Transparent service adaptation in heterogeneous environments

• US 8,527,611 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toyota Infotechnology Center Co., Ltd. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Chennikara-Varghese, Jasmine, Tanna, Harshad, Chen, Wai, Altintas, Onur, Suwa, Yoshihisa, Cai, Shengwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): SISON, JUNE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/135,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20060034222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,025 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• 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 8/20 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 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method of tailoring data streams transmitted to networked user devices is disclosed in which environment information associated with each device is stored at an agent located on those devices. This environment information may include information related to the hardware, interface and application capabilities of the particular device. In another embodiment, this environment information is transmitted and stored at an agent at a local network gateway. And in another embodiment, the environment information is then stored at a mirror agent located in a backbone network of a service provider. By referring to this environment information, a service provider can tailor the transmission of data streams, such as multimedia streams, to a device based on the capabilities of the device and the associated network.

Claims

1. A method for transferring an active communication session with a first device to a second device, wherein configuration information of said first device and said second device is stored in an environment mirror agent at a gateway in a backbone network, said method comprising:

maintaining the configuration information in a local network adaptation agent for each device of the first and second devices;

transmitting the configuration information for the first device and the second device to the environment mirror agent;

determining that a transfer of said active communication session from said first device to said second device is desired; and

transferring said active communication session to said second device and adapting said active communication session as a function of the configuration information for said second device stored in the environment mirror agent, wherein the environment mirror agent mirrors the local network adaptation agent, said environment mirror agent used by said gateway to tailor communication with said plurality of devices, and said configuration information for said first device and said configuration information for said second device comprise a device profile, an interface profile and an application profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying a first parameter of said communication session as a function of said configuration information for said second device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first parameter comprises the data rate of said communication session.

4. An apparatus for transferring an active communication session with a first device to a second device, said apparatus comprising:

a processor in said first device;

a first storage device for storing configuration information for said first device;

a second storage device for storing configuration information for said second device;

a first local network agent maintaining the configuration information for the first device;

a second local network agent maintaining the configuration information for the second device; and

home adoption agents transmit the configuration information for the first and the second devices to an environment mirror agent at an information gateway;

wherein the information gateway determines that a transfer of said active communication session from said first device to said second device is desired and

transfers said active communication session to said second device and adapts said active communication session as a function of said configuration information for said second device stored in the environment mirror agent, wherein the environment mirror agent mirrors said second local network agent, said environment mirror agent used by said gateway to tailor communication with said plurality of devices and said configuration information for said first device and said configuration information for said second device comprise a device profile, an interface profile and an application profile.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said information gateway transmits said configuration information for said first device and said configuration information for said second device to a second gateway.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the information gateway modifies a first parameter of said communication session as a function of said configuration information for said second device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said first parameter comprises the data rate of said communication session.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first storage device and said second storage device comprise the same storage device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said same storage device comprises a database stored in computer memory.