CONTROL DOMAIN CHANGE BASED ON NETWORK REGISTRATION CONDITION

• US 20120044861A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Min, Dolly, Martin, Espejo, Judith, Sharples, Russell, Chastain, W., Jardon, Mario, Wang, Guang
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,839 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: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• 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 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

Aspects describe a separate domain selection function that is utilized as the first function in a communication path for a communication that is to be connected to a user device registered in a first network or a second network. If a result of the domain selection function indicates call control should be maintained by first network (e.g., user device is registered with first network or a network with which first network has a control relationship), call control of the communication remains with first network. If the result of the domain selection function indicates the user device is registered with second network, call control is suspended by the first network, which allows the communication to bypass the first network.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a control domain, comprising:

receiving at a first network a communication for a user device, wherein the user device is located in the first network or in a second network;

enabling call control of the communication at the first network;

performing a domain selection function as a first function in a communication path for the communication; and

selectively disabling call control at the first network based on a result of the domain selection function.

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

ascertaining the user device is registered in the first network; and

continuing the call control at the first network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:

ascertaining the user device is registered in the second network; and

disabling the call control at the first network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling comprises allowing the communication path to bypass the first network call control.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises:

sending a query to a database; and

receiving service domain information and access domain information in response to the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises determining network information of the second network, determining an access network capability of the second network, ascertaining at least one capability of the user device, utilizing internal provisioned information maintained by the first network, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing comprises ascertaining the first network is IMS-controlled and the second network is non-IMS-controlled.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a location of the user device; and

routing the communication to the location to bypass a control domain of the first network; and

disabling the call control at the first network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively disabling comprises bypassing IMS feature control when first accessing an IMS domain, wherein the communication is non-IMS-controlled.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing a network entity that performed the domain selection function from the communication path.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the communication originated in a source network, the first network, or the second network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a home network and the second network is a visited network.

13. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a receiver component that receives a communication intended for a user device;

a call control component that enables call control for the communication;

a domain selection function component that performs domain selection for the communication, wherein a result of the domain selection indicates whether the call control should be continued by the communication apparatus; and

wherein the call control component selectively disables the call control of the communication apparatus based on the result of the domain selection.

14. The communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the domain selection function component sends a request to a database and receives service domain information and access domain information for the user device in response to the request.

15. The communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the domain selection function component determines the user device is registered with a terminating network and the call control component disables the call control.

16. The communication apparatus of claim 15, wherein the domain selection function component transmits session Internet Protocol messages to the call control component, wherein the session Internet Protocol messages indicate that the domain selection function component is to be removed from a communication path for the communication.

17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable code instructions stored therein, wherein in response to execution by at least one processor, the computer-executable code instructions performs a group of acts comprising:

enabling call control for a communication, wherein the communication is received at a home network and is to be connected to a user device located in the home network or in a visited network;

performing a domain selection function as a first function in a communication path for the communication; and

selectively continuing call control for the communication as a function of a result of the domain selection function.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the result of the domain selection function, wherein the result indicates the call control should be performed by the home network;

removing the domain selection function from the communication path; and

continuing to perform the call control for the communication.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the result of the domain selection function, wherein the result indicates the call control should be performed by the visited network; and

disabling the call control for the communication.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the performing comprises:

sending a query to a database; and

receiving service domain information and access domain information in response to the query.