Mobile access terminal with local call session control function

• US 8,750,839 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Paczkowski, Lyle Walter, Weaver, Farni B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US12/486,873
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A computing device, computing system, method, and medium are provided for utilizing a local Call Session Control Function (CSCF) server located on a mobile access terminal to facilitate access to application services hosted by an application server. An application-service client corresponding to the application server is instantiated on the mobile access terminal and interacts with the local CSCF server via a local control interface. The local CSCF server includes features of a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF), and thereby enables authentication, interoperability testing, and control functions to be performed in the operating environment on the MAT. The local CSCF server interacts according to a predetermined relationship with an S-CSCF on the IMS network to facilitate access to application services.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of accessing an application service from a mobile access terminal (MAT) via an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network associated with a service provider, the method comprising:

starting an application-service client on the MAT, the application-service client comprising a client program that communicates with an application server to facilitate access to an application service located in the application server;

invoking a local Call Session Control Function (CSCF) server on the MAT, the local CSCF server comprising one or more features of a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF), the local CSCF server interacts, according to a predetermined relationship, with an S-CSCF hosted by the IMS network to facilitate access to the application service by the MAT, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined in advance based on a specification of the MAT that defines the one or more features of the S-CSCF executable on the MAT;

creating a local control interface on the MAT, the local control interface comprising one or more features of an IMS Service Control (ISC) interface, wherein the local control interface facilitates interaction between the local CSCF server and the application-service client; and

interacting with the S-CSCF associated with the IMS network to facilitate access to the application service.

2. The media of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) associated with the IMS network, a portion of a user profile corresponding to a user of the MAT, wherein the user-profile portion comprises one or more application service restrictions imposed on the user.

3. The media of claim 2, wherein the user-profile portion is stored in a local HSS on the MAT.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the local CSCF server enforces the one or more application service restrictions imposed on the user when facilitating access to the application service.

5. The media of claim 1, further comprising authenticating a user of the MAT by utilizing the local CSCF server to verify authentication credentials provided by the user.

6. The media of claim 1, further comprising determining that the application-service client is interoperable with the IMS network, wherein said determination is made by the local CSCF server by retrieving interoperability information from the application-service client, wherein the interoperability information comprises information of compatibility between the application-service client and the IMS network.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the local CSCF server interacts with the S-CSCF through a network-to-network interface (NNI).

8. A mobile access terminal (MAT) capable of accessing an application service hosted by an application server via an internet protocol multimedia system (IMS) network, the MAT comprising a communications device having a system bus that couples a plurality of system components, the plurality of system components comprising:

a display device;

a processor that executes computer-executable instructions read from computer-readable media; and

computer-readable media that stores computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions comprising;

(a) a local Call Session Control Function (CSCF) server that runs on the MAT, the local CSCF server comprising one or more features of a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF), wherein the local CSCF server interacts, according to a predetermined relationship, with a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) hosted by the IMS network to facilitate access to the application service, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined in advance based on a specification of the MAT that defines the one or more features of the S-CSCF executable on the MAT;

(b) an application-service client that runs on the MAT, wherein the application-service client communicates with an application server to facilitate access to an application service hosted by an application server, wherein the application-service client is developed, at least in part, based on the specification of the MAT that defines the one or more features of the S-CSCF executable on the MAT; and

(c) a local control interface that facilitates interaction between the local CSCF server and the application-service client to facilitate access to the application service.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the local CSCF server comprises one or more features of a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF).

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the local control interface comprises one or more features of an IMS Service Control (ISC) interface.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions further comprise a local Home Subscriber Server (HSS) that manages a plurality of user-profile portions stored on one or more computer-readable media on the MAT.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of user-profile portions is retrieved from an HSS associated with the IMS network.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of user-profile portions comprises one or more IMS service qualifications associated with the user.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of using a local Call Session Control Function (CSCF) server running on a mobile access terminal (MAT) to access an application service via an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network, the method comprising:

detecting an installation of an application-service client on the MAT, the application-service client comprising a client program that communicates with an application server to facilitate access to an application service hosted by the application server,

creating a local control interface on the MAT, the local control interface comprising one or more features of an IMS Service Control (ISC) interface, wherein the local control interface facilitates interaction between the local CSCF server and the application-service client;

retrieving interoperability information from the application-service client, wherein the interoperability information comprises information of compatibility between the application-service client and the IMS network;

determining that the application service is interoperable with the IMS network based on the interoperability information from the application-service client; and

interacting, according to a predetermined relationship, with a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) associated with the IMS network to facilitate access to the application service, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined in advance based on a specification of the MAT that defines the one or more features of the S-CSCF executable on the MAT.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the local CSCF server comprises the one or more features of the S-CSCF a.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the local CSCF server further comprises one or more features of a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF).

17. The media of claim 14, wherein determining that the application service is interoperable with the IMS network comprises analyzing the interoperability information from the application-service client by comparing the interoperability information to network requirement data of the IMS network.

18. The media of claim 14, further comprising retrieving, from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) associated with the IMS network, a plurality of user-profile portions, each user-profile portion comprising a portion of a user profile corresponding to a user of the MAT.

19. The media of claim 18, further comprising storing the plurality of user-profile portions in a local HSS on the MAT.

20. The media of claim 19, further comprising authenticating a first user by verifying authentication credentials provided by the first user, wherein said verifying comprises referencing a first user-profile portion stored in the local HSS, the first user-profile portion corresponding to the first user.