Presence server, session control server, and packet relay system

• US 20050216595A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yumoto, Kazuma, Miyata, Tatsuhiko, Kasuga, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• 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 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

The object of the invention is to make communication between users smoother utilizing terminal type information. To achieve the object, a terminal type is specified based upon information in login and information acquired by adding the information to presence information is notified. Besides, terminals of the same type are connected by an SIP server. The selection of the communication means of voice communications and a character chat when communication is started and the specification of a calling terminal at a partner terminal are enabled by adding terminal information to presence information and grasping mutual owned terminals. Detailed status can be grasped based upon presence information of the same name by grasping presence information and terminal information. Further, in the case of a terminal not provided with a presence function, an SIP server also identifies terminal type information by deputy and can also specify a calling terminal.

Claims

1. A presence server that can be connected to a session control server for communication control between plural terminals and manages the status information of the plural terminals, comprising:

a line interface;

a controller that extracts the terminal type information of an originator terminal of a packet received via the line interface from the head information of the received packet; and

a storage that storing the extracted terminal type information and session status information between a partner terminal that communicates with the originator terminal and the originator terminal in a state in which their information is related, wherein;

the line interface transmits the terminal type information of the originator terminal to the partner terminal.

2. A presence server according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller extracts the terminal type information of the originator terminal connected to the communication control server from header information included in the login message received via the line interface; and

the line interface transmits the terminal type information of the originator terminal to the partner terminal via the session control server.

3. A presence server according to claim 1, comprising:

a table storing the information of whether the terminal type information should be notified or not every communication partner of the originator terminal, wherein;

the terminal type information is transmitted to only a partner terminal in which the notification of the terminal type information is allowed.

4. A presence server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a dictionary table, wherein;

the controller converts the terminal type information extracted from the header information to terminal type information for internal management using the dictionary table.

5. A presence server according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller can transmit the terminal type information to the plural terminals; and

the controller can change a method of transmitting the terminal type information to the plural terminals.

6. A presence server according to claim 5, wherein:

the controller changes a method of outputting the terminal type information according to a terminal type information notification protocol used by each of the plural terminals.

7. A presence server according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller can freely set a part from which the terminal type information is extracted in header information of the packet.

8. A session control server for communication control between plural terminals, comprising:

a line interface;

a controller that extracts the terminal type information of an originator terminal of a packet received via the line interface from header information of the received packet; and

a storage for storing the extracted terminal type information and session status information between a partner terminal which communicates with the originator terminal and the originator terminal in a state in which the respective information is related, wherein;

the line interface transmits the terminal type information of the originator terminal to the partner terminal.

9. A session control server according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller extracts the terminal type information of the originator terminal from header information included in a log-in message received via the line interface.

10. A session control server according to claim 8, further comprising:

a dictionary table, wherein;

the controller converts the terminal type information extracted from the header information to terminal type information for internal management using the dictionary table.

11. A session control server according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller can transmit the terminal type information to the plural terminals; and

the controller can change a method of transmitting the terminal type information every each of the plural terminals.

12. A session control server according to claim 9, wherein:

the controller changes a method of outputting terminal type information according to a terminal type information notification protocol used by each of the plural terminals.

13. A session control server according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller can freely set a part from which the terminal type information is extracted in the header information of the packet.

14. A session control server according to claim 8, wherein:

a message can be distributed utilizing the terminal type information.

15. A session control server according to claim 14, wherein:

policy for distributing a message utilizing the terminal type can be freely changed.

16. A session control server according to claim 14, wherein:

a message type according to which a message is distributed utilizing the terminal type can be freely set.

17. A session control server according to claim 14, wherein:

in case a destination of distribution cannot be found in the distribution of a message utilizing the terminal type, the effect is responded to an originator.

18. A session control server according to claim 8, wherein:

a session initiation protocol (SIP) is used for a session control protocol.

19. A packet relay system for receiving a packet transmitted from a terminal or a server and relaying the packet to another server or another terminal, comprising:

means for grasping the type of the terminal or the server based upon the packet transmitted from the terminal or the server; and

means for storing the terminal type, wherein;

terminals, servers or a terminal and a server respectively suited to an object are connected using the terminal type.