Method and system for transferring a communication session

• US 20020082015A1
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Wu, Chiung-Hsien
• Granted Patent: US 7,171,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of and a system for transferring a communication session from one service area (101) to another (102), where each service area is associated with a transcoding proxy (111, 112) for transcoding communication sessions established in said service area to and from a format suitable for a mobile device (104). A gateway server (103) relays the communication session from a content server (105, 106, 107) via the appropriate transcoding proxy to the mobile device (104). When the mobile device (104) moves to the second service area (102), the second transcoding proxy (112) is contacted and session handling is transferred thereto. The transfer operation is transparent to the content server, so the session between mobile device (104) and content server (105, 106, 107) stays intact. The invention also relates to a mobile assistant server, a transcoding proxy and a mobile device for use in said system.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a communication session established between a content server (105, 106, 107) and a mobile device (104) in a first service area (101) of a communication network (100) comprising a plurality of service areas (101, 102), each service area being associated with a transcoding proxy (111, 112) for transcoding communication sessions established in said service area to and from a format suitable for the mobile device, the first service area being associated with a first transcoding proxy (111), the method comprising transferring the relaying of the communication session from the first transcoding proxy to a second transcoding proxy (112) associated with a second service area (102) from asid plurality.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring session information (505) related to the communication session from the first transcoding proxy (111) to the second transcoding proxy (112).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the mobile device (104) a ready to transfer message (503) identifying the second transcoding proxy.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising suspending the communication session after the ready to transfer message (503) has been received, and resuming the communication session after a resume message (509) has been received from the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 or 3, further comprising

receiving from the mobile device in the first service area a transfer request message (501),

determining a neighbor group comprising transcoding proxies associated with one or more service areas from said plurality, the one or more service areas being adjacent to the first service area, and

forwarding the transfer request message to the transcoding proxies from the neighbor group, in response to which at least one of said transcoding proxies sends a transfer reply message (502) to the mobile device.

6. A communication system arranged for transferring a communication session established between a content server (105, 106, 107) and a mobile device (104) in a first service area (101) of a communication network (100) comprising a plurality of service areas (101, 102), each service area being associated with a transcoding proxy (111, 112) for transcoding communication sessions established in said service area to and from a format suitable for the mobile device, the first service area being associated with a first transcoding proxy (111), the communication system (100) further comprising

instructing means (354) for transferring the relaying of the communication session from the first transcoding proxy to a second transcoding proxy (112) associated with a second service area (102) from said plurality.

7. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising

migration initialization means (352) for receiving from the mobile device in the first service area a transfer request message (501), determining a neighbor group comprising transcoding proxies associated with one or more service areas from said plurality, the one or more service areas being adjacent to the first service area, and forwarding the transfer request message to the transcoding proxies from the neighbor group, in response to which at least one of said transcoding proxies sends a transfer reply message (502) to the mobile device.

8. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising migration means (353) for receiving from the mobile device (104) a ready to transfer message (503) identifying the second transcoding proxy.

9. A mobile assistant server (351) for use in the communication system of claim 6, comprising said instructing means (354).

10. The mobile assistant server (351) of claim 9, further comprising

migration initialization means (352) for receiving from the mobile device in the first service area a transfer request message (501), determining a neighbor group comprising transcoding proxies associated with one or more service areas from said plurality, the one or more service areas being adjacent to the first service area, and forwarding the transfer request message to the transcoding proxies from the neighbor group, in response to which at least one of said transcoding proxies sends a transfer reply message (502) to the mobile device.

11. A transcoding proxy (111, 112) for use in the communication system of claim 6, comprising said instructing means (354).

12. The transcoding proxy as claimed in claim 8, further comprising migration means (353) for receiving from the mobile device (104) a ready to transfer message (503) identifying the second transcoding proxy.

13. A mobile device for use in the communication system of claim 8, comprising communicating means for communicating a ready to transfer message (503), identifying a second transcoding proxy, to said migration means (354).

14. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising comprising transcoding proxy selection means (355) for receiving one or more transfer reply messages from at least one transcoding proxy, choosing the second transcoding proxy from said at least one transcoding proxy based on said one or more transfer reply messages.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, further comprising strength measuring means (356) for comparing strengths of the respective signals comprising the one or more echo reply messages.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising storage means for storing a list of service areas and associated transcoding proxies.