System and method for routing an incoming call to a proper domain in a network environment including IMS

• US 20070238467A1
• Filed: 01/09/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Allen, Andrew, Shenfield, Michael, Buckley, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42289 with carrierprovider selection by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00226 wherein the core network technologies comprise IP multimedia system [IMS], e.g. single radio voice call continuity [SRVCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

In one embodiment, a scheme is disclosed for routing an incoming call in a network environment including a circuit-switched (CS) network and an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) network, wherein the incoming call is being directed to a user equipment (UE) device disposed in the network environment. A network node disposed in the IMS network is operable to perform a number of determinations with respect to the UE device'"'"'s domain, state, applicability of user and/or operator policies and preferences, location, et cetera. The incoming call is terminated to an appropriate domain (e.g., CS domain or IMS domain) based at least in part upon the foregoing determinations.

Claims

1. A method of routing an incoming call in a network environment including a circuit-switched (CS) network and an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network, said incoming call being directed to a user equipment (UE) device disposed in said network environment, comprising:

determining status information relating to said UE device;

determining whether at least one policy criterion is applicable with respect to said incoming call; and

terminating said incoming call to a domain based on at least one of said determinations, wherein said determinations are effectuated at a network node associated with said IMS network.

2. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one policy criterion comprises a user-based policy criterion.

3. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one policy criterion comprises an operator-based policy criterion.

4. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one policy criterion is stored in a database external to said network node.

5. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one policy criterion is stored in a database internal to said network node.

6. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, further including determining whether an IMS service is to be invoked with respect to said incoming call.

7. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, further including determining whether said UE device is capable of an IMS service.

8. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said incoming call is terminated to a CS domain based on at least one of said determinations.

9. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said incoming call is terminated to an IMS domain based on at least one of said determinations.

10. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, further including determining where said UE device is located.

11. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said status information comprises a domain with which said UE device is currently registered.

12. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said status information comprises said UE device'"'"'s state.

13. The method of routing an incoming call as recited in claim 1, wherein said status information comprises said UE device'"'"'s presence information.

14. A system for routing an incoming call in a network environment including a circuit-switched (CS) network and an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network, said incoming call being directed to a user equipment (UE) device disposed in said network environment, comprising:

means for determining status information relating to said UE device;

means for determining whether at least one policy criterion is applicable with respect to said incoming call; and

means for terminating said incoming call to a domain based on at least one of said determinations, wherein said determinations are effectuated at a network node associated with said IMS network.

15. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said at least one policy criterion comprises a user-based policy criterion.

16. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said at least one policy criterion comprises an operator-based policy criterion.

17. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said at least one policy criterion is stored in a database external to said network node.

18. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said at least one policy criterion is stored in a database internal to said network node.

19. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, further including means for determining whether an IMS service is to be invoked with respect to said incoming call.

20. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, further including means for determining whether said UE device is capable of an IMS service.

21. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said incoming call is terminated to a CS domain based on at least one of said determinations.

22. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said incoming call is terminated to an IMS domain based on at least one of said determinations.

23. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, further including means for obtaining location information with respect to said UE device'"'"'s location.

24. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, further including means for resolving policy conflicts if more than one policy criterion are determined to be applicable with respect to said incoming call.

25. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, further including means for applying a calling line identity (CLI)-based routing policy criterion with respect to said incoming call.

26. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said status information comprises a domain with which said UE device is currently registered.

27. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said status information comprises said UE device'"'"'s state.

28. The system for routing an incoming call as recited in claim 14, wherein said status information comprises said UE device'"'"'s presence information.

29. A network node operable to effectuate network domain selection in an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network, said network node comprising:

an interface for communicating with a user equipment (UE) device operable to support an IMS service;

an interface for communicating with a home subscriber server (HSS) element associated with said UE device; and

at least one interface for communicating with one of a presentity presence proxy element, a presence network agent, a wireless access network hotspot database, and a policy decision function element.

30. The network node as recited in claim 29, wherein said interface for communicating with said UE device is operable with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messaging.

31. The network node as recited in claim 29, wherein said interface for communicating with said UE device is operable with Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) messaging.

32. The network node as recited in claim 29, wherein said interface for communicating with said UE device is operable with Short Message Service (SMS) messaging.

33. The network node as recited in claim 29, wherein said interface for communicating with said UE device is operable with Extensible Markup Language (XML) Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP) messaging.