Wireless Telephone Systems

The present invention relates to wireless telephone systems and in particular to the provision of services and information to a wireless terminal of a wireless telephone system.

Modern wireless telephone system terminals, such as mobile phones, have an increasing range of possible communications options. For example, as well as being able to be used for voice calls, they can be used for so-called text-messaging, multi-media messaging (MMS) , and to access data, for example via the Internet (e.g. using WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) ) . In the case of third generation (3G) mobile 'phones, video calls are also possible. Such communications are typically made, as is known in the art, via the mobile phone network of the user's service provider. It is also now possible for mobile phones to be equipped with the ability to make and communicate over a "local" data connection, such as a short-range radio link, such as WiFi. This can allow a mobile phone handset to, e.g., connect to the Internet via a WiFi link, rather than having to go via the phone network, where a suitable local data connection providing Internet access is available.

However, notwithstanding these possible communications and connectivity options that are becoming available with more modern mobile phones, the Applicants believe there remains scope for further improvements in this regard. For example, there may still be issues with regard to the cost, reliability and/or security of the services that are being provided and/or accessed.

According to a first- aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for wireless communications, comprising: a wireless telephone system terminal, the terminal comprising means for connecting to a wireless telephone network, and means for establishing a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network; a data connection unit to which the wireless terminal can wirelessly connect via a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network; and an information system that is coupled directly to the data connection unit; and wherein: the wireless terminal, the data connection unit, and the information system are arranged such that the wireless terminal can wirelessly connect to the data connection unit via a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network and can when so-connected communicate with the information system via the direct coupling between the data connection unit and the information system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a system for wireless telephone communications, in which system wireless telephone system terminals can connect to a wireless telephone network and can establish wireless data connections that are independent of the wireless telephone network, the method comprising: establishing a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network between a wireless telephone system terminal and a data connection unit that is coupled directly to an information system; and

the wireless terminal communicating with the information system via the wireless data connection to the data connection unit and the direct coupling between the data connection unit and the information system. The present invention provides a wireless telephone system in which a wireless telephone system terminal (e.g. mobile, phone) is able to communicate with an information system via a wireless data connection to a data connection unit and a direct coupling between the data connection unit and the information system. In other words, the wireless telephone system terminal can communicate with the information system without, e.g., needing to route its communications over another, external communications network, such as the wireless telephone network or the Internet. Thus the present invention, in effect, provides an arrangement whereby a user of a wireless telephone system terminal can connect with their wireless terminal to a "local" information system, directly, over a "local" and/or, e.g., personal, direct data connection.

This arrangement has a number of advantages. Firstly, the costs associated with using the telephone network and/or Internet can be avoided for communications with the "local", direct connection information system.

Furthermore, particularly if the "local" information system is under the control of the wireless terminal user, the direct connection "local" information system can be configured to respond in a particular and desired manner to communications made to it over the "local" direct data connection (in contrast, for example, to the relatively unstructured or uncoordinated response that may be provided where communications are made over the Internet to an "unknown" computer system) . Similarly, the direct connection, local information system can, e.g., be used to provide more reliable,

trustworthy, secure and/or higher-quality communications and information from a user's perspective, than, e.g., information obtained from an "unknown" computer over the Internet . The "direct connection", "local" information system in the system of the present invention can be any desired and suitable such system. In a preferred embodiment it is a computer system, and most preferably a "home" computer system, such as a home PC or server. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the "direct connection" information system is the home computer system of the user of the wireless telephone system terminal .

However, the "direct connection", "local" information system could also or instead be any other suitable information device or system that can communicate with a wireless communications terminal, such as an interactive television or set-top box. Other arrangements are, of course possible. The information system preferably can be left always on, and is preferably set up in a permanently (always) on state. It preferably has its own Internet access, preferably via a broadband connection.

The communications connection with the information system can preferably be used to access and use one or more services, resources and/or data of or available via the information system. It could, for example, be used to access one or more of a personal directory, library documents, letters, photos, videos, personal data, etc.. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the local information system provides, inter alia, an information service, to the wireless terminal, such as, and preferably, an encyclopedia-type service or package, that the wireless terminal can interrogate via the direct "local" data connection.

