Session establishment for real-time media communication service

• US 20050254510A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rebeiro-Hargrave, Andrew, Holtappels, Bert, Oja, Saku, Westman, Ilkka, Helenius, Paavo, Hyytia, Simo
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A solution for establishing a session of a real-time media communication service in a communication system comprising at least two separately administered subsystems. The session establishment comprises receiving a request for session initiation, querying subscriber information related to the requested session, and initiating the session according to the queried subscriber information. The invented method comprises detecting that the terminating subscriber does not belong to the same subsystem as the originating subscriber, determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of the subsystem of the terminating subscriber, and querying subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server. The solution allows a connection to be established between users of a real-time media communication service for subscribers of separate administrative subsystems so that operators of each subsystem may possess full control of their own network elements, and the internal connection establishment procedures need minimal alterations for the functionality.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a session of a real-time media communication service in a communication system comprising at least two separately administered subsystems, comprising:

receiving a request for session initiation;

querying subscriber information related to the requested session;

initiating the requested session according to the queried subscriber information;

detecting that a terminating subscriber does not belong to a same subsystem as an originating subscriber;

determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of a subsystem of the terminating subscriber;

querying subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving, in response to a received control message, the subscriber information from the subscriber database of the subsystem of the terminating subscriber;

and

returning a second control message comprising the queried session related subscriber information.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing said requested session of the real-time media communication service according to a Session Initiation Protocol;

and

carrying the real-time media communication service related information in a payload of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein said first control message is a SIP OPTIONS message and said second control message is a SIP 200 OK message.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein said first control message is a SIP OPTIONS message and said second control message is a SIP 300 Multiple Choices message.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein said first control message is a SIP MESSAGE message and said second control message is a SIP 300 Multiple Choices message.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of querying said subscriber information related to the requested session comprises querying an identity of a user control server of the terminating user, and the step of initiating the requested session comprises sending a request to the user control server of the terminating user.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber comprises determining a pre-defined user control server in the subsystem of the terminating subscriber.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber comprises determining a pre-defined server in a third subsystem administratively integrated to the subsystem of the terminating subscriber.

10. A communication system providing a real-time media communication service between separately administered subsystems, comprising a first server configured to:

receive a request for session initiation;

query subscriber information related to the requested session;

initiate the session according to the queried subscriber information;

detect that a terminating subscriber does not belong to a same subsystem as an originating subscriber;

determine a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of a subsystem of the terminating subscriber;

query subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server;

wherein said transit server is configured to retrieve, in response to a received control message, the subscriber information from the subscriber database of the subsystem of the terminating subscriber, and return a second control message comprising the queried session related subscriber information.

11. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said subsystems are configured to establish said requested session of a real-time media communication service according to a Session Initiation Protocol;

and carry the real-time media communication service related information in a payload of Session Initiation Protocol messages.

12. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said subscriber information related to the requested session comprises an identity of a user control server of the terminating subscriber, and initiates the session by sending a request to the user control server of the terminating subscriber.

13. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said transit server is a pre-defined user control server in the subsystem of the terminating subscriber.

14. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said transit server is a pre-defined server accessible to the subsystem of the terminating subscriber.

17. A server according to claim 10, wherein said first control message is a SIP OPTIONS message and said second control message is a SIP 200 OK message.

18. A server according to claim 10, wherein said first control message is a SIP OPTIONS message and said second control message is a SIP 300 Multiple Choices message.

19. A server according to claim 10, wherein said first control message is a SIP MESSAGE message and said second control message is a SIP 300 Multiple Choices message.

15. A server in a communication system providing a real-time media communication service between separately administered subsystems, configured to:

receive a request for session initiation;

query subscriber information related to the requested session;

initiate the requested session according to the queried subscriber information, wherein said server is further configured to detect that a terminating subscriber does not belong to a same subsystem as an originating subscriber;

determine a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of a subsystem of the terminating subscriber;

query subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server.

16. A server according to claim 15, wherein said server is configured to establish said requested session of the real-time media communication service according to a Session Initiation Protocol;

and carry the real-time media communication service related information in the payload of the Session Initiation Protocol messages.

20. A server according to claim 15, wherein said subscriber information related to the requested session comprises an identity of the user control server of the terminating subscriber, and the server being configured to initiate the session by sending a request to the user control server of the terminating subscriber.

21. A computer program product executable in a computer connected to a communication system comprising at least two separately administered subsystems, execution of the computer program product in the computer causing the computer to carry out the steps of

receiving a request for session initiation;

querying subscriber information related to the requested session;

initiating the requested session according to the queried subscriber information, wherein execution of the computer program product in the computer causes the computer to carry out the steps of

detecting that a terminating subscriber does not belong to a same subsystem as an originating subscriber;

determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of a subsystem of the terminating subscriber;

querying subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server.

22. A communication system providing a real-time media communication service between separately administered subsystems, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for session initiation;

first querying means for querying subscriber information related to the requested session;

initiating means for initiating the requested session according to the queried subscriber information, wherein

detecting means for detecting that a terminating subscriber does not belong to a same subsystem as an originating subscriber,

determining means for determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of a subsystem of the terminating subscriber, and

second querying means for querying subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server.