terminal of alternative communication applications that can be used to communicate with the user of the receiving terminal. These alternative communication applications can be implemented via the receiving terminal or another terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

The transmission method may be implemented by the receiving terminal or by a server of a communication network having received the discovery message sent by the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal.

The various modes or features of realization mentioned below can be added independently or in combination with each other, to the steps of the method of transmission of at least one piece of information representative of a communication application defined above.

The various embodiments or embodiments mentioned below may be added independently or in combination with each other, to the characteristics of the transmission device of at least one piece of information representative of a communication application defined above.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, in the received response message, the representative information of the alternative communication application is inserted in association with at least one communication capability, indicating that the alternative communication application is adapted to be used to implement said communication capability during a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

This particular embodiment of the invention enables the user of the receiving terminal to inform the transmitting terminal of the communication capabilities supported by the determined alternative communication application.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, when the receiving terminal belongs to a group of at least two terminals of the user of the receiving terminal, said two terminals being able to implement said determined communication application, the transmission method comprises:

a step of selecting a terminal among the at least two terminals according to a predetermined criterion, an insertion step, in said response message, of an identifier of the selected terminal.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the transmission device comprises means for selecting a terminal from among the at least two terminals according to a predetermined criterion, and means for inserting, in said response message, identifier of the selected terminal.

This particular embodiment of the invention makes it possible to prevent a given alternative communication application from being proposed to the transmitting terminal as being able to be implemented from several terminals of the user of the receiving terminal.

This particular embodiment of the invention also makes it possible to limit the size of the response message while avoiding information redundancies.

The selection criterion of a terminal may be a function of preferences pre-recorded by the user of the receiving terminal or of the history of use by the terminal of the communication application.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the transmission method comprises a step of inserting, into said response message, a parameter identifying the user of the receiving terminal with said determined communication application. .

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the transmission device comprises means for inserting, in said response message, the identification parameter of the user of the receiving terminal with said determined communication application.

This particular embodiment of the invention makes it possible to provide the transmitting terminal with the information necessary for triggering from the transmitting terminal the determined communication application in order to communicate with the user of the receiving terminal. The invention also relates to a response message sent to a terminal transmitting a message of discovery of the communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal. The response message includes:

an information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, suitable for use in establishing a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, the said alternative communication application being a separate communication application a native communication application of the receiving terminal.

The various embodiments or features mentioned below may be added independently or in combination with each other, to the characteristics of the response message defined above.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the information representative of the alternative communication application is associated with at least one communication capability, indicating that the alternative communication application is able to be used to implement said communication device. communication capability during a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal. According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the message comprises a parameter identifying the user of the receiving terminal with said communication application.

The invention also relates to a terminal comprising a device for discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal according to any one of the particular embodiments of the invention described above.

The invention also relates to a terminal comprising a device for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having at least one receiving terminal according to any one of the particular embodiments of the invention. described above.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the various steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities and the method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application are implemented by program instructions. computers.

Accordingly, the invention also relates to computer programs on an information carrier, these programs being capable of being implemented respectively in a terminal or more generally in a computer, these programs respectively comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of the various steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities or the method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application that have just been described.

These programs can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other form desirable shape.

The invention also relates to a computer-readable information medium, comprising instructions of a computer program as mentioned above.

The information carrier may be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic or electronic recording means, for example a USB key or a hard disk .

On the other hand, the information medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means. The program according to the invention can be downloaded in particular on an Internet type network.

Alternatively, the information carrier may be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method of discovering the communication capabilities or the transmission method of at least information representative of a communication application.

The advantages of the terminal comprising a communication capability discovery device, the terminal comprising a device for transmitting at least one information representative of a communication application, the response message, the computer program comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of the various steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities, and the computer program comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of the various steps of the method for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application are identical to those presented in relation to the method of discovering the communication capabilities and to those presented in connection with the method of transmission of at least one piece of information representative of a communication application according to any one of the particular embodiments mentioned above.

List of Figures

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given as a simple illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings, among which: :

FIG. 1 illustrates an implementation environment of the invention according to a particular embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates steps of the method for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application according to a particular embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates steps of the communication capacity discovery method according to a particular embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 illustrates a device able to implement the method of discovering communication capabilities according to a particular embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 illustrates a device able to implement the transmission method of at least one representative information of a communication application according to a particular embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate a message of response to a message of discoveries according to particular embodiments of the invention,

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities of a terminal according to another particular embodiment of the invention. Description of a particular embodiment of the invention

Figure 1 illustrates an implementation environment of the invention according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The environment comprises a group of communication networks 100 and 101 to which are connected terminals 11, 12, 13 and 14, a home gateway 15 and a database 16.

The communication network 100 corresponds, for example, to a GSM, EDGE, 3G, 3G + or 4G mobile communication network. It can be implemented by a RCS type architecture. The communication network 1 00 can correspond to several communication networks different communication operators interconnected by access points (not shown).

The communication network 101 corresponds for example to an IP communication network that can be implemented by an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) type architecture. The communication network 101 may correspond to several communication networks of different communication operators interconnected by access points (not shown).

The communication networks 100 and 101 are interconnected by interconnection servers (not shown). The communication network 100 and the communication network 101 make it possible to exchange data and to establish communications between terminals connected to the communication network 100 or to the communication network 101.