In a particular preferred embodiment, the service that is provided by and accessed on the local information system comprises the downloading of media content, such as movies, TV programmes, songs, delayed broadcast reception, and/or podcasts, etc., to the wireless communications terminal. The Applicants have recognised in particular that the present invention facilitates the downloading of such content to a wireless communications terminal, e.g., for later viewing via the terminal, in an "offline" fashion (since the content can be downloaded first to the information system from the Internet, and then at a later time downloaded from the information system to the communications terminal via the local data connection) . The data connection unit can be any suitable such unit that can support a wireless data connection that is independent of a wireless telephone network with the wireless terminal. It accordingly preferably comprises a unit that will support a short-range (local) radio connection (that is independent of the wireless telephone network) with a wireless communications terminal, and is, preferably, a wireless, e.g., WiFi, access point or router.

The wireless data connection between the wireless terminal and the data connection unit is similarly preferably a suitable short range radio connection (e.g. that has sufficient bandwidth for its desired or intended uses), such as, and preferably, a WiFi connection. The overall effect should be that there is a "direct", "local" wireless connection between the terminal and the data connection unit, i.e. that does pass via an external communications network such as a wireless telephone network or the Internet.

The data connection unit can be coupled to the "direct connection" information system as desired, for example via a wired or a wireless (e.g. radio or

infra-red) connection. It should be noted here that the requirement for a direct coupling between the information system and data connection unit does not preclude the possibility of there being intervening or additional components, such as routers, etc. (although it may be preferred that there are no such intervening components) . Rather, what is intended is that the connection is made independently of any external communications network, such as a phone network or the Internet.

Thus, as will be appreciated from the above, the overall arrangement of the data connection between the wireless terminal and the information system via the data connection unit should be such that the wireless terminal can connect to and communicate with the information system independently of, and without the need to connect via, an external communications network, such as, and preferably, a wireless phone network or the Internet. Subject to this requirement, the "direct connection" between the wireless terminal and the information system can otherwise operate as desired.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there will need to be a mechanism whereby a user of the wireless terminal can elect to connect to the "local" information system via the "local" data link and can indicate this to the system in use. This can be achieved in any suitable and desired manner, for example by the user entering a particular command to their wireless terminal. In one preferred embodiment, a user can connect to the "local" information system in the manner of the present invention by dialling a particular, preferably predefined, identifier, such as, and preferably, a particular number or numbers, access code or codes, URL, and/or IP address, etc., that the system will then respond to by attempting to make a connection to the

"direct connection" information system via the local data link.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the wireless communications terminal includes or supports an application that can be used to activate the connection to the "local information system". Preferably this application automatically attempts to connect the terminal to the "local" information system via the "local" data link when the user activates the application in the appropriate manner (such as by clicking on an icon for the application) . Again, in these arrangements, the application, once activated, preferably tries to establish a communications connection to an address, number and/or code, etc., that is associated with the "local" information system.

Thus, in a particularly preferred embodiment the local information system has associated with it one or more access identifiers (e.g. addresses, numbers, and/or codes) that may be used to initiate a connection to the information system via the "local" data connection arrangement .

Similarly, the wireless terminal is preferably configured to identify when a connection to an identifier associated with the direct connection information system is indicated (e.g. whether by a user dialling a particular number or an application of the terminal initiating such a connection attempt or otherwise) , and to, in response thereto, attempt to establish a data connection to the (local) data connection unit using the local wireless data connection of the wireless terminal . Similarly, the data connection unit is preferably configured to, in response to such a connection, attempt to couple the wireless terminal to the (local) information system via its direct coupling to the information system.

