Content and service registration, query and subscription, and notification in networks

• US 20040128344A1
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US10/330,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128344A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for registering content and services available within a network, as well as for querying and subscribing to notifications of particular events, such as events related to content and services registered within the network. Systems and methods are also provided for subscribing to changes to the registration and de-registration states of content and/or service(s), as well as for subscriptions to events related to requests for content and/or services. In some embodiments, the systems and methods of the present invention operate within a SIP infrastructure. According to some embodiments, SIP event packages are employed within a SIP infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method of registering or de-registering service and/or content capabilities of a provider with a network entity, said method comprising:

creating a register message comprising;

an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package;

an event type description describing an event type comprising one of a register event type and a de-register event type; and

one of service and content capability information for said provider; and

sending said register message to said network entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a confirmation message from said network entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein for said step of sending, said network entity comprises an event server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein for said steps of creating and sending, said event server comprises a SIP event server and said register message comprises one of a session initiation protocol (SIP) REGISTER message and a SIP PUBLISH message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein for said steps of creating and sending, said register message further comprises a uniform resource identifier (URI) for said provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein for said steps of creating and sending, said one of service and content capability information comprises information having an attribute-based format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said attribute-based format is selected from the group consisting of service location protocol (SLP) and Resource Description Framework (RDF).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein for said step of sending, said network entity is in communication with a discovery agent associated with a repository, and said register message comprises an identifier identifying one of said discovery agent and said repository.

9. A method of registering or de-registering service and/or content capabilities of a provider with a repository, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a register message at a network entity, said register message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type, and one of service and content capability information for said provider; and

sending a registration/de-registration message for said provider to said repository.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a confirmation message to said provider.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein for said step of sending, said repository is in communication with a discovery agent, and for said step of receiving, said register message comprises an identifier identifying one of said repository and said discovery agent.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

detecting said identifier; and

choosing one of said repository and said discovery agent based on said identifier.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

recognizing a format of said one of said service and content capability information; and

selecting said repository based on said recognized format.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein for said step of receiving, said network entity comprises a SIP event server.

15. A method for subscribing with an event server to an event maintained by the event server, said event associated with services and/or content available within a network, said method comprising:

receiving at said event server from a first network entity a subscription message subscribing to said event, said message having an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type corresponding to said event package, and a description for one of a service and a content requested;

checking for a match for said event package, said corresponding event type, and said one of the service and content requested; and

sending a first notify message to said first network entity, said first notify message indicating whether said match was located.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said first network entity comprises a requester and for said step of receiving said corresponding event type comprises one of a registered type and a published type.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of checking for a match comprises:

sending a discovery message to a repository, said discovery message requesting information about providers matching said one of the service and content requested; and

receiving a discovery response from said repository, said discovery response generated in response to said repository checking for a match for said one of the service and content requested, said discovery response containing one of an indication of a non-existing match and at least one provider substantially matching saidone of service and content requested.

18. The method of claim 16, said method further comprising:

receiving a register message from a provider, said register message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing one of a register event type and a de-register event type, and one of service and content capability for said provider;

checking for a service/content match of said one of the service and the content capability information for said provider; and

on condition said service/content match is located, and on condition said service/content match includes a substantial match with said one of the service and the content requested by said requester, notifying said requester of said register message from said provider.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein for said step of receiving a subscription message, said subscription message comprises an expiration time for expiration of the subscription to said event, said method further comprising:

receiving a register message from a second network entity, said register message comprising one of service and content capability information for said second network entity substantially matching said one of the service and content requested from said first network entity; and

on condition said expiration time has not expired, sending a second notify message notifying said first network entity of said match with said one of the service and content capability information for said first network entity.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said first network entity comprises a requester and for said step of receiving, said corresponding event type comprises a de-registered type, said method further comprising:

receiving a register message from a provider, said register message comprising one of service and content capability information for said provider and an event type description describing a de-register event type, said service and content capability information for said provider matching said service and content requested for said requester;

checking for a service/content match of said one of service and content capability information for said provider; and

on condition said service/content match is located, notifying said requester of the de-registered state of said provider.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein for said step of checking for a service/content match, said event server compares said service and content capability information for said provider with a subscription database.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said first network entity comprises a provider and for said step of receiving, said corresponding event type comprises a requested type.

