Inter-Working Between a Packet-Switched Domain and a Circuit-Switched Domain

• US 20100118861A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Keller, Ralf, Aström, Bo, Witzel, Andreas, Nakada, Kazuhiko
• Application Number:
  US12/594,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20100118861A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

The present invention proposes a solution for providing packet-switched services to a user, even in case the user is accessibly only via a circuit-switched access. For this purpose it is proposed to force the user to report changes in the reachability status and to keep the user'"'"'s registration alive in a packet-switched domain as long as the user is reachable. A packet-switched adapter located between the circuit-switched domain and a packet-switched domain aligns the registration status of the user in the packet-switched domain to the reachability status and performs a registration procedure depending on the outcome of the alignments. The registration procedure might be in detail either a registration or a re-registration or a de-registration procedure.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method for providing packet-switched services in a circuit-switched domain with a circuit-switched capable terminal wherein the terminal is registered via the circuit-switched domain through a packet-switched control channel in a packet-switched domain for receiving the packet-switched service, using a packet-switched adapter to access the packet-switched domain, comprising the steps of:

detecting the loss of the packet-switched control channel in the circuit-switched domain;

performing a tracking procedure by receiving mobility event notifications related to the circuit-switched capable terminal;

mapping the mobility event notifications to a registration status of the terminal in the packet-switched domain; and

aligning the registration in said packet-switched domain with said derived registration status by means of performing a registration procedure on behalf of the terminal in the packet-switched domain.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the detecting step is realized by means of checking a reception of a re-registration message from the circuit-switched capable terminal.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the tracking procedure comprises reception of mobility event notifications related to the circuit-switched capable terminal.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the tracking procedure comprises checking reachability of the terminal and activating reception of the mobility event notifications.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the checking the reachability of the terminal comprises that the packet-switched adapter sends a standardised circuit-switched request towards a terminal'"'"'s database for retrieving a terminal'"'"'s state.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the checking the reachability of the terminal comprises that the packet-switched adapter initiates a proprietary implemented terminal'"'"'s state query for getting a terminal'"'"'s state.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the terminal'"'"'s state is reachable, the packet-switched adapter activates in the terminal'"'"'s database the delivery of said notifications.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the mobility events are at least one of detach notification or attach notification or location update notification.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the terminal'"'"'s state is not-reachable, the packet-switched adapter periodically re-checks the terminal'"'"'s state until the terminal'"'"'s state is found reachable.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein the registration procedure is de-registration, registration or re-registration procedure.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein the packet-switched adapter abandons the performing of the re-registration procedure on behalf of the terminal when detecting that the terminal is accessible via a packet-switched based connection.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the packet-switched adapter deactivates in the terminal'"'"'s database the delivery of said notifications related to the terminal and deactivates said tracking procedure.

26. A packet-switched adapter operable to communicate between a packet-switched domain and a circuit-switched domain for providing packet-switched services to a terminal located in the circuit-switched domain with a circuit-switched capable terminal wherein the terminal is operable to register via the circuit-switched domain through a packet-switched control channel in the packet-switched domain for receiving the packet-switched service, and is operable to access the packet-switched adapter, the packet-switched adapter comprising:

a detection logic operable to detect the loss of the packet-switched control channel in the circuit-switched domain;

a tracking logic operable to perform a tracking procedure and comprising a receiver being operable to receive mobility event notifications related to the circuit-switched capable terminal;

a mapping logic operable to map the mobility event notifications to a registration status of the terminal in the packet-switched domain; and

aligning logic operable to align the registration in said packet-switched domain with said derived registration status by means of a processor operable to perform a registration procedure on behalf of the terminal in the packet-switched domain.