Thus, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communications terminal for a wireless telephone system, comprising: means for connecting to a wireless telephone network;. means for establishing a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network; and means for, in response to a user indicating a particular communications request, attempting to establish a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network, and for indicating via that connection a desire to connect to an information system independently of an external communications network.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating wireless telephone terminal of a wireless telephone system, the method comprising: the terminal, in response to a user indicating a particular communications request, attempting to establish a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network, and indicating via that connection a desire to connect to an information system independently of an external communications network .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for a communications system comprising: a data connection unit that can be wirelessly connected to and receive connection requests from a wireless telephone terminal of a wireless telephone system independently of the wireless telephone network; and an information system that is directly coupled to the data connection unit;

and wherein : the data connection unit comprises means for, in response to particular communications requests received from a wireless telephone terminal, establishing a communications connection between the wireless telephone terminal and the information system that is directly- coupled to the data connection unit via its direct coupling to the information system.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a communications system which comprises a data connection unit that can be wirelessly connected to and receive connection requests from a wireless telephone terminal of a wireless telephone system independently of the wireless telephone network, and an information system that is directly coupled to the data connection unit, the method comprising; the data connection unit, in response to particular communications requests received from a wireless communications terminal, establishing a communications connection between the wireless communications terminal and the information system that is directly coupled to the data connection unit via its direct coupling to the information system. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art these aspects and embodiments of the invention can and preferably do include any one or more or all of the preferred and optional features of the invention described herein, as appropriate. Thus, for example, the data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network is preferably a short-range radio connection (to a suitable data connection unit) . Similarly, the user can preferably indicate the communications request for the local information system by dialling a number or code associated with that system

and/or by activating an application on the wireless terminal to do so.

Once the communications connection with the "local", direct connection information system has been established, the wireless terminal can preferably be used to communicate with and use the resources of (e.g., interrogate an application and/or service and/or data of) the information system in any desired and suitable manner and using any suitable and desired data transfer protocol. For example, the terminal can preferably communicate with the information system by one or more and preferably all of voice, text, multi-media and/or video (where, e.g., the information system and terminal have the necessary functionality) (and using any suitable data transfer protocol to do so) . Thus the information system preferably includes, e.g., and where necessary, speech recognition capability and/or an intelligent text processing engine, etc., to facilitate such communications. Similarly, the information system can preferably reply to the wireless terminal using one or more, or preferably all of, voice, text, multi-media and/or video, where it is capable of doing so (again this can be done using any suitable data transfer protocol) . It is also or instead preferably possible for the terminal and information system to communicate with each other using streamed data formats and/or file transfer by any suitable protocol .

In a preferred embodiment, an application on or supported by the wireless terminal acts to connect the terminal to the information system to allow the user to use the resources of the information system. This application could, e.g., present the available resources of the information system as a file structure or a set of programs, etc., that the user can then choose from using the wireless terminal.

The local information system could also, e.g., be configured with a user's preferences and capabilities, so that it can, for example, tailor its responses accordingly. For example, the local information system could be aware of a user's terminal's video call capabilities and be configured preferentially to respond to queries from that user using a video call (e.g. whatever the format of the user's initial query), if the user has a video-call enabled terminal . Indeed, as discussed above, a particular advantage of the system of the present invention is that the "local", direct connection information system can more readily be configured to provide a desired format of interaction and response to a user, unlike, e.g., in the case of communications made to "unknown", "foreign" computer systems, e.g., via the phone network or Internet.

Although, as discussed above, it is a key feature of the present invention that the wireless communications terminal can connect directly to the

"local" information system, via a "local" data link, in a preferred embodiment it is also possible for a communications terminal to be connected to the information system via an alternative, different communications connection. Most preferably in this arrangement, a wireless communications terminal can also connect to the information system via an external communications network, such as, and preferably, via the Internet, and/or a mobile communications (wireless telephone) network.

In these cases, the connection could be made, e.g., via a data connection, such as a WiFi link, to the Internet, with the communication then being routed over the Internet to the information system, and/or via a mobile communications network using, e.g., "dial-up"

connection or via a packet data connection such as GPRS or 3G.

