BLENDING TELEPHONY SERVICES IN AN INTERNET PROTOCOL MULTIMEDIA SUBSYSTEM

• US 20100142515A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rice, Christopher W., Murray, John F., Jana, Rittwik, Shacham, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 8,467,306 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment

Abstract

An Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) gateway application server includes an originating application server module adapted to invoke call control services in response to requests initiated by a voice over Internet Protocol (IP) (VoIP) client associated with a communication device such as an IP telephone. Disclosed gateway application servers include a proxy server module adapted to notify the communication client of session control messages intended for the communication device.

Claims

1. In an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) gateway system suitable for use with an IMS network, a gateway application server that is:

adapted to invoke a plurality of call control services between a communication client and a communication device;

adapted to be communicatively coupled to a communication server to process communication session interactions between the communication server and a session control unit; and

adapted to be communicatively coupled to the session control unit and adapted to exchange IMS session control messages.

2. The gateway application server according to claim 1, wherein at least one feature server is configured to communicate with the session control unit, and wherein the gateway application server is enabled to:

process call requests from the communication server to the IMS network; and

monitor call activity of the communication device and one or more further communication devices adapted to communicate with the communication server.

3. The gateway application server according to claim 1, wherein the session control unit is a Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF).

4. The gateway application server according to claim 3, wherein the S-CSCF is enabled for selectively suppressing message forwarding from the communication server to the IMS network for messages that meet predetermined criteria.

5. The gateway application server according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of call control services includes a “

make call”

service.

6. The gateway application server according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of call control services includes a “

hold call”

service.

7. The gateway application server according to claim 1, wherein the gateway application server is further enabled for sending a plurality of call control requests from the communication client to the communication device.

8. The gateway application server according to claim 7, wherein the communication device is selected from a mobile telephone and a landline telephone.

9. The gateway application server according to claim 7, wherein the gateway application server is enabled to determine if the communication device supports a user agent Computer Supported Telecommunications Applications (uaCSTA) protocol.

10. The gateway application server according to claim 9, wherein the gateway application server is enabled to communicate with the communication device using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) commands if the communication device does not support the uaCSTA protocol.

11. The gateway application server according to claim 10, wherein the gateway application server is further enabled to translate uaCSTA protocol messages to SIP compliant messages for the communication device.

12. The gateway application server according to claim 11, wherein the gateway application server is further enabled as a proxy application server to:

monitor a plurality of calls made within the IMS network; and

provide indications of call requests to the communication server.

13. A computer program product stored on at least one tangible computer readable medium, the computer program product for supporting integration between an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and at least one call feature supported by a communication server, and supporting integration between the IMS network and at least one call feature supported by at least one feature server, the computer program product comprising instructions for:

invoking a plurality of call control services between a communication client and a communication device;

processing communication session interactions between the communication server and a session control unit; and

exchanging IMS session control messages between the session control unit and the communication server.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for:

processing a plurality of call requests from the communication server to the IMS network; and

monitoring call activity of the communication device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising instructions for:

suppressing message forwarding from the communication server to the IMS network for messages that meet predetermined criteria.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

sending a plurality of call control requests from the communication client to the communication device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for:

sending a request to the communication device to determine if the communication device supports a user agent Computer Supported Telecommunications Applications (uaCSTA) protocol.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising instructions for:

translating uaCSTA protocol messages to Session Initiation Protocol compliant messages for the communication device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising instructions for:

monitoring a plurality of calls made within the IMS network; and

providing indications of call requests to the communication server.

20. An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) gateway application server, comprising:

an originating application server module adapted to invoke call control services in response to requests initiated by a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) client associated with an Internet protocol (IP) telephone operatively coupled to an IMS network; and

a proxy server module adapted to notify the VoIP client of session control messages intended for the IP telephone.

21. The gateway application server of claim 20, further operable to process communication session interactions between a communication server communicatively coupled to the VoIP client and a call session controller of the IMS network.