METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ESTABLISHING MULTICAST GROUPS

• US 20080095183A1
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Plas, Dirk-Jaap, deHeer, Arjan, Bijwaard, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for dynamically establishing a multicast group. The method includes receiving, from a first user device, a request to establish a multicast group including a plurality of parameters adapted for establishing the multicast group, obtaining a multicast address for the multicast group, and establishing the multicast group using the assigned multicast address and the parameters. The parameters include at least one multicast group definition parameter and at least one multicast session description parameter. The multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters are adapted for being provided to a second user device to enable the second user device to dynamically join the multicast group.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a multicast group, comprising:

receiving from a first user device a request to establish a multicast group comprising a plurality of parameters adapted for establishing the multicast group;

obtaining a multicast address for the multicast group; and

establishing the multicast group using the assigned multicast address and the parameters;

wherein the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters are adapted for being provided to a second user device to enable the second user device to dynamically join the multicast group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise at least one multicast group definition parameter and at least one multicast session description parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one multicast group definition parameter comprises at least one of a time at which the multicast group is scheduled to be established, a list of network elements authorized to initiate an invitation to join the multicast group, a list of user devices authorized to join the multicast group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of user devices authorized to join the multicast group comprises, for each user device in the list, at least one of an invite parameter adapted for indicating whether the user device is automatically invited to join the multicast group in response to establishment of the multicast group, and at least one privilege parameter defining participation by the user device in the multicast session.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one multicast session description parameter comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a port, and a codec.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the multicast group comprises:

associating the obtained multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters with the multicast group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the multicast address to the first user device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the first user device, the multicast address; and

sending an invitation to join the multicast group to the second user device, wherein the invitation to join the multicast group comprises the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters to the second user device by one of;

an invitation to join the multicast group sent to the second user device automatically in response to establishment of the multicast group;

or

a response message sent to the second user device in response to a request for the second user device to join the multicast group.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the request to establish the multicast group to the second user device using a signaling multicast group.

11. An apparatus for establishing a multicast group, comprising:

means for receiving from a first user device a request to establish a multicast group comprising a plurality of parameters adapted for establishing the multicast group;

means for obtaining a multicast address for the multicast group; and

means for establishing the multicast group using the assigned multicast address and the parameters;

wherein the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters are adapted for being provided to a second user device to enable the second user device to dynamically join the multicast group.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the parameters comprise at least one multicast group definition parameter and at least one multicast session description parameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one multicast group definition parameter comprises at least one of a time at which the multicast group is scheduled to be established, a list of network elements authorized to initiate an invitation to join the multicast group, a list of user devices authorized to join the multicast group.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the list of user devices authorized to join the multicast group comprises, for each user device in the list, at least one of an invite parameter adapted for indicating whether the user device is automatically invited to join the multicast group in response to establishment of the multicast group, and at least one privilege parameter defining participation by the user device in the multicast session.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one multicast session description parameter comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a port, and a codec.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for establishing the multicast group comprises:

means for associating the obtained multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters with the multicast group.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for providing the multicast address to the first user device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for providing the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters to the second user device by one of;

an invitation to join the multicast group sent to the second user device automatically in response to establishment of the multicast group;

or

a response message sent to the second user device in response to a request for the second user device to join the multicast group.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

forwarding the request to establish the multicast group to the second user device using a signaling multicast group.

20. A computer readable medium storing a software program, that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving from a first user device a request to establish a multicast group comprising a plurality of parameters adapted for establishing the multicast group;

obtaining a multicast address for the multicast group; and

establishing the multicast group using the assigned multicast address and the parameters;

wherein the multicast address and at least a portion of the parameters are adapted for being provided to a second user device to enable the second user device to dynamically join the multicast group.