The information system that is directly coupled to, the data connection unit is preferably associated with one or more virtual mobile numbers, short codes, URLs, and/or IP addresses, to facilitate connection to it, e.g., via a mobile communications (telephone) network. Such arrangements will facilitate, for example, a user of a wireless communications terminal being able to access the "local", direct connection, information system directly when they are within data connection range of the data connection unit that is directly coupled to the information system, or being able to access the information system via the Internet using a data connection, or via a mobile communications network, if they are out of range of the "local" data link.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the same identifier, e.g., and preferably, access code or codes and/or number or numbers, etc., can be used to indicate and establish a connection to the information system that is directly coupled to the data connection unit, irrespective of the communications connection actually being used. This has the advantage that a user can, in effect, use the same access procedure, and in particular, application or dial-up number, etc., to access the information system, irrespective of their current communications possibilities .

. Where it is possible for the information system that is directly connected to the data connection unit to be accessed by plural different communications routes, then in a particularly preferred embodiment, the selection of which communications connection to use is made automatically by the communications terminal and/or system, when the user requests a connection to the information system. This makes the system more convenient for a user, and can be particularly suitable,

where, e.g., there is a common access method to be used for connections to the information system, irrespective of the Communications mode to be used.

In a particularly preferred such embodiment, the terminal and/or system is configured to preferentially attempt to establish a connection to the information system via the "local", wireless connection to the data connection unit that is coupled directly to the information system, and, preferably, to then attempt a connection via an external communications network, such as via a wireless data connection and the Internet, or via a wireless phone network (and preferably in that order), only if the "local", direct data connection is not available (e.g. because the "directly coupled" data connection unit is out of wireless communications range) .

It is preferred in these arrangements for the terminal to seek confirmation to proceed from a user if the "local" wireless data connection to the data connection unit directly coupled to the information system is not available, before attempting a different (external) communications connection. Preferably confirmation to proceed is sought at least before attempting a connection via a wireless telephone network. This may be desirable to allow a user to opt not to proceed if the only communications option available is, for example, via the, typically more expensive, phone network.

It is believed that such arrangements may be new and advantageous in their own right.

Thus, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless telephone terminal for a wireless telephone system, the terminal comprising: means for establishing a communications connection via the network of the wireless telephone system;

. means for establishing a communications connection via a wireless data connection independent of the wireless telephone network; and means for, in response to a user indicating a desire to establish a particular communications connection, first attempting to establish the indicated communications connection via a wireless data connection independent of the wireless telephone network, and, if such connection is not possible, then attempting to establish the indicated communications connection via the network of the wireless telephone system.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a wireless telephone terminal of a wireless telephone system, the method comprising: the terminal, in response to a user indicating a desire to establish a particular communications connection, first attempting to establish the indicated communications connection via a wireless data connection that is independent of the wireless telephone network, and, if such connection is not possible, then attempting to establish the indicated communications connection via the network of the wireless telephone system.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these aspects and arrangements of the present invention can and preferably do include any one or more or all of the preferred and optional features of the invention described herein, as appropriate. Thus, for example, the particular communications connection is preferably associated with an information system, such as a computer system, and/or is preferably predefined and/or predetermined, and/or is preferably indicated by the user activating a particular application on the terminal and/or dialling or selecting a particular, preferably predetermined, access address or addresses (which may comprise, e.g., one or more mobile telephone short

codes, virtual mobile numbers, URLs and/or IP addresses) .

Similarly, if the data connection cannot be established, the terminal preferably first seeks the user ' s confirmation to proceed before attempting to establish the connection via the wireless phone network.

Equally, the arrangement is preferably such that the terminal will first attempt to establish the wireless data connection to a selected, preferably predetermined, data connection unit (e.g., and preferably, a data connection unit that is directly coupled to a particular, e.g., selected, information system) , and only if that connection is not possible, then attempt a data connection to any available data connection unit (and then if that is not possible, via the wireless telephone network) .

Where the communications terminal can connect to the local, direct connection information system via different communication modes, then it is preferred for the level of service, and/or user interface, etc., provided by or for the information system to be dependent upon, and to va.τy in accordance with, the communications connection via which the information system is being accessed. For example, a connection made over the local, direct connection data link could provide a maximum, "full" level of service, whereas a connection made via the Internet could provide, e.g., a more limited level of service, as could, e.g., a connection made over a mobile phone network while roaming .

