Method and server for transferring a multimedia session from a first terminal to a second terminal

• US 20080084867A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Foti, George, Surdila, Sorin
• Application Number:
  US11/525,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084867A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A method and a server are provided for transferring a multimedia session from a first terminal to a second terminal. The session having been set up, with the help of an application server, between the first terminal and a service network comprising a content server, a user of the first terminal enters a command to pause the session. A session identity is stored in the application server. The user then turns to the second terminal, which obtains the session identity from the application server. The second terminal can then send a request to the content server to resume the session, the session identity being used to specify to the content server which session is to be resumed.

Claims

1. In a network comprising a content serving function and an application serving function for setting up sessions between terminals and the content serving function, a method of transferring a session from a first terminal to a second terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

sending from the first terminal towards the content serving function a pause message;

sending from the first terminal towards the application serving function, a correlation message comprising a session identity;

sending from the second terminal towards the application serving function a context request message;

sending from the application serving function towards the second terminal a context response message comprising the session identity; and

sending from the second terminal towards the content serving function a resume message comprising the session identity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first terminal and the second terminal comprise authentication data;

authentication data of the first terminal is sent in the correlation message;

authentication data of the second terminal is sent in the context request message; and

the application serving function uses the authentication data of the first and second terminals to verify that the first and second terminals are related before sending the context response message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the session is a multimedia session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the multimedia session is a video session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one of the first and second terminals is a fixed terminal comprising a multimedia device, and an authentication module complying with Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) specifications.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the multimedia device is a television set; and

the authentication module is in a set-top box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one of the first and second terminals is a mobile terminal comprising an identification module.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the identification module comprises authentication data complying with IMS specifications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the content serving function sends a pause acknowledgement message towards the first terminal, responsive to receiving the pause message; and

the first terminal sends the correlation message responsive to receiving the pause acknowledgement message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

before sending the context request message, the second terminal logs in a SIP domain.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein logging in the SIP domain further comprises the steps of:

sending a SIP invite message from the second terminal towards a proxy Call Session Control Function (CSCF);

forwarding the SIP invite message from the proxy CSCF towards a serving CSCF;

forwarding the SIP invite message from the serving CSCF towards the application serving function; and

sending a SIP 200 OK message from the application serving function through the serving CSCF and through the proxy CSCF towards the second terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first terminal and the second terminal comprise authentication data;

authentication data of the first terminal is sent in the correlation message;

authentication data of the second terminal is sent in the SIP invite message; and

the application serving function uses the authentication data of the first and second terminals to verify that the first and second terminals are related before sending the SIP 200 OK message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the pause message and the resume message are Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) messages;

the context request message is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) GET message; and

the context response message is a HTTP 200 OK message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the content serving function sends a content in streaming form towards the first terminal before receiving the pause message; and

the content serving function sends the content in streaming form towards the second terminal after receiving the resume message.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a content server comprises the content serving function and the application serving function.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a content server comprises the content serving function; and

an application server comprises the application serving function.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the context response message comprises session identities of a plurality of sessions; and

responsive to a user selection amongst the plurality of sessions, the second terminal sends the resume message comprising one or more session identities of one or more selected sessions.

18. A server, comprising:

an input port for receiving from a terminal a correlation message comprising a session identity and for receiving from the same terminal or from another terminal a context request message;

a memory for storing the session identity;

an output port for sending towards the terminal having sent the context request message a context response message comprising the session identity read from the memory; and

a logic unit for writing in the memory the session identity received in the correlation message and reading from the memory the session identity.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein:

the memory is further for storing user authentication data for a user of the terminal having sent the correlation message; and

the logic unit is further for verifying, by use of the authentication data stored in the memory, that the terminal having sent the context request message is for the same user.

20. The server of claim 18, further comprising:

a content serving function for providing a session content towards a user.

21. The server of claim 20, wherein the content serving function further comprises:

a data bank for storing the session content; and

a status table for storing a status of the session, wherein the status is selected from a group consisting of active, inactive or paused.

22. The server of claim 20, wherein the content serving function further comprises:

a broadband output port for sending the session content towards the user.

23. The server of claim 18, wherein:

the memory is further for storing user authentication data for a user of the terminal having sent the correlation message;

the input port is further for receiving a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Invite Public Service Identity (PSI) message from a serving Call Serving Control Function (CSCF);

the logic unit is further for verifying, by use of the authentication data stored in the memory, that the SIP Invite PSI message is for the same user; and

the output port is further for sending a SIP 200 OK message towards the serving CSCF.