The development towards a full scale information society is rapid. One of the consequences of this is that a growing share of the households will, in a short time, demand an infra structure which supports this development.

Brokerage, distribution and management of services will grow. Efficient management of information flows to, from, and in the home environment will at that be required to make possible a plurality of new services and combination of services in the home. Examples of such services can be uniform management of different messages, telephony and telephone services, web browsing services etc. Today there is no unified procedure for administration of customers services, and the information flow in the home takes place in small islands of technology.

The aim of the present invention is to effect a tool for the home user to facilitate dynamic management and use of telecommunication and data services. By management and use is meant the whole process from when a service is detected, via installation and use, until the service is uninstalled.

This aim is achieved by a communication system and a procedure of the kind mentioned by way of introduction with in the patent claims 1 respective 14 given characteristics.

By the system according to the invention, a platform for services is achieved which communicate to, from, or within the home, over access network, home network or both these two networks. The system is suitably run by a service

operator and the services are suitably provided by a service provider. The service platform for communicating services is best based on a world standard, which at present is under preparation by OSGi, Open Gateway Service initiative. The communication system can be implemented in existing telecommunication systems and consequently constitutes an interface between serves in the public network, which distribute services, and the, in the broadband connected home, arranged home network. The system according to the invention consequently gives the user himself/herself possibility to, for instance, select and configure the services which are offered via the in the public network arranged service servers. At the system consequently a home network is connected to an information gateway, which manages all communication to and from the home, for instance between access networks and home networks and all communication between devices in the home.

All external communication consequently is managed by this gateway and all :. applications and necessary memory capacity are in this. This opens quite new possibilities to effect and provide services.

By the procedure according to the invention, the user's possibilities to buy and utilize the service offer on public network is improved since in the normal case the user does not have necessary technical knowledge, and for that reason needs technical and administrative support to be able to utilize the service offer. Another advantage to the user is that the cost of the service or the services can be debited by just one service broker. The procedure according to the invention further implies the advantage to the service provider that he/she does not need to bother with problems regarding customer and user support, updating of programs, configuration, installation and uninstallation of services etc.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, a service selector is arranged

to form a management interface for services on said service platform. This service selector is an application to assist the customer to locate, examine, select, install, configure, use and uninstall services on the platform.

According to other advantageous embodiments of the system according to the invention, the service selector shows an access page for offered services and a home page for installed services and devices, and an interaction surface. The service selector then visualizes service installation respective uninstallation by in different steps move the graphical object which represents the service, from access page to home page. In this way this graphical interface differs from an ordinary web page, where the graphical objects are fixed and not dynamically connected to the objects which constitute the interaction interface/interfaces of the service.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, the service selector includes a Jini-browser. The main advantage of such a one is that terminals, devices and services are provided with homogeneous interfaces. By Jini-technology further electronic devices and services can be configured automatically. They can without previous knowledge about a system (environment) be connected to this and utilize already connected devices and services and the Jini- technology keeps the system continuously updated regarding available/accessible resources.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, a unit is arranged to, to each service, arrange a specific interface and that a look-up service unit is arranged to load down and make the interface accessible to service in question. By Jini- technology electronic devices and services can be configured automatically. They can without previous knowledge about a system (environment) be connected to this and utilize already connected devices and services.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, said information gateway and service platform are implemented in a group access server. A plurality of apartments or houses can share such a group access server, which will reduce the costs, both for purchase, installation and administration. Common services in the house/housing area can be placed in the same server and be administered together with other services. At this embodiment the service platform is with advantage standardized, and services are provided to users via standardized web interfaces. The service platform is administered by the owner of the group server. Examples of services can be supervision services, booking of common resources, and different types of home control and energy saving services.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention, at which the group access server is located in the access network, a virtual subnetwork is created in the access network for each user to, for identification, allocate to a terminal or device on the subnetwork a reserved IP-number at set up. In an access network where a plurality of households share a group access server, mechanisms are needed for identification of which terminals that belong to respective household.

According to this embodiment of the system according to the invention, virtual subnetworks can be created in the access network for each apartment. In this way the identification problem is solved in an advantageous way in the cases the service platform in question is located in the access network instead of locally at the user in his/her apartment.

According to yet another embodiment of the system according to the invention, said home network includes one or more of the networks: Electric mains, wireless communication network, telecommunication network, Ethernet- connection, communication network according to the standard

IEEE 1394. For simple services, such as automation and control services in the home, existing electric mains or wireless communication network will be good enough. For services which require higher transmission speeds for data, the telephone network or specific Ethernet-connection can be used. For services which require guaranteed transmission quality with high speed, more than for instance 30 Mbit/s, technologies such as the standard IEEE 1394 can be used.

In order to explain the invention in detail, selected embodiments now will be described as examples with reference to enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an example of the infrastructure which is needed for realization of the invention, Figure 2 illustrates the function of the system in Figure 1, and Figure 3 and 4 illustrates and example of embodiment of the system according to the invention with a common group access server for a plurality of households (houses/apartments).

The in Figure 1 shown example of embodiment includes a home network 2 of broadband type to which a number of user terminals 4 are connected. A so called residential gateway 6 controls communication between the home network 2 and an access network 8. The by said residential gateway 6 run infrastructure serves as platform 10, the RG-platform, for services which communicate to, from, or within, the home, over access network 8, home network 2, or both these networks. The by residential gateway 6 run service platform 10 consequently serves as run-time platform for current, delivered services.

