Method, system, and devices for transmitting information between a user equipment and an IP packet gateway

• US 7,672,317 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Phu, Thinh Nguyen, Gateva, Ralitsa
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAILE, AWET A
• Application Number:
  US10/795,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 370/320, 370/335, 370/342, 370/441, 370/230.1, 370/395.1, 370/229, 370/389, 370/466, 370/235, 370/338, 370/340, 370/331, 370/401, 455/333, 455/411, 455/452.2, 455/410, 455/435.1, 705/67, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A method, a system, and network elements for transmitting information between a user equipment and an IP packet gateway, are disclosed, the IP packet gateway communicating with an IP network via an interface, wherein, when the UE is requesting at least one service requiring access to the IP network, authorization of the requested service is checked, wherein an error message is sent from the IP packet gateway to the user equipment, when the requested service is not authorized. The present invention discloses several options of signaling error messages between IP packet gateway and UE, for example, via IP layer signaling (e.g. RESV ERR messages) or link layer signaling (e.g. IS2000 and IOS signaling). The solution according to the present invention, in particular, relates to a CDMA network in connection with an IP multimedia subsystem network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

requesting, at least one service requiring access to an IP network, at an IP packet gateway communicating with the IP network via a policy control interface;

analyzing, at the IP packet gateway, a message, which is received from a user equipment, in terms of requested services;

checking, at the IP packet gateway, whether the requested service is authorized, said checking comprising determining, whether the requested services are to be authorized in accordance with information from said IP network;

sending an error message from the IP packet gateway to the user equipment, when the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

generating an update message, when said user equipment received an error message from the IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the IP packet gateway is a packet data serving node.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the IP network is an IP multimedia subsystem network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the IP packet gateway, is a network element of a code division multiple access network.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said policy control interface is 3^rd generation partnership project go interface.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the checking of authorization of the requested service is performed by a policy decision function.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the error message is transmitted by means of IP layer signaling.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the error message is transmitted by means of link layer signaling.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said link layer signaling is a code division multiple access 2000 interoperability standard signaling.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the error message is of a type according to a resource reservation protocol.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a reservation message at the user equipment for requesting authorization for at least one service.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said reservation message contains identifiers of the services for which authorization is requested and for each requested service a set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the respective service.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein each set of binding information is bundled with the respective requested service.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message generated by said user equipment from said user equipment to the IP packet gateway.

15. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating the error message to indicate the user equipment an error regarding a rejection of authorization of at least one of the requested services in the IP packet gateway.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating an error message further comprises

detecting a reason for a rejection of authorization for the respective service;

and

obtaining an appropriate error code for an unauthorized service based on the detected reason for rejection from the IP network.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein each set of binding information is bundled with the respective requested service.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein when said determining yields that at least one of the requested services is to be authorized, said method further comprising generating a confirmation message for confirming authorization to the user equipment, and transmitting said confirmation message from the IP packet gateway to the user equipment.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the confirmation message contains identifiers of the authorized services.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein said confirmation message further contains respective sets of binding information of the authorized services.

21. A method according to claim 11, wherein said reservation message contains information on quality of service for at least one of the requested services.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the information on quality of service is bundled with an identifier of the respective service and with a respective set of binding information.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein said information on quality of service is differentiated services code point and bit rate.

24. A method according to claim 1, wherein a set of binding information defining attributes for a requested service comprises an authorization token to ensure an unique assignment of a request to a respective authorization operation and flow identifiers of flows being carried by a used packet data protocol.

25. A method according to claim 8, wherein said method comprises an initiation of a packet data service instance clearing procedure by the IP packet gateway.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the initiation is indicated to a base station by means of a reject code.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the base station returns a failure indication to a mobile switching center.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the mobile switching center, in response to said failure indication, releases an existing call or initiates negotiation with respect to the call.

