Megaco protocol with group termination

• US 20030231639A1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mikkola, Olli
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Megaco is a device control protocol defining a general framework for physically decomposed media gateway, where the intelligence of the gateway is in a master node called the media gateway controller and the actual switching and media transfer is performed in one or more slave nodes called the media gateway(s). In order to enable to transfer group-related information from the media gateway controller to the media gateway, a group termination for the group-related information is created in the media gateway, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group; and the media streams to the group are directed to the group termination.

Claims

1. A method of providing a mechanism to transfer group-related information of a group from a media gateway controller to a media gateway to which media streams targeted at members of the group are transferred in a telecommunications system, the method comprising:

creating in the media gateway a group termination for the group-related information, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group; and

directing the media streams to the group termination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving in the media gateway at least one parameter with its value as group-related information;

storing the parameter and its value to the group termination; and

applying the stored parameter according to its value to the media streams directed to the members of the group.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter relates to which one of the active members is allowed to speak.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising

discarding in the group termination media streams originated from members not allowed to speak;

and

forwarding a media stream originated from a member allowed to speak to other members of the group.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving in the media gateway and storing in the group termination at least one multiplication parameter with its value, the multiplication parameter relating to multiplying media streams targeted at the members.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving in the media gateway and storing in the group termination at least one assignment parameter with its value, the parameter relating to assignment of speaking turns.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter relates to multiplying media streams targeted at the members.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter relates to adding inband information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the group termination is created in response to a first active member joining the group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the group termination is created in response to a first active member joining the group and maintained as long as there is at least one active member in the group.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the group termination is created in response to creation of the group.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising

modifying the group termination by adding, subtracting or modifying information in the group termination.

13. A method of allowing one member of a group to transmit at a time in a telecommunications system comprising a media gateway to which media streams targeted at members of the group are transferred and a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, the method comprising:

creating, in the media gateway, for the group a group termination comprising at least one first rule to be applied to media streams of the group, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, the first rule indicating which one of the members is allowed to transmit;

receiving from a member of the group a media stream to the group;

directing the media stream to the group termination; and

forwarding the media stream from the group termination to other members of the group if the first rule allows it.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the group termination further comprises at least one second rule, the rule indicating to which members of the group the media stream is forwarded.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first rule comprises at least one parameter and its value.

16. A method of multiplying a media stream targeted at members of a group in a telecommunication system comprising a media gateway to which the media stream is transferred and a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway, the method comprising:

creating, in the media gateway, for the group a group termination comprising at least one rule to be applied to media streams of the group, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, the rule indicating to which members of the group the media stream is multiplied;

directing the media stream to the group termination; and

forwarding the media stream to the members of the group the rule indicates by multiplying the media stream according to the rule.

17. A network node in a telecommunications system supporting group communication and comprising at least a media gateway functionality to which media streams targeted at members of the group are transferred, the network node comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the media gateway controller functionality controlling the media gateway functionality and being configured to send an add command to the media gateway, the add command causing a group termination to be created in the media gateway functionality, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, and being configured to send at least one parameter with its value to the group termination, the parameter being one of parameters relating to the group or a member of the group.

18. The network node of claim 17, wherein the media gateway controller functionality is further configured to send a modify command to the media gateway functionality in response to a change in the group, the modify command causing the media gateway functionality to amend the content of the group termination.

19. A network node in a telecommunication system supporting group communication and comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to receive media streams targeted at members of a group;

the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a group termination in response to an add command received from the media gateway controller functionality, the add command indicating that a group termination should be added, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, and to direct the media streams to the group termination.

20. A network node in a telecommunication system supporting group communication and comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to receive media streams targeted at members of a group;

the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a group termination in response to an add command received from the media gateway controller functionality, the add command indicating that a group termination should be added, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, to add to the group termination at least one controlling parameter with its value sent by the media gateway controller functionality, to direct all the media streams to the group termination, to check for each media stream, whether the controlling parameter with its value allows the media stream to be forwarded and to forward the media streams if the controlling parameter with its value allows it.

21. The network node of claim 20, being further configured to add to the group termination at least one multiplication parameter with its value, the multiplication parameter indicating to which members of the group the media stream is to be multiplied, and to multiply the media stream, if the media stream is forwarded.

22. A network node in a telecommunication system supporting group communication and comprising at least a media gateway controller functionality of the Megaco protocol, the network node comprising a media gateway functionality arranged to receive media streams targeted at members of a group;

the media gateway functionality being configured to be controlled by the media gateway controller functionality, to create a group termination in response to an add command indicating that a group termination should be added, the group termination being non-member-specific and associated with the group, to add to the group termination at least one parameter with its value sent by the media gateway controller functionality, the parameter indicating to which members of the group the media stream is to be multiplied, to direct all the media streams to the group termination, and to multiply the media streams according to the parameter and its value.

23. The Megaco protocol used between a media gateway and a media gateway controller controlling the media gateway in a telecommunication system supporting group communication, wherein the protocol comprises group terminations in the media gateway, each group termination being non-member-specific and associated to a corresponding group and to which media streams targeted at members of the group are directed.

24. The Megaco protocol of claim 23, wherein the packages of the Megaco protocol are used to define the group termination.