HANDLING COMMUNICATION SESSIONS IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20140185490A1
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Holm, Jan, Fernandez Alonso, Susana
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for handling a communication session in a communications network. An Application Function node receives a request to register a user terminal in the communication network. The Application Function identifies an Access Point used by the terminal to register with the network, and send a request message to a Policy and Charging Register Function (PCRF). The request message includes an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by the user terminal. The AF receives a response message from the PCRF, including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point. The AF subsequently receives a message from the user terminal that identifies a non-emergency terminating node. If the indicator indicates that the Access Point is not an Emergency-Access Point, the AF allows the communication session. If the indicator indicates that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point, then the AF rejects the communication session.

Claims

1. A method of handling a communication session in a communications network, the method comprising, at an Application Function node:

receiving from a user terminal a request to register the user terminal in the communication network;

sending to a Policy and Charging Register Function a request message, the request message including an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by the user terminal;

receiving a response message from the Policy and Charging Register Function, the response message including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point ;

receiving from the user terminal a message to establish a communication session with a terminating node, the message identifying a non-emergency terminating node;

in the event that the indicator indicates that the Access Point is not an Emergency-Access Point, allowing the establishment of the communication session and, in the event that the indicator indicates that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point, rejecting the establishment of the communication session.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Application Function node is a Proxy-Call Session Control Function node.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message received from the user terminal is selected from any of a SIP INVITE, a SIP MESSAGE, a SIP OPTIONS and a SIP SUBSCRIBE message, the message identifying a non-emergency terminating node using a Request-URI.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the response message includes one of an indicator indicating that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point and no indicator, indicating that the Access Point is not an Emergency-Access Point.

11. A computer program comprising computer readable code means which, when run on a computer apparatus, causes the computer apparatus to perform the method as claimed in claim 1.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program according to claim 11, wherein the computer program is stored on the computer readable medium.

6. An Application Function node for use in a communications network, the Application Function node comprising:

a first receiver for receiving from a user terminal a request to register the user terminal in the communication network;

a first transmitter for sending to a Policy and Charging Register Function a request message, the request message including an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by the user terminal;

a second receiver for receiving a response message from the Policy and Charging Register Function, the response message including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point;

a third receiver for receiving from the user terminal a message to establish a communication session with a terminating node, the message identifying a non-emergency terminating node;

a processor arranged to determine whether the indicator indicates that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point and, in the event that the indicator indicates that the Access Point is not an Emergency-Access Point, allowing the establishment of the communication session and, in the event that the indicator indicates that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point, rejecting the establishment of the communication session.

7. The Application Function node according to claim 6, wherein the Application Function node is a Proxy-Call Session Control Function node.

8. The Application Function node according to claim 6, further comprising a memory for storing the indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point.

9. A Policy and Charging Register Function node for use in a communications network, the Policy and Charging Register Function node comprising:

a receiver for receiving from an Application Function node a request message, the request message including an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by a user terminal to register with the Application Function node;

a transmitter for sending a response message to the Application Function node the response message including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point.

10. A method of operating a computer apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving from an Application Function node a request message, the request message including an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by a user terminal to register with the Application Function node;

sending a response message to the Application Function node, the response message including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point.

12. A computer program comprising computer readable code means which, when run on a computer apparatus, causes the computer apparatus to perform the method of claim 10.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program according to claim 12, wherein the computer program is stored on the computer readable medium.