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a system in accordance with the present invention could be arranged such that any suitable terminal that, e.g., dials the appropriate access code, number, URL, IP address, etc., can connect to the information system

(e.g. over the local data connection or otherwise), or

it could, for example, be configured to limit access to certain, e.g., and preferably, selected, users, such as, for example, to allow access to a set of predetermined "home users" only. In this latter case, identification checks (e.g. based on a terminal's identity (e.g. CLI (calling line identity) ) , and/or authentication procedures, etc., could, e.g., be used to restrict access to the selected user or users . Thus there could, for example, be only a single user, or more than one user, that can access the information system.

Similarly, there may equally be more than one information system that is accessible, e.g., via the direct data connection. In this case, each information system could, e.g., have its own independent access address and/or code, etc., or, e.g., a common access address, etc., could be used, with there then being, e.g., menu-driven selection of the information system to use.

It should also accordingly be noted here that the use of the present invention does not preclude, e.g., the local data connection unit that is directly coupled to the information system also being useable and being used to make data connections to other information systems and computers, for example via the Internet. Similarly, the connection that the communications terminal can make to and via the wireless telephone network can be made in any suitable and desired manner, such as, and preferably, according to the communications protocols and standards for the communications system in question.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention can be applied in any suitable wireless telephone system and network, and to, e.g., any suitable wireless telephone system terminal. In a preferred embodiment it is applied to and implemented in a mobile telephone network, such as, and

preferably, a GSM or 3G mobile telephone network, but it may be applied similarly to other suitable wireless telephone systems, such as cordless telephone (e.g. DECT) systems, if desired. The wireless telephone terminal is similarly accordingly preferably a telephone handset, such as a mobile phone or a cordless phone. However, it could also be any other form of device that can act as a wireless telephone system terminal, such as a suitably equipped PDA, for example.

It should also be noted here that the various components, etc., of the system of the present invention may be arranged as discrete components, in a distributed fashion, across a network or networks, etc., as appropriate and if desired. There may also be, e.g., duplicate sets of components, if desired.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, all of the aspects and embodiments of the invention described herein may and preferably do include any one or more or all of the preferred and optional features of the invention described herein, as appropriate. The methods in accordance with the present invention may be implemented at least partially using software e.g. computer programs. It will thus be seen that when viewed from further aspects the present invention provides computer software specifically adapted to carry out a method or the methods herein described when installed on data processing means, a computer program element comprising computer software code portions for performing a method or the methods herein described when the program element is run on data processing means, and a computer program comprising code means adapted to perform all the steps of a method or of the methods herein described when the program is run on a data-processing system. The invention also extends to a computer software carrier and a computer program

product comprising such software which when used to operate a communications system or terminal comprising data processing means causes in conjunction with said data processing means said system or terminal to carry out the steps of the method of the present invention. Such a computer software carrier or product could be a physical storage medium such as a ROM chip, CD ROM or disk, or could be a signal such as an electronic signal over wires, an optical signal or a radio signal such as to a satellite or the like.

A number of preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1, which shows schematically a wireless telephone system that may be operated in accordance with the present invention.

The system of Figure 1 comprises a wireless telephone terminal in the form of a handset 1 which, in the present embodiment, is a GSM handset (however, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the principles of the invention are equally applicable to other wireless telephony technologies) .

The GSM handset 1 has the ability to communicate via voice, text, multimedia messaging (MMS) (for sounds, images and short video clips), and data (for email, WAP and Internet access) . (If the handset was a 3G handset, then it could additionally provide communication via video calls . )

The handset 1 is able to communicate via a GSM radio link with a GSM mobile communications network 2. The GSM communications network provides communications connections to, for example, other mobile communications terminals 6, fixed communications networks 7, and the Internet 8. In the present embodiment, the wireless (mobile) handset 1, as well as being able to communicate via the

GSM network 2, also has a "local" wireless data connection capability that is independent of the GSM network 2, in the form of WiFi access capability to a WiFi data connection unit 3. (Other forms of local data connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, etc., could be used instead of WiFi for this local data connection link. )

As shown in Figure 1, the local data connection, WiFi unit 3, has a connection to the Internet 4, whereby the mobile handset 1 can via the local wireless data connection to the WiFi unit 3 access services and applications over the Internet, such as other telephone networks 9 (via voice-over IP) , other wireless access points 10, Internet servers 11, other computer systems over the Internet, etc., as is known in the art. In the present embodiment, this data connection to the Internet

4 is via an always on broadband connection (which may be wired or wireless, etc., as is known in the art) .