29. A system, comprising:

a user equipment; and

an IP packet gateway, the IP packet gateway communicating with an IP network via a policy control interface,

wherein, when the user equipment is requesting at least one service requiring access to the IP network, at the IP packet gateway, a message, which is transmitted from the user equipment to the IP packet gateway, is analyzed in terms of requested services, and authorization of the requested service is checked, said checking comprising determining, whether the requested services are to be authorized in accordance with information from said IP network, and

wherein an error message is sent from the IP packet gateway to the user equipment, when the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

wherein the user equipment generates an update message, when said user equipment receives an error message from the IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein said IP packet gateway is a packet data serving node.

31. A system according to claim 29, wherein the IP network is an IP multimedia subsystem network.

32. A system according to claim 29, wherein the IP packet gateway is a network element of a code division multiple access network.

33. A system according to claim 29, wherein said policy control interface is the 3rd generation partnership project go interface.

34. An apparatus, comprising:

a requester configured to request at least one service requiring access to an IP network;

a receiver configured to receive an error message sent from an IP packet gateway to the apparatus, when a check of authorization of the requested service performed at the IP packet gateway indicates that the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

a generating unit configured to generate an update message, when said user equipment receives an error message from the IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.

35. An apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said IP packet gateway is a packet data serving node.

36. An apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising:

a message generator configured to generate reservation messages and update messages.

37. An apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising:

an analyzer configured to analyze messages received from the IP packet gateway.

38. An apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising:

a processor configured to process messages received from the IP packet gateway in accordance with an analyzing result from said analyzer.

39. An apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said message generator operate in accordance with a processing result from said processor.

40. An apparatus according to claim 34, further comprising a transceiver configured to transmit and receive messages being generated in the user equipment to the IP packet gateway and to receive messages from the IP packet gateway.

41. An apparatus, comprising:

a policy control interface configured to communicate with an IP network;

an analyzer configured to analyze messages received from a user equipment in terms of requested services;

a checker configured to check, when the message is requesting at least one service requiring access to the IP network, authorization of the requested service, and including a determiner configured to determine whether a requested service is to be authorized in accordance with information provided from said IP network to said apparatus;

a transmitter configured to send an error message to the user equipment, when the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

a generating unit configured to generate an update message, when said user equipment receives an error message from an IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.

42. An apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the apparatus is a packet data serving node.

43. An apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising:

a message generator configured to generate error messages and confirmation messages.

44. An apparatus according to claim 41, wherein said message generator is configured to operate in accordance with a determining result from the determiner and error code information from said IP network.

45. An apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit messages being generated in the IP packet gateway to the user equipment and to receive messages from the user equipment.

46. An apparatus, comprising:

requesting means for requesting at least one service requiring access to an IP network; and

receiving means for receiving an error message sent from an IP packet gateway to the apparatus, when a check of authorization of the requested service performed at the IP packet gateway indicates that the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

generating means for generating an update message, when said user equipment receives an error message from the IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking means for checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying means for identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.

47. An apparatus, comprising:

interfacing means for interfacing with an IP network via a policy control interface;

analyzing means for analyzing a message, which is received from a user equipment in terms of requested services, when the message is requesting at least one service requiring access to the IP network;

checking means for checking authorization of the requested service, when the message is requesting at least one service requiring access to the IP network, said checking means comprising determining means for determining whether the requested services are to be authorized in accordance with information provided from said IP network to said apparatus; and

transmitting means for transmitting an error message to the user equipment, when the requested service is not authorized, wherein at least one of the request or the error message includes at least one of policy control information and roaming information, wherein the error message contains at least one identifier of the unauthorized services, a respective set of binding information defining attributes being associated with the requested service, and a respective error code; and

generating means for generating an update message, when said user equipment receives an error message from an IP packet gateway, to request authorization for previously unauthorized services, wherein said update message contains an identifier of previously unauthorized services and a set of binding information defining new attributes associated with the respective requested services, wherein generating an update message further comprises checking means for checking the received error message in terms of error code and identifying means for identifying a new set of binding information for previously unauthorized services based on the received error code.