METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING GEO-LOCALISATION INFORMATION

• US 20090010249A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: GASS, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US12/129,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010249A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of distributing geo-localisation information associated with an endpoint device (10) of an IP telephony network (100) within said IP telephony network (100), and a LIS (52) of the IP telephony network (100) and a computer program product to execute this method. The IP telephony network (100) further comprises a call management function (63). A virtual LAN connection between the LIS (52) and the call management function (63) is established. The LIS (52) broadcasts said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device (10) over said virtual LAN connection. By means of said broadcast, said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device (10) is transmitted from the LIS (52) to the call management function (63).

Claims

1. A method of distributing geo-localisation information associated with an endpoint device of an IP telephony network within said IP telephony network, the IP telephony network further comprising a LIS and a call management function,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

establishing a virtual LAN connection between the LIS and the call management function;

broadcasting, by the LIS, said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device over said virtual LAN connection; and

transmitting, by means of said broadcast, said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device from the LIS to the call management function.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

allocating a static IP address to the endpoint device.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

broadcasting said geo-localisation information based on the LLDP protocol.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

sending, after reception of a MAC address via LLDP-MED from the endpoint device, a MAC user information and a MAC port number from a connectivity device of the endpoint device to the LIS;

broadcasting, by the LIS, the MAC user information and a geographic location identifier as said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device over said virtual LAN connection; and

transmitting said geo-localisation information via LLDP-MED from the connectivity device to the endpoint device.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

sending a MAC address as a request from the endpoint device to a connectivity device of the endpoint device;

appending to the MAC address a port number associated with a port of the connectivity device on which the connectivity device received the MAC address.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

allocating a dynamic IP address to the endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

broadcasting said geo-localisation information based on the DHCP protocol.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

forwarding a DHCP DISCOVER message from the endpoint device via a DHCP relay to one or more DHCP servers;

sending, from said one or more DHCP servers, one or more DHCP OFFER messages via said DHCP relay to the endpoint device;

requesting, by the endpoint device sending a DHCP REQUEST message, one of the options offered through the one or more DHCP OFFER messages;

adding to the DHCP REQUEST message, by a connectivity device of the endpoint device, a MAC address and a port number associated with the endpoint device;

forwarding, by the DHCP relay, said DHCP REQUEST message with said MAC address and said port number to said one or more DHCP servers;

transmitting, by one of the DHCP servers, said port number via MAC/IP to the LIS;

broadcasting, by the LIS, the MAC user information and a geographic location identifier as said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device over said virtual LAN connection; and

transmitting a DHCP ACK message with an IP address and a parameter specifying a life duration of the IP address from one of the DHCP servers to the endpoint device.

9. A LIS for distributing geo-localisation information associated with an endpoint device of an IP telephony network within said IP telephony network, the IP telephony network comprising the LIS and a call management function,

wherein the LIS comprises a control unit adapted to establish a virtual LAN connection between the LIS and the call management function, broadcast said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device over said virtual LAN connection, and transmit, by means of said broadcast, said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device to the call management function.

10. A computer program product for distributing geo-localisation information associated with an endpoint device of an IP telephony network within said IP telephony network, the IP telephony network further comprising a LIS and a call management function,

wherein the computer program product, when executed by a control unit of the LIS, performs the steps of:

establishing a virtual LAN connection between the LIS and the call management function;

broadcasting, by the LIS said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device over said virtual LAN connection; and

transmitting, by means of said broadcast, said geo-localisation information associated with the endpoint device from the LIS to the call management function.