GATEWAY DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20100272023A1
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,781,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A gateway device includes a communication unit communicating a frame signal conforming to an IuUP (Iu User Plane) protocol with a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network; a determination unit determining whether the frame signal received by the communication unit satisfies a predetermined condition or not; a conversion unit converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a flow control signal of an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) when the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition; and a flow control signal transmission unit transmitting the flow control signal to a communication device in the IMS.

Claims

1. A gateway device comprising:

a communication unit communicating a frame signal conforming to an Iu User Plane (IuUP) protocol with a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network;

a determination unit determining whether the frame signal received by the communication unit satisfies a predetermined condition or not;

a conversion unit converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a flow control signal of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) when the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition; and

a flow control signal transmission unit transmitting the flow control signal including the converted information to a communication device in the IMS.

2. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the

flow control signal transmission unit transmits a signal conforming to RTP Control Protocol (RTCP) as the flow control signal.

3. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines that the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition when the frame signal indicates an initialization request or a rate control request of the IuUP protocol.

4. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit determines a bit rate of a voice codec as the information to be set in the flow control signal by using at least one of an RAB Sub-Flow Combination Indicator (RFCI), a number of RAB sub-flows and a length of the RAB sub-flow included in a frame signal satisfying the predetermined condition.

5. A system comprising:

a gateway device; and

a flow controller connected to the gateway device communicatably,

wherein the gateway device comprises;

a first communication unit communicating a frame signal conforming to an Iu User Plane (IuUP) protocol with a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network;

a determination unit determining whether the frame signal received by the first communication unit satisfies a predetermined condition or not;

a conversion unit converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a flow control signal of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) when the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition; and

a second communication unit transmitting the information converted by the conversion unit to the flow controller, and

the flow controller comprises

a flow control signal transmission unit transmitting the flow control signal including the information received from the gateway device to a communication device in the IMS.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the second

communication unit transmits the information to be transmitted to the flow controller by a Media Gateway Control (MEGACO) protocol.

7. A communication method comprising:

receiving a frame signal conforming to an Iu User Plane (IuUP) protocol from a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network;

determining whether the frame signal satisfies a predetermined condition or not;

converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a flow control signal of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) when the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition; and

transmitting the flow control signal including the converted information to a communication device in the IMS.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein the flow signal is a signal conforming to RTP Control Protocol (RTCP).

9. The communication method according to claim 7,

wherein the frame signal is determined that it satisfies the predetermined condition when the frame signal indicates an initialization request or a rate control request of the IuUP protocol.

10. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein in the conversion, a bit rate of a voice codec is determined as the information to be set in the flow control signal by using at least one of a RAB Sub-Flow Combination Indicator (RFCI), a number of RAB sub-flows and a length of the RAB sub-flow included in a frame signal satisfying the predetermined condition.

11. (canceled)