IMS and method of multiple S-CSCF operation in support of single PUID

• US 8,792,480 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Min, Ratcliffe, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye, Alexander O
• Application Number:
  US13/689,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20130089087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/328, 370/389, 370/471, 370/902, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 455/435.1, 455/433
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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

Abstract

A method for providing multimedia services to subscriber user equipment (UE) within an IP multimedia subsystem network (IMS) may include configuring the IMS to enable a single UE to fork register and cooperate with multiple serving-call session control functions (S-CSCFs). After obtaining IP connectivity, the single UE signals to register with the IMS and the IMS determines whether the UE is configured to fork register with multiple S-CSCFs. If the UE is configured, the IMS determines which S-CSCFs are eligible for the UE registration and fork registers the UE to multiple S-CSCFs of the eligible S-CSCFs. Consequently, incoming and outgoing calls to/from the UE are routed by the IMS to any of the multiple registered S-CSCFs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a proxy call session control function, a first signal from a single subscriber user equipment to register with the proxy call session control function, wherein the single subscriber user equipment is enabled to fork register to eligible serving-call session control functions, wherein a home subscriber server maintains a forking data field for the single subscriber user equipment;

based on a second signal from the home subscriber server that the forking data field is set, choosing, by an interrogating call session control function, multiple eligible serving-call session control functions;

receiving, at the proxy call session control function, multiple registration messages from the single subscriber user to the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions chosen by the interrogating call session control function;

storing, by the proxy call session control function, a list of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions; and

recording, by the home subscriber server, a binding of fork registrations to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein recording, by the home subscriber server, the binding of fork registrations to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions comprises:

sending subscriber user equipment profile information to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating, by the proxy call session control function, a list of multiple eligible serving-call session control functions comprises:

creating multiple security associations with the single subscriber user equipment.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

selecting, by the single subscriber user equipment, a particular security association associated with an available eligible serving-call session control function for an outgoing call.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

routing, by the interrogating call session control function, an incoming call to an available eligible serving-call session control function.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein routing, by the interrogating call session control function, an incoming call to an available eligible serving-call session control function comprises:

querying the home subscriber server for a fork registered serving-call session control function for terminating services.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program instructions, for providing multimedia services to subscriber user equipment which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a proxy call session control function, a first signal from a single subscriber user equipment to register with the proxy call session control function, wherein the single subscriber user equipment is enabled to fork register to eligible serving-call session control functions, wherein a home subscriber server maintains a forking data field for the single subscriber user equipment;

based on a second signal from the home subscriber server that the forking data field is set, choosing, by an interrogating call session control function, multiple eligible serving-call session control functions;

receiving, at the proxy call session control function, multiple registration messages from the single subscriber user to the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions chosen by the interrogating call session control function; and

recording, by the home subscriber server, a binding of fork registrations to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions by sending subscriber user equipment profile information to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

creating, by the proxy call session control function, a list of multiple eligible serving-call session control functions by creating multiple security associations with the single subscriber user equipment.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting, by the single subscriber user equipment, a particular security association associated with an available eligible serving-call session control function for an outgoing call.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

routing, by the interrogating call session control function, an incoming call to an available eligible serving-call session control function.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein routing, by the interrogating call session control function, an incoming call to an available eligible serving-call session control function comprises:

querying the home subscriber server for a fork registered serving-call session control function for terminating services.

12. An internet protocol multimedia subsystem network for managing multimedia services that enables single subscriber user equipment to fork register with eligible serving-call session control functions, the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network comprising:

a single subscriber user equipment enabled to fork register to the eligible serving-call session control functions;

a proxy call session control function to receive a first signal from a single subscriber user equipment to register with the proxy call session control function;

a home subscriber server to maintain a forking data field for the single subscriber user equipment;

an interrogating call session control function to choose multiple eligible serving-call session control functions based on a second signal from the home subscriber server that the forking data field is set;

wherein the proxy call session control function receives multiple registration messages from the single subscriber user to the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions chosen by the interrogating call session control function; and

wherein the home subscriber server records a binding of fork registrations to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

13. The internet protocol multimedia subsystem network of claim 12, wherein the home subscriber server sends subscriber user equipment profile information to each of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

14. The internet protocol multimedia subsystem network of claim 12, wherein the proxy call session control function stores a list of the multiple eligible serving-call session control functions.

15. The internet protocol multimedia subsystem network of claim 14, wherein the proxy call session control function creates multiple security associations with the single subscriber user equipment.

16. The internet protocol multimedia subsystem network of claim 15, wherein the single subscriber user equipment selects a particular security association associated with an available eligible serving-call session control function for an outgoing call.

17. The internet protocol multimedia subsystem network of claim 15, wherein the interrogating call session control function routes an incoming call to an available eligible serving-call session control function for terminating services.