Method and device for controlling communication in an internet protocol multimedia subsystem IMS

• US 8,843,595 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Imbimbo, Amedeo, Loreto, Salvatore
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIDDINS, NELSON S
• Application Number:
  US13/256,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network

Abstract

A control device (104) for controlling communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem IMS (150) coupling a user equipment (160, 162, 164) and an application provider (170, 172, 174) providing an application, the control device (104) comprising a receiving unit (190) adapted for receiving location information indicative of a location of the user equipment (160, 162, 164), a verification unit (192) adapted for verifying if the received location information matches a spatial area and a spatial condition in relation to the spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion being associated with the application of the application provider (170, 172, 174), and a control unit (194) adapted for controlling a provisioning of the application to the user equipment (160, 162, 164) according to a result of the verification unit (192).

Claims

1. A control device for controlling communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the control device comprising:

a receiving circuit configured to receive a reference to geographical information from the user equipment or from an intermediate node by receiving a message that encapsulates by reference said geographical information, wherein the geographical information directly describes a geographical location of the user equipment, and wherein the reference is not geographical information directly describing a geographical location;

a communication circuit configured to;

de-reference said geographical information by sending a request to a presence server requesting that the presence server convert said reference into said geographical information; and

receive said geographical information from the presence server;

a verification circuit configured to verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on said geographical information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and

a control circuit configured to control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification circuit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the spatial area is described in terms of geographical information.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the spatial condition specifies a spatial relation relative to the spatial area.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control criterion is part of a service point trigger.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the service point trigger is part of a filter criterion.

6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the verification circuit is communicatively coupled with a user data base and is configured to receive the filter criterion from the user data base.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises an extraction circuit configured to extract the reference from a header of a message received by the receiving circuit.

8. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device further comprises an extraction circuit configured to extract the reference from a message received by the receiving circuit, based on a format according to a Presence-based Geographic Location/Privilege (GEOPRIV) Location Object Format.

9. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the provisioning of the application to the user equipment by at least one of:

triggering the provisioning of the application,

triggering a termination of the provisioning of the application,

triggering a pausing of the provisioning of the application, and

triggering a resuming of the provisioning of the application.

10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a Call Session Control Function node.

11. The control device of claim 1, wherein the reference comprises a piece of data that allows unique retrieval of said geographical information as another piece of data.

12. An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising a control device for controlling communication in the IMS, wherein the IMS couples a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the control device comprising:

a receiving circuit configured to receive a reference to geographical information from the user equipment or from an intermediate node by receiving a message that encapsulates by reference said geographical information, wherein the geographical information directly describes a geographical location of the user equipment, and wherein the reference is not geographical information directly describing a geographical location;

a communication circuit configured to;

de-reference said geographical information by sending a request to a presence server requesting that the presence server convert said reference into said geographical information; and

receive said geographical information from the presence server;

a verification circuit configured to verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on said geographical information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and

a control circuit configured to control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification circuit.

13. A method for controlling communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the method comprising:

receiving a reference to geographical information from the user equipment or from an intermediate node by receiving a message that encapsulates by reference said geographical information, wherein the geographical information directly describes a geographical location of the user equipment, and wherein the reference is not geographical information directly describing a geographical location;

de-referencing said geographical information by sending a request to a presence server requesting that the presence server convert said reference into said geographical information;

receiving said geographical information from the presence server;

verifying whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on said geographical information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and

controlling a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the spatial area is described in terms of geographical information.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the spatial condition specifies a spatial relation relative to the spatial area.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the control criterion is part of a service point trigger.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the service point trigger is part of a filter criterion.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said verifying comprises receiving the filter criterion from a user data base.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein receiving the reference comprises extracting the reference from a header of a received message.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein receiving the reference comprises extracting the reference from a received message based on a format according to a Presence-based GEOPRIV Location Object Format.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the reference comprises a piece of data that allows unique retrieval of said geographical information as another piece of data.

22. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a control device, cause the control device to control communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the computer program instructions causing the control device to:

receive a reference to geographical information from the user equipment or from an intermediate node by receiving a message that encapsulates by reference said geographical information, wherein the geographical information directly describes a geographical location of the user equipment, and wherein the reference is not geographical information directly describing a geographical location;

de-reference said geographical information by sending a request to a presence server requesting that the presence server convert said reference into said geographical information;

receive said geographical information from the presence server;

verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on said geographical information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and

control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification.