Wireless VoIP/VIP roaming to access point of different network type

• US 20070047516A1
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kottilingal, Sudeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,542,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile communication device (for example, a cellular telephone) has one air interface for wireless communication with wireless LAN and another air interface for cellular telephone communication with a cellular telephone network. Initially, the communication device is used to transmit VoIP packets of a media stream to a target communication device in a first session across one of the air interfaces. It is then desired to use the other air interface. A spawn SIP message is communicated to the target, which returns a spawn identifier. The communication device sets up a second session by sending a SIP INVITE containing the spawn identifier to the target across the other air interface. Both sessions are active VoIP sessions. The target uses the spawn identifier to associate the first and second sessions. The flow of VoIP packets for the media stream is then switched from the first session to the second session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) communicating first VoIP/VIP (voice over Internet Protocol or video over Internet Protocol) packets in a first session between a first IP address and a second IP address, wherein the first IP address is an IP address associated with a first device and wherein the second IP address is an IP address associated with a second device, and wherein said communicating of first VoIP/VIP packets involves communicating the first VoIP/VIP packets over a first wireless communication link between the first device and a transceiver on a first network;

(b) communicating a SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) message in the first session from the first device to the second device, wherein the SIP message identifies the first session;

(c) using the SIP message to initialize a second session so that the first session and the second session are active simultaneously, the second session being between a third IP address and the second IP address, wherein the third IP address is an IP address associated with the first device; and

(d) communicating second VoIP/VIP packets in the second session between the third IP address and the second IP address, wherein said communicating of second VoIP/VIP packets involves communicating the second VoIP/VIP packets over a second wireless communication link between the first device and a transceiver on a second network, wherein the first VoIP/VIP packets and the second VoIP/VIP packets include voice data of a single media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first VoIP/VIP packets are communicated over the first wireless communication link in accordance with a wireless LAN (local area network) communication protocol, wherein the second VoIP/VIP packets are communicated over the second communication link in accordance with a cellular telephone communication protocol, and wherein the first wireless device is a device taken from the group consisting of:

an IP phone, a cellular telephone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a computer having a wireless communication capability.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SIP message in step (b) is a SIP SPAWN message, and wherein step (c) comprises:

receiving the SIP SPAWN message in the second device and in response thereto sending a first SIP OK message from the second device to the first device, the first SIP OK message including a spawn identifier;

receiving the first SIP OK message in the first device and in response thereto sending a first SIP ACK message from the first device to the second device;

sending a SIP INVITE message from the first device to the second device, wherein the SIP INVITE message includes the spawn identifier;

receiving the SIP INVITE message in the second device and in response thereto sending a second SIP OK message from the second device to the first device; and

receiving the second SIP OK message in the first device and in response thereto sending a second SIP ACK message from the first device to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first VoIP/VIP packets are first RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) payload packets, wherein the second VoIP/VIP packets are second RTP payload packets, wherein some of the second RTP payload packets are communicated in the second session and thereafter some of the first RTP payload packets are communicated in the first session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first VoIP/VIP packets are first RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) payload packets, wherein the second VoIP/VIP packets are second RTP payload packets, and wherein no RTP payload packet is communicated in the first session once any RTP payload packet has been communicated in the second session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is an IP phone, and wherein the second device is taken from the group consisting of:

an IP phone, and a media gateway.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) communicating a second SIP message from the first device to the second device, the second SIP message indicating that the first device will communicate subsequent VoIP/VIP packets using the second session and not the first session.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) communicating a second SIP message from the first device to the second device, the second SIP message indicating that the first device will communicate subsequent VoIP/VIP packets using the first session and not the second session.

9. A set of processor-executable instructions stored on a processor-readable medium, wherein the processor-readable medium is part of a SIP endpoint entity, the set of instructions being for:

handling first VoIP/VIP (voice over Internet Protocol or video over Internet Protocol) data payloads received onto the mobile communication device in a first session, the first session being between a call endpoint and the SIP endpoint entity;

analyzing a SPAWN message received onto the SIP endpoint entity in the first session, the SPAWN message having been initiated from the call endpoint;

generating a SPAWN identifier and sending the SPAWN identifier from the SIP endpoint entity back to the call endpoint;

analyzing a SIP invite request received onto the SIP endpoint entity from the call endpoint, the SIP invite request including the SPAWN identifier;

setting up a second session between the call endpoint and the SIP endpoint entity such that both the first session and the second session are active simultaneously; and

handling second VoIP/VIP data payloads received onto the mobile communication device in the second session, wherein the first VoIP/VIP data payloads and the second VoIP/VIP data payloads are data payloads of a single media stream.

10. A set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the call endpoint is a cellular telephone, and wherein the SIP endpoint entity is a media gateway.

11. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the SPAWN message includes a first portion that identifies the first session, the first portion including a first SIP address associated with the first session, the first SIP address having a form XXX@YYYY, wherein XXX identifies the call endpoint, and wherein YYYY is a domain name of a first network, the second portion including a second SIP address associated with the second session, the second SIP address having a form XXX@ZZZZ, wherein XXX is identical to the XXX in the first SIP address, and wherein ZZZZ is a domain name of a second network.

12. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the first session has a first CALL-ID, and wherein the second session has a second CALL-ID.

13. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 12, wherein the SPAWN message includes the first CALL-ID and the second CALL-ID.

14. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the call endpoint has a first air interface and a second air interface, wherein communication in the first session includes communicating using the first air interface, and wherein communication in the second session includes communicating using the second air interface.

15. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein the SIP endpoint entity is taken from the group consisting of:

a mobile wireless communication device, an IP phone, a cellular telephone, a cellular IP phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a wireless communication capability, a computer having a wireless communication capability, and a media gateway.

16. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 9, wherein said handling of the second voice data payloads involves ordering the first and second VoIP/VIP data payloads.

17. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 16, wherein after said ordering the first and second VoIP/VIP data payloads are used to generate sound.

18. A set of processor-executable instructions stored on a processor-readable medium, wherein the processor-readable medium is part of a mobile wireless communication device, the set of instructions being for:

communicating first VoIP/VIP (voice over Internet Protocol or video over Internet Protocol) data payloads to a call endpoint in a first session;

generating a SPAWN message, the SPAWN message being sent from the mobile wireless device to the call endpoint in the first session;

analyzing a SIP response received onto the mobile wireless communication device in the first session, the SIP response including a SPAWN identifier;

generating a SIP invite that includes the SPAWN identifier, the SIP invite being sent from the mobile wireless communication device to the call endpoint such that a second session is set up, the first and second sessions being active simultaneously, the first and second sessions having different CALL-IDs; and

communicating second VoIP/VIP data payloads to the call endpoint in the second session, wherein the first VoIP/VIP data payloads and the second VoIP/VIP data payloads are payloads of a single media stream.

19. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 18, wherein the SPAWN message includes a first portion that identifies the first session, the first portion including a first SIP address associated with the first session, the first SIP address having a form XXX@YYYY, wherein XXX identifies the mobile wireless communication device, and wherein YYYY is a domain name of a first network, the second portion including a second SIP address associated with the second session, the second SIP address having a form XXX@ZZZZ, wherein XXX is identical to the XXX in the first SIP address, and wherein ZZZZ is a domain name of a second network.

20. The set of processor-executable instructions of claim 18, wherein the mobile wireless communication device has a first air interface and a second air interface, wherein communication in the first session includes communicating using the first air interface, and wherein communication in the second session includes communicating using the second air interface.