As shown in Figure 1, as well as the connection to the Internet 4, the data connection unit 3 also has a "direct" connection to a local information system 5, which in the present embodiment is a computer system that is arranged to be always on, and which runs, inter alia, an "encyclopedia" package that can be interrogated by a user using the mobile handset 1, as will be explained further below.

The computer system 5 has speech recognition and processing and text processing capability, and the encyclopedia package is arranged such that it can be queried and respond via a number of communications modes, such as voice, text, multimedia and video. For example, the encyclopedia package of the computer system

5 can accept questions sent via text message and then respond either via text message or voice to those questions.

The connection between the data connection unit 3 and the local computer system 5 in the present embodiment comprises a short range radio connection, such as a Bluetooth connection. However, other arrangements, such as an infra-red connection or a wired connection would also be possible.

It should be noted here that although Figure 1 shows only a single, "direct" connected computer system 5, the local data connection unit 3 could also be coupled or connected to other computer systems, and to more than one computer system, if desired.

It should also be noted here that the data connection unit 3 also supports "external" connections being made to the local computer system 5 via the Internet 4 (whether via an originating data connection, such as a WiFi connection, or via a communications network connection, such as by using WAP over the GSM network 2) . In this way, the system 5 and the encyclopedia package thereon can still be accessed even when the mobile handset 1 may be out of range of the data connection unit 3.

The arrangement of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 means in particular that the mobile handset 1 can be used to connect to both the GSM network 2, and the local data connection, WiFi unit 3, and, moreover, can, via the data connection unit 3, either connect to the Internet 4 or to the local, computer system 5 that is directly connected to the data connection unit 3. This latter arrangement in particular provides the capability that information can flow between the mobile handset 1 and the locally sited computer system 5 and vice-versa, without the need for the communications to travel either over the Internet 4 or via the GSM network 2.

As discussed, this provides a number of advantages, such as allowing less expensive and more reliable access

to information, such as the "encyclopedia" package that may be provided on the local computer system 5.

In order to facilitate connections to the local computer system 5, the computer system 5 and the encyclopedia on it are allocated a predetermined set of access addresses, in the form of numbers, alpha addresses and virtual mobile numbers, URLs and/or IP addresses, etc..

The system is configured such that when the user attempts to connect to one of these access addresses with their mobile handset 1 (e.g. either by "dialling" the address directly, or by activating an application on the handset 1 that does so) , the mobile handset 1 preferentially attempts to connect wirelessly to the local data connection unit 3 and then via that unit to the local computer 5.

The handset 1 is also configured so that if it is found that a wireless connection to the data connection unit 3 is not possible, then a connection instead is attempted to another data connection (e.g. WiFi) access point, and if such an access point is available, then an attempt to connect to the encyclopedia service on the computer system 5 via that access point and the Internet 4 is made. Similarly, if in this event it is determined that no data connection is available (e.g., because the mobile handset 1 is out of WiFi coverage) , then the handset is configured to attempt to connect instead to the computer system 5 via the GSM network 2. (Such connection can be achieved, as is known in the art, using access codes via a service provided by the mobile network operator, by using virtual mobile numbering techniques, and/or via packet data access (e.g. GPRS), etc.. ) In this latter case, where a wireless data, e.g., WiFi, connection is not available, the handset 1 will

first ask the user for confirmation to proceed, before attempting to make the connection via the mobile communications network.

Thus there are, in effect, defined in the mobile handset 1 access addresses and/or applications for the computer system 5, which access addresses and/or applications are designated as being "wireless data connection (e.g. WiFi) preferred", with user confirmation required if the wireless data connection is not available and the mobile phone network (the GSM network 2) must be used to achieve access.

