Method For the Reconfiguration of an Information Processing Unit of a Terminal

1 . A method of reconfiguring an information processing unit of a terminal, said terminal being arranged to receive information from a communication system, the method comprising:

initiating a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit; and

sending, from the terminal to the communication system, information signaling the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

2 . The reconfiguration method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, from the terminal to the communication system, information signaling an event following an end of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

3 . The reconfiguration method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising storing, in a buffer memory of the terminal, the information received from the communication system, during the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

4 . The reconfiguration method as claimed in one of claims 2 and 3 , in which the event following the end of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit comprises a transition below a predetermined threshold of an occupancy ratio of the buffer memory of the terminal.

5 . The reconfiguration method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising applying a degraded processing operation by the information processing unit after the phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit, so as to empty the buffer memory of the terminal at an accelerated rate.

6 . A method of communication between a terminal having an information processing unit, and a communication unit able to transmit information to said terminal, the method comprising:

sending, from the terminal to the communication system, information signaling the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit of the terminal, wherein the sending occurs when the communication system transmits information to said terminal in the context of a communication.

7 . The communication method as claimed in claim 6 , in which the reconfiguration of the information processing unit of the terminal comprises a change of communication mode from a first communication mode to a second communication mode.

8 . The communication method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising, following the sending of information signaling the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit, transmitting information from the communication system to the terminal, at least some of said information being processed, before transmission, to take account of the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit.

9 . The communication method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising sending, from the terminal to the communication system information signaling an event following the end of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

10 . The communication method as claimed in claims 8 or 9 , in which the information processed before transmission to take account of the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit, comprises at least some of the information transmitted from the communication system to the terminal between receptions, by the communication system, of information signaling the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit and of information signaling an event following the end of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

11 . The communication method as claimed in claim 8 , in which the processing before transmission of at least some of the information transmitted from the communication system to the terminal, to take account of the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit, comprises information consisting of at least one of the introduction of a transmission delay, increased protection against errors and an increased compression.

12 . A terminal having an information processing unit and arranged to receive information from a communication system, the terminal comprising:

means for initiating a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit; and

means for informing the communication system of the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

13 . A communication system arranged to transmit information to at least one terminal having an information processing unit, the communication system comprising:

means for receiving from the terminal information signaling the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit of the terminal; and

means for processing, before transmission at least some of the information transmitted to the terminal, following the reception of the information signaling the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of said information processing unit, to take account of said initiation.

14 . (canceled)

15 . A computer program product having instructions to implement a reconfiguration of an information processing unit of a terminal arranged to receive information from a communication system, according to the following steps, the program comprising:

initiating a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit; and

sending, from the terminal to the communication system, information signaling the initiation of the phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.

16 . A computer program product for a communication system, comprising instructions for, when said computer program is loaded and run by computer means of a communication system arranged to transmit information to at least one terminal

receiving from the terminal information signaling the initiation of a phase for reconfiguration of the information processing unit.