Method, system and network device for routing a message to a temporarily unavailable network user

• US 20040184452A1
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kiss, Krisztian, Tuohino, Markku, Huotari, Seppo
• Granted Patent: US 9,451,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/384
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method, system and network device routes a message to a temporarily unavailable network user, wherein a subscription to a registration state of the network user is initiated if the network user is indicated as being unavailable. Then, a notification is generated, when the registration state of the network user is changed to indicate a state when the network user is available again or when the network user is registered again, and the message is routed to the network user in response to receiving the notification. Thereby, network elements or servers generating messages can be informed about the connection state of the network user.

Claims

1. A method of routing a message to a temporarily unavailable network user, said method comprising the steps of:

subscribing to a state event package of said network user;

generating a notification when a state of a network user is changed to indicate a state when said network user is available again or to indicate a state when a network user is registered again; and

routing a message to said network user in response to receiving said notification.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said subscribing step comprises subscribing to said state event package comprising a registration state event package.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification when said state of said network user is available again indicates a state where said network user is reachable again.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising performing said subscribing step in response to receiving a message indicating that said network user is not reachable or not registered.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising information indicating that said network user is either reachable or out of coverage.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising said information comprising an event or flag information.

7. A method according to claims 5, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising said information set, after an initial registration of said network user, to the state indicating that said network user is available.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising said information set to the state indicating that the network user is out of coverage, if terminal traffic to said network user has failed.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising said information set to the state indicating that the network user is out of said coverage determined based on an error cause of a response message.

10. A method according to claim 5, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification comprising information indicating that the network user is reachable, if a terminal device of the network user performs an outgoing session set-up or a re-registration.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generating step comprises generating said notification when said network user is re-registered based on a notification about a re-assignment of said network user.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising refreshing the subscription in response to said notified re-registration.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said routing step comprises routing said message comprising a Multimedia Messaging Service notification.

22. A server according to claim 1, wherein the server is configured to refresh the subscription in response to a notified re-registration of the network user.

14. A network device for serving a network user in a data network, the network device being configured to store a state event package indicating that the network user is unregistered or registered but not reachable, and to generate a notification to a subscriber of said state event package if the state indicates that said network user is available.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein said notification comprises information indicating that said network user is either reachable or out of coverage.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the network device is configured to set information to the state indicating that the network user is available, after an initial registration of the network user or if a terminal device of the network user performs an outgoing session set-up or an incoming session setup attempt is successful.

17. A device according to claim 15, wherein the network device is configured to set information to the state indicating that the network user is out of coverage, if terminal traffic to the network user has failed.

18. A device according to claim 14, wherein the network devices comprises a call state control function of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem network.

19. A network server for generating messages to be routed to network users, the server being configured to subscribe to a state of a non-available network user, and to route a message to the non-available network user in response to receiving a state notification indicating that the non-available network user is available.

20. A server according to claim 19, wherein the network server is configured to perform the subscribing in response to the receipt of a message indicating that the network user is not reachable or not registered.

21. A server according to claim 19, wherein the network server is configured to subscribe for a registration event package of the network user.

23. A server according to claim 19, wherein the network server comprises a Multimedia Messaging Service server.

24. A network arrangement for routing a message to a temporarily unavailable network user, said network arrangement comprising:

a) subscribing means for subscribing to a state event package of a network user;

b) generating means for generating a notification when a state of said network user is changed to indicate a state when said network user is available again or to indicate when said network user is registered again; and

c) routing means for routing a message to said network user in response to receiving said notification.