Cooperative IMS access from a visited domain

• US 9,578,069 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Balaganesh, Sangeetha, Cox, Whitney R., Beech, Hal S., Gorman, Pierce Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Diane
• Application Number:
  US14/609,870
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and computer readable media to provide roaming IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) access. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, in a communication interface, attaching a communication device to provide the communication device with access to a broadband access network associated with a visited domain of the communication device. The method further provides, in a proxy call session control element of a broadband services gateway (BSG), registering the communication device to access IMS services on behalf of an IMS core in the visited domain over the broadband access network, conveying Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling between the communication device and the IMS core as a SIP proxy, and establishing a communication session between the communication device and the IMS core.

Claims

1. A method of operating broadband access equipment to provide roaming IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) access, the method comprising:

in a communication interface, attaching a communication device to provide the communication device with access to a broadband access network associated with a visited domain of the communication device;

in a proxy call session control element of a broadband services gateway (BSG);

registering the communication device to access IMS services on behalf of an IMS core in the visited domain over the broadband access network;

conveying Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling between the communication device and the IMS core as a SIP proxy; and

establishing a communication session between the communication device and the IMS core.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the communication device comprises:

authenticating the communication device to access the IMS services; and

establishing security features on a signaling interface between the communication device and the IMS core over which the SIP signaling is conveyed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein establishing the security features comprises:

determining a security level of the communication interface with the communication device;

upon determining that the security level does not satisfy a threshold security level, implementing the security features for the communication interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the communication session comprises:

implementing Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for the communication session between the communication device and the IMS core.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the proxy call session control element, configuring an Internet access element of the BSG to relay media for the communication session between the Internet access element and the proxy call session control element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in a proxy Border Gateway Function (BGF) of the BSG, conveying media for the communication session between the communication device and the IMS core as a media proxy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is further established from the IMS core to a second IMS core in a home domain of the communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the BSG, obtaining information related to the communication session via the proxy call session control element and sharing the information with one or more other devices attached to the BSG.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information includes caller ID information for the communication session and one of the other devices comprises a display, and the method further comprising:

in the BSG, triggering the display to open a viewing window that presents the caller ID information to a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication interface includes a Wi-Fi interface and attaching the communication device comprises registering the communication device for Wi-Fi access.

11. A broadband access system to provide roaming IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) access, the system comprising:

a communication interface configured to attach a communication device to provide the communication device with access to a broadband access network associated with a visited domain of the communication device;

a proxy call session control element of a broadband services gateway (BSG) configured to register the communication device to access IMS services on behalf of an IMS core in the visited domain over the broadband access network, convey Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling between the communication device and the IMS core as a SIP proxy, and establish a communication session between the communication device and the IMS core.

12. The broadband access system of claim 11, wherein the proxy call session control element configured to register the communication device comprises:

the call proxy session control element configured to authenticate the communication device to access the IMS services and establish security features on a signaling interface between the communication device and the IMS core over which the SIP signaling is conveyed.

13. The broadband access system of claim 12, wherein the proxy call session control element configured to establish the security features comprises:

the proxy call session control element configured to determine a security level of the communication interface with the communication device and, upon determining that the security level does not satisfy a threshold security level, implementing the security features for the communication interface.

14. The broadband access system of claim 11, wherein the proxy call session control element configured to establish the communication session comprises:

the proxy call session control element configured to implement Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for the communication session between the communication device and the IMS core.

15. The broadband access system of claim 11, further comprising:

the proxy call session control element configured to configure an Internet access element of the BSG to relay media for the communication session between the Internet access element and the proxy call session control element.

16. The broadband access system of claim 11, further comprising:

a proxy Border Gateway Function (BGF) of the BSG configured to convey media for the communication session between the communication device and the IMS core as a media proxy.

17. The broadband access system of claim 11, wherein the communication session is further established from the IMS core to a second IMS core in a home domain of the communication device.

18. The broadband access system of claim 11, further comprising:

the BSG configured to obtain information related to the communication session via the proxy call session control element and share the information with one or more other devices attached to the BSG.

19. The broadband access system of claim 18, wherein the information includes caller ID information for the communication session and one of the other devices comprises a display, and the BSG further configured to:

trigger the display to open a viewing window that presents the caller ID information to a user.

20. The broadband access system of claim 11, wherein the communication interface includes a Wi-Fi interface and wherein the communication interface configured to attach the communication device comprises:

the communication interface configured to register the communication device for Wi-Fi access.