Methods and apparatus to route a communication session in an internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network

• US 9,049,209 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Qiu, Chaoxin Charles, Ku, Bernard, Yasrebi, Mehrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US11/745,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,947 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 370/356
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to route a communication session in an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network are disclosed. An example method comprises determining at a tElephone NUMber mapping (ENUM) query server if a called destination associated with an ENUM query request message is subject to re-direction, and determining at the ENUM server a final destination for the called destination when the destination is subject to redirection, the final destination being different from the called destination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in response to receiving at an electronic telephone number mapping server an electronic telephone number mapping query request message identifying a called first user endpoint called by an originating device from a call server associated with the originating device, determining at the electronic telephone number mapping server whether the called first user endpoint is subject to re-direction;

determining, using a processor at the electronic telephone number mapping server, a second user endpoint when the called first user endpoint is subject to the redirection, the second user endpoint destination being different from the called first user endpoint; and

sending an identifier associated with the second user endpoint from the electronic telephone number mapping server to the call server associated with the originating device when the called first user endpoint is subject to re-direction to thereby enable the call server to convey a communication session initiation message to the second user endpoint without triggering an end-point call feature at the called first user endpoint or at a terminating call server associated with the called first user endpoint.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the call server is to convey the communication session initiation message to the second user endpoint rather than the called first user endpoint when the called first user endpoint is subject to the redirection.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the second user endpoint.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier for the second user endpoint.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based upon the called first user endpoint when the called first user endpoint is not subject to redirection.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the second user endpoint comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called first user endpoint; and

performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a telephone number.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising returning the first destination without performing the electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the second user endpoint comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called first user endpoint;

determining if the first destination is subject to redirection;

identifying a second destination based on the first destination; and

returning the second destination.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the second destination when the second destination is a telephone number.

10. The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising returning the second destination without performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the second destination when the second destination is a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

31. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the called first user endpoint is subject to re-direction when call-forwarding is configured for the called first user endpoint.

32. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising performing cut-through communication session routing from the originating device to the second user endpoint based on the second user endpoint determined at the electronic telephone number mapping server.

11. An electronic telephone number mapping server comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

identifying whether a communication session directed to a first called user endpoint specified in an electronic telephone number mapping query request message is to be re-directed, the electronic telephone number mapping query request message being received from a call server associated with an originating device that initiated a call to the first called user endpoint, the query request message being based on the call;

identifying a second user endpoint for the communication session when the communication session is to be re-directed, the second user endpoint being different than the first called user endpoint; and

returning an identifier associated with the second user endpoint to the call server associated with the originating device when the communication session is to be re-directed to thereby enable the call server to convey a communication session initiation message to the second user endpoint without triggering an end-point call feature at the first called user endpoint or at a terminating call server associated with the first called user endpoint.

12. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise returning a second identifier associated with the first called user endpoint when the communication session is not to be re-directed.

13. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the identifier comprises a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

14. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier associated with the second user endpoint when the communication session is to be re-directed.

15. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein identifying the second user endpoint comprises:

performing a first lookup of a first data structure to obtain a second destination, the first lookup performed based on the first called user endpoint; and

performing a second lookup of a second data structure to obtain the second user endpoint, the second lookup performed based on the second destination.

16. The server as defined in claim 15, wherein the second data structure comprises the first data structure.

17. The server as defined in claim 15, wherein the second data structure is an electronic telephone number mapping database.

18. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the first called user endpoint and the second user endpoint are specified with E.164 telephone numbers.

19. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the second user endpoint is specified with a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

20. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise checking a value of a redirect flag to determine whether the communication session is to be re-directed.

21. The server as defined in claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise providing an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem feature server access to the redirect flag.

22. The server as defined in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise updating a value representing the second user endpoint.

23. The server as defined in claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise providing a voice over Internet protocol feature server access to the value.

24. A tangible article of manufacture excluding propagating signals and storing machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

in response to receiving at an electronic telephone number mapping query server an electronic telephone number mapping query request message identifying a first user endpoint called by an originating device from a call server associated with the originating device, determining whether the called first user endpoint is subject to re-direction;

determining at the electronic telephone number mapping server a second user endpoint when the first user endpoint is subject to re-direction, the second user endpoint being different from the called first user endpoint; and

sending an identifier associated with the second user endpoint from the electronic telephone number mapping server to the call server associated with the originating device when the first user endpoint is subject to re-direction to thereby enable the call server to convey a communication session initiation message to the second user endpoint without triggering an end-point call feature at the first user endpoint or at a terminating call server associated with the first user endpoint.

25. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the call server is to send the communication session initiation message to the second user endpoint rather than the called first user endpoint when the called first user endpoint is subject to the redirection.

26. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the second user endpoint.

27. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the identifier comprises a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier for the second user endpoint.

28. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based upon the called first user endpoint when the called first user endpoint is not subject to re-direction.

29. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein determining the second user endpoint comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called first user endpoint; and

performing an electronic telephone number mapping lookup based on the first destination when the first destination is a telephone number.

30. The tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein determining the second user endpoint comprises:

identifying a first destination based on the called first user endpoint;

determining if the first destination is subject to redirection;

identifying a second destination based on the first destination; and

returning the second destination.