QoS channels for multimedia services on a general purpose operating system platform using data cards

• US 7,609,700 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hjort, Don, Ying, Wen-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elpenord; Candal
• Application Number:
  US11/182,699
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/252, 370/253, 370/395.21, 370/395.3, 370/349, 370/338, 370328-329, 370353-354, 370259-260, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Upper layer applications discover, establish and manage the QoS connectivity through a SIP (session initiation protocol) that serves as a unified interface. In one implementation, this is IP Multimedia Subsystem-centric, further supporting applications that utilize SIP for session control. This capability extends to the data card universe allowing UMTS data card vendors to establish concurrent QoS-based sessions using multiple primary PDP (packet data protocol) contexts based on a set of SIP triggers, further allowing applications running on a computing system to transparently utilize the established pipes based on the individual QoS requirements.

Claims

1. A system embodied on a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for facilitation of communication with a multimedia network, comprising:

a communications component of a computing system that facilitates communications with a multimedia network; and

an applications component of the computing system that includes a unified interface across disparate applications for at least one of discovering, establishing, or managing quality-of-service (QoS) connectivity to the multimedia network for the applications via the communications component, the applications component facilitates generation of concurrent QoS-based sessions using multiple PDP (packet data protocol) contexts, the interface includes a service activation component that functions as a user agent server to facilitate at least one of discovering, establishing, or managing the QoS connectivity between at least one application and at least one resource of a multimedia network, the user agent is available to another application once this connectivity is established.

2. The system of claim 1, the multimedia network is an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) network.

3. The system of claim 1, the communications component is a data card of a PC card form factor.

4. The system of claim 1, the communications component is a data card that is compatible with a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) technology.

5. The system of claim 1, the concurrent QoS-based sessions are generated based on a set of SIP (session initiation protocol) triggers.

6. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates discovering ISIM (IMS subscriber identity module) profile information.

7. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates discovering an interface associated with a context that is established for the QoS connectivity.

8. The system of claim 7, the interface is a PC card.

9. The system of claim 8, the interface is assigned at least one of a unique address or a port number.

10. The system of claim 7, the context is a primary PDP context.

11. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates SIP registration.

12. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates redirection via a SIP redirect message.

13. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates streaming-PDP connection management.

14. The system of claim 1, the applications component facilitates admission control by checking if a resource associated with the QoS connectivity has been exhausted.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for carrying out the system of claim 1.

16. A computer that employs the system of claim 1.

17. A server that employs the system of claim 1.

18. A mobile communications device that employs the system of claim 1.

19. A system embodied on a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for facilitation of communication with a media source, comprising:

a service access component that facilitates access by one or more applications of a computing system to a communications card; and

a service activation component that provides a context between the one or more applications and the card, the service activation component is active only for the duration of the initial SIP proxy discovery process, the service activation component facilitates concurrent QoS-based sessions using a plurality of the contexts based on a set of SIP triggers, the one or more applications utilize established resources based on individual QoS requirements.

20. The system of claim 19, the communications card is a UMTS network interface card.

21. The system of claim 19, the service activation component checks if the card is registered, and if not, automatically registers the card with a SIP registrar of the computing system.

22. The system of claim 19, the service activation component checks if a primary PDP context associated with an APN (access point name) has been established, and if not, the service activation component automatically starts a process that creates a network interface with the card that employs a unique IP address.

23. The system of claim 19, the service activation component performs admission control by checking if a resource has been exhausted, and if not, issues a reject message to the one or more applications, and if so, issues a redirect message to direct the one or more applications to the resource.

24. The system of claim 23, when the redirect message is received by the one or more applications, the service activation component monitors the one or more applications for a disconnect message.

25. The system of claim 19, the service activation component facilitates at least one of SIP registration, SIP redirect as a user agent service, ISIM profile discovery, admission control to a resource, or streaming connection management.

26. The system of claim 19, the one or more applications process at least one of streaming data, conversational data, or background data traffic.

27. The system of claim 19, the one or more applications process at least one of VoIP data, video data, network client data, or file transfer data.

28. A method of providing session management, comprising:

receiving an initiation message from one or more applications of a computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for carrying out the method;

checking that user equipment associated with the computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions for carrying out the method is registered;

checking that a QoS link is established via the user equipment;

checking a state of a resource of the user equipment;

redirecting one of the one or more applications to the resource based on the state of the resource, redirecting can include connecting the one or more applications to a multimedia resource via a cellular network;

notifying a service that provides the multimedia resource when the resource is no longer required; and

terminating access of at least one application to the multimedia resource either with or without termination of concurrent QoS-based sessions.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising an act of automatically registering the user equipment.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising at least one of an act of:

starting a context activation process to generate a context;

creating a network interface associated with the context;

or

assigning a unique IP address to the network interface.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising an act of admitting at least one of the one or more applications to the resource when the state of the resource is exhaustion.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising an act of sending to the one or more applications a message that includes at least one of ISIM information, an IP address of a network interface of the user equipment, or identity of a proxy service.

33. A system that facilitates session management encoded in a computer-readable medium with executable instructions for carrying out session management tasks, comprising:

means for receiving an invite message from an application of the computer-readable medium;

means for checking that a PC card associated with the computer-readable medium is registered with a SIP registrar;

means for establishing a context between the application and the PC card, the context associated with an access point name;

means for checking that resource of the PC card is available;

means for redirecting the application to the resource, redirecting can include connecting the one or more applications to a multimedia resource via a cellular network;

means for notifying a service that provides the multimedia resource when the resource is no longer required;

means for terminating access of at least one application to the multimedia resource either with or without termination of concurrent QoS-based sessions; and

means for sending a new invite message to a true SIP proxy server on a cellular network.