23. The method of claim 22, said method further comprising:

receiving a subscription message from a requester, said subscription message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing one of a registered event type and a published event type, and a description for one of a service and a content requested;

checking for a service/content match of said one of the service and the content requested by said requester; and

on condition said service/content match is located, and on condition said service/content match includes a substantial match with said one of the service and the content requested by said provider, notifying said provider of said subscription message from said requester.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said first network entity comprises a provider and for said step of receiving, said corresponding event type comprises a request type, said method further comprising:

receiving a second subscription message from a requester requesting removal of a first subscription request requesting said one of the service resource and the content resource;

checking for a service/content match of said one of the service and the content requested in the first request by said requester; and

on condition said service/content match is located, and on condition said service/content match includes a substantial match with said one of the service and the content requested by said provider, notifying said provider of said subscription removal message from said requester.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein for the step of receiving, said event server comprises a SIP event server and said subscription message comprises a SIP SUBSCRIBE message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of notifying comprises the step of sending a SIP NOTIFY message.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein said description for one of the service and content requested comprises information having an attribute-based format.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said attribute-based format is selected from the group consisting of SLP and RDF.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing steps for registering or de-registering service and/or content capabilities of a provider with a repository, said steps comprising:

receiving a register message at a network entity, said register message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type, and one of service and content capability information for said provider; and

sending a registration/de-registration message for said provider to said repository.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein for said step of receiving, said network entity comprises a SIP event server.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing steps for subscribing with an event server to an event maintained by the event server, said event associated with services and/or content available within a network, said steps comprising:

receiving at said event server a subscription message subscribing to said event from a first network entity, said message having an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type corresponding to said event package, and a description for one of a service and a content requested;

checking for a match for said event package, said corresponding event type, and said one of the service and content requested; and

sending a first notify message to said first network entity, said first notify message indicating whether said match was located.

32. A device comprising:

a memory containing instructions for registering service and/or content capabilities of the device with a repository; and

a processor for performing steps according to said instructions stored in said memory, said steps comprising;

creating a register message comprising;

an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package;

an event type description describing an event type comprising one of a register event type and a de-register event type; and

one of service and content capability information for said provider; and

sending said register message to an event server.

33. An event server comprising:

a memory containing instructions for registering service and/or content capabilities of a provider with a repository; and

a processor performing steps according to said instructions stored in said memory, said steps comprising;

receiving a register message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type, and one of service and content capability information for a provider; and

sending a registration/de-registration message for said provider to said repository.

34. An event server comprising:

a memory containing instructions for maintaining a subscription to an event, said event associated with services and/or content available within a network; and

a processor performing steps according to said instructions stored in said memory, said steps comprising;

receiving from a network entity a subscription message subscribing to said event, said message having an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing an event type corresponding to said event package, and a description for one of a service and a content requested;

checking for a match for said event package, said corresponding event type, and said one of the service and content requested; and

sending a notify message to said network entity, said notify message indicating whether said match was located.

35. A event server comprising:

a memory containing instructions for registering service and/or content capabilities of a provider and maintaining a subscription to a registered event; and

a processor for performing steps according to said instructions stored in said memory, said steps comprising;

receiving from a provider a register message comprising an event package description describing an event package comprising one of a service event package and a content event package, an event type description describing a register event type, and one of service and content capability information for said provider;

receiving from a requester a subscription message subscribing to an event, said subscription message having an event package comprising said event package of said register message, an event type description comprising a registered type, and a description for one of a service and a content requested substantially matching said one of service and content capability of said provider;

checking for a substantial match for said requester event package;

locating said substantial match with said provider event package; and

notifying said provider of said match.