Multidomain, intercarrier network-to-network interface

• US 8,543,118 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Mangal, Manish, Breau, Jeremy R., Rogers, Frederick C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gao, Jing
• Application Number:
  US11/734,578
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/328, 455/41.2, 455/437, 455442-444, 455/552.1, 455/557, 725/62, 725 80- 81, 725/106, 725/109, 725117-118
• US Class Current: 455/444
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

A method, system, and network-to-network interface are provided for sharing data across networks in different domains. An embodiment of the method includes receiving from a requesting device a request for services by way of a first network in a wireless-communications-services (or other) domain; determining that the request requires information in a second network in a cable-television-services (or other) domain; retrieving the information from the cable-television-services domain; and communicating the retrieved information to the requesting device.

Claims

1. One or more nontransitory computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, implement a network-to-network interface for facilitating a method of sharing data across networks in different domains, the method comprising:

providing to a requesting device, in a first network in a wireless-communications-services domain, access to profile data in a second network in a cable-television-services domain, wherein the profile data includes an indication of a cable service to which the requesting device subscribes;

receiving from the requesting device a request for the cable service by way of the first network;

determining that the request requires information in the second network in the cable-television-services domain;

retrieving the information from the cable-television-services domain;

by way of a session in the first network communicating the retrieved information to the requesting device;

determining that the requesting device has moved from the first network to a wireless local-area network (WLAN); and

seamlessly communicating the retrieved information by way of the WLAN to the requesting device, wherein the session is connected back to the first network while the session remains active, and wherein the session is switched to the WLAN during an idle state.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the requesting device includes a handheld device capable of facilitating a voice call.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the request for the cable service includes a request for receipt of television-type programming.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the television-type programming includes real-time or previously recorded content.

5. The media of claim 3, wherein the television-type programming includes one or more of:

an advertisement;

a pay-per-view show;

a voice-over-packet communication; and

access to at least a portion of the Internet.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the voice-over-packet communications includes Voice over Internet Packet (VoIP).

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the first network is substantially owned by a first company, but the second network is substantially owned by a second company.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the first network principally employs a first type of communications protocol, but the second network principally employs a second type of communications protocol.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for facilitating a method of sharing data across networks in different domains, the method comprising:

receiving a request for services by way of a first network in a cable-television-services domain from a requesting device;

determining that the request requires information in a second network in a wireless-communications-services domain;

retrieving the information from the wireless-communications-services domain; and

by way of a session in the first network communicating the retrieved information to the requesting device;

determining that the requesting device has moved from the first network to a third network, wherein the first network principally employs a first type of communications protocol and the third network principally employs a second type of communications protocol; and

seamlessly communicating the retrieved information by way of the third network to the requesting device, wherein the session is connected back to the first network while the session remains active, and wherein the session is switched to the third network during an idle state.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the request received by way of the first network includes a request for content via the second network in the wireless-communications-services domain.