BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile data communication system including a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to methods for transmitting and receiving data in a data communication system having a mobile station. Using the method according to the present invention, a user can transmit or receive data through a data communication channel by transmitting and receiving a ATD command and a receiving side telephone number without disconnecting the wireless voice communication line connection made earlier.

2. Background of the Related Art

The basic objective of the current research and development of the GSM (Global System for Mobile) digital cellular phones is to provide an outstanding global wireless communication service by building a global GSM network. The service should include not only a voice service, but also a data service, a fax service, a short message service, and many other supplemental services so that a global mobile management service can be provided to enable a user to be connected with others.

For providing a data (fax) service among the services mentioned above, a typical mobile station requires a fax adapter and can support up to a 2.4 kbit/s transmission rate depending on the type of the mobile terminal and the type of the communication service. On the other hand, A PC for a high-speed data service can support up to a 9.6 kbit/s transmission rate.

FIG. 1

illustrates a typical wireless data communication system. The system includes a transmitting/receiving data terminal (i.e., PC)

10

running an application program for a high-speed data service in order to send/receive the data in series; a mobile terminal (MT)

20

performing a data communicating function and modem controlling functions of the communication software and an IWF (Interworking function) by combining a call detecting function and a switching function; a base station (BS)

30

broadcasting the wireless data communication of the mobile terminal

20

; a BSC (Base Station Controller)

40

controlling the base station

30

; a MSC (Mobile Switching Center)

50

determining a communication line depending upon the communication service requested by the mobile terminal

20

; an IWF (Interworking Function)

60

being connected to the MSC

50

and having a modem pooling function for connecting to the internet; a service network (i.e. PSTN: Public Switch Telephone Network)

70

for the data communication; and a receiving/transmitting data terminal

80

.

The data terminal

10

includes a personal computer and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that run the application software for the high-speed data service to transmit/receive data in series to/from the mobile terminal

20

. Additionally, the BSC

40

uses Signaling System No. 7 to establish a data call in response to a call request for the data service and to manage a signal link when performing handover. The MSC

50

handles a mobile call operation, a subscriber information process, a visiting subscriber management, a data call operation with the IWF

60

, and a process for interworking with other networks such as PSTN or PCS. The IWF

60

performs a modem pooling in order to connect to an internet or a data service call.

In order to have a voice conversation using the mobile terminal

20

and to transmit data using the data terminal

10

, an ATD command is inputted. The ATD request signal is transmitted to the BSC

40

and MSC

50

through the base station

30

by the mobile terminal

20

. The MSC

50

initially identifies the data service option; makes a connection request to the data terminal

80

, which is connected to the PSTN

70

, of the receiving subscriber according to the ATD request signal; and reports to the mobile terminal

20

after confirming with MSC

50

if the data terminal

80

accepts the request. Thereafter, the IWF accomplishes the modem communication by negotiating with the receiving subscriber. Therefore, once a data communication channel is accomplished, the data is received or transmitted through a modem assigned to the IWF

60

by the application program.

When the application program requests to terminate the data service according to the line restoration request from the transmitting subscriber, the mobile terminal

20

transmits a modem canceling request signal through the IWF

60

in order to cancel the assigned modem, and it restores the link to the MSC

50

. When the link through a modem is completed, the line between the MSC

50

and the mobile terminal emulator is restored. Then the line between the transmitting subscriber and the MSC

50

is restored according to the call restoring request made by the transmitting subscriber, and the data service gets terminated.

On the other hand, when the data terminal

10

(i.e., facsimile) sends a receiving call request to the BSC

40

, the BSC

40

pages the mobile terminal

20

through a TCP/IP protocol. When the mobile terminal

20

repeatedly transmits the ring signal being indicative of an incoming call in order to convert to a facsimile receiving mode in the application program, the application program of the data terminal

10

that received the call transmits ATA signal, and the mobile terminal

20

sends a reply message after confirming the receipt of the ATA signal. The mobile terminal

20

sends a connection message indicating the fax data receiving condition to the MSC

50

, and it sends a ATD command to the IWF

60

after a predetermined time period in order to achieve a fax data communication. When the mobile terminal

20

receives a call canceling request message upon completion of the data transmission, it sends a modem resetting control signal to the IWF

60

and sends a call release completion message the MSC

50

upon receipt of the reset completion signal. Finally, the communication channel between the mobile terminal

20

and the MSC

50

is released.

According to the typical wireless communication system shown above, the system can be converted to a fax mode by sending a ATD command from the data terminal to the mobile terminal or sending a fax signal after the opposite side mobile terminal converts to a fax mode during the voice communication. Once a fax mode is set, data transmits from the transmitting data terminal

10

to the receiving data terminal

80

through the mobile terminal

20

. On the other hand, the data transmitted from the receiving data terminal are transmitted to the data terminal

10

through the mobile terminal

20

.