The terminals 1 1 and 12 can be any type of terminal for establishing a telephone or videophone communication, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone (smart phone in English), a tablet, a television connected to a communication network, a personal computer on which a telephony application, also called softphone, is installed.

In the example described here, the terminal 1 1 is a smartphone type terminal associated with a user UA. The terminal 1 1 is connected to the communication network 100 and can transmit and receive any type of communication via the communication network 100.

In the example described here, the terminal 12 is a smartphone type terminal associated with a user UB. The terminal 12 is connected to the communication network 100 and can send and receive any type of communication, via the communication network 100. For this, the terminal 12 is registered in the communication network 100 with a public identity UB_1 associated with the UB user. The public identity U B_1 corresponds, for example, to a mobile telephone number. In order to communicate with the user UB on the terminal 12, the terminal 1 1 uses the public identity UB_1 to join the terminal 12.

The terminals 1 1 and 12 can in particular communicate with each other via the communication network 1 00 according to the communication protocol RCS. The native communication application of the terminal 1 1, respectively of the terminal 12, supports the enrichment communication capabilities of the SCR protocol.

In the environment described in connection with FIG. 1, the user UB has a terminal 13 of the connected television type and a terminal 14 of the personal computer type. The terminals 13 and 14 are connected to a home gateway 15 allowing the terminals 13 and 14 to access the communication network 101.

In the example described here, the terminal 13 is a television capable of establishing voice communications of the VoIP (for Voice over IP in English) or videophone type via the communication network 110 and the home gateway 15. terminal 13 thus has a voice communication capability and a videophone communication capability. The terminal 13 can be connected directly to the home gateway 15 or via a local area network (not shown) managed by the home gateway 15. The home gateway 15 is registered in the communication network 101 with a public identity UB_2 provided by the operator of the communication network January 01. The home gateway 15 manages the signaling and data flows relating to calls sent to or from the public identity UB_2. The home gateway 1 5 transmits the flows relating to a communication sent or received to the terminals connected to the home gateway 15, in particular the terminal 13.

The terminal 12 is also able to connect to the home gateway 15 and to communicate with the terminals connected to the home gateway 15.

A VOIP_ALT telephony application provided by a third party operator that does not have a network infrastructure is also installed on the terminal 12. The VOIP_ALT telephony application installed on the terminal 12 allows the user UB to establish voice communications on the terminal. Internet network with other users of the VOIP_ALT telephony application. For this, the UB user has registered with the third party operator and has a user name UB_ALT allowing it to be joined by other users via the VOIP_ALT telephony application. If the VOIP_ALT telephony application is executed on the terminal 12, a communication to the UB_ALT identity of the user UB via the VOIP_ALT telephony application will be notified to the user UB on the terminal 12. example described here, it is assumed that the VOIP_ALT communication application supports the voice communication capability.

In the example described here, the terminal 14 is a personal computer on which is also installed the VOIP_ALT telephony application. If the VOIP_ALT telephony application is executed on the terminal 14, a communication to the U B_ALT identity of the user UB via the VOIP_ALT telephony application will be notified to the user UB on the terminal 14.

The terminal 14 also has a storage space accessible to terminals connected to the local network of the home gateway 15. The storage space is in particular accessible to the terminal 12 via the local network of the home gateway 15 when the terminal 12 is connected to the home gateway 15 or through the communications networks 100 and 101 and the home gateway 15 when the terminal 12 is not located in the environment of the home gateway 15. According to the invention the storage space of the terminal 14 corresponds to a technical capacity of the terminal 14 which is made available to other terminals of the user UB.

The environment of FIG. 1 also comprises a messaging server 17 managed by the operator of the communication network 100. The messaging server supports the voicemail service associated with the terminal 12. In a known manner, when a communication is sent to the terminal 12 and the terminal 12 does not accept the communication, the sending terminal of the communication is redirected to the mail server 1 7 so that the user of the transmitting terminal can file a message for the user UB. In the example described here, it is assumed that the messaging server 17 supports the SCR enrichment communication capabilities and in particular the videophone type of communication capability.

The environment of FIG. 1 also comprises a database 16 connected to the communication network 100. The database 16 can be managed by the network operator communication with which the user UB is subscribed, for example the communication network 100. The database 16 can also be managed by a third party.

According to the invention, the database 16 stores information relating to at least one communication application supported by the SCR protocol. For this, the communication application must be registered with the organization managing the database 16. An identification code is then associated with the communication application. This identification code is intended to be used in a response message to a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of a terminal supporting the communication application.

The database 1 6 stores in association with a communication application the number and nature of the parameters necessary for the operation of the communication application. The database 1 6 also stores in association with a communication application the communication capabilities supported by this communication application.

The communication application VOIP_ALT is notably recorded in the database 16 as well as the communication capacities supported by the communication application VOIP_ALT.

The messaging communication application provided by the operator of the communication network 100 and the native communication application of the terminal 13 provided by the operator of the communication network 110 are also recorded in the database 16.

The native communication application of the terminal 12 provided by the operator of the communication network 100 is also recorded in the database 16.

Other communication applications provided by other communication network operators or other third party operators may be recorded in the database 16.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates steps of the method for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The transmission method is for example implemented by the terminal 12 of FIG.

