Service discovery and service partitioning for a subscriber terminal between different networks

• US 7,181,211 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2000
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Phan-Anh, Son
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): AFSHAR, KAMRAN
• Application Number:
  US10/398,414
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/433, 4554351-435, 455/435.2, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/425, 455/461, 455/432, 455/452.1, 455/436, 455/517, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 370/252, 370/254, 370/329, 370/331, 370/338, 709/203, 709/246, 713/150
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• 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 is a method for service provisioning to a subscriber terminal (TE) having roamed from a first communication network (H-NW) to a second communication network (V-NW), each of said first and second networks comprises an access network (H-A-NW, V-A-NW; TL-NW) via which said subscriber terminal (TE) communicates with an associated core network (H-C-NW, V-C-NW), each of said core networks (H-C-NW, V-C-NW) being provided with at least one communication control entity (H-S-CSCF, V-S-CSCF) for performing, according to available services, communication control between the respective communication network and the terminal, and a database entity (H-SLS, V-SLS) keeping a record of available communication control entities in said core network of said communication network, said method comprising the steps of: accessing (S1), from said subscriber terminal (TE), the core network (V-C-NW) of said second communication network (V-NW), discovering (S2–S10) at least one communication control entity among the communication control entities of both core networks, which is capable of controlling the communication with the subscriber terminal (TE) according to services requested by the subscriber terminal, and registering (S11–S14) to at least one of said at least one discovered communication control entity, irrespective of whether it is located in said first or said second communication network.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning service to a subscriber terminal having roamed from a first communication network to a second communication network, comprising:

each of said first and second networks comprising an access network via which said subscriber terminal communicates with an associated core network, each of said core networks being provided with at least one call state control functional entity for performing, according to available services, communication control between the respective communication network and the terminal, and a database entity keeping a record of available communication control entities in said core network of said communication network;

accessing, from the subscriber terminal, the core network of said second communication network;

discovering at least one call state control functional entity among the communication control entities of both core networks, which is configured for controlling the communication with the subscriber terminal according to services requested by the subscriber terminal; and

registering to at least one of said at least one discovered call state control functional entity, irrespective of whether the at least one discovered call state control functional entity is located in said first or second communication network,

wherein said discovering precedes said registering and follows said accessing;

wherein said discovering further comprises;

partitioning at least some services requested by said subscriber terminal into service subsets, such that each service subset is adapted to services available in a respective one of said first and second communication networks.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said discovering further comprises:

accessing, from said subscriber terminal, said database entity of said core network of said second communication network; and

accessing, from said database entity of said core network of said second communication network, said database entity of said core network of said first communication network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said partitioning is effected by said database entity of said core network of said first communication network.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

said partitioning comprises evaluating a partitioning condition.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said partitioning condition to be evaluated consists of at least one of an application level subscriber identity defining the subscriber'"'"'s subscription profile, a terminal capability defining the services to which the terminal equipment is adapted, a subscribers preference defining preferred services set beforehand by the subscriber, a first-communication-network-service-capability defining the services that is to be provisioned by the first communication network, or a second communication network service restriction defining services that is not to be provisioned by the second communication network.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said accessing, said discovering, and said registering are performed using messages conforming to the service location protocol.

7. An apparatus for service provisioning to a subscriber terminal having roamed from a first communication network to a second communication network, comprising:

roaming means for roaming from said first network having a first core network to said second network having a second core network;

accessing means for accessing the second core network;

discovering means for discovering, after accessing the second core network, a call state control functional entity among communication control entities of both the first core network and the second core network, wherein the discovered call state control functional entity is configured to control communication with the apparatus according to services requested by the apparatus; and

registering means for registering to the discovered call state control functional entity, without considering the at least one discovered call state control functional entity is located in said first network or said second network

wherein said discovering precedes said registering and follows said accessing;

wherein said discovering further comprises;

partitioning at least some services requested by said subscriber terminal into service subsets, such that each service subset is adapted to services available in a respective one of said first and second communication networks.

8. A system for service provisioning to a subscriber terminal having roamed from a first communication network to a second communication network, comprising:

a user agent configured to roam between said first communication network and said second communication network,

a service agent configured to advertise services for the user agent, and

a directory agent configured to cache service advertisements from the service agent and to receive a request from the user agent,

wherein the user agent is configured to discover the directory agent using a process that is configured to discover the directory agent regardless of which of the two networks is home to the directory agent,

wherein said discovering further comprises;

partitioning at least some services requested by said subscriber terminal into service subsets, such that each service subset is adapted to services available in a respective one of said first and second communication networks.