A service selector, which is an application to help the user to locate, examine, select, install, configure, use and uninstall services, offers a management interface for services on the residential gateway run infrastructure.

The service selector mediates communication between access 8 and home network 2, and this state of things is reflected

graphically in the service selector by it showing two pages, one for offered services, that is, an access page, and one for installed services and devices, that is, a home page, plus an interaction surface. The service selector visualizes service installation and uninstallation by in different steps move the graphical objects which represent the service from access page to home page. The specific about this graphical interface, which makes it different from an ordinary web page, is that said graphical objects are directly connected to the objects which constitute the interaction interface/interfaces of the service.

The in Figure 1 shown system further includes a residential gateway portal 12, RG-portal, which forms a platform 14 for the service provider's services and which distributes the services to residential gateway 6 and the run-time platform 10.

The access network 8 includes at least one IP- connection and one telephone connection at the same time.

The home network 2 can be designed in different ways. For simple services, such as automation and control services for the household, wireless connection or even electric power cable can serve as home network. Data carrying services need higher transmission speeds, which may require some kind of separate twisted pair cable, such as telephone wire/cable, separate Ethernet-connection or via radio.

Services which require guaranteed transmission quality at high speeds (more than 100 Mbit/s) require networks for instance according to the standard IEEE 1394. As terminals one can in the first place suggest telephones or PCs.

For the RG-run infrastructure so called Jini- technology is utilized with advantage. Jini is a Java-based technology to achieve distributed service provision, DSP, at which the communication is based on IP-protocol. Jini makes possible for electronic devices and services, in the following only called services, to configure automatically.

The services consequently can, without previous knowledge

about a system or an environment, connect to this and utilize already connected services. Each service has an interface, which identifies the type of offered service, the graphical user interface, if any such exists, and controls interaction with the service, that is, how to communicate with it. The central part consists of a look-up service, which loads down the interface/interfaces of the services and at request makes them accessible. When a Jini- adapted device is plugged into the network, this is recorded in the look-up service and services, and the resources which are offered are immediately accessible for use. The Jiri-adapted device in question will control which other resources are accessible/available in the network.

If, for instance, a web camera is plugged into a new network, there are investigated which services that are accessible for use. Because a possible service is to take photos, the services can be to store on disk and to print.

The big advantage with Jini is that terminals, devices and services are provided with homogeneous interfaces which express ability and functionality. Jini also keeps the system updated all the time regarding available/accessible resources. The Jini-objects are also"jinified".

By the system according to the invention, for instance the following can be offered to the user: With IP-gateway and PSTN-gateway, the user can have a plurality of PCs connected to Internet. Each member of a household can have his/her own personal, uniform, message mailbox for telefax, E-mail and voice messages. Different persons in the same household can have different message mail boxes with different configurations etc. At this, also for instance personal information service can be offered.

In Figure 2 is illustrated schematically an example of service management at the system in Figure 1. The management means brokerage of services from"access broker", access services from an"access provider", and

services between access provider, service provider in Figure 2, and"end user"in Figure 2.

The service broker in Figure 2 has three kinds of customers, namely end users, service providers and access providers. The service provider produces services for the user. The access provider provides network communication between service provider, service broker and user.

In this way for instance alarm services for the home, simple automation services such as attending to and managing of energy, light etc can be bought comfortably and at advantageous conditions for the user. Further the user can, if he/she so wishes, have only one bill from the service broker, where all utilized services are debited.

The user also can be offered just one service portal, where services and goods from a large number of providers/ suppliers are marketed. Further, for instance water-gauge and electricity meter can be read automatically, and selective directed advertisement facilitated.

Also to service providers does the invention imply considerable advantages, such as good business relations with customers, easy access to services for users by service portal. The service provider can have a platform where he/she can load down and process information and programs in a controlled environment. Billing can be done externally as can user support, program updating, configuration, installation and uninstallation of services. etc.

For the access provider the invention implies the advantage that the residential gateway generated traffic easily can be routed to selected access provider, who consequently is offered more traffic.

At the procedure according to the invention, the service broker of course can in practice very well be the residential gateway provider.

At the in Figure 1 illustrated example of embodiment, residential gateway 6 is located where the broadband access

network 8 reaches the home, that is, normally there is such a residential gateway in each apartment. In the Figures 3 and 4 are illustrated an alternative embodiment, at which a group access server 16 is arranged for a plurality of apartments. By a plurality of apartments in this way sharing the server 16, the costs per apartment will be reduced, both for purchase, installation and administration. The group access server 16 is arranged in the access network 18 and provides standardized service platform, memory capacity and processor power. A condition is that the apartments have a broadband connection, for instance of Ethernet-type, or of other kind.

When a number of apartments share a group access server 16 arranged in an access network, possibility is required to identify which terminals that belong to different apartments. This identification can be effected by creating virtual subnetworks in the access network 18 for each apartment. The virtual subnetwork can be based on VLAN, that is, identification in the link layer. When a terminal or device on subnetwork in question interest wants to establish a connection, it will be allocated an IP- number reserved for just that VLAN to which it belongs, and is by that also identified on IP-level. In this way the identification problem consequently is solved by use of the VLAN-capacity in layer two in the case that the service platform is located in the access network.