SESSION TRANSFER METHOD AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING SESSION CONTINUITY

• US 20100325286A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyun-Sook, Song, Jae-Seung
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,435 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 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0027 for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• 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

According to the present invention, a service operator can immediately transfer an ongoing session to another network, accordingly it is capable of dealing with cases that a network is required to be temporarily stopped due to repairing/checking for the network, it is required to perform a network load balancing, it is required to more effectively perform the ongoing session, and the policy of the service operator is changed. And, according to the present invention, when the ongoing session is required to be transferred later even though it is not required to be immediately transferred, or session continuity operator policy is changed, it is capable of sending the session continuity operator policy to the terminal and then allowing the terminal to transfer the ongoing session to another network according to determination by itself.

Claims

1. A method for supporting session continuity for a terminal in a server, the method comprising:

sending a session continuity operator policy to a first terminal, under a state that the first terminal is performing a session through an original network with a second terminal for sending one or more of voice and non-voice data through an original network;

receiving a session invite message from the terminal via a target network; and

sending a session invite message to the second terminal so as to transfer the session to the target network, in response to receipt of the session invite message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step comprises:

generating the session continuity operator policy based on collected information; and

sending the session continuity operator policy.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information is received from an external entity or collected by itself.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step comprises:

receiving the session continuity operator policy from an external entity; and

transferring the received session continuity operator policy to the first terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the session continuity operator policy comprises at least one of a parameter indicating whether the transfer of the session is required to be immediately performed and a parameter indicating priority of the transfer of the session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises one or more of a parameter indicating the kind of the session transfer and a parameter indicating a domain or network preferred when performing the session transfer.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises a parameter indicating whether both voice data and non-voice data are required to be transferred or a specific one thereof is required to be transferred.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises a parameter indicating an unallowable domain or network for the transfer of the session.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises one or more of a parameter indicating whether the session continuity operator policy is temporary or it is required to be continuously maintained in the first terminal, and a parameter indicating an expire time for the session continuity operator policy.

10. A method for transferring a session, the method comprising:

receiving a session continuity operator policy while performing a session with a target terminal through an access to an original network; and

determining whether the session is to be immediately transferred to a target network by checking a parameter in the session continuity operator policy.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprises changing the access to the target network when it is determined that the session is required to be immediately transferred to the target network.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprises updating existing session continuity operator policy when it is determined that the session is not required to be immediately transferred to the target network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprises:

standing by after the updating; and

changing the access to the target network when it is time to transfer the session to the target network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the session continuity operator policy comprises at least one of a parameter indicating whether or not the transfer of the session is required to be immediately performed and a parameter indicating priority of the transfer of the session.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the session continuity operator policy comprises one or more of a parameter indicating the kind of the transfer of the session and a parameter indicating a preferred domain or network preferred for the transfer of the session.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises a parameter indicating whether both voice data and non-voice data are required to be transferred or a specific one thereof is required to be transferred.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises a parameter indicating an unallowable domain or network for the transfer of the session.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the session continuity operator policy further comprises one or more of a parameter indicating whether the session continuity operator policy is required to be continuously stored, and a parameter indicating an expire time for the session continuity operator policy.