METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ROUTE A COMMUNICATION SESSION IN AN INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) MULTIMEDIA SUBSYSTEM (IMS) NETWORK

• US 20080281975A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ku, Bernard, Yasrebi, Mehrad, Qiu, Chaoxin Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,049,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to route a communication session in an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network are disclosed. An example method comprises determining at a tElephone NUMber mapping (ENUM) query server if a called destination associated with an ENUM query request message is subject to re-direction, and determining at the ENUM server a final destination for the called destination when the destination is subject to redirection, the final destination being different from the called destination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining at a tElephone NUMber mapping (ENUM) query server if a called destination associated with an ENUM query request message is subject to re-direction; and

determining at the ENUM query server a final destination for the called destination when the destination is subject to redirection, the final destination being different from the called destination.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a communication session initiation to the final destination rather than the called destination.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising performing an ENUM lookup based on the final destination.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising returning a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) for the final destination.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising performing an ENUM lookup based upon the called destination when the called destination is not subject to redirection.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the final destination for the called destination comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called destination; and

performing an ENUM lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a telephone number.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising returning the first destination without performing the ENUM lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI).

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the final destination for the called destination comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called destination;

determining if the first destination is subject to redirection;

identifying a second destination based on the first destination; and

returning the second destination.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising performing an ENUM lookup based on the second destination when the second destination is a telephone number.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising returning the second destination without performing an EN-UM lookup based on the second destination when the second destination is a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI).

11. An tElephone NUMber mapping (ENUM) server comprising:

a query redirector to identify whether a communication session directed to a first destination specified in an ENUM query request message is to be re-directed based on a redirect flag associated with the first destination; and

a call rerouting director to identify at the ENUM server, a final destination for the communication session when the communication session to be re-directed.

12. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, further comprising an ENUM querier to identify the final destination when the communication session is not to be re-directed.

13. An ENUM server as defined in claim 12, wherein the ENUM querier specifies the final destination as a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI).

14. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, further comprising an ENUM querier to identify a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the final destination when the communication session is to be re-directed.

15. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, wherein the call rerouting director is to identify the final destination by:

performing a first lookup of a first data structure to obtain the second destination, the first lookup performed based on the first destination; and

performing a second lookup of a second data structure to obtain the final destination, the second lookup performed based on the second destination.

16. An ENUM server as defined in claim 15, wherein the second data structure is the first data structure.

17. An ENUM server as defined in claim 15, wherein the second data structure is an ENUM database.

18. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, the first and second destinations are specified with E.164 telephone numbers.

19. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, wherein the final destination is specified with a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI).

20. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, further comprising an interface to update a value of the redirect flag.

21. An ENUM server as defined in claim 20, wherein the interface is structured to be accessed by an Internet protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) feature server.

22. An ENUM server as defined in claim 11, further comprising an interface to update a value of the second destination.

23. An ENUM server as defined in claim 22, wherein the interface is structured to be accessed by a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) feature server.

24. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

determine at a tElephone NUMber mapping (ENUM) query server if a called destination associated with an ENUM query request message is subject to re-direction; and

determining a final destination for the called destination when the destination is subject to redirection, the final destination being different from the called destination.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to send a communication session initiation to the final destination rather than the called destination.

26. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to perform an ENUM lookup based on the final destination.

27. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to return a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) for the final destination.

28. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to perform an ENUM lookup based upon the called destination when the called destination is not subject to redirection.

29. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine the final destination for the called destination by:

identifying a first destination based on the called destination; and

performing an ENUM lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a telephone number.

30. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 74, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine the final destination for the called destination by:

identifying a first destination based on the called destination;

determining if the first destination is subject to redirection;

identifying a second destination based on the first destination; and

returning the second destination.

31-46. -46. (canceled)