COMMUNICATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING SERVICE BY USING POLICY

• US 20090017815A1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: TAKEDA, Yukiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A communication system comprising: terminal devices; a gateway device; a first server for receiving a service request; a second server for providing service; and a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to the service. The first server transmits a policy request including the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber identifier to the resource control device and transmits identification information of the resource control device to the gateway device. The resource control device transmits the retrieved policy information to the gateway device based on the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber information. The gateway device receives the policy information from the resource control device corresponding to the resource control device, and sets the received policy information with respect to the service. The second server provides the service which has the policy information set thereto, to the one of the plurality of terminal devices.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of terminal devices;

a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to a network;

a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices;

a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to the service provided from the second server;

wherein the first server is configured to manage service control information for associating the service with the policy information, obtain a flow information identifier and a subscriber identifier from a service activation request message received from the one of the plurality of terminal devices, transmit a policy request message including the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber identifier to the resource control device based on an instruction from the second server, and transmit identification information of the resource control device to the gateway device based on a response message received from the resource control device;

wherein the resource control device is configured to manage resource control information for associating the flow information identifier with the policy information, obtain the flow information identifier and the subscriber identifier from the policy request message transmitted from the first server, retrieve policy information based on the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber information, the policy information including QoS information to be applied to the service, and transmit the retrieved policy information to the gateway device;

wherein the gateway device is configured to receive the identification information of the resource control device from the first server, receive the policy information from the resource control device corresponding to the received identification information, and set the received policy information with respect to the service; and

wherein the second server is configured to provide the service which has the policy information set thereto, to the one of the plurality of terminal devices.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the service activation request message includes a control message other than SIP.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the service activation request message is a message complying with BCMCS and a destination of the service activation request message is the second server.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the flow information identifier includes a combination of an IP address and a port number of the one of the plurality of terminal devices.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a source of the policy request message is the second server.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the resource control device is configured to change a destination of the response message based on the source of the policy request message.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device is configured to delete the policy information related to the service when terminating provision of the service.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device is configured to instruct the first server to delete the policy information related to the service when terminating provision of the service.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway device is configured to instruct the resource control device to delete the policy information related to the service when terminating provision of the service.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the service activation request is a control message for multicasting service.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the service activation request is a control message for broadcasting service.

12. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of terminal devices;

a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to a service;

a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to a network;

a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices;

wherein the resource control device is configured to manage resource control information for associating a flow information identifier with the policy information, retrieves policy information the policy information including QoS information to be applied to the service based on the flow information identifier received from the gateway device, and transmit the retrieved policy information to the gateway device; and

wherein the gateway device is configured to obtain the flow information identifier of the service from a service activation request message received from the one of the plurality of terminal devices, receive the policy information from the resource control device, based on the obtained flow information identifier, and set the policy information with respect to the service, based on the received policy information.

13. A control server device connected to a network comprising:

an interface connected to the network;

a processor connected to the interface; and

a memory connected to the processor,

wherein the network is connected with a plurality of terminal devices, a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to the network, a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to the network, and a second server for providing service to the plurality of terminal devices,

wherein the memory stores service control information for associating the service with the policy information, and

wherein the processor is configured to obtain a flow information identifier and a subscriber identifier from a service activation request message received from one of the plurality of terminal devices, transmit a policy request message, which includes the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber identifier, to the resource control device via the interface based on an instruction from the second server, and transmit identification information of the resource control device to the gateway device via the interface based on a response message received from the resource control device.

14. A resource control device connected to a network comprising:

an interface connected to the network;

a processor connected to the interface; and

a memory connected to the processor,

wherein the network is connected with a plurality of terminal devices, a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to the network, a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices, and a second server for providing service to the one of plurality of terminal devices,

wherein the memory stores resource control information for associating a flow information identifier with policy information, and

wherein the processor is configured to obtain a flow information identifier and a subscriber identifier of the service from a policy request message transmitted from the first server, retrieve policy information including QoS information to be applied to the service based on the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber identifier, and transmit the retrieved policy information to the gateway device via the interface.

15. A gateway device connected to a network comprising:

an interface connected to the network;

a processor connected to the interface; and

a memory connected to the processor,

wherein the network is connected with a plurality of terminal devices, a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to a service, a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices, and a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices, and

wherein the processor is configured to transmit a service activation request message to the first server via the interface, receive identification information of the resource control device from the first server via the interface, receive the policy information from the resource control device corresponding to the received identification information via the interface, set the received policy information with respect to the service, and control communication information by using the set policy information.

16. A gateway device connected to a network comprising:

an interface connected to the network;

a processor connected to the interface; and

a memory connected to the processor,

wherein the network is connected with a plurality of terminal devices, a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to a service, a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices, and a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices, and

wherein the processor is configured to obtain a flow information identifier of the service from a service activation request message received from one of the plurality of terminal devices, receive the policy information from the resource control device based on the obtained flow information identifier, set the received policy information with respect to the service, and control communication information by using the set policy information.

17. A communication control method executed in a communication system including a plurality of terminal devices, a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to a service, a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to a network, a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices, and a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices,

the communication control method comprising the steps of:

managing, by the first server, service control information for associating the service with the policy information;

obtaining, by the first server, a flow information identifier and a subscriber identifier from a service activation request message received from the one of the plurality of terminal devices;

transmitting, by the first server, a policy request message to the resource control device based on the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber identifier;

transmitting, by the first server, identification information of the resource control device to the gateway device based on a response message received from the resource control device;

managing, by the resource control device, resource control information for associating the flow information identifier with the policy information;

obtaining, by the resource control device, the flow information identifier and the subscriber identifier from the policy request message transmitted from the first server;

retrieving, by the resource control device, policy information based on the obtained flow information identifier and the obtained subscriber information, the policy information including QoS information to be applied to the service;

transmitting, by the resource control device, the retrieved policy information to the gateway device;

receiving, by the gateway device, the identification information of the resource control device from the first server;

receiving, by the gateway device, the policy information from the resource control device corresponding to the received identification information;

setting, by the gateway device, the received policy information with respect to the service, and controlling communication information by using the set policy information; and

providing, by the second server, the service which has the policy information set thereto, to the one of the plurality of terminal devices.

18. A communication control method executed in a communication system including a plurality of terminal devices, a resource control device for providing policy information to be applied to a service, a gateway device for connecting the plurality of terminal devices to a network, a first server for receiving a service request from one of the plurality of terminal devices, and a second server for providing service to the one of the plurality of terminal devices,

the communication control method comprising the steps of:

managing, by the resource control device, resource control information for associating a flow information identifier with the policy information;

retrieving, by the resource control device, policy information based on the flow information identifier received from the gateway device, the policy information including QoS information to be applied to the service;

transmitting, by the resource control device, the retrieved policy information to the gateway device;

obtaining, by the gateway device, the flow information identifier of the service from a service activation request message received from the one of the plurality of terminal devices;

receiving, by the gateway device, the policy information from the resource control device, based on the obtained flow information identifier;

setting, by the gateway device, the received policy information with respect to the service; and

controlling, by the gateway device, communication information by using the set policy information.