System and method for providing real-time and non-real-time services over a communications system

• US 20030060210A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Saha, Abheek, Garg, Saurabh, Darcy, Michael, Ravishankar, Channasandra
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for providing communications services, including determining a type of communications service present in a communications session based on quality of service parameters assigned for the communications session; and adjusting the quality of service parameters based a different type of communications service requested. The types of communications services include real-time and non-real-time communications services.

Claims

1. A method for providing communications services, comprising:

determining a type of communications service present in a communications session based on quality of service parameters assigned for the communications session; and

adjusting the quality of service parameters based a different type of communications service requested,

wherein the types of communications services include real-time and non-real-time communications services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises activating first quality of service parameters for the data services;

and

activating second quality of service parameters for the voice over IP services.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting a message from a terminal equipment to a mobile terminal to determine the quality of service parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a transport address in a message from the terminal equipment to the mobile terminal to determine the quality of service parameters.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first quality of service parameters comprise a first packet data protocol context applicable to the data services, and

the second quality of service parameters comprise a second packet data protocol context applicable to the voice over IP services.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

charging for the voice over IP services based on a number of packets transferred over the communications system.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the method is implemented in a communications system including a base station, and a media gateway provided between a gateway support node and a public switched telephone network, and

the gateway support node communicates with the mobile terminal via the base station.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communications system comprises a general packet radio service communications system, and

the gateway support node comprises a gateway general packet radio service support node.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the base station comprises a satellite base station sub-system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the base station comprises a terrestrial base station sub-system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises retaining same quality of service parameters for both data services and voice over IP services;

and

informing a base station of establishment of the voice over IP services upon detection of an ensuing voice over IP call.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

inspecting a transport address of a message from a terminal equipment to a mobile terminal to determine the ensuing voice over IP call.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises concurrently provisioning quality of service parameters for both voice over IP services and data services over the communications system, including,

generating a voice IP address for voice over IP communications between a mobile terminal and a communications system,

employing a device IP address of a terminal equipment for voice over IP or data communications between the mobile terminal and the terminal equipment, and

employing the device IP address for data communications between the mobile terminal and the communications system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

activating first quality of service parameters comprising a first packet data protocol context applicable to the data services based on the device IP address, and

activating second quality of service parameters comprising a second packet data protocol context applicable to the voice over IP services based on the IP address for voice over IP.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises generating different temporary block flows for voice over IP services and data services, respectively, including,

generating, in parallel, a first temporary block flow for an acknowledged mode radio link control transport and a second temporary block flow for an unacknowledged mode radio link control transport.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating different temporary flow identifiers for the first and second temporary block flows.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises determining that a temporary block flow is requesting the voice over IP services, if a temporary block flow is requested to be established in an unacknowledged radio link control transport mode and a high radio priority mode.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

applying an admission control mechanism based on available resources for the voice over IP services to one of accept and reject the requested voice over IP services.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating a highest level of data-scheduling priority over a communications system for the unacknowledged radio link control transport mode.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

multiplexing data packets for data services during silence intervals in the voice over IP services.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises generating a compressed IP voice packet for voice over IP services, including,

a sub-network dependent convergence protocol field,

a logical link control field, and

a compressed IP field.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein compressed IP field includes compressed realtime transport protocol, user datagram protocol, and IP headers.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

compressing the realtime transport protocol, user datagram protocol and IP headers using a compression algorithm.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises assigning packets having an unacknowledged radio link control transport mode higher priority than packets having an acknowledged radio link control transport mode.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

assigning voice over IP channel resources to the packets having the unacknowledged radio link control transport mode.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time services include voice over Internet Protocol (IP) services, and the non-real-time services include data services, and

the method further comprises eliminating a header field including realtime transport protocol, user datagram protocol, and IP headers in communications between a base station and a mobile terminal of a communications system,

wherein the communications system comprises a time division multiple access communications system.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

generating a compressed IP voice packet for the voice over IP services, including,

a sub-network dependent convergence protocol field, and

a logical link control field.

28. A communications system configured to perform the steps recited in claim 1.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 1.

30. A communications system, comprising:

means for determining a type of communications service present in a communications session based on quality of service parameters assigned for the communications session; and

means for adjusting the quality of service parameters based a different type of communications service requested,

wherein the types of communications services include real-time and non-real-time communications services.