Method and communication system for automatically discovering the common multimedia service capability

• US 8,040,874 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Stille, Mats, Skog, Robert, Bleckert, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips; Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): CATTUNGAL, AJAY P
• Application Number:
  US10/584,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,849 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0072 Speech codec negotiation H04L65/1069 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

A method, a system, a server, and a computer program product are provided for Multimedia Capability discovery of different user terminals. Unnecessary use of the radio interface is avoided based on a network storage, which is accessible without registration to find out about the calling as well as the called user'"'"'s multimedia capabilities during a voice call. If there is a positive capability discovery result out of this for both users, the system sends a message to each of the user terminals that they should notify the users, e.g., by displaying an icon above a soft button. There is no need for establishing a packet switched session, which uses a lot of radio interface signalling, until the Multimedia Service capability of both subscribers and their user terminals is investigated and responded to both user terminals and their users.

Claims

1. A method for automatically discovering the common multimedia service capability of at least two user terminals when a voice call is initiated over a circuit-switched network from a first one of the user terminals handled by a calling party to the second one of the user terminals that is handled by a called party, the first user terminal is capable of running simultaneously both a circuit voice call in the circuit-switched network and a shared multimedia service session supported by a packet-switched network, the other user terminal'"'"'s multimedia capability may be unknown to a user of the first user terminal, the method comprising the following steps of:

notifying a network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and called party when a trigger indication has been generated by the circuit-switched network;

analyzing the response including the requested multimedia service capabilities;

responding to said user terminals with information regarding matching multimedia capabilities and alerting users of the user terminals of a possibility to start a packet-switched shared multimedia service session only if at least one common multimedia service capability is found for the user terminals;

wherein said notifying, analyzing, and responding steps are performed prior to the packet-switched shared multimedia service session being initiated, and

initiating the shared multimedia service session only if at least one common multimedia service capability is found for the user terminals,

wherein the network storage comprises a terminal capability database.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network storage also comprises a bearer database.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of notifying the network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and called party is initiated upon a trigger event based on either a set-up notification or an answer notification.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said notifying, analyzing, and responding steps are performed by an application server for shared multimedia.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of responding to said user terminals information regarding matching multimedia capabilities is performed by transmitting to each of said user terminals a WAP_Push message for alerting the user of the possibility to start a multimedia service session.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the user terminals will not start a packet switched session until said message has been received by the two user terminals.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the trigger indication is generated by use of IN technology or Parlay technology.

15. A computer program product comprising computer executable software stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the software being adapted to run at a computer or other processing means, and wherein said computer executable software is loaded and read by said computer or other processing means, said computer or other processing means is arranged to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1.

8. A system for automatically discovering the common multimedia service capability of at least two user terminals when a voice call is initiated over a circuit-switched network from a first one of the user terminals to the second one of the user terminals, the first user terminal is capable of running simultaneously both a circuit voice call in the circuit-switched network and a packet-switched session supported by a packet-switched network, the other user terminal'"'"'s multimedia capability may be unknown to a user of the first user terminal, the system comprising:

means for notifying a network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and called party, when a trigger indication has been generated by means in the circuit-switched network,

means for analyzing the response including the requested multimedia service capabilities,

means for responding to said user terminals with information regarding matching multimedia capability and alerting users of the user terminals of the possibility to start a multimedia service session only if at least one common multimedia service capability is found for the user terminals, and

means for initiating the shared multimedia service session only if at least one common multimedia service capability is found for the user terminals,

wherein the network storage comprises a terminal capability database.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the network storage also comprises a bearer database.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the means for notifying the network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and the called party starts when it receives an indication that a trigger event based on either a set-up notification or an answer notification has occurred.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the means for notifying the network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and called party, the means for analyzing the response comprising the requested multimedia service capabilities, and the means for responding to said user terminals information regarding matching multimedia capability, if at least one matching service is found, are provided in an application server for multimedia.

12. A system according to claim 8, further comprising means for responding to said user terminals information regarding matching multimedia capabilities by transmitting to each of said user terminals a WAP_Push message for alerting the user of the possibility to start a multimedia service session.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the user terminals will not start a packet switched session until said message has been received by the two user terminals.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein the trigger indication is generated using IN technology or Parlay technology.

16. A server provided in a node of a system for automatically discovering the common multimedia service capability of at least two user terminals when a voice call is initiated over a circuit-switched network from a first one of the user terminals to the second one of the user terminals, the first user terminal is capable of running simultaneously both a circuit voice call in the circuit-switched network and a packet switched session supported by a packet-switched network, the other user terminal'"'"'s multimedia capability may be unknown to a user of the first user terminal, the server comprising electronic circuitry arranged to:

notify the network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and the called party, when a trigger indication has been generated by the circuit switched network,

analyze the response including the requested multimedia service capability,

respond to said user terminals with information regarding matching multimedia capability and alert users of the user terminals of the possibility to start a shared multimedia service session only if at least one common multimedia service capability is found between the user terminals, and

initiate the shared multimedia service session only if a common multimedia service capability is found between the user terminals,

wherein the network storage includes a terminal capability database.

17. A server according to claim 16, wherein the network storage also comprises a bearer database.

18. A server according to claim 16, wherein the electronic circuitry is arranged to notify the network storage by sending a capability request concerning the user terminals of the calling party and called party when it receives an indication that a trigger event based on either a set-up notification or an answer notification has occurred.

19. A server according to claim 16, wherein the electronic circuitry is arranged to respond to said user terminals information regarding matching multimedia capabilities by transmitting to each of said user terminals a WAP_Push message for alerting the user of the possibility to start a multimedia service session.

20. A server according to claim 19, wherein the user terminals will not start a packet-switched session until said message has been received by the two user terminals.

21. A server according to claim 16, wherein the trigger indication is generated by IN technology or Parlay technology.