Method and network element for forwarding multicast messages

• US 6,501,957 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Networks (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rooke, Michael, Muhonen, Ahti
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US09/954,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/503, 455/517-519, 455/426, 455/466, 340/7.26
• US Class Current: 455/503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and network element for forwarding a multicast message received from an external packet data network (PDN) to subscribers (MS) of a packet radio network, wherein a subscriber-specific information defining multicast messages to be received by the subscribers is stored in a network element (GGSN) of the packet radio network. Based on this subscriber-specific information, a point to point connection is established between the multicast content provider of the multicast message and a subscriber having joined the corresponding multicast group. The subscriber may request a list of available multicast groups from the network element and may inform the network element of the multicast messages he wants to listen to by using a point to point context activation. Thus, the network element which may be a gateway GPRS support node plays an arbitrator role for multicast messages. Thereby, only minor changes of standard network elements are required.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding a multicast message received from an external packet data network (PDN) to subscribers (MS) of a packet radio network, comprising the steps of:

a) a subscriber informing a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) of said packet radio network on desired groups for multicast messages which the subscriber wishes to join;

b) storing a subscriber-specific information, which defines multicast messages from a multicast content provider to be received by said subscribers, in said Gateway GPRS Support Node, wherein said subscriber-specific information is a list which maps group identities of multicast groups to connection identifications of subscribers belonging to said multicast groups;

c) establishing a point to point connection between said Gateway GPRS Support Node and said subscriber, when said subscriber-specific information indicates that multicast messages are to be received by said subscriber; and

d) transmitting the multicast message from said multicast content provider to said subscriber via said established point to point connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a request for available groups for multicast messages is transmitted from a subscriber to said network element, and wherein an information defining the desired groups which the subscriber wishes to join is returned from said subscriber to said network element.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said group identity is an IP-M group ID and said connection identification is a GPRS tunnel ID.

4. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) of a packet radio network for forwarding a multicast message received from an external packet data network (PDN) to a subscriber (MS) of said packet radio network, comprising:

a) receiving means (11) for receiving said multicast message from said external packet data network (PDN), and for receiving an information from a subscriber defining desired groups for multicast messages which the subscriber wishes to join;

b) storing means (12) for storing a subscriber-specific information which defines multicast messages from a multicast content provider to be received by said subscriber, wherein said subscriber-specific information is a list which maps group identities of multicast groups to connection identifications of subscribers belonging to said multicast groups;

c) control means (10) for establishing a point to point connection between said Gateway GPRS Support Node and said subscriber (MS), when said subscriber-specific information indicates that said received multicast message is to be received by said subscriber (MS); and

d) transmitting means (13) for transmitting said received multicast message to said subscriber (MS) via said established point to point connection.

5. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 4, wherein said control means (10) is arranged to generate said subscriber-specific information on the basis of a received subscriber request defining desired groups to be joined by the respective subscriber.

6. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 5, wherein said subscriber request is transmitted with an IP-M context request.

7. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 4, wherein said transmitting means (13) is arranged to transmit an information defining available multicast groups to subscribers which have indicated their interest in multicast messages.

8. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 7, wherein said multicast group information with an IP-M context procedure.

9. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 4, wherein said subscriber-specific information is a list which maps IP-M groups to tunnel identifications of subscribers belonging to said IP-M groups.

10. A Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) according to claim 9, wherein said received multicast message is included in an IGMP traffic of an IPM network to which said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) is connected.