Method and system for delivering short message service (SMS) messages using the session initiation protocol (SIP)

• US 8,543,107 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2007
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bertz, Lyle T., Routt, William J., Guirguis, Ihab A., Lewis, Ronald E., Melus, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEPHEN, EMEM O
• Application Number:
  US11/859,959
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/432.1, 455/445, 455/560
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4588 containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to provide communication services to mobile nodes. A short message service gateway (SMS-GW) in the IMS network receives a request to deliver a message to a mobile node. The SMS-GW determines whether the mobile node is IMS registered. If the mobile node is IMS registered, the SMS-GW may transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to a call session control function (CSCF) serving the mobile node in order to deliver the message to the mobile node. If the mobile node is SIP-capable but is not IMS registered, the SMS-GW may instead transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to the mobile node'"'"'s IP address. To obtain the mobile node'"'"'s IP address, the SMS-GW may query a domain name server (DNS) that stores associations between hostnames and IP addresses of mobile nodes.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a mobile node via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, said IMS network including an application server and a home subscriber server (HSS), said method comprising:

said application server receiving a request to provide a communication service to said mobile node, said request including an identifier of said mobile node;

in response to said request, said application server determining whether said mobile node is IMS registered;

if said mobile node is IMS registered, said application server transmitting a packet-based protocol request to a call session control function (CSCF) serving said mobile node; and

if said mobile node is not IMS registered, said application server querying an alternative registry to obtain a network address of said mobile node based on said identifier and transmitting an alternative packet-based protocol request to said network address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said application server functions as a short messaging service gateway (SMS-GW), and wherein said request to provide a communication service to said mobile node is a request to send an SMS message to said mobile node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said application server determining whether said mobile node is IMS registered comprises:

said application server querying said HSS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternative registry is a domain name server (DNS).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet-based protocol request and said alternative packet-based protocol request are Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) requests.

6. A system comprising:

a domain name server (DNS) storing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of mobile nodes;

an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network comprising a home subscriber server (HSS), an application server, and a call session control function (CSCF), said application server being configured to, in response to receiving a request to provide a communication service to a mobile node;

(a) determine whether said mobile node is registered with said HSS;

(b) if said mobile node is registered with said HSS, transmit a first-route SIP request to said CSCF; and

(c) if said mobile node is not registered with said HSS, query said DNS to obtain an IP address of said mobile node and transmit a second-route SIP request to said IP address.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a registration proxy for registering IP addresses of mobile nodes with said DNS.