In a prior step 21, the user UB of the terminal 12 associates the different identities that it uses from the terminals and the communication applications that it uses to communicate. For this, it uses for example from its terminal 12, a setting application provided by the operator of the communication network with which it is subscribed. For example, this parameter application presents to the user UB the list of alternative communication applications registered in the database 1 6. The user UB selects on the terminal 12 the communication applications that he uses and by which he wants other users to contact him.

According to one particular embodiment of the invention, the user UB selects the communication application VOIP_ALT and the communication application relating to the voicemail.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the user UB selects the native communication application of the terminal 13 provided by the operator of the communication network 101. According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the native communication application of the terminal 12 provided by the operator of the communication network 100 is selected by default. In the parameterization application, the user UB then selects for each selected communication application, the communication capabilities he wishes to use.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, a communication application can only support a communication capacity, for example voice type or instant messaging type. In this case, no communication capability can be selected for this communication application. The selection of said communication application validates the selection of the unique communication capacity supported by the communication application. According to another particular embodiment of the invention, a communication application can support several communication capabilities. For example, the communication application can support the communication capacity of voice, video, instant messaging, photo sharing, file transfer ... For a given communication application, the user UB can select only the capabilities it wishes to use with other users, for example voice, video, and file transfer.

During step 21, in the parameterization application, the user UB provides for each communication application, the parameters necessary for its operation. In particular: for the VOIP_ALT communication application, the user UB provides his username UB_ALT,

for the native communication application of the terminal 13 provided by the operator of the communication network 101, the user UB supplies his public identity UB_2.

The parameters relating to the communication application relating to voicemail and the parameters relating to the native communication application of the terminal 12 have been provided in advance to the application of parameters by the operator of the communication network 100.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, in the parameterization application, the user U B has the possibility of defining terminals that he wishes to use to communicate. For example, the setting application presents to the user UB a list of detected terminals near the terminal 12 of the user UB. When the terminal 12 is connected to the home gateway 1 5, the setting application can detect the terminals near the terminal 12 by analyzing the terminals connected to the local network managed by the home gateway 1 5.

The setting application thus detects the terminal 13 and the terminal 14. The user UB selects the terminals 13 and 14 in order to record them in the parameterization application. For each selected terminal, the user UB indicates the type of terminal, as well as the communication applications supported by each terminal among the communication applications previously selected. Thus, the user UB indicates to the setting application that the terminal 13 is a television and that the terminal 13 supports the native communication application provided by the operator of the communication network January 01. The user UB indicates to the setup application that the terminal 14 is a personal computer and that the terminal 14 supports the communication application VOIP_ALT. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, when a communication capacity can be implemented by at least two terminals, the parameter setting application allows the user UB to order the terminals supporting this capability. communication. In the particular embodiment of the invention described here, the terminal 13 and the terminal 12 support the videophone communication capability. For the videophone communication capability, the user UB indicates to the setting application a higher priority for the terminal 13 than for the terminal 12.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, in the parameterization application, the user UB also has the possibility of selecting technical capabilities relating to terminals in the vicinity of the terminal 12. For this, the parameterization application detects the terminals near the terminal 12, for example by analyzing the local network managed by the home gateway 15. The setting application thus detects the terminals 13 and 14. Then, the setting application communicates with each detected terminal in order to identify shared technical capabilities of the detected terminal. In order to share the technical capabilities of the detected terminal, the user UB may have previously installed on the detected terminal, a sharing application for defining and sharing technical capabilities relating to a detected terminal. The sharing application is for example provided by the operator of the communication network 100. For example, thanks to such a sharing application, the user UB has selected a storage capacity on the terminal 14 and a high rendering capacity definition on the terminal 13.

The parameter application thus presents the UB user with the technical capabilities shared by the terminals 13 and 14. The parameterization application has a storage capacity of the terminal 14 as well as the available storage size associated with this capacity and a capacity the rendering of the terminal 13 and the pixel size associated with this capacity.

The user UB selects the storage capacity of the terminal 14. The parameter application then presents the user UB with a list of communication applications to associate with the storage capacity of the terminal 14. The user UB must select in this list, the communication applications for which it authorizes the provision of the storage capacity of the terminal 14. For example, the user UB selects the native communication application of the terminal 12. Thus, during a communication later established between the terminal 12 and another terminal via the native communication application of the terminal 12, the other terminal may request to use the storage capacity of the terminal 14.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the user UB can indicate for each communication application or selected communication capability the contacts with which it accepts to communicate via this communication application or according to this communication capacity. Thus, information representative of such a communication application or of such a communication capacity will be provided to a terminal transmitting a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the user UB according to whether the user UB has chosen to select the communication application or the communication capacity for the contact associated with the transmitting terminal. At the end of step 21, the terminal 12 stores in memory the data of the parameter setting application provided in step 21. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the data of the parameterization application are recorded in a database (not shown) of the operator of the communication network 100 in association with the public identity of the terminal 12.

During a step 22, the terminal 12 receives a communication capabilities discovery message from the terminal 1 1. The received discovery message corresponds, for example, to an OPTIONS message according to the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) protocol. By sending the discovery message, the terminal 1 1 wants to know the communication capabilities of the user of the terminal 12.

During a step 23, the terminal 12 determines the communication applications that can be used to establish a communication between the terminal 11 and a terminal of the user UB. For this, the terminal 12 analyzes the data of the parameterization application provided during step 21.

