QoS CHANNELS FOR MULTIMEDIA SERVICES ON A GENERAL PURPOSE OPERATING SYSTEM PLATFORM USING DATA CARDS

• US 20100017521A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hjort, Donald C., Ying, Wen-Ping
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A SIP (session initiation protocol) service activation abstraction layer that provides a unified interface to upper layer applications for discovering, establishing, and managing the QoS connectivity. In one implementation, this is IP Multimedia Subsystem-centric, further supporting applications that utilize SIP for session control. This capability extends to the data card universe allowing UMTS data card vendors to establish concurrent QoS-based sessions using multiple primary PDP (packet data protocol) contexts based on a set of SIP triggers, further allowing applications running on a computing system to transparently utilize the established pipes based on the individual QoS requirements.

Claims

1. A discovery module embodied on a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions that facilitates communication with a network, comprising:

a discovery component that facilitates communications with a network;

a unified interface operative across disparate applications for managing domains in accordance with the discovery component, the unified interface facilitates concurrent network sessions using multiple contexts; and

a service activation component that functions as a user agent server to facilitate connectivity between at least one application and at least one resource of the network, the user agent is available to another application when the connectivity is established.

2. The discovery module of claim 1, further comprising a uniform abstraction layer that enables applications to discover the unified interface, the uniform abstraction layer is associated with a packet data protocol (PDP) context established for a desired quality of service (QoS).

3. The discovery module of claim 2, the discovery component performs admission control and the management of PDP contexts.

4. The discovery module of claim 1, the discovery component determines an ISIM (IMS subscriber identity module) profile, a P-CSCF (proxy-call session control function), a public identity, or a private identity.

5. The discovery module of claim 1, the discovery component includes a service activation (SSA) layer and a service access point (SAP).

6. The discovery module of claim 1, the discovery component manages multiple domains including a user equipment (UE) domain, a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) domain, and a core network (CN) domain.

7. The discovery module of claim 6, the user equipment domain includes a USIM (user services identity module) domain and an ME (mobile equipment) domain.

8. The discovery module of claim 1, the discovery component includes one or more security functions or a user authentication service.

9. A subscription module embodied on a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for that facilitates communication with a network, comprising:

a subscription component to authorize an account of a user or a service and enable the account based in part on a verification of the user or the service;

a service access component that facilitates access to a network; and

a service activation component that provides a context between one or more applications or users, the service activation component is active for a duration of an initial proxy identification process, the service activation component facilitates concurrent sessions using a plurality of the contexts, the one or more applications utilize established resources based on individual quality of service (QoS) requirements.

10. The subscription module of claim 9, the QoS requirements are pre-provisioned in an HLR (home location register) on a per subscription basis, the HLR is a database within a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network that stores subscriber data.

11. The subscription module of claim 10, further comprising a component to negotiate a new context when a new QoS is required, where the new context is activated via a secondary packet data protocol (PDP) context activation procedure.

12. The subscription module of claim 9, further comprising a session control component for subscribers accessing services within an IM (IP multimedia) core network.

13. The subscription module of claim 9, further comprising one or more files regarding a user subscription level, an authentication, security information and a user'"'"'s IMS private identity provided as an NAI (network access identifier).

14. The subscription module of claim 13, further comprising a component to resolve a user'"'"'s IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity).

15. A gateway module embodied on a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions that facilitates communication with a network, comprising:

a gateway component to route messages from one or more network applications, the gateway component verifies that user equipment associated with the messages is routable via a quality of service (QoS) link;

a switch component operative within the gateway component to redirect at least one of the one or more network applications to a network resource based on a determined state of the network resource, the switch component includes connecting the one or more applications to the network resource via a wireless network; and

a notification service that enables the network resource when the resource is no longer required, the notification service terminates access of at least one application to the network resource with or without termination of a concurrent network session.

16. The gateway module of claim 15, further comprising a Core Network that is divided in circuit-switched and packet-switched domains.

17. The gateway module of claim 15, the switch component further comprising a serving GPRS (general packet radio service) support node (SGSN) and a gateway GPRS support node.

18. The gateway module of claim 17, further comprising an EIR (equipment identity register, an HLR (home location register), and an AuC (authentication center).

19. The gateway module of claim 15, the switch component includes a radio access network that provides a plurality of interfaces, the plurality of interfaces include a circuit-switched reference point interface or a packet-switched reference point interface.

20. The gateway module of claim 19, further comprising a Number Portability Database (NPDB) to enable a change of networks while retaining a previous contact number.

21. The gateway module of claim 20, further comprising a gateway location register (GLR) that is employed to optimize a subscriber process between network boundaries.