PRAGMATIC APPROACHES TO IMS

• US 20090201917A1
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kodukula, Induprakas, Hallett, Richard Guy, Maes, Stephane H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,401,022 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for providing services such as provided by Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) with an IP network that is not the IMS. According to one embodiment, a system for providing communication services can comprise a communication network, one or more subsystems communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to provide one or more telco functions, and one or more applications communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to utilize the telco functions.

Claims

1. A system for providing communication services, the system comprising:

a communication network;

one or more subsystems communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to provide one or more telco functions; and

one or more applications communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to utilize the telco functions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a charging function.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise security functions.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the security functions comprises an access control function.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the security functions comprises an authentication function.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the security functions comprises a firewall.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a subscription management function.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a policy enforcement function.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a Quality of Service (QoS) management and enforcement function.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a logging function.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a presence service.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more subsystems are further adapted to provide one or more services with features as provided by IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a streaming media service.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a an IP television service.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a multimedia messaging service.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise an instant messaging service.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a telephony service.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication network comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a presence service.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a push-to-talk service.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a conference service.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the conference service comprises a voice conference service.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the conference service comprises a multimedia conference service.

24. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise a download service.

25. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more services comprise an upload service.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more subsystems comprise a platform adapted to abstract the network and other resources and wherein the one or more applications are adapted to access the network and resources independent of underlying technologies.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the platform is implemented as a Service Oriented Architecture.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the platform comprises a Service Delivery Platform (SDP).

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the platform comprises one or more enablers communicatively coupled with the network, each enabler adapted to provide access to capabilities of the network to the one or more applications independent of the network.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the enablers comprise one or more of a call control enabler, a media server control enabler, an intelligent messaging enabler, a presence enabler, a location enabler, a QoS management and enforcement enabler, a charging enabler, an authentication enabler, an identity management enabler, a policy enforcement enabler, a subscription management enabler, or a user profile enabler.

31. A method of providing communication services, the method comprising:

providing a first telco function abstracted from an underlying network; and

providing a second telco function abstracted from the underlying network.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the second telco function is provided at a time later than the first telco function.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second telco function is provided when needed by a service provided on the network.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise one or more of charging, access control, authentication, a firewall, subscription management, policy enforcement, Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement, logging, or a presence service.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the one or more telco functions are provided by a Service Delivery Platform (SDP).

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising providing one or more services with features as provided by IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) abstracted from the underlying network.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more services comprise one or more of a streaming media service, an IP television service, a multimedia messaging service, an instant messaging service, a telephony service, a presence service, a push-to-talk service, a conference service, or a download service.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein providing the first telco function and the second telco function comprises providing a platform adapted to abstract the network and other resources and wherein one or more applications access the network and resources independent of underlying technologies.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed instead of implementing IMS.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed as part of a migration to an IMS deployment.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the migration to an IMS deployment includes providing both services with features as provided by IMS and assuming the telco functions.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the services with features as provided by IMS can migrate, coexist, or switch across a plurality of networks.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed as a way to integrate the IMS deployment with a legacy network.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed to test services prior to an IMS deployment.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed to generate revenues to fund an IMS deployment.