Multiplexing media components of different sessions

• US 20040223489A1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lahtinen, Lauri, Honkasalo, Zhi-Chun, Bertenyi, Balazs, Stura, Marco, Narhi, Anne, Poikselka, Miikka, Huotari, Seppo, Vimpari, Markku, Rotsten, Kirsi, Rasanen, Juha, Hongisto, Jukka, Koskinen, Juha Pekka, Rodrigo, Inmaculada Carrion, Sugar, Robert, Erzsebet, Erdei
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2093 Push to talk
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

A method of multiplexing different sessions using the same authorized contexts for media, comprising: distinguishing the sessions to be multiplexed, by a device; creating a new session on a control plane; indicating media flows of different sessions; and enabling the sessions to share the same authorized context for media, thus being multiplexed.

Claims

1. A method of multiplexing different sessions using same authorized contexts for media, the method comprising:

distinguishing the sessions to be multiplexed by a device;

creating a new session on a control plane;

indicating media flows of different sessions; and

enabling the sessions to share a same authorized context for the media, thus being multiplexed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the distinguishing step, the sessions to be multiplexed are distinguished by a User Equipment.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in the distinguishing step, the sessions to be multiplexed are distinguished by a general terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the distinguishing step, the sessions to be multiplexed are distinguished by a network element.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the distinguishing step, the sessions to be multiplexed are distinguished by an application server.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, in the distinguishing step, the sessions to be multiplexed are distinguished by at least one of a proxy call state control function and a policy decision function.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a Packet Data Protocol context as the authorized context for the media, wherein authorization for the context and thus session multiplexing is controlled by a Policy Decision Function.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the enabling step, the sessions are enabled to share a Packet Data Protocol context and session multiplexing is controlled by a User Equipment.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a half-duplex service as the service.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the providing step, the half-duplex service comprises Push-over-Cellular service.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

adding a new SIP session as a new media component to a same Packet Data Protocol context.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

sending a predefined wildcard port number range using an application server.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

sending a predefined wildcard port number range using an application server.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising;

filtering incoming packets for port numbers using an application server.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

indicating to a User Equipment during a session establishment, whether a network supports multiplexing of media flows of separate sessions on the same context.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, in the indicating to a User Equipment step, indication is conducted by including a flag in session establishment signaling and thus allows session multiplexing.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

indicating to a User Equipment by a network which session can be multiplexed by using a session related grouping identifier, wherein

the session related grouping identifier specifies that media flows of sessions having a same identifier can be multiplexed on the same context, while media flows of sessions having different identifiers cannot be multiplexed on the same context.

18. A system for multiplexing different sessions using context for media, the system comprising:

a device distinguishing session establishment signals related to a service from other session establishment signals;

creating means for creating a new session on a control plane by any activity of the service, wherein the creating means is operably connected to the device;

first indicating means for indicating media flows of different sessions of the service, wherein the indicating means is operably connected to the device; and

enabling means for enabling the sessions to share the same authorized context for media, thus being multiplexed, wherein the enabling means is operably connected to the device.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the device comprises a User Equipment.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the device comprises a network element.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the device comprises an application server.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the network element comprises one of a proxy call state control function and a policy decision function.

23. The system according to claim 18, further comprising:

second indicating means for indicating to a User Equipment during a session establishment, whether a network supports multiplexing of media flows of separate sessions on the same context, wherein the second indicating means is operably connected to the device.

24. The system according to claim 18, further comprising

second indicating means for indicating to a user equipment by a network which session can be multiplexed by using a session related grouping identifier, wherein the second indicating means is operably connected to the device and wherein

the session related grouping identifier specifies that media flows of sessions having the same identifier can be multiplexed on the same context, while media flows of sessions having different identifiers cannot be multiplexed on the same context.

25. A User Equipment comprising:

multiplexing means for multiplexing different sessions related to a same application in a service; and

distinguishing means for distinguishing session establishment signals related to the service from other session establishment signals, wherein the means for distributing is operably connected to the multiplexing means.

26. The User Equipment according to claim 25, wherein the User Equipment comprises a service enabled terminal.

27. The User Equipment according to claim 26, wherein the service comprises a half-duplex-service.

28. The User Equipment according to claim 27, wherein the half-duplex service comprises a Push-over-Cellular service.

29. The User Equipment according to claim 25, further comprising means for controlling the authorization for a Packet Data Protocol context and a Session Initiation Protocol session multiplexing, wherein the means for controlling is operably connected to the multiplexing means.

30. An application server, comprising:

multiplexing means for multiplexing different sessions related to the same application in a service; and

distinguishing means for distinguishing session establishment signals related to the service from other session establishment signals, wherein the means for distinguishing is operably connected to the means for multiplexing.

31. The server according to claim 30, wherein the service comprises a half-duplex-service.

32. The server according to claim 30, wherein the half-duplex service comprises a Push to talk over Cellular (PoC) service.

33. The server according to claim 32, further comprising means for sending a predefined wildcard port number range, wherein the means for sending is operably connected to the means for multiplexing.

34. A system for multiplexing different sessions using context for media, the system comprising:

a device distinguishing session establishment signals related to a service from other session establishment signals;

a session initiation module for creating a new session on a control plane by any activity of the service, wherein the session initiation module is operably connected to the device;

an indication module for indicating media flows of different sessions of the service, wherein the indication module is operably connected to the device; and

a distribution module for enabling the sessions to share the same authorized context for media, thus being multiplexed, wherein the distribution module is operably connected to the device.

35. A User Equipment comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing different sessions related to a same application in a service; and

a processor for distinguishing session establishment signals related to the service from other session establishment signals, wherein the processor is operably connected to the multiplexer.

36. An application server, comprising:

a multiplexer for multiplexing different sessions related to the same application in a service; and

a processor for distinguishing session establishment signals related to the service from other session establishment signals, wherein the processor is operably connected to the multiplexer.