SYSTEM FOR ACCESSING A TELEVISION OVER IP SERVICE IN AN IMS ARCHITECTURE NETWORK

• US 20090119699A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Crassous, Magali, Said, Mikhael
• Application Number:
  US12/300,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119699A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for activating a television over IP (IPTV) service in an IMS architecture network (2) from a terminal (10) of a user subscribing to a television channel provided by said service. According to the invention, the system includes, in the IMS architecture network (2), an IPTV server (23) containing subscription information associating the user with the channel and information about the reception capacity required for the channel, and the terminal (10) includes means for sending the server (23) a message requesting activation of the television service and containing reception capacity information provided by the terminal (10). The server (23) can check the compatibility between the reception capacity information received from the terminal (10) and the reception capacity information required for the channel, and if compatibility is confirmed, send the terminal (10) a message in response to the activation request message, said response message containing an IP address of the channel. The invention can be applied to IP networks enabling audiovisual data to be broadcast in the IMS.

Claims

1. A system for accessing a service in an IP network having an IMS architecture from a user terminal of said network;

characterized in that said service is a television over IP service, said user subscribing to a list of at least one television channel of said service; and

in that

said system includes an application server including means activated on reception of a service access request sent by said terminal for;

determining information about said user'"'"'s subscription to said list and information about the reception capacity necessary for said at least one channel;

verifying the compatibility of said information about the reception capacity necessary for said at least one channel and a reception capacity offered by said terminal;

selecting at least one channel from said list as a function of said compatibility verification; and

sending said user terminal a response to said request, the response containing at least information about reception of said selected at least one channel.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes means for reserving resources of a transport network necessary for said terminal to receive said selected at least one channel.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said reception capacity offered by said terminal is determined on the basis of:

reception capacity information contained in said service access request; and

/or

the type of said terminal.

4. A system according to claim 1 about reception of said selected channel, characterized in that said information belongs to the group including:

an identifier of said selected channel;

an address of said selected channel;

a reception capacity required for said selected channel; and

information representing a content of said selected channel.

5. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said network includes a routing server having access to information associating said user terminal with one of said application servers and including means for routing said service access request to said application server associated with said terminal.

6. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said service access request sent by said terminal contains an address of said application server.

7. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said user terminal includes means for processing said information about reception of said at least one selected channel and means for receiving a stream corresponding to said channel.

8. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said application server also includes means for determining a session identifier contained in said access request sent by said terminal and means for verifying whether said session identifier corresponds to a session already in progress with said terminal.

9. An application server of a system for accessing a service in an IP network having an IMS architecture from a user terminal logged onto said network;

characterized in that said server is an IPTV server and includes means activated on reception of a service access request sent by said terminal for;

determining information about said user'"'"'s subscription to said list and information about the reception capacity necessary for said at least one channel;

verifying the compatibility of said information about the reception capacity necessary for said at least one channel and a reception capacity offered by said terminal;

selecting at least one channel from said list as a function of said compatibility verification;

sending said user terminal a response to said request containing information about reception of said at least one selected channel.

13. A new server according to claim 9, further including means for determining a session identifier contained in said access request sent by said terminal and means for verifying whether said session identifier corresponds to a session already in progress with said terminal.

10. An access terminal for accessing a service in an IP network having an IMS architecture;

characterized in that it includes;

means for sending an IPTV service access request to a television over IP application server of said IMS architecture network, a user of said terminal subscribing to a list of at least one television channel of said service, and said access request including information about the reception capacity offered by said terminal;

means for processing a response to said request sent by said application server and containing at least information about reception of at least one channel selected in said list by said application server; and

means for receiving a stream corresponding to said at least one selected channel.

11. A method of accessing a service in an IP network having an IMS architecture from a user terminal logged onto said network;

characterized in that said service is an IPTV service, said user subscribing to a list of at least one television channel of said service; and

in that

said method includes;

a step of receiving a service access request sent by said terminal;

a step of determining information about said user'"'"'s subscription to said list and information about the capacity necessary to receive said at least one channel;

a step of verifying the compatibility of said information about the reception capacity necessary for said at least one channel and a reception capacity offered by said terminal;

a step of selecting at least one channel from said list as a function of said compatibility verification; and

a step of sending said user terminal a response to said request containing information about reception of at least one selected channel.

12. A computer program including program code instructions for executing the steps of the service access method according to claim 11.