SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING IMS SERVICES TO USERS ON TERMINATING NON IMS DEVICES

• US 20090190573A1
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: McQuaide, Arnold Chester JR., Chastain, Walter Cooper, McCourt, Karen M., Epley, Robert V., Adamczyk, Maria, Strahs, Leopold, Afshar, Siroos K., SIEGEL, Steven A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

Disclosed is a network-based device in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that provides IMS services to terminating non-IP devices. The method embodiment includes receiving a REGISTER message that initiates registration of a Public User Identity (PUID) at a terminating non-IP device at a network-based device in an IMS, wherein the terminating non-IP device is specified as being at an E.164 routing address, establishing, in a network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions, the E.164 routing address as a final destination of sessions to the PUID based on the registration and an IP address of a network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers as an immediate destination for the session and using this information from the registration to route to the terminating non-IP device after providing IMS services by using the relationship between the PUID, the E.164 routing address and the IP address of the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers that completes the routing of messages to the terminating non-IP device that was established during registration.

Claims

1. A method of operating an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to provide IMS services to terminating non-IP devices, the method comprising:

receiving a REGISTER message that initiates registration of a Public User Identity (PUID) at a terminating non-IP device at a network-based device in an IMS, wherein the terminating non-IP device is specified as being at an E.164 routing address;

establishing, in a network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions, the E.164 routing address as a final destination of sessions to the PUID based on the registration and an IP address of a network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers as an immediate destination for the session; and

using this information from the registration to route to the terminating non-IP device after providing IMS services by using the relationship between the PUID, the E.164 routing address and the IP address of the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers that completes the routing of messages to the terminating non-IP device that was established during registration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions is a SIP Register.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein establishing in the SIP Registrar that the E.164 routing address is the final destination is accomplished by placing a registration result in the the SIP Registrar'"'"'s record in the same place that a IP address of an IP final destination would be placed.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a call session control function uses it SIP Registrar capabilities to route a call to a PUID registered at an E.164 routing address as the final destination is accomplished by placing a SIP URI or TEL URI representing the E.164 routing address in an indication of a final destination PUID or address of the message being processed and the SIP URI representing the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers in a portion of the message that indicates its immediate destination.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication of a final destination PUID or address is a Request URI.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the message that indicates its immediate destination is a route header.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers is a Breakout Gateway Central Function (BGCF).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing IMS service to the terminating non-IP device occurs via the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers sending messages through at least one of a media gateway control function (MGCF) and a Signaling gateway (SGW) to the terminating non-IP device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-IP device is associated with a PSTN.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-IP device is associated with circuit switched voice connections in a wireless or cellular network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless or cellular network comprises use of a GSM, UMTS, CDMA, and CDMA2000 network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless or cellular network does not support IP data.

13. A method of operating an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to provide IMS services to terminating non-IP devices, the method comprising:

receiving a REGISTER message that initiates registration of a Public User Identity (PUID) at a terminating non-IP device at a network-based device that processes a call session, wherein the terminating non-IP device is specified as being at a contact address that is an E.164 routing address;

establishing, in a network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions, the E.164 routing address as a final destination of sessions to the PUID based on a communication with a network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers as an immediate destination for the session to recognize that the registered contact address is an E.164 address; and

using this information from the registration to route to the terminating non-IP device after providing IMS services by using the relationship between the PUID and the E.164 routing address to complete the routing of messages to the terminating non-IP device that was established during registration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network-based device that processes a call session is an S-CSCF.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the registered contact address is associated with a SIP URI or a TEL URI.

16. A network-based device in a IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that provides IMS services to terminating non-IP devices, the network device comprising:

a module configured to receive a REGISTER message that initiates registration of a Public User Identity (PUID) at a terminating non-IP device at a network-based device that processes a call session, wherein the terminating non-IP device is specified as being at a contact address that is an E.164 routing address;

a module configured to establish, in a network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions, the E.164 routing address as a final destination of sessions to the PUID based on a communication with a network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers as an immediate destination for the session to recognize that the registered contact address is an E.164 address; and

a module configured to use this information from the registration to route to the terminating non-IP device after providing IMS services by using the relationship between the PUID and the E.164 routing address to complete the routing of messages to the terminating non-IP device that was established during registration.

17. The network-based device of claim 16, wherein the module configured to establish in the SIP Registrar that the E.164 routing address is the final destination performs this function by placing a registration result in the SIP Registrar'"'"'s record in the same place that an IP address of an IP final destination would be placed.

18. The network-based device of claim 16, wherein the network device that accepts communications where to send the sessions destine for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions is an S-CSCF with its SIP Registrar function and wherein a call session control function uses its SIP Registrar capabilities to route a call to a PUID registered at an E.164 routing address as the final destination is accomplished by placing a SIP URI or TEL URI representing the E.164 routing address in an indication of a final destination PUID or address of the message being processed and the SIP URI representing the network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers in a portion of the message that indicates its immediate destination.

19. A network-based device in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that provides IMS services to terminating non-IP devices, the network device comprising:

a module configured to receive a REGISTER message that initiates registration of a Public User Identity (PUID) at a terminating non-IP device at a network-based device that processes a call session, wherein the terminating non-IP device is specified as being at a contact address that is an E.164 routing address;

a module configured to establish, in a network device that accepts communications regarding where to send sessions destined for a specific PUID and provide information regarding where to send sessions, the E.164 routing address as a final destination of sessions to the PUID based on a communication with a network device that includes routing functionality based on telephone numbers as an immediate destination for the session to recognize that the registered contact address is an E.164 address; and

a module configured to use this information from the registration to route to the terminating non-IP device after providing IMS services by using the relationship between the PUID and the E.164 routing address to complete the routing of messages to the terminating non-IP device that was established during registration.

20. The network-based device of claim 19, wherein the registered contact address is associated with a SIP URI or a TEL URI.