Method and system for providing directory based services

• US 7,480,723 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramakrishna, Sudhakar, Grabelsky, David, Homeier, Michael, Tripathi, Anoop
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Serrao; Ranodhi N
• Application Number:
  US10/409,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/227, 709/228, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for providing directory based services is provided. The directory service may process an ambiguous destination identifier from a call-session request to multiple database entries in a directory server, and return an appropriately constructed response that can be interpreted by a user as a prompt for additional input to refine the destination identifier. The possible matches could be sent as a list of possible choices. The user can then select the desired match from the list and send a follow-on request including the selection to the directory server. Based on the selection, the directory server will then either send additional possible matches to the user or obtain a contact address corresponding to the selection. After resolving the ambiguous match to a unique destination identifier, a call can then be established.

Claims

1. A method of resolving a session initiation protocol (SIP) destination identifier comprising:

receiving an initial call-session request that includes an originating SIP request-uniform resource identifier (URI) indicating an originator of the initial call-session request, an ambiguous request URI indicating a party to which the initial call-session request is directed, the ambiguous request-URI being insufficient to fully define a desired request-URI, and a SIP header which indicates that a search for possible matches of request-URIs to the ambiguous request-URI is requested;

determining possible matches of request-URIs to the ambiguous request-URI;

sending an initial response, the initial response including at least a portion of information indicative of the possible matches of request-URIs, wherein the portion of information indicative of the possible matches of request-URIs is a list of contact Internet protocol (IP) addresses corresponding to the possible matches of request-URIs; and

receiving a follow-on request that includes a selection of a given possible match to the ambiguous request-URI, wherein the follow-on request is recognized as a request for sending an additional portion of information indicative of the possible matches of request-URIs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambiguous request-URI indicates that a message body of the ambiguous request-URI contains search criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambiguous request-URI has an associated tag that contains search criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial call-session request includes a tag to indicate what type of search is requested.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a message body of the initial call-session request is implemented with a service discovery protocol (SDP).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a message body of the initial call-session request is a voice extensible markup language (VXML) message body that contains encoded audio for voice-activated lookup.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the additional portion comprises sending a subsequent sub-list of possible matches of request-URIs.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a follow-on response that includes information indicative of the given possible match to the ambiguous request-URI.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving subsequent follow-on requests; and

responsively sending subsequent follow-on responses,

wherein a given follow-on request includes a selection of an entry from a portion of the information that was sent in a previous follow-on response, and a given follow-on response includes information indicative of an entry from a previous follow-on request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial call-session request that further includes a search term being indicative of additional information relating to the ambiguous request-URI, and wherein the method further comprises using the search term, selecting a request-URIs from the possible matches of request-URIs.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising establishing a call with the selected request-URI.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a subsequent follow-on response requesting a search term.

13. A method of resolving a session initiation protocol (SIP) destination identifier comprising:

receiving an initial call-session request from a user-agent application that includes an originating SIP request-uniform request indicator (URI) indicating an originator of the initial call-session request, an ambiguous request URI indicating a party to which the initial call-session request is directed, the ambiguous request-URI being of the form user-name@domain-name and insufficient to fully define a desired request-URI, the initial call-session request further including a SIP header comprising a search term being indicative of additional information relating to the ambiguous request-URI;

determining possible matches of request-URIs to the ambiguous request-URI using the search term;

sending an initial response that includes a list of contact addresses corresponding to the possible matches of request-URIs;

receiving a follow-on request that includes a selection of a given possible match to the ambiguous request-URI, wherein the follow-on request is recognized as a request for sending an additional list of contact addresses corresponding to the possible matches of request-URIs;

receiving a selection of a given entry from the additional list of contact addresses;

establishing a call between the requesting user-agent application and a user-agent application corresponding to the selected contact address.