Conveying session continuity information in a multi-component communication session

• US 9,124,608 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jin, Haipeng, Mahendran, Arungundram C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIU, HO T
• Application Number:
  US12/484,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0027 for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

In a multimedia communication session with multiple media components, one or more media components can be transferred from one access network to another access network and yet maintain the continuity of the overall communication session. Each session is first identified and thereafter the media component intended to be transferred is also identified. The identities of the identified session and component are sent to one or more entities within the communication network for executing the media component transfer.

Claims

1. A method operable by a first user equipment in a communication system, comprising:

receiving a session identification for a multi-component communication session from an assigning network entity;

establishing the multi-component communication session with a second user equipment via a first access network, the multi-component communication session including a plurality of session components;

identifying a component from the plurality of session components as an identified component for transfer;

sending the session identification to the network entity via a second access network for transfer of the identified component from the plurality of session components from a first path including the first user equipment, the first access network and the second user equipment to a second path including the first user equipment, the second access network and the second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment maintains at least one session component from the plurality of session components with the first access network;

providing information of the identified component to the network entity for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session;

providing the network entity a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of session components in a session initiation protocol message, and wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of session components; and

providing information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of session components to the network entity.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising providing the network entity a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value as additional information of the identified component for the transfer.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the session identification is selected from a group consisting of a SIP-URI (Session Initiation Protocol-Uniform Resource Identification), a telephone URI, and a SIP dialog ID (Identifier).

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the session identification is received when the multi-component communication session is established.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the information of the identified component not being transferred comprises a predetermined value for a port number corresponding to the identified component not being transferred.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium physically embodied with computer-readable program code for executing the method of claim 1.

7. A method operable by a network entity in a communication system, comprising:

assigning a session identification for a multi-component communication session comprising a first user equipment and a second user equipment, wherein the multi-component communication session includes a plurality of session components;

sending the session identification to the first user equipment;

receiving the session identification from the first user equipment via a second access network for transfer of an identified component from the multi-component communication session from a first path including the first user equipment, a first access network and the second user equipment to a second path including the first user equipment, the second access network and the second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment maintains at least one session component from the plurality of session components with the first access network;

receiving information of the identified component from the first user equipment for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session;

receiving a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of session components in a session initiation protocol message, and wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of session components; and

receiving information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of session components.

8. The method as in claim 7 further comprising receiving from the first user equipment a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value for the identified component for the transfer.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium physically embodied with computer-readable program code for executing the method of claim 7.

10. A first user equipment, comprising:

means for receiving a session identification for a multi-component communication session from an assigning network entity;

means for establishing the multi-component communication session with a second user equipment via a first access network, the multi-component communication session including a plurality of media components;

means for identifying a component from the plurality of media components as an identified component for transfer;

means for sending the session identification to the network entity via a second access network for transfer of the identified component from the plurality of media components from a first path including the first user equipment, the first access network and the second user equipment to a second path including the first user equipment, the second access network and the second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment maintains at least one media component from the plurality of media components with the first access network;

means for providing information of the identified component to the network entity for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session;

means for providing the network entity a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of media components in a session initiation protocol message, and wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of media components; and

means for providing information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of media components to the network entity.

11. The first user equipment as in claim 10 further comprising means for providing the network entity a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value as additional information of the identified component for the transfer.

12. The first user equipment as in claim 10 wherein the session identification is selected from a group consisting of a SIP-URI (Session Initiation Protocol-Uniform Resource Identification), a telephone URI, and a SIP dialog ID (Identifier).

13. An infrastructure equipment, comprising:

means for assigning a session identification for a multi-component communication session comprising a first user equipment and a second user equipment, wherein the multi-component communication session includes a plurality of media components;

means for sending the session identification to the first user equipment;

means for receiving the session identification from the first user equipment via a second access network for transfer of an identified component from the multi-component communication session from a first path including the first user equipment, a first access network and the second user equipment to a second path including the first user equipment, the second access network and the second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment maintains at least one media component from the plurality of media components with the first access network;

means for receiving information of the identified component from the first user equipment for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session;

means for receiving a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of media components in a session initiation protocol message, and wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of media components; and

means for receiving information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of media components.

14. The infrastructure equipment as in claim 13 further comprising means for receiving from the first user equipment a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value for the identified component for the transfer.

15. A first user apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

circuitry coupled to the processor configured to receive a session identification for a multi-component communication session from an assigning network entity, establish the multi-component communication session with a second user apparatus via a first access network, the multi-component communication session including a plurality of media components, identify a component from the plurality of media components as an identified component for transfer, send the session identification to the network entity via a second access network for transfer of the identified component from the plurality of media components from a first path including the first user apparatus, the first access network, and the second user apparatus to a second path including the first user apparatus, the second access network and the second user apparatus, wherein the first user apparatus maintains at least one media component from the plurality of media components with the first access network, the circuitry being additionally configured to provide information of the identified component to the network entity for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session, and provide the network entity a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of media components in a session initiation protocol message, wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of media components, the circuitry being additionally configured to provide information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of media components to the network entity.

16. The first user apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the processor and the circuitry are further configured to provide the network entity a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value as additional information of the identified component for the transfer.

17. The first user apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the session identification is selected from a group consisting of a SIP-URI (Session Initiation Protocol-Uniform Resource Identification), a telephone URI, and a SIP dialog ID (Identifier).

18. An infrastructure apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

circuitry coupled to the processor configured to assign a session identification for a multi-component communication session comprising a first user equipment and a second user equipment, wherein the multi-component communication session includes a plurality of media components, wherein the circuitry is also configured to send the session identification to the first user equipment, receive the session identification from the first user equipment via a second access network for transfer of an identified component from the multi-component communication session from a first path including the first user equipment, a first access network and the second user equipment to a second path including the first user equipment, the second access network and the second user equipment, wherein the first user equipment maintains at least one media component from the plurality of media components with the first access network, the circuitry additionally being configured to receive information of the identified component from the first user equipment for the transfer of the identified component from the multi-component communication session, and receive a designated value for the identified component as the information of the identified component, wherein the designated value is derived from an order of listing of the plurality of media components in a session initiation protocol message, and wherein session initiation protocol messages for the multi-component communication session always maintain the same order of listing of the plurality of media components, the circuitry being additionally configured to receive information of a component not being transferred from the plurality of media components.

19. The infrastructure apparatus as in claim 18 wherein the processor and the circuitry are further configured to receive from the first user equipment a port number having a zero value for the component not being transferred and another port number having a value different from the zero value for the identified component for the transfer.