METHOD AND APPARATUSES FOR MAKING USE OF VIRTUAL IMS SUBSCRIPTIONS COUPLED WITH THE IDENTITY OF A NON SIP COMPLIANT TERMINAL FOR NON-REGISTERED SUBSCRIBERS

• US 20100106846A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Keller, Ralf, Noldus, Rogier
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

The present invention relates to an overlay system between a GSM and IMS network, making use of virtual IMS subscriptions, which are temporary coupled with the identity of a non SIP compliant terminal, when the non SIP compliant terminal makes a call, is called or invokes an IMS service during the call, for the purpose of initiating a SIP session providing an IMS service to the terminal.

Claims

1. A method for initiating a session in a packet based multimedia system for a terminal not having a subscription in the packet based multimedia system, connected to the packet based multimedia system via a network access gateway for providing packet based multimedia services to the terminal, the method comprising the steps:

Receiving a trigger message from the network access gateway for invocation of the packet based multimedia service for the terminal, by the packet based multimedia system,

Retrieving an identity of the terminal, from the trigger message, by the packet based multimedia system,

Coupling the identity of the terminal with a virtual subscription, by the packet based multimedia system,

Initiating a session for the coupled virtual subscription, by the packet based multimedia system,

Coupling the identity of the terminal with a session identifier, by the packet based multimedia system, and

Decoupling the identity of the terminal from the virtual subscription when the session is initiated, by the packet based multimedia system.

2. The method according to claim 1 where the step of coupling the identity of the terminal with a free virtual subscription is further detailed by the steps

Allocating a free virtual subscription,

Retrieving, when required for an invoked packet based multimedia service, additional parameters,

Storing the identity of the terminal and additional parameters with the free virtual subscription, and

Sending the free virtual subscription identifier to the network access gateway.

3. The method according to claim 2 in the packet based multimedia system having more than one packet based multimedia system access gateway, the method comprising

Allocating the free virtual subscription from a group of virtual subscriptions,

Sending the free virtual subscription identifier and an identity of a packet based multimedia system access gateway belonging to the group of virtual subscriptions to the network access gateway.

4. The method according to claim 2 where the step of initiating a session further comprises the steps of

Receiving a session start request message including the coupled virtual subscription identifier from the network access gateway,

Retrieving the identity of the terminal and additional parameters from the coupled virtual subscription as indicated by the coupled virtual subscription identifier in the session start request message, and

Passing the identity of the terminal and additional parameters to an invoked packet based multimedia service as indicated in the session start request message.

5. The method according to claim 1 where the step of decoupling the identity further comprises the steps of:

Detecting that the session is initiated or the maximum time a coupling may exist is exceeded, and

Setting the coupled virtual subscription to free.

6. The A Service Interaction Manager in a packet based multimedia system, connected to Network Access Gateways of Networks, the Service Interaction Manager comprises

a Table of Virtual Subscriptions for temporary coupling a virtual subscription to an identity of a terminal connected in the network.

7. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6 further comprising

one or more Coupling Functions connected with the Network Access Gateways, using the Table of Virtual Subscriptions to select a free virtual subscription and store the identity of a terminal connected in the network with the free virtual subscription.

8. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6 further comprising

the one or more Correlation Functions connected with services and

one or more packet based multimedia system access gateways, using the Table of Virtual Subscriptions for correlating session start request messages from the packet based multimedia system access gateways with a terminal identity in the Table of Virtual Subscriptions based on an identity of a virtual subscription contained in the session start request messages.

9. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having one or more Interface Handlers dedicated to a Network Interface Protocol towards the Network Access Gateways.

10. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having a Table of Virtual Subscriptions comprising groups of Virtual Subscriptions.

11. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having a Table of Virtual Subscriptions where each Virtual Subscription has a storage location for a terminal identifier.

12. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having a Table of Virtual Subscriptions where each Virtual Subscription has a storage location for a free/occupied flag.

13. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having a Table of Virtual Subscriptions where each Virtual Subscription has a storage location for a time-stamp.

14. The Service Interaction Manager according to claim 6, having a Table of Virtual Subscriptions where each Virtual Subscription has a storage location for an account number.

15. (canceled)

16. A packet based multimedia system access gateway in a packet based multimedia system connected to one or more Correlation Functions and one or more Network Access Gateways the packet based multimedia system access gateway comprising

a list of virtual subscription identities, for recognizing a virtual subscription identity in a session start request message from a network access gateway and subsequent sending of a session start message to a Correlation Function.

17. The packet based multimedia system access gateway according to claim 16, wherein each virtual subscription identity in the list has an associated Correlation Function identity for identifying which Correlation Function to send a session start message.

18. The packet based multimedia system access gateway according to claim 17, further comprising one or more Interface Handlers dedicated to a Network Interface Protocol towards the Network Access Gateways.

19. (canceled)

20. A Media Gateway Control Function in an IP Multimedia Subsystem connected to one or more Proxy-Call Session Control Functions and one or more Network Access Gateways the Media Gateway Control Function comprising

a list of virtual subscription identities, for recognizing a virtual subscription identity in a session start request message from a Network Access Gateway and subsequent sending of an UNI SIP Invite message to a Proxy-Call Session Control Function.

21. The Media Gateway Control Function according to claim 20, wherein each virtual subscription identity in the list has an associated Proxy-Call Session Control Function identity for identifying which Proxy-Call Session Control Function to send the UNI SIP Invite message.

22. The Media Gateway Control Function according to claim 21, further comprising one or more Interface Handlers dedicated to a Network Interface Protocol towards the Network Access Gateways.

23. The IP Multimedia Subsystem comprising a Service Interaction Manager according to claim 20.

24. The IP Multimedia Subsystem comprising a Media Gateway Control Function according to claim 20.

25. The IP Multimedia Subsystem of claim 20 comprising a virtual subscription management function, for aligning the virtual subscriptions as contained in the Table of Virtual Subscriptions with the lists of virtual subscription identities in the Media Gateway Control Functions and the assignment of a Proxy-Call Session Control Function identity to the virtual subscriptions.