In the course of step 23, the terminal 12 thus determines from the data of the parameterization application that the user UB can communicate from its terminal 12 via the communication application VOIP_ALT and the relative communication application. to the voicemail associated with the terminal 12.

As a variant, during step 23, the terminal 12 also determines from the data of the parameterization application that the user U B can communicate via the native communication application of the terminal 13.

According to another variant, during step 23, the terminal 12 also determines from the data of the parameterization application that the user UB shares a technical capacity of the terminal 13 in association with the transfer communication capability of the terminal. files supported by the terminal 12.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, when the data of the parameterization application indicates that a communication application is implemented by another terminal different from the terminal 12, the terminal 12 checks during the step 23 that the other terminal is close to the terminal 12, for example by detecting whether the terminal 12 is connected to the local network of the home gateway 15 and whether the other terminal is also connected to the local network of the home gateway 15. alternatively, the terminal 12 may interrogate a server of the communication network 100 or 1 01 to check whether the other terminal is registered in the communication network 100 or 1 01. Thus, if the other terminal is not close to the terminal 12 or if the other terminal is not registered in the communication network 100 or 01 01, the terminal 12 will not provide the terminal 1 1 information concerning the communication application implemented by the other terminal and obtained from the data of the parameterization application.

Thus, the terminal 12 verifies the availability of the other terminals of the user UB and provides the terminal 1 1 only communication information relating to available terminals. During a step 25, the terminal 12 inserts in a message M1 response to the discovery message information representative of an alternative communication application that can be used to communicate with the user U B.

The response message M1 is for example a 200OK message according to the SIP protocol. Such a message M1 also includes the communication capabilities RCS supported by the terminal 12.

Part of the message M1 is illustrated in FIG. 6A. The terminal 12 inserts, in particular into the data fields of the message M1, the following information:

in an OP12 data field, information representative of the native communication application of the terminal 12,

in a RCS data field, representative information indicating the enrichment communication capabilities RCS supported by the native communication application of the terminal 12,

in a data field VOIP_ALT, information representative of the communication application VOIP_ALT,

in an MSGR data field, information representative of the communication application relating to the voicemail associated with the terminal 12.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, information representative of a communication application or a communication capacity inserted in a data field of the message M1 corresponds to the code associated with the communication application or the capacity communication stored in the database 16 described in connection with FIG. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the terminal 12 inserts in the message M1 at least one piece of information representative of a communication capacity in association with a communication application capable of implementing said communication capability. Thus, in this particular embodiment of the invention, the message M1 also comprises a CAP data field corresponding to a communication capacity associated with the alternative communication application relating to the messenger associated with the terminal 12. The data field CAP indicates, for example, that the MSGR communication application supports the video telephony RCS capability. In this variant, the message M1 also comprises an ADMSG data field indicating at least one identification parameter of the user UB for the messaging communication application associated with the terminal 12. The ADMSG data field comprises, for example a telephone number enabling a terminal to directly address the messaging server 1 7 associated with the terminal 12 without ringing the terminal 12, and an identifier of the user UB on the messaging server 17.

According to another variant, the terminal 12 inserts in the message M1 a data field PAR corresponding to an identifier of the user UB for the communication application VOIP_ALT. In the example described here, the data field PAR then takes the value UB_ALT.

According to another variant, during the step 25, the terminal 12 also inserts in the message M1 of response to the discovery message information representative of the native communication application of the terminal 13. In this variant, the terminal 12 inserts also in association with a communication application, a parameter indicating a type of terminal implementing this communication application and the corresponding communication capabilities.

Another part of the message M1 is illustrated in FIG. 6B. The part of the message M1 illustrated in FIG. 6B comprises:

the data field OP12 already described in relation to FIG. 6A,

a data field VISI01 comprising information representative of an enrichment communication capability RCS supported by the native communication application of the terminal 12, here the videophone communication capability,

a MOB data field comprising information representative of a type of terminal implementing the videotelephone communication capability VISI01, here the MOB data field indicates the mobile type,

a data field OP13 comprising information representative of the native communication application of the terminal 13,

a data field VISI02 comprising information representative of a communication capacity supported by the native communication application of the terminal 13, here the videophone communication capacity,

a TV data field comprising information representative of a type of terminal implementing the videotelephone communication capability VISI02, here the TV data field indicates the television type,

an ADDR data field comprising an identification parameter of the terminal 13, for example the telephone number U B_2 making it possible to join the terminal 13.

According to another variant, when at least two terminals are able to implement a determined communication capacity, the terminal 12 performs a step 24 of selecting a terminal among the at least two terminals according to a predetermined criterion. In the particular embodiment described here, the videophone communication capability can be implemented by the terminal 12 and by the terminal 13. The terminal 12 selects according to the priority order indicated by the user UB during the step 21 the terminal 13. Thus, according to this variant, the message M1 illustrated in Figure 6B would not include the data fields OP12, VISI01 and MOB relating to the videophone communication capacity of the terminal 12. In this variant, the message M1 would comprise at least the data fields OP13, VISI02 and ADDR relating to the videophone communication capacity of the terminal 13.

According to another variant, during step 25, the terminal 12 inserts into a data field of the message M1 information representative of the shared technical capacity of the terminal 14. FIG. 6C illustrates the variant described here. In FIG. 6C, the message M1 furthermore comprises: the data field OP12 already described in relation to FIG. 6A,

an STK data field comprising information representative of the shared technical capacity of the terminal 14 associated with the native communication application of the terminal 12, here the data field STK indicates a storage capacity, a data field SZ comprising a parameter relating to the technical capacity STK, here the data field SZ indicates the size available for the storage capacity.

