Method and apparatus for enabling registration of endpoint devices through provisioning

• US 9,143,538 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• 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: Siegel, Steven A., Duffy, Dennis, Johnson, Leticia D., Parlamas, Stephanie P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US13/620,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20130010772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4588 containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling registration of an endpoint device that is incapable of supporting a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) registration are disclosed. For example, the method performs a static registration of the endpoint device in a plurality network elements associated with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network by provisioning that is initiated by a service provider of the IMS network. The method processes an originating call request or a terminating call request associated with the endpoint device by an Application Server (AS) using the static registration, wherein the application server is one of the plurality network elements.

Claims

1. A method for enabling registration of an endpoint device that is incapable of supporting a session initiation protocol based internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration, comprising:

performing a static registration of the endpoint device that is incapable of supporting the session initiation protocol based Internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration in a network element associated with an internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, wherein the static registration comprises a registration process that is initiated and performed by a service provider of the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network using a provisioning process; and

processing a call request associated with the endpoint device by an application server using the static registration, wherein the application server is the network element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the static registration is further performed in a plurality of network elements that comprises a home subscriber server, a proxy call session control function, and a serving call session control function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing comprises:

provisioning the home subscriber server, the serving call session control function, the proxy call session control function, and the application server to treat a public user identifier associated with a user of the endpoint device as being registered; and

provisioning a subscriber profile for the public user identifier associated with the user of the endpoint device comprising subscription related information including a plurality of route headers needed to access the endpoint device, a capability, and a priority at the home subscriber server and the serving call session control function.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing comprises:

provisioning a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier of the serving call session control function at the proxy call session control function that will be used to perform call processing for a public user identifier associated with a user of the endpoint device; and

provisioning a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier of the proxy call session control function at the serving call session control function that will be used to perform call processing for the public user identifier associated with the user of the endpoint device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the processing the call request comprises:

receiving an originating call request from the endpoint device via an access network;

storing and tracking a called party number, and a calling party number associated with the originating call request; and

returning an internet protocol multimedia subsystem routing number to the access network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the originating call request is received via a circuit switched gateway.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing the originating call request further comprises:

mapping the internet protocol multimedia subsystem routing number to a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier of the application server by the home subscriber server and routing a second call request to the application server;

associating the second call request that is routed with the originating call request and replacing a from header of the second request with a public user identifier associated with a user of the endpoint device, a private asserted identity header of the second request with a phone number of the endpoint device, and a request uniform resource identifier header of the second call request with the called party number; and

sending the second call request to the serving call session control function for call completion processing.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the processing the call request comprises:

receiving a terminating call request terminating to the endpoint device;

sending the terminating call request to the application server by the serving call session control function for processing; and

sending the terminating call request by the application server back to the serving call session control function for call completion processing.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the terminating call request is received via a circuit switched gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the static registration is not timed out by the network element.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network is in communication with a mobile access network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the endpoint device comprises mobile endpoint device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the application server supports a network based fixed mobile convergence service.

14. A tangible computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for enabling registration of an endpoint device that is incapable of supporting a session initiation protocol based internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration, the operations comprising:

performing a static registration of the endpoint device that is incapable of supporting the session initiation protocol based internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration in a network element associated with an internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, wherein the static registration comprises a registration process that is initiated and performed by a service provider of the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network using a provisioning process; and

processing a call request associated with the endpoint device by an application server using the static registration, wherein the application server is the network element.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the static registration is further performed in a plurality of network elements that comprises a home subscriber server, a proxy call session control function, and a serving call session control function.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the performing comprises:

provisioning the home subscriber server, the serving call session control function, the proxy call session control function, and the application server to treat a public user identifier associated with a user of the endpoint device as being registered; and

provisioning a subscriber profile for the public user identifier associated with the user of the endpoint device comprising subscription related information including a plurality of route headers needed to access the endpoint device, a capability, and a priority at the home subscriber server and the serving call session control function.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the static registration is not timed out by the network element.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network is in communication with a mobile access network.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the endpoint device comprises a mobile endpoint device.

20. A system for enabling registration of an endpoint device that is incapable of supporting a session initiation protocol based internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration, comprising:

an application server having a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

performing a static registration of the endpoint device that is incapable of supporting the session initiation protocol based internet protocol multimedia subsystem registration, wherein the application server is associated with an internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, wherein the static registration comprises a registration process that is initiated and performed by a service provider of the internet protocol multimedia subsystem network using a provisioning process; and

processing a call request associated with the endpoint device by using the static registration.