Arrangement for improving availability of services in a communication system

• US 6,332,081 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1999
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Do, Thanh Van
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/413,216
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/435, 455/550, 455/558, 455/445, 455/403, 455/422, 455/461, 455/414, 707/103, 709/213, 709/218, 370/331, 370/310, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/461
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0095 Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement for improving availability of services in a communications system, especially a telecommunications system, said system comprising distributed hardware and software components which interact in order to provide services to one or more users, and primarily the invention suggests that this improvement can be implemented by introducing in said system a user mobility support, for thereby enabling application availability including personal mobility. More specifically, the present invention suggests the introduction of user mobility support in distributed systems, and specifically by using agent technology which allows modification of internal implementation of agents without effecting the rest of the system.

Claims

1. A system for providing user or personal mobility in a communications system, the system comprising:

a first user in a user domain, wherein the first user is using a first terminal;

said first terminal, second and third terminals being in a terminal domain;

a Telecom domain;

wherein user mobility support is implemented by use of a plurality of different agents for each user on the first terminal, wherein a first agent PD_UA_a for the first user is located in the Telecom domain and at least a second agent TD_m—

UA_a for the first user is located at said first terminal in the terminal domain, and wherein the first and second agents collaborate in order to enable interactions involving the first user, and wherein said first user can use each of said first and second terminals at the same time by having the first user'"'"'s agent TD_m—

UA_a on the first and second terminals at the same time; and

wherein said second agent TD_m—

UA_a for the first user and a third agent for a second user are at said first terminal such that multiple agents for respective different users are at said first terminal, so that the first and second users can use/share said first terminal at the same time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a default user is registered at said first terminal, and a default agent TD_UA is always present at said first terminal.

3. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that operations on an object residing in the Telecom domain initiated by an object residing in a user domain are issued to an agent TD_UA_a, which forwards to a peer-object PD_UA_a which in turn invokes them on the addressed object on the Telecom domain.

4. Arrangement as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that operations initiated by an object in the Telecom domain are made to the agent PD_UA_a which sends to a terminal agent TA_m of the respective terminal m in order to be delivered to the TD_m—

UA_a, the user agent on the correct terminal, which will finally invoke operations on the objects residing on the user domain.