During a step 26, the terminal 12 sends the message M1 to the terminal 1 1.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the transmission method described in relation to FIG. 2 is implemented by a server S (not shown in FIG. 1) of the communication network 100. According to this particular embodiment of FIG. the invention, the data of the setting application are stored in a database of the communication network 1 00 or on the server S. The server S implements in particular the step 22 of receiving a discovery message communication capabilities of the terminal 12. In step 23, the server S queries the database storing the data of the parameterization application concerning the terminal 12 and determines the communication applications and the associated communication capabilities that the Terminal 12 user has agreed to share.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates steps of the communication capability discovery method according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The discovery method is for example implemented by the terminal 1 1 of Figure 1.

During a step 31, the terminal 1 1 sends to the terminal 12 a message of discovery of the communication capabilities relating to the user UB. The discovery message is sent for example by the terminal 1 1 following consultation by the UA user of the contact UB contained in the address book associated with the terminal 1 1. The discovery message is for example an OPTIONS message according to the SIP protocol. As described in connection with FIG. 2, the message M1 comprises at least one data field indicating a communication capacity relative to the user UB (RCS, CAP of FIG. 6A, VISI01, VISI02 of FIG. 6B, FT of FIG. Figure 6C).

During a step 32, the terminal 11 receives the response message M1 sent by the terminal 12 during step 26 in response to the discovery message.

During a step 33, the terminal 1 1 obtains from the message M1 at least one representative information of an alternative communication application (VOIP_ALT, MSGR of Figure 6A, OP13 of Figure 6B).

According to one variant, the information representative of an alternative communication application is associated in the message M1 with a communication capacity relating to the user U B present in the message M1.

Thus, from the message M1, the terminal 1 1 obtains:

the communication capabilities of the messaging application relating to the terminal 12 (CAP),

the communication capabilities of the native communication application of the terminal 13 (VISI02).

According to another variant, during the step 33, the terminal 1 1 also obtains from the message M1 a parameter for identifying the user UB: in the data field PAR corresponding to the identifier UB_ALT for the communication application VOIP_ALT,

in the ADMSG data field for the messaging application associated with the terminal 12 (MSGR),

in the ADDR field for the native communication application of the terminal 13 (OP13).

According to another variant, during the step 33, the terminal 1 1 also obtains from the message M1, a parameter indicating a type of terminal of the user UB. This parameter is included in the TV data field for the native communication application of the terminal 13 (OP13).

According to another variant, during the step 33, the terminal 1 1 also obtains from the message M1, information representative of a technical capacity relating to a terminal of the user UB, associated with a communication application. The technical capacity is obtained from the data field STK of the message M1. The STK data field indicates that the resulting technical capacity corresponds to a storage capacity. The data field OP12 of the message M1 indicates that the storage technical capacity is associated with the native communication application of the terminal 12 and the data field SZ of the message M1 indicates that the available size associated with the technical storage capacity.

During a step 34, the terminal 1 1 returns to the user UA the information representative of the communication application obtained during step 33 in association with a contact information of the user U B. By for example, in the address book associated with the terminal 1 1, under the name of the user UB, the terminal 1 1 displays the name of the communication applications reported in the message M1.

Alternatively, next to each name of communication applications, the terminal 1 1 also displays a series of icons, each icon representing a communication capacity associated with the communication application.

According to another variant, beside the name of a communication application, information indicating the type of terminal implementing the communication application in question is returned by the terminal 1 1. For example, a thumbnail representing the type of terminal is displayed.

According to another variant, information relating to a technical capacity associated with a communication application is displayed beside or under the name of the communication application. In the particular embodiment of the invention described herein, information indicating a storage capacity is displayed next to the name of the native communication application of the terminal 12. The available memory size associated with the storage capacity can also be displayed.

According to yet another variant, the restitution of information relating to a technical capacity is made after the establishment of a communication between the terminal 1 1 and a terminal of the user UB according to the communication application associated with the capacity technical.

Thus, the user UA is informed of the availability of the technical capacity only when it is available, that is to say when a communication is established from the communication application to which the technical capacity is associated. During a step 35, the user UA wishes to trigger a communication to the user UB. For this, the user UA chooses a communication application retrieved by the terminal 1 1 in association with the contact UB of the address book associated with the terminal 1 1. During the step 35, the terminal 11 detects a user interaction selecting a communication application restored during the step 24.

FIG. 7A describes an alternative embodiment of establishment of a communication following the selection by the user UA made during step 35.

According to this variant, the user UA has selected the videophone communication capacity of the native communication application of the terminal 13 to communicate with the user U B. During a step 700, the terminal 11 triggers a communication request. to the terminal 13, for example by sending an INVITE SIP message to the terminal 13 by the parameter UB_2 obtained from the ADDR data field of the message M1. The communication request sent to the terminal 13 includes a parameter indicating a request for communication in videophone mode.

Following reception of the communication request by the terminal 13 during the step 700, the terminal 13 informs the user U B of the communication request in videophone mode from the terminal 1 1. During a step 701, the terminal 13 accepts the communication request, for example by sending a SIP message 200OK to the terminal 1 1. In known manner, a videophone communication is thus established between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 13 during a step 702.

