Method and apparatus for identifying a subscriber home domain in a communication network

• US 9,060,035 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ku, Bernard, Naidu, Lakshminarashimhan, Soo, Armstrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/213,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/352
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer-readable medium for identifying a subscriber home domain in a communication network are described. A national subscriber profile is partitioned into regions and a NAPTR resource record is modified to identify in which region a particular subscriber is located. In response to a calling party requesting that a connection to a called party be established, a database is queried to provide a modified NAPTR record which identifies the region in which the called party is located. A connection can then be established without polling each region.

Claims

1. A method for determining a called party home domain comprising:

partitioning a national subscriber profile covering a geographic area into a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions designated as internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

receiving a request, at a network component, from a calling party to establish communication with a called party of a plurality of parties, each of the plurality of parties associated with a respective internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

determining a name authority pointer associated with the called party by querying a local copy of a telephone numbering database in a home domain of the calling party based on the request, the name authority pointer comprising data identifying the called party home domain and a region of the plurality of regions of the national subscriber profile in which the called party is located;

determining a domain name of a device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer;

determining an internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer based on the domain name; and

transmitting a request to the called party home domain based on the internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request comprises an E.164 phone number associated with the called party.

3. An apparatus for determining a called party home domain comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

partitioning a national subscriber profile covering a geographic area into a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions designated as internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

receiving a request from a calling party to establish communication with a called party of a plurality of parties, each of the plurality of parties associated with a respective internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

determining a name authority pointer associated with the called party by querying a local copy of a telephone numbering database in a home domain of the calling party based on the request, the name authority pointer comprising data identifying the called party home domain and a region of the plurality of regions of the national subscriber profile in which the called party is located;

determining a domain name of a device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer;

determining an internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer based on the domain name; and

transmitting a request to the called party home domain based on the internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the request comprises an E.164 phone number associated with the called party.

5. A computer-readable storage device storing computer program instructions for determining a called party home domain, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

partitioning a national subscriber profile covering a geographic area into a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions designated as internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

receiving a request, at a network component, from a calling party to establish communication with a called party of a plurality of parties, each of the plurality of parties associated with a respective internet multimedia subsystem serving area;

determining a name authority pointer associated with the called party by querying a local copy of a telephone numbering database in a home domain of the calling party based on the request, the name authority pointer comprising data identifying the called party home domain and a region of the plurality of regions of the national subscriber profile in which the called party is located;

determining a domain name of a device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer;

determining an internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain identified in the name authority pointer based on the domain name; and

transmitting a request to the called party home domain based on the internet protocol address of the device located in the called party home domain.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5 wherein the request comprises an E.164 phone number associated with the called party.