Inter-domain user and service mobility in SIP/SIMPLE systems

• US 9,197,674 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mohammed, Aziz
• Primary Examiner(s): ELFERVIG, TAYLOR A
• Application Number:
  US11/389,699
• Time in Patent Office: 3,529 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A method is described herein for enabling a person (presentity) to maintain their presence/IM service when they take their end-device and move/roam from a home network to a visited network. In one embodiment, while the person is located in the home network 104, their end-device (e.g., laptop, PDA, SIP/soft phone) uploads presence/IM information (e.g., presence rules, watcher list, service profile) from SIP/SIMPLE devices (e.g., presence server, SIP registrar, IM server). Then, after the person has taken their end-device and moved to the visited network, the end-device partially re-registers with the SIP registrar located within the home network. The end-device also partially registers with the SIP registrar located within the visited network. Once these steps are completed, then a person (presence watcher) can obtain presence information about the person (presentity) who is currently located within the visited network. In addition, a person (presence watcher) can send an IM message to the person (presentity) who is currently located within the visited network.

Claims

1. A user agent device comprising:

a processor and a memory configured to store instructions for execution by the processor, the processor configured to execute the stored instructions for;

retrieving presence/IM information associated with the user agent device from SIP/SIMPLE devices located within a home network while the user agent device is located in the home network, wherein the retrieving is initiated by a trigger event where the user agent is relocating from the home network to a visited network;

obtaining a new IP address from the visited network when the user agent device is relocated from the home network to the visited network;

sending the new IP address in a single SIP REGISTER request to a first SIP registrar located within the home network, the single SIP REGISTER request containing a single CONTACT field that contains both the new IP address from the visited network and instructions to delete an old IP address; and

partially registering the user agent device with a second SIP registrar located within the visited network using by sending a SIP REGISTER request to the second SIP registrar in the visited network containing the single CONTACT field that contains both the new IP address and a BODY field that contains authorization/authentication information which was retrieved from the user agent when carried by the user agent from the home network to the visited network.

2. The user agent device of claim 1, wherein said uploaded presence/IM information is selected from the group consisting of:

a presence agent;

IM parameters;

presence information;

a watcher list;

presence rules;

a user profile including authorization/authentication information and

a service profile.

3. A method for maintaining a presence/IM service comprising:

retrieving presence/IM information associated with the user agent device from SIP/SIMPLE devices located within a home network while the user agent device is located in the home network, wherein the retrieving is initiated by a trigger event where the user agent is relocating from the home network to a visited network;

obtaining a new IP address from a visited network when the user agent device is relocated from the home network to the visited network,

sending the new IP address to a first SIP registrar located within the home network as a single SIP REGISTER request containing a single CONTACT field that contains both the new IP address and instructions to delete an old IP address, and

partially registering the user agent device with a second SIP registrar located within the visited network by sending a SIP REGISTER request to the second SIP registrar in the visited network, the SIP REGISTER request containing the single CONTACT field that contains both the new IP address and a BODY field that contains authorization/authentication information which was retrieved from the user agent when carried by the user agent from the home network to the visited network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said SIP/SIMPLE devices located with the home network are selected from group consisting of:

a presence server;

a SIP registrar; and

an IM server.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said uploaded presence/IM information is selected from the group consisting of:

a presence agent;

IM parameters;

presence information;

a watcher list;

presence rules;

a user profile including authorization/authentication information and

a service profile.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving an instant message at the user agent device located in the visiting network.