Method, apparatus, and computer program product for reducing session related message size

• US 8,606,861 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tu, Fangqiu, Chen, Ben-Ren
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, KIET G
• Application Number:
  US11/741,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,419 Days
• Field of Search: 709/250, 709/227, 709/206, 709/234, 709/247, 370/389, 370/241.1, 455/455
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

An apparatus for reducing session related message size includes a processing element. The processing element may be configured to determine a domain-wide unique identifier and generate a message including a first field for identifying a message sequence associated with the message and a second field including a tag. The second field including the tag may be associated with an identifier of a source or recipient of the message. At least one of the first and second fields may be without data. The processing element may be further configured to include, in the message, a third field comprising at least the domain-wide unique identifier. The third field may be associated with data otherwise intended for the first and second fields.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

generating a message in a protocol in which a message header includes a first field for data identifying a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message;

identifying data for the first field for the message and data for the second field for the message;

determining a domain-wide unique identifier based at least in part on the data for the first field and the data for the second field; and

when at least one of the first or second fields of the message header for the message is without data, including data in a third field of the message header comprising at least the domain-wide unique identifier, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field, and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the message is a first message of a message sequence, determining the domain-wide unique identifier comprises determining a new unique domain-wide unique identifier.

3. The method according claim 1, wherein if the message is not a first message of a message sequence, determining the domain-wide unique identifier comprises determining the domain-wide unique identifier based on a prior domain-wide unique identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the domain-wide unique identifier is configured so as to be recognizable when received by another device as referring to at least a portion of the data for the at least one of the first and second fields.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising initially determining whether the message is to be sent over a signaling channel, wherein at least the steps of identifying, determining and including are performed in response to a determination that the message is to be sent over the signaling channel.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.

6. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion to configure a processing element to generate a message in a protocol in which a message header includes a first field for data identifying a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message;

a second executable portion to configure a processing element to identify data for the first field for the message and data for the second field for the message;

a third executable portion to configure a processing element to determine a domain-wide unique identifier based at least in part on the data for the first field and the data for the second field; and

a fourth executable portion to configure a processing element to include data in a third filed of the message header comprising at least the domain-wide unique identifier, when at least one of the first or second fields of the message is without data, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for determining a new unique domain-wide unique identifier if the message is a first message of a message sequence.

8. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for determining the domain-wide unique identifier based on a prior domain-wide unique identifier if the message is not a first message of a message sequence.

18. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.

9. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising a processing element configured to:

generate a message in a protocol in which a message header includes a first field for data identifying a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message;

identify data for the first field for the message and data for the second field for the message; and

determine a domain-wide unique identifier based at least in part on the data for the first field and the data for the second field; and

when at least one of the first or second fields of the message header for the message is without data, include data in a third field of the message header comprising at least the domain-wide unique identifier, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing element is configured to determine a new unique domain-wide unique identifier if the message is a first message of a message sequence.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing element is configured to determine the domain-wide unique identifier based on a prior domain-wide unique identifier if the message is not a first message of a message.

19. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.

12. A method comprising steps of:

receiving a message in a protocol in which a header includes a first field for an identifier of a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message; and

when at least one of the first or second fields of the header of the received message is without data;

extracting a domain-wide unique identifier from a third field of the header of the received message, the domain-wide unique identifier being associated with an identifier of the message sequence associated with the message and a tag associated with an identifier of the source or the recipient of the message otherwise intended for the first and second fields, respectively, of the header of the received message; and

interpreting the header of the received message by inserting the domain-wide unique identifier into each of the first and second fields of the header of the message that is received without data, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field, and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein inserting the domain-wide unique identifier in the first field comprises concatenating the domain-wide unique identifier with an address of a source or a destination of the message.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of receiving the message comprises receiving the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message over a signaling channel.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.

15. A computer program product the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and computer-readable program code stored in the medium, wherein when executed the computer-readable program code configures a processing element to implement functions including functions to:

receive a message in a protocol in which a header includes a first field for an identifier of a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message; and

when at least one of the first or second fields of the header of the received message is without data;

extract a domain-wide unique identifier from a third field of the header of the received message, the domain-wide unique identifier being associated with an identifier of the message sequence associated with the message and a tag associated with an identifier of the source or the recipient of the message otherwise intended for the first and second fields, respectively, of the header of the received message; and

interpret the message-by inserting the domain-wide unique identifier for insertion into each of the first and second fields of the header of the message that is received without data, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol SIP) message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field, and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.

16. An apparatus comprising a processing element configured to:

receive a message in a protocol in which a header includes a first field for an identifier of a message sequence associated with the message and a second field for a tag associated with an identifier of a source or a recipient of the message; and

when at least one of the first or second fields of the header of the received message is without data;

extract a domain-wide unique identifier from a third field of the header of the received message, the domain-wide unique identifier being associated with an identifier of the message sequence associated with the message and a tag associated with an identifier of the source or the recipient of the message otherwise intended for the first and second fields, respectively, of the header of the received message; and

interpret the header of the received message by inserting the domain-wide unique identifier into each of the first and second fields of the header of the message that is received without data, wherein;

the message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message,

the first field is a Call-ID field,

the second field is a From Tag sub-field or a To Tag sub-field, and

the domain-wide unique identifier comprises a combination of data for the first and second fields and a domain-wide unique value.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the domain-wide unique value comprises a single randomly generated domain-wide unique value.