Transparent session initiated protocol

• US 20050283832A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thommana, John, Pragada, Ravikumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

Method and apparatus employing transparent session initiation protocol (SIP) technique for communication especially between a user device in one domain and an application/service provide in an external domain. The transparent SIP technique is usable in wired or wireless systems such as 3G systems and wireless local area networks (WLANs).

Claims

1. A method for use by a user device for performing functions of a session initiated protocol (SIP) proxy agent, comprising:

providing at least one user agent and proxy agent in the user device,

incorporating an address of an SIP proxy server and an internal domain in said proxy agent

said user agent;

requesting invitation of a session;

said proxy agent;

determining whether the request for invitation is to be handled within the network of the operator'"'"'s domain or outside of the operator'"'"'s domain; and

determining a SIP server network outside of the operator'"'"'s domain.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the SIP server network outside of the operator'"'"'s domain by said proxy agent further comprises:

identifying an internet protocol (IP) address, port and transport protocol for a proxy in the external domain employing directory name service (DNS) lookup.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, for a session within the network operator'"'"'s domain, said proxy agent:

sends a request to a proxy in the network operator'"'"'s domain specified by an operator such that internal services provided are directly obtained.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said proxy agent:

provides an SIP uniform resource identifier (URI) to external domains in the form of a numerical IP address of an SIP terminal, thereby eliminating communication with a Proxy 1 of the network operator'"'"'s domain.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of providing the SIP URI to an external domain by said proxy agent includes:

providing said SIP URI responsive to a call to a third party application/content server.

6. A method employed by a user device in a home domain to contact a third party application server (AS) in a domain outside of the user device'"'"'s home domain, comprising:

the user device;

initiating an Invite communication;

providing the user device with a proxy agent, the proxy agent, responsive to the Invite communication;

identifying the Invite communication as directed to an external domain;

performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup; and

communicating an Invite communication to a proxy server (Proxy 2) of the outside domain responsive to said DNS lookup;

said Proxy 2 of said external domain;

sending an Invite communication to the third party AS identified by the Invite communication initiated by the user device; and

said third party AS;

communicating with said proxy agent through said Proxy 2 to initiate communication between said third party AS and the user device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said AS initiates a media session directly with the user device responsive to the user device:

sending an acknowledgment (ACK) directly to said third party application server.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said AS initiates a media session directly with the user device responsive to the user device:

sending an acknowledgement (ACK) directly to said third party application server.

8. A method employed by a user device in a home domain to contact a third party application server (AS) located in the user device'"'"'s home domain, comprising:

the user device;

initiating an Invite communication;

providing the user device with a proxy agent, said proxy agent, responsive to the Invite communication;

identifying the Invite communication as directed to an internal domain;

performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup; and

communicating an Invite communication to a proxy server (Proxy 1) of the home domain responsive to said DNS lookup;

said Proxy 1

sending an Invite communication to the third party AS identified by the Invite communication initiated by the user device; and

said third party AS;

communicating with said proxy agent through said Proxy 1 to initiate communication between third party AS and the user device.

10. A method employed by a user device having a proxy agent and being capable of support by third generation (3G) system, said method enabling the user device in one domain to communication with a third party application/content server in a domain external to the user device, the method comprising:

the user device;

generating an Invite communication;

the proxy agent;

invoking a general packet radio service (GPRS) attach responsive to said Invite communication;

establishing a packet data protocol (PDP) context bearer employing a PDP context establishment procedure;

performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup and identifying the IP address, port and transport protocol for a Proxy 2 in the external domain;

establishing a packet switch (PS) call to a proxy server (Proxy 2) in said external domain; and

transmitting an Invite communication to said Proxy 2 to initiate a media session directly between said UE and said third party application/content server.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the Proxy 2:

provides an invite communication to the AS; and

said AS;

initiates a session with the user device.

12. A user device configured for operation in a first wireless domain having a capability to directly communicate with an application/content server in a second wireless domain outside of said first domain, the user device comprising:

a mobile platform having means for supporting 3GPP, said mobile platform including;

means responsive to an Invite communication initiated by the user device to identify an Invite communication as intended for an external domain;

means to invoke a general packet radio service (GPRS) attach;

means for performing a packet data protocol (PDP) context establishment procedure;

means for performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup and identifying the IP address, port and transport protocol for a Proxy 2 in the second domain; and

means to establish a packet switch (PS) call to said Proxy 2 in said second domain.

