SIP-HTTP APPLICATION CORRELATOR

• US 20090225760A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Foti, George
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks

Abstract

Systems and methods according to the present invention facilitate communications between devices which utilize different signaling protocols. A gateway can analyze incoming messages, in a first protocol such as SIP, to identify an application instance to which the messages should be routed. The messages can then be converted into another protocol and forwarded to the identified application.

Claims

1. A method for correlating application information between an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and a non-IMS node comprising:

receiving, at a gateway, a first message using a first signaling protocol from said IMS network;

reading information from said first message;

correlating said information with previously stored information to determine which one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node is associated with said first message; and

transmitting a second message towards said non-IMS node using a second signaling protocol which is different from said first signaling protocol, wherein said second message includes information associated with said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said gateway uses a SIP dialog for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent message which is for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message; and

transmitting an in-session notification message towards said non-IMS node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said gateway has a state maintained in a memory for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said gateway is stateless for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message which includes said information in a contact-accept header.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said information is at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and an IMS Communication Service Identifier (ICSI).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said second signaling protocol is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a second message using said second signaling protocol from said non-IMS node which includes an application identification (ID), wherein said second message is an HTTP request message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said previously stored information includes URLs, ICSIs and application IDs which have been stored.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each instance of said one of a plurality of applications is uniquely identified.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said unique identification is created from a concatenation of an application identification with a hashing of a transmission control protocol (TCP).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein entries are created for said table by at least one of receiving a message originating from a first application which requires a SIP dialog to be maintained and receiving a SIP message which is associated with a second application which requires a SIP dialog to be maintained.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a SIP dialog after receiving said first message;

storing additional information which links said SIP dialog and said application; and

using in-session notification for subsequently received messages from said IMS network which are associated with said application based upon said stored additional information.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection with said non-IMS node after initiation of said application; and

terminating said TCP connection with said non-IMS node after said application is deactivated.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said non-IMS node is an Internet Protocol television terminal function (ITF).

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said application is at least one of a distributed application environment (DAE) application and an embedded ITF application.

18. A gateway device comprising:

a communication interface for transmitting and receiving messages, wherein a first received message using a first signaling protocol includes information associated with an application;

a memory for storing information which includes application identifications (IDs), Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), default information and IMS Communication Service Identifiers (ICSIs); and

a processor for correlating said first received message using said first signaling protocol with said stored information to identify an application to which to route a second message using a second signaling protocol different from said first signaling protocol, wherein said second message using said using said second signaling protocol includes information associated with said application.

19. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said gateway uses a SIP dialog for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

20. The gateway device of claim 19, further comprising:

at said communications interface, receiving a subsequent message which is for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message and transmitting an in-session notification message towards said non-IMS node.

21. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said gateway has a state maintained in a memory for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

22. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said gateway is stateless for said one of a plurality of applications running on said non-IMS node which is associated with said first message.

23. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said first message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message which includes said information in a contact-accept header.

24. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said information is at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and an ICSI.

25. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said second signaling protocol is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

26. The gateway device of claim 18 further comprising:

at said communications interface, receiving a second message using said second signaling protocol from said non-IMS node which includes an application identification (ID), wherein said second message is an HTTP request message.

27. The gateway device of claim 18 further comprising:

a pre-configured table, for storing said previously stored information which includes URLs, ICSIs and application IDs.

28. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein each instance of said application is uniquely identified in said memory.

29. The gateway device of claim 28, wherein said unique identification is created from a concatenation of an application identification with a hashing of a transmission control protocol (TCP).

30. The gateway device of claim 28, wherein entries are created for said memory by at least one of receiving a message originating from a first application which requires a SIP dialog to be maintained and receiving a SIP message which is associated with a second application which requires a SIP dialog to be maintained.

31. The gateway device of claim 18 further comprising:

said gateway for establishing a SIP dialog after receiving said first message;

said memory for storing additional information which links said SIP dialog and said application, wherein said gateway uses in-session notification for subsequently received messages from said IMS network which are associated with said application based upon said stored additional information.

32. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said gateway establishes a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection with said non-IMS node after initiation of said application, and terminates said TCP connection with said non-IMS node after said application is deactivated.

33. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said non-IMS node is an Internet Protocol television terminal function (ITF).

34. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein said application is at least one of a distributed application environment (DAE) application and an embedded ITF application.