Device and method for providing interaction management for communication networks

• US 8,300,629 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Kaitki, Ghai, Rajat
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENSEN, NICHOLAS A
• Application Number:
  US11/952,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370465-466
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/912 Applications of a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/918 Location

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing interaction management to network devices in a communication network are described. A gateway may be used to implement the interaction capabilities on packet flows for IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) and multimedia domain (MMD) architectures. Interaction managers and proxy agents can be provided by the gateway, such as a service control interaction manager (SCIM). The SCIM can be a layer and manage interactions between network devices such as mobile nodes and application servers and can provide abstraction of network devices. This can allow the gateway to provide interworking between network devices and handle mobile nodes with different capabilities.

Claims

1. A gateway in a communication network comprising:

a service control interaction manager (SCIM) residing in the gateway for providing management of services to a plurality of mobile nodes having different capabilities and for providing management of interactions between the plurality of mobile nodes and at least one application server in the communication network by hiding the different capabilities from the at least one application server;

a call session control function (CSCF) in communication with the SCIM and residing in the gateway for handling session initiation protocol sessions and for handling interworking; and

a local memory storage in communication with the CSCF and residing in the gateway for caching filter criteria and triggers for each of the plurality of the mobile nodes, wherein the filter criteria and triggers are used to determine service changes and,

wherein the SCIM is configured for;

detecting service requests received at the gateway from the plurality of mobile nodes for at least one service provided by the at least one application server;

modifying the service requests and forwarding to the at least one application server the modified service requests to present to the at least one application server as though the service requests were received from a plurality of mobile nodes having identical capabilities;

performing one or more conversions on packets received from the at least one application server in response to the modified service requests to generate responses, each of which includes features that corresponding mobile node of the plurality of mobile nodes is capable of processing; and

forwarding the responses to respective mobile nodes of the plurality of mobile nodes.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the interworking is between an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and a non-compliant IMS mobile node.

3. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the interworking is between an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and a non-compliant IMS application server.

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the SCIM is further configured for:

monitoring packets from the plurality of mobile nodes to detect packets containing one or more conditions that match the filter criteria and/or the triggers; and

triggering changes in one or more services of the at least one service that are associated with the matching filter criteria and/or the matching triggers upon a match.

5. The gateway of claim 4, wherein the changes in one or more services include one of terminating one or more services, modifying one or more services, or adding one or more new services.

6. The gateway of claim 5, wherein the modification of one or more services includes at least one of adding a mobile node to a conference, dropping a mobile node from a conference, and changing Quality of Service (QoS) in provision of a service.

7. The gateway of claim 5, wherein the SCIM is further configured for selecting one or more application servers for the addition of one or more new services.

8. The gateway of claim 7, wherein the SCIM is further configured for monitoring application server availability and providing load balancing based on the application server availability.

9. The gateway of claim 5, wherein the one or more new services include voicemail service, website viewing, video conferencing, call forwarding, and content filtering.

10. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the service requests received at the gateway from the plurality of mobile nodes include INVITE messages.

11. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the triggers include trigger points that identify when to start, stop, or modify a service.

12. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the trigger points include service point triggers that contain various conditions that are used to determine if a match occurs.

13. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the filter criteria of each of the plurality of mobile nodes include initial filter criteria that contain a list of services applicable to respective mobile node subscriber.

14. A method comprising:

establishing at a call session control function (CSCF) session initiation protocol (SIP) sessions between a plurality of mobile nodes having different capabilities and at least one application server, wherein the CSCF resides in a gateway in a communication network;

obtaining from one or more subscriber databases user profiles of the plurality of mobile nodes and caching the user profiles at a local memory storage residing in the gateway, wherein each of the user profiles include corresponding filter criteria for each of the plurality of mobile nodes;

generating one or more service point triggers for each of the plurality of mobile nodes based at least in part on the respective filter criteria and caching the service point triggers at the local memory storage;

detecting at a service control interaction manager (SCIM) service requests from the plurality of mobile nodes for at least one service provided by the at least one application server, wherein the SCIM resides in the gateway and is in communication with the CSCF;

modifying at the SCIM the service requests and forwarding the modified service requests to the at least one application server to present to the at least one application server as though the service requests were received from a plurality of mobile nodes having identical capabilities;

performing at the SCIM one or more conversions on packets received from the at least one server in response to the modified service requests to generate responses, each of which includes features that corresponding mobile node of the plurality of mobile nodes is capable of processing; and

forwarding the responses to respective mobile nodes of the plurality of mobile nodes.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

monitoring packets from the plurality of mobile nodes to detect packets containing one or more conditions that match the filter criteria and/or the service point triggers; and

triggering changes in one or more services of the at least one service that are associated with the matching filter criteria and/or the matching service point triggers upon a match.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the changes in one or more services include one of terminating one or more services, modifying one or more services, or adding one or more new services.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting one or more application servers for the addition of one or more new services.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

monitoring application server availability; and

providing load balancing based on the application server availability.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising handling at the CSCF interworking between an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and at least one of a non-compliant IMS application server and a non-compliant IMS mobile node.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing logic stored thereon, said logic includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

establishing at a call session control function (CSCF) session initiation protocol (SIP) sessions between a plurality of mobile nodes having different capabilities and at least one application server, wherein the CSCF resides in a gateway in a communication network;

obtaining from one or more subscriber databases user profiles of the plurality of mobile nodes and caching the user profiles at a local memory storage residing in the gateway, wherein each of the user profiles include corresponding filter criteria for each of the plurality of mobile nodes;

generating one or more service point triggers for each of the plurality of mobile nodes based at least in part on the respective filter criteria and caching the service point triggers at the local memory storage;

detecting at a service control interaction manager (SCIM) service requests from the plurality of mobile nodes for at least one service provided by the at least one application server, wherein the SCIM resides in the gateway and is in communication with the CSCF;

modifying at the SCIM the service requests and forwarding the modified service requests to the at least one application server to present to the at least one application server as though the service requests were received from a plurality of mobile nodes having identical capabilities;

performing at the SCIM one or more conversions on packets received from the at least one server in response to the modified service requests to generate responses, each of which includes features that corresponding mobile node of the plurality of mobile nodes is capable of processing; and

forwarding the responses to respective mobile nodes of the plurality of mobile nodes.