Gateway device, system, and communication method

• US 9,781,166 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUADALUPE CRUZ, AIXA AMYR
• Application Number:
  US12/810,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20100272023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,183 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A gateway device includes a communication unit communicating a frame signal conforming to an IuUP (Iu User Plane) protocol with a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network; a determination unit determining whether the frame signal received by the communication unit satisfies a predetermined condition or not; a conversion unit converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a flow control signal of an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) when the frame signal satisfies the predetermined condition; and a flow control signal transmission unit transmitting the flow control signal to a communication device in the IMS.

Claims

1. A method of a gateway comprising:

receiving a frame signal conforming to an lu User Plane (IuUP) protocol;

extracting PDU type information from the received frame signal;

extracting procedure indicator information from the received frame signal;

determining the PDU type of the received frame signal;

determining a value of the procedure indicator information of the received frame signal;

if the PDU is determined to be a certain type and the procedure indicator information is determined to be a certain value, then converting the protocol type from the received frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol to a flow control signal conforming to a Real-time Transport Protocol Control Protocol (RTCP) for an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); and

transmitting the flow control signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gateway is a Media Gateway (MGW).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame signal is a rate control request.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flow control signal applies a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) Control Protocol-Application (RTCP-APP) packet.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flow control signal includes Code Mode Request (CMR).

6. The method of a gateway according to claim 1, wherein said converting between the frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol and the flow control signal conforming to the RTCP for the IMS is performed by using a number of Radio Access Bearer (RAB) sub-flows.

7. The method of a gateway according to claim 1, wherein said converting between the frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol and the flow control signal conforming to the RTCP for the IMS is performed by using a length of each of Radio Access Bearer (RAB) sub-flows in a first RAB Sub-Flow Combination Indicator (RFCI).

8. The method of a gateway according to claim 1, wherein said converting between the frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol and the flow control signal conforming to the RTCP for the IMS is performed by using a length of each of Radio Access Bearer (RAB) sub-flows in a second RAB Sub-Flow Combination Indicator (RFCI).

9. The method of a gateway according to claim 1, wherein said converting between the frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol and the flow control signal conforming to the RTCP for the IMS is performed by using a predetermined conversion table.

10. The method of a gateway according to claim 1, wherein the determining the PDU type of the received frame signal, determines if the PDU type information is of a PDU type 0, type 1, or type 14.

11. The method of a gateway according to claim 10,

wherein said converting is performed only if the PDU type information is of a PDU type 14 and if the value of the procedure indicator information is equal to zero.

12. A gateway comprising:

a reception unit, implemented at least in hardware comprising a processor and memory, that receives a frame signal conforming to an lu User Plane (IuUP) protocol;

a transmission unit, implemented at least in the hardware, that transmits a flow control signal;

a determination unit which extracts PDU type information and procedure indicator information from the received frame signal;

wherein said determination unit being configured to determine the type of PDU and a value of the procedure indicator information received from the frame signal; and

a conversion unit, implemented at least in the hardware, that converts, if the PDU is determined to be a certain type and the procedure indicator information is determined to be a certain value, the protocol type from the received frame signal conforming to the IuUP protocol to the flow control signal conforming to a Real-time Transport Protocol Control Protocol (RTCP) for an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

13. The gateway according to claim 12, wherein the gateway is a Media Gateway (MGW).

14. The gateway according to claim 12, wherein the frame signal is a rate control request.

15. The gateway according to claim 12, wherein the flow control signal applies a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) Control Protocol-Application (RTCP-APP) packet.

16. The gateway according to claim 12, wherein the flow control signal includes Codec Mode Request (CMR).