Initiation of packet-based services in a public mobile communication system

• US 20050135348A1
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Staack, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A mechanism and method for initiating a packet-based service session in a public mobile communication system, especially a service session for a group of users are disclosed. In order to accomplish a service initiation even if the terminals of the users are in a disconnected state with respect to the packet-switched domain of the mobile communication system, a triggering message is sent from one user terminal to the other terminals of the group. The triggering message includes information about a packet-based service session to be started, and it may be a message that can be sent via the mobile communication system to a mobile terminal that is in a disconnected state with respect to the packet-switched domain. In response to the reception of the triggering message, the other terminals are brought to a state allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session. When necessary, this feature involves establishing a connection from the other terminals to the packet-switched domain.

Claims

1. A method for initiating a packet-based service session in a mobile communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a triggering message to at least one first mobile terminal of a mobile communication system, the triggering message including information about a packet-based service session to be started;

receiving the triggering message in the at least one first mobile terminal;

in response to the receiving step, bringing at least one of the at least one first mobile terminal to a state allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session from a packet data network belonging to the mobile communication system.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bringing step includes establishing a connection from the at least one of the at least one first mobile terminal to the packet data network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the bringing step includes registering at least one user of the at least one of the at least one first mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the bringing step further includes registering at least one user of the at least one of the at least one first mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said registering step comprises registering with the server, in which the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said registering step comprises registering with the server, in which the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said sending step comprises sending the triggering message to the at least one first mobile terminal along a path that fails to include the packet data network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said sending step comprising executing the sending step in a second mobile terminal.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said sending step comprises sending the triggering message, in which the packet-based service session comprises a session of a push-to-talk-over-cellular service.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said sending step comprises sending the triggering message, in which the triggering message comprises a short message service message.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sending step comprises indicating a starting time for the packet-based service session in the information.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said bringing step comprises performing the bringing step substantially at said starting time.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said bringing step comprises performing the bringing step substantially without delay in response to the receiving step.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein said sending step comprises sending the triggering message, in which the triggering message comprises a multimedia message service message.

15. A system for initiating a packet-based service session in a mobile communication system, the system comprising:

first means for sending a triggering message to at least one first mobile terminal of a mobile communication system, the triggering message including information about a packet-based service session to be started;

second means for receiving the triggering message in the at least one first mobile terminal;

third means, responsive to the second means, for bringing the at least one first mobile terminal to a state allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session from a packet data network belonging to the mobile communication system.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the third means are configured to establish a connection from a mobile terminal to the packet data network if the mobile terminal is in a disconnected state with respect to the packet data network when the mobile terminal is to be brought to said state, wherein the mobile terminal is any of the at least one first mobile terminal.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the third means are configured to register at least one user of the at least one first mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the third means are further configured to register a user of said mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

19. A system according to claim 17, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

21. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first means are configured to send the triggering message along a path that fails to include the packet data network.

22. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first means reside in at least one second mobile terminal of the mobile communication system.

23. A system according to claim 15, wherein the packet data network comprises a general packet radio service network.

24. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first means send a short message service message as the triggering message.

25. A system according to claim 15, wherein the first means send a multimedia message service message as the triggering message.

26. A method for initiating a packet-based service session in a mobile communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a triggering message in a mobile terminal of a mobile communication system, the triggering message including information about a packet-based service session to be started;

bringing the mobile terminal to a state in response to the receiving step, thereby allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session from a packet data network belonging to the mobile communication system.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the bringing step includes establishing a connection to the packet data network.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein the bringing step includes registering a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the bringing step further includes registering a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein said registering step comprises registering with the server, in which the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

31. A method according to claim 29, wherein said registering step comprises registering with the server, in which the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

32. A method according to claim 26, wherein said receiving step comprises receiving the triggering message from such part of the mobile communication system, which fails to include the packet data network.

33. A mobile terminal for a mobile communication system including a packet data network, the mobile terminal comprising:

first interface means for receiving a triggering message, the triggering message including information about a packet-based service session to be started;

state transition means, operatively connected to the first interface means, for bringing, in response to the triggering message, the mobile terminal to a state allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session from a packet data network belonging to the mobile communication system.

34. A mobile terminal according to claim 33, wherein the state transition means are configured to establish a connection to the packet data network if the mobile terminal comprises a disconnected state with respect to the packet data network when the mobile terminal is to be brought to said state.

35. A mobile terminal according to claim 33, wherein the state transition means are configured to register a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

36. A mobile terminal according to claim 34, wherein the state transition means are further configured to register a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

37. A mobile terminal according to claim 35, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

38. A mobile terminal according to claim 36, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

39. A mobile terminal according to claim 33, wherein the information indicates a starting time for the packet-based service session, the state transition means configured to bring the mobile terminal to said state substantially at said starting time.

40. A mobile terminal according to claim 33, wherein the state transition means are configured to bring the mobile terminal to said state substantially without delay in response to the triggering message.

41. A mobile terminal according to claim 33, wherein the first interface means fail to provide an interface to the packet data network.

42. A mobile terminal for a mobile communication system including a packet data network, the mobile terminal comprising:

first interface means for sending a triggering message to a mobile communication system, the triggering message including information about a packet-based service session to be started;

state transition means, operatively connected to the first interface means, for bringing the terminal to a state allowing reception of packets belonging to the packet-based service session from a packet data network belonging to the mobile communication system.

43. A mobile terminal according to claim 42, wherein the state transition means are configured to establish a connection to the packet data network if the mobile terminal comprises a disconnected state with respect to the packet data network when the mobile terminal is to be brought to said state.

44. A mobile terminal according to claim 42, wherein the state transition means are configured to register a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

45. A mobile terminal according to claim 43, wherein the state transition means are further configured to register a user of the mobile terminal with a server offering the packet-based service session.

46. A mobile terminal according to claim 44, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

47. A mobile terminal according to claim 45, wherein the server comprises a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

48. A mobile terminal according to claim 42, wherein the information indicates a starting time for the packet-based service session, the state transition means configured to bring the mobile terminal to said state substantially at said starting time.

49. A mobile terminal according to claim 42, wherein the state transition means are configured to bring the mobile terminal to said state substantially without delay in response to the triggering message.

50. A mobile terminal according to claim 42, wherein the first interface means fail to provide an interface to the packet data network.