13. The user device of claim 12 configured as a wireless User Equipment (UE) wherein said mobile platform is a U-100 mobile platform.

14. The UE of claim 12 wherein said mobile platform includes means for supporting GPRS for the Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM/GPRS) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA).

15. The UE of claim 12 wherein said mobile platform is dual-mode enabled.

16. A user device configured to perform functions of a session initiated protocol (SIP) proxy agent, comprising:

at least one user agent and proxy agent configured to incorporate an address of an SIP proxy server and an internal domain in said proxy agent;

said user agent configured to request invitation of a session;

said proxy agent configured to determine whether a request for invitation is to be handled within an operator'"'"'s domain within which the apparatus is configured to communicate or outside of the operator'"'"'s domain and to determine a SIP server network outside of the operator'"'"'s domain.

17. The user device of claim 16 wherein said proxy agent is configured to determine the SIP server network outside of the operator'"'"'s domain by being configured to identify an internet protocol (IP) address, port and transparent protocol for a proxy in the external domain by employing directory name service (DNS) lookup.

18. The user device of claim 16 wherein, for a session within the operator'"'"'s domain, said proxy agent is further configured to send a request to a proxy server in a network operator'"'"'s domain specified by an operator, such that internal services provided are directly obtained.

19. The user device of claim 16 wherein said proxy agent is further configured to provide an SIP uniform resource identifier (URI) to external domains in the form of a numerical IP address of an SIP terminal, thereby eliminating communication with a proxy server of the network operator'"'"'s domain in such event.

20. The user device of claim 19 wherein said proxy agent is further configured to provide the SIP URI to an external domain by being configure to provide said SIP URI responsive to a call to a third party application/content server.

21. The user device of claim 16 where the operator'"'"'s domain comprises a wireless network wherein the user device is configured as a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) for wireless communication within the wireless network of the operator'"'"'s domain.

22. The user device of claim 16 where the operator'"'"'s domain comprises an IEEE 802 wireless network wherein the user device is configured as a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) for IEEE 802 wireless communication within the wireless network of the operator'"'"'s domain.

23. The user device of claim 16 where the operator'"'"'s domain comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network wherein the user device is configured as a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) for CDMA wireless communication within the wireless network of the operator'"'"'s domain.

24. Apparatus employed by a user device in a home domain to contact a third party application server (AS) in a domain outside of the UE'"'"'s home domain, comprising:

means for initiating an Invite communication;

a proxy agent, said proxy agent, responsive to said Invite comprising;

means for identifying the Invite communication as directed to an external domain;

means for performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup; and

means for communicating an Invite communication to a proxy server (Proxy 2) of the outside domain responsive to said DNS lookup to enable the Proxy 2 of the external domain to send an Invite communication to the third party AS identified by the Invite communication initiated by the user device and to thereby enable the third party AS to communicate with said proxy agent through the Proxy 2 to initiate communication between the third party AS and the user device.

25. Apparatus employed by a user device in a home domain to contact a third party application server (AS) located in the home domain, comprising:

means for initiating an Invite communication;

a proxy agent, said proxy agent, responsive to said Invite communication, comprising;

means for identifying the Invite communication as directed to an internal domain;

means for performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup; and

means for communicating an Invite communication to a proxy server (Proxy 1) of the home domain associated with the AS, responsive to said DNS lookup to enable the Proxy 1 to send an Invite communication to the third party AS identified by the Invite communication initiated by the user device and to thereby enable the third party AS to communicate with said proxy agent through the Proxy 1 to initiate communication between the AS and the user device.

26. A wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) having a proxy agent for wireless communication within a wireless network system and configured to operating in selected domain and to communicate with a third party application/content server in an external domain that is external to the selected domain, the WTRU comprising:

means for generating an Invite communication;

said proxy agent comprising;

means for invoking a general packet radio service (GPRS) attach responsive to said Invite communication;

means for establishing a packet data protocol (PDP) context bearer employing a PDP context establishment procedure;

means for performing a directory name service (DNS) lookup and identifying the IP address, port and transport protocol for a proxy server (Proxy 2) in the external domain;

means for establishing a packet switch (PS) call to the Proxy 2 in the external domain; and

means for transmitting an Invite communication to the Proxy 2 to initiate a media session directly between the WTRU and the third party application/content server.