Once a communications connection has been established between the mobile handset 1 and the computer system 5, the mobile handset 1 can be used to interrogate and receive responses from the computer system 5.

In the present embodiment, requests for information from the handset 1 to the local computer system 5 may take any suitable form, such as a text message or voice request. The response provided by the computer system 5 to a query from the mobile handset 5 may similarly take any form, such as, but not limited to, voice, text, video, streaming video and MMS. In all these cases, the data transfer between the handset and the computer system can use any suitable data transfer protocol. It would also or instead be possible, e.g., to transfer data between the handset and computer system using "streamed" data formats and/or "file transfer" by any suitable protocol, if desired. In the case of a voice query (for example when a voice call is made to the access address associated with the local computer system 5), connectivity to the computer system 5 may be achieved, for example, either by terminating the voice on a voice services equipment prior to reaching or at the computer system 5 and then delivering a recorded voice message to the computer

system 5, or by connecting the voice call directly to the computer system 5. Alternatively or additionally, the voice query may be recorded and, e.g., converted to a format suitable for the computer system 5, such as an e-mail format with a file attachment.

Similarly, in the case of a text message or an MMS message communication to the local computer system 5, the text message or MMS message may be converted to a format suitable for the computer system 5, such as an e-mail format, and then forwarded to the computer system 5.

When the query is received by the computer system 5, it triggers an automatic response by the encyclopedia package on the computer system 5. In a preferred embodiment, this response comprises the return of information relating to the query, for example an answer to a question set in the query.

In order to facilitate this, the computer system 5 supports a text processing engine that may use, for example, stored knowledge tables, rules and exceptions in order to process text queries that are received. The computer system 5 is also arranged to parse the encyclopedia application in order to construct a reply to the query. Other forms of interaction and information responses may be used, such as ones involving pictures, audio and other media, if desired.

The computer system 5 may also if desired be arranged to interact with the Internet, for example to parse further information sources, for example if the information required does not exist on the encyclopedia package on the computer system 5.

The reply path to the handset 1 similarly preferably includes, if necessary, an appropriate conversion of the reply message (e.g. e-mail) sent by the computer system 5 to a format suitable for receiving

on the mobile handset 1. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the computer system 5 can convert the response it prepares to the query to an appropriate format, such as a text message, an MMS, or a voice message. Again, the computer system 5 can be provided with, for example, a text-to-speech processing engine to facilitate this.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, changes, alternatives and additions to the arrangement described above can be made, as desired.

For example, applications other than an encyclopedia package could also or instead be provided on the computer system 5. For example, individuals or organisations may choose to make available applications on their own computers that can be accessed by other users either by local data connection, such as WiFi, or via the mobile phone (GSM) network.

It would also be possible to configure the computer system 5 such that a connection to it made via the local data connection 3 provides an enhanced, higher level, service and user interface, such as a predetermined and pre-configured user interface intended particularly for such connections .

Similarly, where the connection to the computer system 5 is made over the Internet 4, then the encyclopedia package or other application or applications on the computer system 5 could be and preferably is configured so as to serve the user as though he or she is making a connection over the Internet.

Equally, if the connection is made via the GSM network 2, then again a more limited service may be and preferably is provided in view of the nature of that communications connection. Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described above with reference to a single mobile

handset 1 and a single local computer system 5, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there may be more than one mobile handset 1, and indeed, more than one local computer system ^' 5 that is connected to the data connection unit 3. In essence, the system can be configured as desired, and can, for example, be configured to allow any mobile handset that is within range of the data connection unit 3 to connect locally to the computer system 5, or the arrangement could, for example, be arranged such that only selected, predetermined, users are able to make such a connection.

It can be seen from the above that the present invention provides, in its preferred embodiments at least, a system that enhances the utility of a wireless telephone system terminal, and in a particularly cost-effective way.

This is achieved, in the preferred embodiments of the invention at least, by providing a system in which a terminal can access information such as multimedia information via a wireless telephony network, via the Internet, and via a "local", direct connection to a local information system. The wireless telephony terminal is further preferably configured to preferentially attempt to connect via the local data connection to the local information system, under particular, characteristic call set-ups or phone accesses.