However, in a case where the mode switches from a voice communication mode to a fax mode for fax data transmission during voice conversation, the commands that the application program can use are limited to ATD or Remote Initiated commands. In other words, it is quite difficult to switch to another phone number when a connection is once made by the ATD command.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to method for transmitting and receiving data using a mobile terminal that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide methods for transmitting and receiving data in a data communication system including a mobile terminal, in which the mode of the communication system is converted from a Voice mode to a Data (Fax) mode without disconnecting the voice communication line made earlier by transmitting a ATD command with a receiving side telephone number.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a method for transmitting data in a data communication system having a transmitting data terminal and a mobile terminal includes establishing a voice communication channel between the mobile terminal and a receiving data terminal in the data communication system set to a Voice mode; setting the data communication system to a Data mode without disconnecting the voice data communication channel by transmitting a first connection request command and a telephone number of the receiving data terminal by the transmitting data terminal to the mobile terminal; establishing a data communication channel between the transmitting and receiving data terminals; and transmitting data by the transmitting data terminal to the receiving data terminal through the data communication channel.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving data in a data communication system having a mobile terminal and a receiving data terminal includes establishing a voice communication channel between the mobile terminal and a transmitting data terminal in the data communication system set to a Voice mode; setting the data communication system to a Data mode without disconnecting the voice communication channel if a telephone number received by the mobile terminal together with a first connection request from the transmitting data terminal is correct; establishing a data communication channel between the transmitting and receiving data terminals; and receiving data by the receiving data terminal from the transmitting data terminal through the data communication channel.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings;

FIG. 1

illustrates a typical wireless data communication system according to the related art;

FIG. 2

illustrates a mode conversion of a data communication system according the present invention;

FIG. 3

illustrates a method for transmitting data using a mobile terminal in a data communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4

illustrates a method for receiving data using a mobile terminal in a data communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2

illustrates a mode conversion of a data communication system from a Voice mode to a Data (Fax) mode according to the present invention. A transmitting data terminal sends a ATD command and a telephone number of a corresponding receiving data terminal to a mobile terminal for converting the mode of the data communication system from a Voice mode to a Data (Fax) mode. The mode conversion processes included in methods for transmitting and receiving data using a mobile terminal will be explained in more detail later in this section.

FIG. 3

illustrates a method for transmitting data using a mobile terminal in a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. According to

FIG. 3

, after a voice communication line connection is made between a mobile terminal

20

and a receiving data terminal

80

in a data communication system set to a Voice mode (S

101

), a transmitting data terminal

10

sends a ATD command and a receiving side telephone number to the mobile terminal

20

in order to convert the mode of the communication system to a Data (Fax) mode without disconnecting the voice communication line made earlier (S

102

S

103

).

Then the ATD command and the receiving side telephone number are transmitted to a MSC

50

through a base station

30

and a BSC

40

, and the MSC

50

analyzes the ATD command and the telephone number to check whether it is an asynchronous circuit data service request. If it is, the MSC

50

sends a connection request to the receiving data terminal

80

connected to a PSTN

70

. When a connection line to the receiving data terminal is set up successfully after the connection request is allowed by the receiving data terminal, the MSC

50

reports this to the data terminal

10

through the BSC

40

, the base station

30

, and the mobile terminal

20

(S

104

). Thereafter, the data terminal

10

sends data to the MSC

50

through the base station

30

and the MSC

40

, and the MSC

50

and the IWF

60

sends the received data to the receiving data terminal

80

connected to the PSTN

70

(S

105

). When the data transmission is completed, the data terminal

10

sends a call-releasing request and a modem-releasing request to disconnect the data communication channel. In addition, if the connection request made by the MSC

50

is rejected because the receiving data terminal is busy, the transmitting data terminal can resend another receiving side telephone number to try to set up a new data communication channel and to transmit the data.

On the other hand,

FIG. 4

illustrates a method for receiving data using a mobile station in a communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. After a voice communication channel connection is made between a mobile communication system

20

and a transmitting data terminal

80

in a communication system set to a Voice mode (S

111

), the transmitting data terminal

80

sends a ATD command and a connection requesting signal (call signal) including a telephone number to the mobile terminal (S

112

). Then the mobile terminal checks whether the phone number included in the connection requesting signal is correct. If it is determined to be the correct number, the mode of the communication system is converted to a Data (Fax) mode (S

113

). When the mode is converted to the Data (Fax) mode, this is reported to the MSC

50

, and the transmitting data terminal receives a data communication channel connection report (S

115

). Finally, the data communication channel is disconnected when the transmitting data terminal sends a modem release requesting signal or a call release-requesting signal.

By sending a receiving side telephone number to the mobile terminal together with a connection request signal (ATD command) as shown in the data communication method according to the present invention, a user can transmit or receive data more conveniently during the wireless conversation. In other words, the mode of the communication system can simply be converted from a Voice mode to a Data (Fax) mode by transmitting a ATD command together with a receiving side telephone number so that it can provide a substantial convenience to a user when transmitting or receiving data during a wireless phone conversation.

The forgoing embodiments are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.