Method and communication system for automatically discovering the multimedia service capability

• US 8,848,690 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bleckert, Peter, Stille, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Nafiz E
• Application Number:
  US10/596,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,927 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/354
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0072 Speech codec negotiation H04L65/1069 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13248 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13383 Hierarchy of switches, main and subexchange, e.g. satellite exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 : Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, a system and a server for automatically discovering the common Multimedia Service Capability, and computer program. This solution avoid unnecessary use of the radio interface and is based on making use of the circuit switched network, e.g. the Intelligent network IN, as trigger to the packet switched network to find out about the calling as well as the called user'"'"'s multimedia capabilities during a voice call. If there is a positive capability discovery result out of this for both users, the network will send a message to each of the two mobile phones that they should notify the users e.g. by displaying an icon above a soft button. It can be that the phone displays a shared multimedia-Image icon, if this was the only commonly supported capability of both users, up to a whole range of more or less complicated SMM services.

Claims

1. A method of minimizing a number of messages sent over a radio interface between a wireless communication network and first and second mobile User Equipments (UEs) by automatically discovering a shared multimedia (SMM) service capability of the two UEs, wherein the wireless communication network includes a circuit-switched network supporting voice calls and a packet-switched network supporting multimedia services, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in the packet-switched network, the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs when each UE powers on;

setting up a voice call from the first UE to the second UE in the circuit-switched network;

automatically sending from the circuit-switched network to the packet-switched network, a request for the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs upon detecting a triggering event;

retrieving by the packet-switched network, the stored SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs;

determining whether the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities;

when the first and second UEs have no matching SMM service capabilities, taking no further action; and

when the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, sending an SMM-Notification message from the packet-switched network to the first and second UEs indicating that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, wherein the SMM-Notification message includes an SMM-Image feature tag understood by the first and second UEs and causing the UEs to display a notification enabling each user to send the notification to the other user to initiate an identified SMM service;

wherein the first and second UEs learn of matching SMM service capabilities without having to send a request for SMM service capabilities over the radio interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of automatically sending the request for the SMM service capabilities upon detecting a triggering event includes sending the request upon detecting that a user of the second UE has answered the call.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of retrieving the stored SMM capabilities, determining whether the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, and sending an SMM-Notification message are performed by a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Application Server for Shared Multimedia Services (SMM-AS).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the SMM-Notification message includes sending the SMM-Notification message to the first and second UEs as a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of automatically sending the request for the SMM service capabilities from the circuit-switched network includes automatically generating the request utilizing Intelligent Network (IN) technology or Parlay technology.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing by the first and second UEs, an indication to users of the UEs that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities.

7. A system for minimizing a number of messages sent over a radio interface between a wireless communication network and first and second mobile User Equipments (UEs) by automatically discovering a shared multimedia (SMM) service capability of the two UEs, wherein the wireless communication network includes a circuit-switched network supporting voice calls and a packet-switched network supporting multimedia services, the system comprising:

a database in the packet-switched network for storing the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs when each UE powers on;

call setup means in the circuit-switched network for setting up a voice call from the first UE to the second UE;

means for automatically sending from the circuit-switched network to the packet-switched network, a request for the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs upon detecting a triggering event;

means within the packet-switched network for retrieving the stored SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs and for determining whether the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities; and

means for sending an SMM-Notification message from the packet-switched network to the first and second UEs indicating that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, responsive to a determination that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, wherein the SMM-Notification message includes an SMM-Image feature tag understood by the first and second UEs and causing the UEs to display a notification enabling each user to send the notification to the other user to initiate an identified SMM service;

wherein the first and second UEs learn of matching SMM service capabilities without having to send a request for SMM service capabilities over the radio interface.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the means for automatically sending the request for the SMM service capabilities upon detecting a triggering event sends the request upon detecting that a user of the second UE has answered the call.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the means within the packet-switched network for retrieving the stored SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs and for determining whether the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Application Server for Shared Multimedia Services (SMM-AS).

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the SMM-Notification message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the circuit-switched network includes means for automatically sending the request for the SMM service capabilities utilizing Intelligent Network (IN) technology or Parlay technology.

12. The system according to claim 7, further comprising means within the first and second UEs, for providing an indication to users of the UEs that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities.

13. A server in a system for minimizing a number of messages sent over a radio interface between a wireless communication network and first and second mobile User Equipments (UEs) by automatically discovering a shared multimedia (SMM) service capability of the two UEs, wherein the wireless communication network includes a circuit-switched network supporting voice calls and a packet-switched network supporting multimedia services, and the server is implemented in the packet-switched network, the server comprising:

means for receiving from the circuit-switched network, an automatically request for the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs;

means for retrieving from a database, the stored SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs;

means for analyzing the SMM service capabilities of the first and second UEs to determine whether the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities;

and

means for sending an SMM-Notification message to the first and second UEs indicating that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, responsive to a determination that the first and second UEs have matching SMM service capabilities, wherein the SMM-Notification message includes an SMM-Image feature tag understood by the first and second UEs and causing the UEs to display a notification enabling each user to send the notification to the other user to initiate an identified SMM service;

wherein the first and second UEs learn of matching SMM service capabilities without having to send a request for SMM service capabilities over the radio interface.

14. The server according to claim 13, wherein the server is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Application Server for Shared Multimedia Services (SMM-AS).

15. The server according to claim 13, wherein the SMM-Notification message is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

16. The server of claim 13, further comprising a processor and a computer usable medium for storing computer program instructions, wherein the processor controls the receiving, retrieving, analyzing, and sending means when the processor executes the computer program instructions.