During a step 703, the terminal 1 1 then updates the restitution of the information made in the step 34 described in connection with FIG. 3. In the step 703, the terminal 11 determines the communication capabilities for which the communication mode is incompatible with the communication mode of the established communication. In the course of the step 703, the terminal 11 thus only restores the user-related communication capabilities U B received in the message M1 and that are compatible with the communication mode of the established communication.

Thus, the terminal 1 1 takes into account the establishment of a videophone communication between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 13 to display to the user UA the communication capabilities relating to the user UB that are compatible with the communication in videophone mode established in step 702. A voice or videophone communication capability implemented by a communication application restored in step 24 is thus not compatible with the current communication.

On the other hand, a communication capability such as file transfer, photo sharing or instant messaging remains compatible with the current communication.

According to another variant described in connection with FIG. 7A, the user UA has selected the video telephony communication capability of the communication application relating to the messaging application associated with the terminal 12. During a step 700, the user terminal 1 1 triggers a communication request to the messaging server 1 7, for example by sending of an INVITE SIP message to the messaging server 17 using the data obtained from the ADMSG data field of the message M1. The communication request sent to the messaging server 17 includes a parameter indicating that the communication request is intended for the user UB's messaging. This parameter is for example the telephone number UB_1 of the user UB obtained by the terminal 1 1 from the address book associated with the terminal 1 1. The communication request also includes a parameter indicating a request for communication in video telephony mode.

Following reception of the communication request by the messaging server 17 during the step 700, during a step 701, the messaging server 17 accepts the communication request, for example by sending a message. SIP message 200OK at terminal 1 1. During a step 702, a communication is established between the messaging server 17 and the terminal 11. In the course of step 702, the user UA leaves a video message to the user UB and then terminates the communication with the messaging server 17. FIG. 7B describes another embodiment variant a communication following the selection by the user UA made during step 35.

According to this variant, the user UA has selected the voice communication capacity of the native communication application of the terminal 12 to communicate with the user U B. During a step 700 ', the terminal 1 1 triggers a request for communication to the terminal 12, for example by sending an INVITE SIP message to the terminal 12 through the parameter UB_1 obtained from the address book associated with the terminal 1 1. The communication request sent to the terminal 12 includes a parameter indicating a request for communication in voice mode.

Following the reception of the communication request by the terminal 12 during the step 700 ', the terminal 12 informs the user U B of the communication request in voice mode from the terminal 1 1. During a step 701 ', the terminal 12 accepts the communication request, for example by sending a SIP message 200OK to the terminal 1 1. In known manner, a voice communication is thus established between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 13 during a step 702 '.

During a step 703 ', the terminal 1 1 updates the restitution of the information made in the step 34 described in connection with Figure 3. In the step 703', the terminal 1 1 takes into account recovery a voice mode communication between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 12 for displaying to the user UA the UB-related communications capabilities that are compatible with the voice mode communication established in step 702 ' . In particular, the terminal 1 1 displays to the user UA that the technical storage capacity is compatible with the current communication.

During a step 704, the terminal 11 detects a user interaction selecting the technical storage capacity. During the step 704, the user UA selects in the memory of the terminal 1 1, a file FILET012 to be transmitted to the terminal 12. In a variant, the user UA uses the camera of the terminal 1 1 to take a picture. The photograph taken is inserted into a file FILET012 to be transmitted to the terminal 12.

During a step 705, the terminal 11 sends the terminal 12 a data processing command to be executed by the technical capacity selected in step 704. In this example, the data processing command corresponds to a request for data processing. storing file FILTET012 obtained in step 704. In step 705, the data processing command is sent for example in a SIP OPTIONS message. The message sent during step 705 includes, for example:

the identity of the terminal transmitting the request, here the terminal 1 1,

the identity of the terminal receiving the request, here the terminal 12,

information representative of the technical capacity to be used, here the storage capacity,

a parameter relating to the use of the technical capacity, here the file FILTET012 to be transferred to the user UB.

As a variant, the file FILET012 to be transferred can be transmitted in a data stream different from the SIP OPTIONS message, for example according to the RTP protocol. In this variant, the data stream comprising the file to be transmitted FILET012 comprises a parameter identifying the message comprising the data processing command.

In step 705, the terminal 12 receives the data processing command sent by the terminal 11.

In a step 706, the terminal 12 identifies from the message received in step 705, that the data processing command is a request to use a storage technical capacity. The terminal 12 verifies from the data of the setting application that a storage capacity is associated with the communication application that it uses for the current communication, here the native communication application of the terminal 12. terminal 12 also determines from the data of the setting application that the storage capacity associated with the native communication application of the terminal 12 is the storage capacity of the terminal 14.

In the course of step 706, the terminal 12 checks from the received command that the identity of the sender of the request is identical to the identity of the terminal with which the terminal 12 is communicating via the native communication application of the terminal 12, here the terminal 1 1.

During the step 706, if all the verification steps made in this step are positive, the terminal 12 connects to the local network of the home gateway 15 if it is not already connected to this network. Then, the terminal 12 transmits, via the local network of the home gateway 15, to the terminal 14 the file FILTET012 received during the step 705. During the step 705, the terminal 14 receives the file FILET012 to store and stores it in the shared storage space of its memory.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, during a step 707, the terminal 14 can acknowledge the storage of the FILTET012 file by sending an acknowledgment message to the terminal 12. Following receipt by the terminal 12 of the acknowledgment message sent by the terminal 14 during the step 707, during a step 708, the terminal 12 can transmit an end of processing message to the terminal 1 1 to indicate at the terminal 1 1 that the data processing command sent in step 705 has been executed and is complete.

If the data processing command could not be executed, for example because a check at step 707 gave a negative result, or because the file was not correctly transmitted to the terminal 12 or at the terminal 14, the end of processing message indicates that the data processing command sent in step 705 has not been executed. The end of processing message may also contain information indicating the reason for the non-fulfillment of the processing command. The end of data processing message is for example sent in the form of a SIP OPTIONS message.

After step 708, or step 706, the communication established between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 12 terminates in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the steps 22 to 26 described with reference to FIG. 2 and the steps 31 to 34 described in relation with FIG. 3 are implemented during a communication already established between the terminal 1 1 and the terminal 12.

According to this particular embodiment of the invention, the terminal 1 1 can thus update the communication information relating to the user UB returned to the user UA.

For example, this particular embodiment of the invention is advantageous when the terminal 11 has obtained the communication information relating to the user UB for a certain time, for example a week or a month.

According to another example, if steps 22 to 26 were implemented before the establishment of the communication by the server S, the server S could not have all the information available in real time. For example, during the implementation of steps 22 to 26, the server S may have only provided the terminal 1 1 with the information concerning the communication applications and the communication capabilities relating to the terminal 12 because the information concerning the applications communication and communication capabilities relating to other terminals of the user UB are unknown to him. Or, the server S is not aware of the availability of the other terminals of the user UB.

FIG. 4 illustrates a device able to implement the method of discovering the communication capacities according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

The device 40 comprises a storage module 42, for example a memory (MEM), a processing unit 43, equipped for example with a microprocessor (PROC), and driven by the computer program (PG) 41 implementing the method of discovering the communication capabilities as described in connection with FIGS. 3, 7A and 7B. At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program 41 are for example loaded into memory (MEM) before being executed by the processor (PROC) of the processing unit 43. The processor of the processor unit processing 43 implements the steps of the method of discovering the communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal, for example the user UB of the terminal 12, according to the instructions of the computer program 41. The processor of the processing unit 43 implements in particular:

a step of sending to the receiving terminal, by a transmitting terminal, for example the terminal 1 1, a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal, a step of receiving a response message to said discovery message, a step of obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from a native communication application of the receiving terminal,

a step of restitution by the transmitting terminal of said information representative of the communication application in association with a contact information of the user of the receiving terminal.

The device 40 also comprises communication means 45. The communication means are for example implemented by a communication module (COM). The communication module (COM) makes it possible to send and receive communications via the communications network 100. The communication module (COM) also makes it possible to receive and transmit messages relating to a communication capacity exchange with a communications network. other terminal.

The device 40 comprises, in a conventional manner, a sound reproduction and capture module 49, for example loudspeakers and a microphone (HP) enabling the device 40 to render and capture a user's audio stream.

The device 40 comprises a user interaction module 48, for example a keypad or a touch interface (IO) allowing a user to interact on the device 40. In particular, the user interaction module 48 allows a user to select a communication application to trigger the sending of a communication request to a contact of an address book associated with the device 40.

The device 40 comprises a reproduction module 46, for example a screen (AFF), in particular for rendering information representative of a communication application, a communication capacity and a technical capacity associated with a communication application.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the storage module 42 stores information relating to at least one contact of an address book associated with the device.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 40 is included in a terminal. For example, the terminal may be a mobile or fixed terminal, a personal computer, a tablet, etc. FIG. 5 illustrates a device able to implement the method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

The device 50 comprises a storage module 52, for example a memory (MEM), a processing unit 53, equipped for example with a microprocessor (PROC), and driven by the computer program (PG) 51 implementing the method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application as described with reference to FIGS. 2, 7A and 7B. At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program 51 are for example loaded into memory (MEM) before being executed by the processor (PROC) of the processing unit 53. The processor of the processor unit processing 53 implements the steps of the method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having at least one receiving terminal, for example the user UB of the terminal 12, according to the instructions computer program 51. The processor of the processing unit 53 implements, in particular:

a step of receiving a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal, coming from a transmitting terminal,

a step of insertion in a response message to said message of discovery of an information representative of said determined communication application, said information representative of the communication application being intended to be restored by the transmitting terminal in association with information of contact relating to the user of the receiving terminal,

a step of sending to the transmitting terminal, the response message.

The device 50 also comprises communication means 55. The communication means are for example implemented by a communication module (COM1). The communication module (COM1) makes it possible to send and receive communications via the communications network 100. The communication module (COM1) also makes it possible to receive and transmit messages relating to a communication capacity exchange with a communication network. other terminal.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 also comprises communication means 57, for example implemented by a communication module (COM2). The communication module (COM2) allows the device 50 to establish a connection with a local network of the home gateway 15 described in connection with FIG.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 comprises, in a conventional manner, a sound reproduction and capture module 59, for example loudspeakers and a microphone (HP) enabling the device 50 to reproduce and capture an audio stream from a user. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 comprises a user interaction module 58, for example a keypad or a touch interface (10) allowing a user to interact on the device 50. user interaction module 58 allows a user to enter information relating to his communication preferences, to select a communication application, a communication capability, a technical capability of a terminal to be made available, from an application of setting.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 comprises a rendering module 56, for example a screen (AFF), in particular for rendering data relating to the parameter setting application.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the storage module 52 makes it possible to store parameter data entered by the user during step 21 of FIG. 2, or parameter data provided by the operator. of the communication network 100 during the step 21 of FIG. 2, or parameterization data received from a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal via the communication network 100 or 101.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 is included in a terminal. For example, the terminal may be a mobile or fixed terminal, a personal computer, a tablet, etc.

