System and method of providing IMS services to users on originating non IMS devices and other devices that do not have a previous relationship with the user

• US 8,948,752 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siegel, Steven A., Afshar, Siroos K., Chastain, Walter Cooper, Epley, Robert V., McCourt, Karen M., McQuaide, Arnold Chester Jr., Strahs, Leopold
• Primary Examiner(s): MAPA, MICHAEL Y
• Application Number:
  US12/019,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 4554351-4352, 455417-420, 455/415, 455/445, 455410-411, 4551511-1514, 370/252, 370351-352, 370/386
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Disclosed are a network-based device, method and computer readable medium for operating an IMS to provide IMS services to originating sessions from a device upon which the user is not registered. The method includes receiving communication from a user on a device upon which the user is not registered at a 2-stage dialing server, authenticating the user, determining a Public User ID (PUID) for the user, receiving an identification of a called party from the user, arranging for IMS services to be provided to the user on the device, sending an INVITE signal from the 2-stage dialing server on behalf of the user PUID to the called party and setting up the media connection from the device to the device associated with the called party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication from a user, via a first device upon which the user is not registered, at a 2-stage dialing server to initiate a session between the user and a called party, as part of operating an internet protocol multimedia subsystem to provide internet protocol multimedia subsystem services to originating sessions from the first device; and

responsive to the communication, initiating the session by;

authenticating the user;

determining a public user identifier for the user for the session by retrieving one or more allowed public users identifiers for the user and, when there are more than one allowed public user identifiers, engaging in a dialog with the user via the first device to obtain a selection of one of the allowed public user identifiers as the public user identifier for the session;

receiving an identification of the called party from the user via the first device;

arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystem services to be provided to the user on the first device; and

wherein the 2-stage dialing server receives an INVITE signal using a call/session control function selected based on a uniform resource identifier of the 2-stage dialing server; and

subsequently sending the INVITE signal from the 2-stage dialing server on behalf of the public user identifier to the called party, wherein the INVITE signal is sent from the 2-stage dialing server using a call/session control function selected based on the public user identifier and wherein a same call/session control function is used for all the allowed public user identifiers of the user until a last allowed public user identifier of the user has been de-registered from all contact addresses, and setting up a media connection from the first device to a second device associated with the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the communication from the user at the 2-stage dialing server comprises receiving an addressing signal of a phone number or a session initiation protocol public service identity or a session initiation protocol public user identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the public user identifier for the user comprises communicating via an Sh interface with a Home Subsystem Service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystem service to be provided to the user comprises registering the public user identifier of the user at the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identification of the called party from the user further comprises communicating with a personal address database associated with the user.

6. A network-based device comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a communication from a user, via a first device upon which the user is not registered, at a 2-stage dialing server to initiate a session between the user and a called party, as part of operating an internet protocol multimedia subsystem to provide internet protocol multimedia subsystem services to originating sessions from the first device; and

responsive to the communication, initiating the session by;

authenticating the user;

determining a public user identifier of the user for the session by retrieving one or more allowed public user identifiers for the user and, if there are more than one allowed public user identifiers, to engage in a dialog with the user via the first device to obtain a selection of one of the allowed public user identifiers as the public user identifier for the session;

receiving an identification of the called party from the user via the first device;

arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystem services to be provided to the user on the first device; and

wherein the 2-stage dialing server receives an INVITE signal using a call/session control function selected based on a uniform resource identifier of the 2-stage dialing server; and

subsequently sending the INVITE signal from the 2-stage dialing server on behalf of the public user identifier to the called party, wherein the INVITE signal is sent from the 2-stage dialing server using a call/session control function selected based on the public user identifier and wherein a same call/session control function is used for all the allowed public user identifiers of the user until a last allowed public user identifier of the user has been de-registered from all contact addresses, and setting up a media connection from the first device to a second device associated with the called party.

7. The network-based device of claim 6, wherein receiving the communication from the user at the 2-stage dialing server further controls the processor to receive an addressing signal of a phone number or a session initiation protocol public service identity or a public user identifier.

8. The network-based device of claim 6, wherein determining the public user identifier for the user further controls the processor to communicate via an Sh interface with a Home Subsystem Service.

9. The network-based device of claim 6, wherein arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystem service to be provided to the user further controls the processor to register the public user identifier of the user at the first device.

10. The network-based device of claim 6, wherein receiving the identification of the called party from the user further controls the processor to communicate with a personal address database associated with the user.

11. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a communication from a user, via a first device upon which the user is not registered, at a 2-stage dialing server to initiate a session between the user and a called party, as part of operating an internet protocol multimedia subsystem to provide internet protocol multimedia subsystem services to originating sessions from the first device; and

responsive to the communication, initiating the session by;

authenticating the user;

determining a public user identifier for the user for the session by retrieving one or more allowed public user identifiers for the user and, if there are more than one allowed public user identifier, engaging in a dialog with the user via the first device to obtain a selection of one of the allowed public user identifiers as the public user identifier for the session;

receiving an identification of the called party from the user via the first device;

arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystems services to be provided to the user on the first device; and

wherein the 2-stage dialing server receives an INVITE signal using a call/session control function selected based on a uniform resource identifier of the 2-stage dialing server; and

subsequently sending the INVITE signal from the 2-stage dialing server on behalf of the public user identifier to the called party, wherein the INVITE signal is sent from the 2-stage dialing server using a call/session control function selected based on the public user identifier and wherein a same call/session control function is used for all the allowed public user identifiers of the user until a last allowed public user identifier of the user has been de-registered from all contact addresses, and setting up a media connection from the first device to a second device associated with the called party.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein receiving the communication from the user at the 2-stage dialing server comprises receiving an addressing signal of a phone number or a session initiation protocol public service identity or a session initiation protocol public user identifier.

13. The computer-readable device of claim 11, wherein determining the public user identifier for the user comprises communicating via an Sh interface with a home subsystem service.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein arranging for internet protocol multimedia subsystem service to be provided to the user comprises registering the public user identifier of the user at the first device.

15. The computer-readable device of claim 11, wherein receiving the identification of the called party from the user further comprises communicating with a personal address database associated with the user.