System and method for providing value-added services (VAS) in an integrated telecommunications network using session initiation protocol (SIP)

• US 6,625,141 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Evloguieva, Evelina, Gourraud, Christophe, Glitho, Roch
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THIEN D
• Application Number:
  US09/537,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495, 370/465, 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 709/10, 709/201, 709/203, 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for providing Value-Added Services (VAS) in an integrated telecommunications network having a packet-switched network portion (PSN) operable with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The integrated telecommunications network includes a SIPext SSP server, a trigger server, and a service node having a Service Logic Program (SLP) that is operable with Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP). The SIPext SSP and service nodes are provided with the capability to communicate using SIP-compliant messaging. New header fields are provided that specify operations to be performed by the service node with respect to a service. INAP service parametric data is also provided in the header fields in a sequential form. When a call is received in the SIPext SSP server for a user having a subscription for a VAS, it queries the user profile stored in the trigger server. If the user is subscribed for a service, a SIP request message is formulated based on the user profile, wherein appropriate headers are populated with relevant parametric information and call context data. The service node launches the SLP based on the information provided in the request message and sends a SIP response message to the SIPext SSP server with an instruction concerning the provisioning of the VAS. The SIPext SSP server, thereafter, takes an appropriate action based on the response message and any parametric information contained therein.

Claims

1. A method of providing a Value-Added Service (VAS) in a telecommunications network operable with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the telecommunications network including a SIPext SSP server, a trigger server, and a service node having at least one Service Logic Program (SLP) associated with the VAS, wherein the SLP is operable with Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request message in the SIPext SSP server from a first user, the request message for initiating a call to a second user;

upon receiving the request message, consulting the trigger server by the SIPext SSP server to obtain a user profile associated with at least one of the first and second users;

formulating a SIP register request by the SIPext SSP server based on the user profile obtained from the trigger server, upon encountering an armed detection point during call processing, the register request including at least one header field, wherein the header field contains information specifying an operation that the service node is to perform, the header field further including call context data associated with the call initiated by the first user;

transmitting the register request by the SIPext SSP server to the service node;

upon receiving the register request, executing at least one SLP by the service node based on the operation specified in the header field and the call context data associated therewith;

sending a SIP response message from the service node to the SIPext SSP server, the response message including a header field and a return result obtained in response to the execution of at least one SLP by the service node; and

executing at least one action by the SIPext SSP server responsive to the header field and the return result in the response message received from the service node, the action being associated with the VAS.

2. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 1, wherein the SIPext SSP server is addressable by two separate Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, a first IP address and a second IP address, and further wherein the request message is received in the SIPext SSP server from the first user using the first IP address.

3. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 2, wherein the register request is sent from the SIPext SSP server to the service node using the second IP address.

4. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of formulating the register request comprises the step of transforming INAP-compliant data structures associated with the VAS into linearly sequenced parametric data forming a portion of the header field of the register request.

5. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 4, wherein the SIP-compliant response message from the service node comprises linearized INAP-compliant parametric information.

6. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 4, wherein the header field in the SIP response message from the service node is organized in a Backus-Naur format.

7. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 4, wherein the header field in the SIP register request from the SIPext SSP server is organized in a Backus-Naur form.

8. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 1, wherein the return result comprises a destination routing number and the header field in the SIP response message from the service node includes a connect operation, responsive to which the SIPext SSP server forwards the call initiated by the first user to the destination routing number.

9. The method of providing a VAS in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 1, wherein the return result comprises an error code, responsive to which the SIPext SSP server generates a SIP error message and forwards it to the first user.

10. An integrated telecommunications network for providing a Value-Added Service (VAS), comprising:

a SIPext SSP server including a proxy server and a service switching part, the proxy server for receiving a call initiation message from a first user with respect to a second user and the service switching part for determining if the second user has a subscription for the VAS;

a trigger server containing user profiles associated with the VAS, the trigger server being activatable in response to a determination by the service switching part that the second user has a subscription to the VAS;

means associated with the service switching part for formulating a register request based on user profile information for the second user, wherein the register request includes a header field containing an operation associated with the VAS; and

a service node including an Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP)-compliant Service Logic Program (SLP) associated with the VAS and a SIPext SSP interface server for receiving and interpreting the register request from the service switching part, wherein the service node executes the SLP based on the contents of the header field in the register request received from the service switching part.

11. The integrated telecommunications network for providing a VAS as set forth in claim 10, wherein the proxy server has a first Internet Protocol (IP) address and the service switching part has a second IP address.

12. The integrated telecommunications network for providing a VAS as set forth in claim 10, wherein the register request contains linearized INAP-compliant parametric data associated with the operation.

13. A system for providing a Value-Added Service (VAS) to a user in a telecommunications network operable with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the telecommunications network including a SIPext SSP server, a trigger server, and a service node having at least one Service Logic Program (SLP) associated with the VAS, wherein the SLP is operable with Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP), the system comprising:

means for receiving a call initiation request with respect to the user;

means for querying the trigger server, responsive to the determination that the user has a subscription for the VAS, to obtain a user profile associated with the user;

means for formulating a SIP register request based on the user profile obtained from the trigger server, responsive to encountering an armed detection point in call processing, the register request including at least one header field, wherein the header field contains information specifying an operation that the service node is to perform with respect to the VAS, the header field further including call context data associated with the call initiation request with respect to the user;

means for transmitting the register request to the service node;

means for launching the SLP in the service node based on the operation specified in the header field and the call context data associated therewith;

means for sending a SIP response message from the service node to the SIPext SSP server, the response message including a header field and a return result obtained in response to the launching of the SLP in the service node; and

means for executing an action by the SIPext SSP server responsive to the header field and the return result in the response message received from the service node, the action being associated with the VAS.

14. The system for providing a VAS to a user in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 13, further comprising means for transforming INAP-compliant data structures associated with the VAS into linearly sequenced parametric data forming a portion of the header field of the register request.

15. The system for providing a VAS to a user in a telecommunications network as set forth in claim 14, wherein the return result comprises a destination routing number to which the call is to be forwarded.