Broadcast in point-to-point oriented packet-switched networks

• US 20050018678A1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Keller, Ralf, Lohmar, Thorsten, Hundscheidt, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, a broadcast management centre, a router, a host and a system for performing broadcast in a point-to-point oriented packet-switched telecommunication network. The basic idea is to use multicast for parts of the transmission within said telecommunication network. The multicast technique is used to send broadcast data to a geographical broadcast group to which a network node belongs. The network nodes are configured to a certain geographical broadcast group by the broadcast management centre.

Claims

1-19. -19. (cancelled).

20. A method for broadcasting messages in a point-to-point oriented packet-switched telecommunication network, said network having a set of network nodes comprising a first router and at least one host serving at least one user, wherein the first router communicates with a broadcast capable server that provides broadcast data, said method comprising the steps of:

configuring the network nodes by a broadcast management centre for broadcast provisioning within a geographical broadcast group, said broadcast management centre ordering the network nodes to register to the geographical broadcast group;

sending, from said broadcast capable server, the broadcast data to the first router;

using multicast techniques on the transport layer to route the broadcast data from the first router to the at least one host belonging to the geographical broadcast group; and

using a broadcast technique to send the broadcast data from said host to the at least one user.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the geographical broadcast group is defined as a geographical area of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein said step of configuring performed by the broadcast management centre comprises the step of directly addressing the network nodes belonging to the geographical broadcast group.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein said step of configuring performed by the broadcast management centre is performed indirectly such that a network node is addressed to establish connection to the further network nodes building the geographical broadcast group.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising the step of requesting the network nodes to register to the geographical broadcast group.

25. The method according claim 24 wherein the indication for registration is performed by means of Internet Group Message Protocol (IGMP) or Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) protocol.

26. The method according to claim 20, wherein said step of configuring comprises the exchange of information via an interface between the broadcast management centre and the network nodes.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein the broadcast capable server supports the broadcast management centre by means of an information exchange interface between broadcast capable server and the broadcast management centre.

28. The method according to claim 20, wherein the multicast technique on the transport layer uses a transport level multicast group tunnel, which is established by means of transport layer protocol for tunnelling.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the transport layer protocol for tunnelling is a GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

30. The method according to claim 20, wherein multicast data delivery is performed using a multicast delivery tree established by means of multicast routing protocol.

31. The method according to claim 20, wherein the multicast is an IP-multicast.

32. The method according to claim 20, wherein the broadcast technique comprises the broadcast technique provided on a radio interface with said at least one user.

33. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of mapping parts of the transmission in the involved network nodes in order to deliver the broadcast data to the at least one user.

34. A broadcast management centre for broadcast and/or multicast management in a point-to-point oriented packet-switched telecommunication network having a set of network nodes, wherein the set comprises a first router and at least one host serving at least one user and the first router communicates with a broadcast capable server providing broadcast data, said broadcast management centre comprising:

a configuration unit for configuration of the network nodes to a geographical broadcast group, wherein the network nodes are registered to the geographical broadcast group;

a communication unit for communicating with the network nodes; and

a receiving unit for receiving information on which basis the geographical broadcast group is determined.

35. A router adapted to perform multicast in a point-to-point oriented packet-switched telecommunication network having a set of network nodes, wherein the set comprises at least one router and at least one host serving at least one user and the first router communicates with a broadcast capable server providing broadcast data, said router comprising:

a configuration unit for configuring the network nodes in order to provide a geographical broadcast group, wherein the network nodes are registered to the geographical broadcast group;

a receiving unit for receiving data;

means for providing multicast techniques on the transport layer; and

a sending unit for sending the multicast data towards the host belonging to the geographical broadcast group.

36. The router according to claim 35, wherein said router controls a data structure for the administration of the relation between the received data and the sent multicast data.

37. A host adapted to perform broadcast in a point-to-point oriented packet-switched telecommunication network, wherein the host is connected on one side to at least one router and on the other side to at least one user, and wherein the host is configured by the broadcast management centre, said host comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving multicast data sent by means of a multicast technique on the transport layer from the router;

an association unit for association of the received multicast data to the broadcast data sent to the user;

means for providing broadcast technique to the user; and

sending unit for sending the data to the user.