Service subscription in a communication system

• US 20040151192A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 7,274,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A communication system includes a first communication network, a second communication network, a gateway entity, a subscriber entity, and at least one service provider entity. The first communication network services a mobile user equipment in accordance with a first communication protocol. The mobile user equipment is configured to generate a service request containing information regarding a desired service. The second communication network operates in accordance with a second communication protocol. The gateway entity interfaces the first and second communication networks. The subscriber entity connects to the second communication network for generating a service subscription message in accordance with the second communication protocol based on information from the service request. The at least one service provider entity provisions the requested service in response to the service subscription message generated by the subscriber entity.

Claims

1. A method of providing services for a user of a mobile user equipment, the method comprising:

sending a service request from the mobile user equipment to a gateway entity in accordance with a first communication protocol, said service request containing information regarding a service the user wishes to subscribe to;

delivering from the gateway entity to a subscriber entity said information regarding the requested service;

generating at the subscriber entity a service subscription message based on said information regarding the requested service and in accordance with a second communication protocol;

sending the service subscription message from the subscriber entity to a service provider entity providing the requested service; and

sending data to the user equipment for the provisioning of the requested service.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user equipment communicates via a first communication system and the service provider entity and the subscriber entity communicates via a second communication system, the gateway entity interfacing said first and second communication systems.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol enables the mobile user equipment to send and receive short text messages.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication protocol comprises session initiation protocol.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service provider entity provides a session initiation protocol event server.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service subscription message generated by the subscriber entity comprises a message for subscribing to an event provided by the service provider entity in accordance with a session initiation event protocol.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the subscriber entity generates the service subscription message to include information regarding at least one of:

a requested event package, a requested event, and event specific information.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

sending in response to the service subscription message from the service provider entity an information message containing information associated with the provisioning of the service to the subscriber entity in accordance with said second communication protocol;

receiving the information at the subscriber entity; and

generating at the subscriber entity a transportation message for transportation to the mobile user equipment in accordance with the first communication protocol.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, comprising sending at least one further information message containing information associated with the provisioning of the service to the subscriber entity in response to a change in a status of a subscribed event.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, comprising periodic sending of further information messages containing information associated with the provisioning of the service to the subscriber entity.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service request contains information regarding the user equipment, the service provider entity, the requested service, and the subscriber entity.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, comprising obtaining information from the service request at the gateway entity and forwarding content to the subscriber entity based on said information obtained from the service request.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising storing at the subscriber entity information regarding the service request received from the mobile user equipment.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprising sending stored information messages to the mobile user equipment based on the stored information.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the service subscriber entity is managed independently from an operator of the first communication system.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising use of at least three different messaging formats between the mobile user equipment and the service provider entity providing the requested service.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of dividing a message to or from the mobile user equipment into at least two short text messages.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gateway entity and the subscriber entity are provided in separate network elements.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gateway and subscriber entities are provided in a network element.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of using at least one security feature for communication between the mobile user equipment and the subscriber entity.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of establishing a service subscriber relationship between the user equipment and the service provider entity before sending the service request from the mobile user equipment to the subscriber entity.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the step of establishing the subscriber relationship further comprises delivering information regarding an address of the subscriber entity to the mobile user equipment.

23. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the step of establishing the subscriber relationship further comprises delivering information regarding an address of the service provider entity to the user equipment.

24. A communication system comprising:

a first communication network servicing a mobile user equipment in accordance with a first communication protocol, the mobile user equipment being configured to generate a service request containing information regarding a desired service;

a second communication network operating in accordance with a second communication protocol;

a gateway entity interfacing the first and second communication networks;

a subscriber entity connected to the second communication network for generating a service subscription message in accordance with the second communication protocol based on information from the service request; and

at least one service provider entity for provision of the requested service in response to the service subscription message generated by the subscriber entity.

25. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the user equipment is enabled to send and receive short text messages by means of the first communication protocol.

26. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the second communication protocol comprises a session initiation protocol.

27. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the service provider entity comprises a session initiation protocol event server.

28. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the subscriber entity is arranged to generate the service subscription message in accordance with the session initiation event protocol.

29. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the service provider entity is configured to respond the service subscription message by sending information associated with the provisioning of the service to the subscriber entity and the subscriber entity is configured to generate, based on said information associated with the provisioning of the service, a message to the mobile user equipment.

30. The communication system of claim 29, wherein the service provider entity is configured to respond the service subscription message by sending more than one message containing information associated with the provisioning of the service to the subscriber entity.

31. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the service subscriber entity is managed independently from an operator of the first communication system.

32. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the gateway entity and the subscriber entity are provided in separate network elements.

33. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the gateway entity and the subscriber entity are provided in a network element.

35. The service subscriber entity of claim 29, comprising a memory for storing information from the service requests.

36. The service subscriber entity of claim 29, wherein the processor is configured to generate the service subscription messages on behalf of the mobile user equipment in accordance with a session initiation event protocol.

34. A service subscriber entity for provision of services for a user of a mobile user equipment via a communication system, the service subscriber entity comprising a processor for processing service requests received from the user equipment via a gateway entity based on messages generated in accordance with a first communication protocol, the processing being for obtaining information regarding services the user desires to subscribe to and for generating service subscription messages in accordance with a second communication protocol based on said information regarding the requested services, and the service subscriber entity being configured to send said service subscription messages to a service provider entity.

37. A communication system comprising:

a first sending means for sending a service request from a mobile user equipment to a gateway entity in accordance with a first communication protocol, said service request containing information regarding a service a user wishes to subscribe to;

delivering means for delivering from the gateway entity to a subscriber entity said information regarding the requested service;

generating means for generating at the subscriber entity a service subscription message based on said information regarding the requested service and in accordance with a second communication protocol;

a second means for sending the service subscription message from the subscriber entity to a service provider entity providing the requested service; and

a third sending means for sending data to the user equipment for the provisioning of the requested service.

38. The communication system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the user equipment communicates via a first communication system and the service provider entity and the subscriber entity communicates via a second communication system, the gateway entity interfacing said first and second communication systems.

39. The communication system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the first communication protocol enables the mobile user equipment to send and receive short text messages.

40. The communication system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the second communication protocol comprises session initiation protocol.

41. The communication system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the service provider entity provides a session initiation protocol event server.