Method and System for Forwarding a Message in a Session Initiation Protocol Based Communications Network

• US 20130117467A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Den Hartog, Jos, Noldus, Rogier August Caspar
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Method and system for forwarding a message in a Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, based communications network, to a first and second SIP user equipment of a subscriber via a controller server and one of a plurality of traffic handler servers. The first user equipment may have first capabilities different from second capabilities of the second user equipment. The controller server receives the message; determines which first traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is arranged for providing a first service associated with the first capabilities, and which second traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is arranged for providing a second service associated with the second capabilities; and forwards the message to the first user equipment via the first traffic handler server, and to the second user equipment via the second traffic handler server.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method of forwarding a message, in a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based communications network and to a first SIP User Equipment associated with a SIP User Agent corresponding to a subscriber, via a controller server comprising a Serving Call Session Control Function entity and one of a plurality of traffic handler servers comprising Serving Call Session Control Function entities, and forwarding the message to a second SIP User Equipment associated with the SIP User Agent corresponding to the subscriber, via the controller server and one of the plurality of traffic handler servers, the first SIP User Equipment having first capabilities and the second SIP User Equipment having second capabilities different from the first capabilities, the method comprising:

receiving, by the controller server, the message;

determining which first traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is configured to provide a first service associated with the first capabilities, and determining which second traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is configured to provide a second service associated with the second capabilities; and

forwarding the message from the controller server to the first SIP User Equipment via the first traffic handler server, and forwarding the message to the second SIP User Equipment via the second traffic handler server.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising storing, in a repository associated with the controller server, information with respect to each traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers relating to the services each traffic handler server is configured to offer.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing, in the repository, a user profile associated with the subscriber, the user profile including an indication of services which the subscriber is at least one of able to use and allowed to use.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the indication of services relates to the first and second capabilities.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the determining comprises determining, based on the stored information with respect to each traffic handler server and the stored user profile, which traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers shall forward the message to the first SIP user equipment, and which traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers shall forward the message to the second SIP user equipment

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the controller server is configured to select a traffic handler server providing the services associated with the capabilities common to all user equipment.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the SIP based communications network comprises an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem communications network.

21. A system for forwarding a message in a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based communications network and to a first SIP User Equipment associated with a SIP User Agent corresponding to a subscriber and to a second SIP User Equipment associated with the User Agent corresponding to the subscriber, the first SIP User Equipment having first capabilities and the second SIP User Equipment having second capabilities different from the first capabilities, the system comprising:

a controller server comprising a Serving Call Session Control Function entity associated with the subscriber; and

a plurality of traffic handler servers comprising Serving Call Session Control Function entities;

wherein the controller server is configured to;

receive the message;

determine which first traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is configured to provide a first service associated with the first capabilities, and determine which second traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers is configured to provide a second service associated with the second capabilities; and

forward the message to the first SIP User Equipment via the first traffic handler server, and forward the message to the second SIP User Equipment via the second traffic handler server.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the controller server comprises a repository associated therewith, the repository configured to store information with respect to each traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers relating to the services each traffic handler server is configured to offer.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the controller server is further configured to determine, based on the information with respect to each traffic handler server and a user profile associated with the subscriber, which traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers shall forward the message to the first SIP user equipment, and which traffic handler server of the plurality of traffic handler servers shall forward the message to the second SIP user equipment, the user profile including an indication of services which the subscriber is at least one of able to use and allowed to use.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the indication of services relates to the first and second capabilities.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the controller server is further configured to select a traffic handler server providing the services associated with the capabilities common to all user equipment.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the SIP based communications network comprises an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem communications network.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the first and second services are located in SIP-Application Servers associated with the traffic handler servers.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the controller server and at least one traffic handler server are arranged in a monolithic structure.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the monolithic structure comprises a monolithic Serving Call Session Control Function server.

30. A server entity comprising a Serving Call Session Control Function entity for forwarding a message in a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based communications network, to a first SIP user equipment associated with a SIP User Agent and to a second SIP user equipment associated with the SIP User Agent, the first SIP user equipment having first capabilities and the second SIP user equipment having second capabilities different from the first capabilities, wherein the server entity is configured to:

receive the message;

determine which first network node of a plurality of network nodes comprising Serving Call Session Control Function entities is configured to provide a first service associated with the first capabilities, and determine which second network node of the plurality of network nodes is configured to provide a second service associated with the second capabilities; and

forward the message to the first SIP user equipment via the first network node, and forward the message to the second SIP user equipment via the second network node.