According to another particular embodiment of the invention, the device 50 is included in a server.

The variants and examples presented above can be implemented alone or in combination with each other. The variants and embodiments described above are not limiting of the possible embodiments of the invention. The transmission method according to the invention applies to any type of communication application and communication capabilities.

Claims

claims

1. A method of discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal, the method comprises:

a step of sending (31) to said receiving terminal (12) by a transmitting terminal

(1 1), a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal relating to a native communication application of the receiving terminal

a step of receiving (32) a response message to said discovery message,

the method is characterized in that it comprises:

a step of obtaining (33), from the received response message, an information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from the native communication application of the receiving terminal,

a restitution step (34) by the transmitting terminal of said representative information of the alternative communication application in association with a contact information of the user of the receiving terminal.

2. The discovery method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

in the received response message, the information representative of the alternative communication application is associated with at least one communication capability,

during the restitution step, the representative information of the alternative communication application is restored in association with said communication capability, indicating that the alternative communication application is adapted to be used to implement said alternative communication capability. communication during a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

3. Discovery method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it further comprises a step of obtaining, from the received response message, a user identification parameter. the receiving terminal to said alternative communication application.

4. Discovery method according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises: a step of detecting a user interaction selecting an alternative communication application corresponding to information representative of said alternative communication application restored during the rendering step,

a step of triggering a communication request sent to the receiving terminal or to another terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, from the selected alternative communication application and from said user identification parameter; the receiving terminal.

5. Discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when a communication is established according to a first communication capacity between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, the method further comprises a step of updating the restitution of the communication capacities restored prior to the establishment of the call, to delete at least one communication capacity for which the communication mode is incompatible with the communication mode of the first communication ability.

6. Discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that it further comprises:

a step of obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a technical capacity relating to a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said technical capacity being associated with a communication application that can be implemented implemented by a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal,

during a communication established according to said communication application between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, a step of sending by the transmitting terminal to said terminal of the user of the receiving terminal of a command data processing to be performed by the technical capability.

A method of transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having a receiving terminal (12), comprising:

a step of receiving (22) a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal relating to a native communication application of the receiving terminal, from a transmitting terminal (1 1),

a step of sending (26) to the transmitting terminal, a response message to said received discovery message,

the transmission method is characterized in that it comprises: a step of determining (23) at least one communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from the native communication application of the receiving terminal,

an insertion step (25) in said response message of information representative of said determined alternative communication application, said information representative of the alternative communication application being intended to be returned by the transmitting terminal in association with information of contact relating to the user of the receiving terminal.

8. Transmission method according to claim 7 characterized in that, when the receiving terminal belongs to a group of at least two terminals of the user of the receiving terminal, said two terminals being able to implement said communication application determined , the transmission method comprises:

a step of selecting a terminal among the at least two terminals according to a predetermined criterion,

an insertion step, in said response message, of an identifier of the selected terminal.

9. Device for discovering communication capabilities relating to a user of a receiving terminal, the device comprises:

means for sending to said receiving terminal, a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal relating to a native communication application of the receiving terminal, means for receiving a response message to said discovery message,

the device is characterized in that it further comprises:

means for obtaining, from the received response message, information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, which can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the communication terminal. of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from the native communication application of the receiving terminal,

means for rendering the transmitting terminal of said information representative of the communication application in association with a contact information of the user of the receiving terminal.

Device for transmitting at least one piece of information representative of a communication application relating to a user having at least one receiving terminal, comprising:

receiving means from a transmitting terminal, a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of the receiving terminal relating to a native communication application of the receiving terminal,

means for sending to the transmitting terminal, a response message to said discovery message,

the transmission device is characterized in that it comprises:

means for determining at least one communication application, called an alternative communication application, that can be used to establish a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, said alternative communication application being a communication application separate from the native communication application of the receiving terminal,

insertion means in said sent message of information representative of said determined communication application, said information representative of the communication application being intended to be returned by the transmitting terminal in association with a contact information relating to the user of the receiving terminal.

1 1. Terminal comprising a device according to claim 9 or claim 1 0.

A computer program comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or steps of the transmission method according to any one of claims 7 to 7. 8, when the program is executed by a processor.

13. Reply message capable of being sent to a terminal transmitting a message of discovery of the communication capabilities of a receiving terminal relating to a native communication application of the receiving terminal, the response message is characterized in that it comprises:

an information representative of a communication application, called an alternative communication application, suitable for use in establishing a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal, the said alternative communication application being a communication application distinct from the native communication application of the receiving terminal.

14. Message according to claim 13, characterized in that the information representative of the alternative communication application is associated with at least one communication capability, indicating that the alternative communication application is able to be used to implement said communication device. communication capability during a communication between the transmitting terminal and a terminal of the user of the receiving terminal.

15. Message according to any one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that it comprises a parameter identifying the user of the receiving terminal with said determined alternative communication application.