Method and apparatus for transporting/receiving notification messages via file delivery over unidirectional protocol

• US 8,200,781 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yue, Pieyu, Shi, Teng, Zhang, Jie, Chen, Li, Fu, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/198,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A method for transporting/receiving notification messages via File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE) includes: At the transmitting end, a server carries a notification content in a transport object and carries notification related information and a transport object identifier (TOI) of the transport object carrying the notification content in a first file description table (FDT), and then sends the first FDT and the transport object carrying the notification content in a FLUTE session; the receiving end obtains the notification related information and the TOI of the transport object carrying the notification content from the first FDT, and receives the transport object carrying the notification content according to the obtained related information and the TOI. A server for transporting notification messages via FLUTE, a FLUTE server, a content server and a terminal are also disclosed. With the present invention, the notification transport procedure is simpler and the reliability of notification transport is better.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a notification message via File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE), comprising:

obtaining notification related information and a transport object identifier (TOI) of a transport object that carries a notification content from a file description table (FDT), wherein the notification related information carries in the FDT by use of these steps as follows;

setting a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element to a Notification type, wherein the Notification type in the Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT indicates that a corresponding transport object carries a notification message; and

carrying the notification related information in a notification related element, wherein the notification related element is in the FILE element of the FDT to carry the notification related information; and

receiving the transport object that carries the notification content in a current FLUTE session according to the obtained notification related information and the TOI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the FDT is a special FDT in the current FLUTE session;

and the special FDT is carried in a transport object corresponding to a preset TOI, wherein a value of the preset TOI is any positive integer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining a preset TOI value before obtaining notification related information and the TOI of the notification transported in the current FLUTE session from the FDT.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining notification related information of a notification being transported in a current FLUTE session from a FDT includes determining that a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT is Notification and obtaining a notification related element in the FILE element of the FDT as notification related information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining notification related information of a notification being transported in a current FLUTE session and a TOI of a transport object that carries a notification content from a FDT includes determining that the FDT carries a Notification element, obtaining a value of a TOI attribute in the Notification element as the TOI of the transport object that carries the notification content, and obtaining a notification related element in the Notification element as notification related information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising screening, after obtaining notification related information of a notification being transported in a current FLUTE session, the notification being transported in the current FLUTE session according to the obtained notification related information to determine a TOI corresponding to a notification message to be received, wherein receiving the transport object that carries the notification content in the current FLUTE session according to the obtained related information and the TOI includes receiving a transport object corresponding to the determined TOI in the current FLUTE session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtained notification related information includes an ID of the notification, a version of the notification and a service ID of the notification, and wherein screening the notification according to the obtained notification related information includes determining whether the notification is a notification service that a terminal cares about according the service ID of the notification and if not, screening a next notification;

if so, determining whether a transport object corresponding to the notification is received according to the ID of the notification and if the transport object is not received, determining the notification as a notification to be received and screening a next notification; and

if the transport object is already received, determining whether the version of the notification is updated according to the version of the notification and if the version is updated, determining the notification as a notification to be received and screening a next notification;

if the version is not updated, screening a next notification.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the FDT is an FDT carried in a transport object with TOI=0.

9. A server for transporting a notification message via File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE), comprising:

a content server; and

a FLUTE server,

wherein the content server is configured to send a notification content and notification related information to the FLUTE server; and

the FLUTE server includes a processor and is configured to carry the notification content in a transport object, carry the notification related information and a TOI of the transport object that carries the notification content in a file description table (FDT), and send the FDT and the transport object that carries the notification content in a FLUTE session;

wherein the notification related information carries in the FDT by use of these steps as follows;

a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element is set to a Notification type, wherein the Notification type is in the Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT to indicates that a corresponding transport object carries a notification message; and

carrying the notification related information in a notification related element, wherein the notification related element is in the FILE element of the FDT to carry the notification related information.

10. A File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE) server, comprising:

a processor;

a receiving module;

a transport content generating module;

a file description table (FDT) generating module; and

a transmitting module,

wherein the receiving module is executable by the processor and is configured to receive a notification content and notification related information;

the transport content generating module executed by the processor of the FLUTE server, is configured to send the notification related information from the receiving module to the FDT generating module and carry the notification content in a transport object corresponding to a transport object identifier (TOI) returned by the FDT generating module;

the FDT generating module executed by the processor of the FLUTE server, is configured to carry the notification related information and TOI of the transport object that carries the notification content in a FDT, wherein the notification related information carries in the FDT by use of these steps as follows;

a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element is set to a Notification type, wherein the Notification type is in the Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT to indicate that a corresponding transport object carries a notification message; and

carrying the notification related information in a notification related element, wherein the notification related element is in the FILE element of the FDT to carry the notification related information; and

the transmitting module executed by the processor of the FLUTE server, is configured to send the FDT and the transport object that carries the notification content in a FLUTE session.

11. The FLUTE server of claim 10, wherein the FDT generating module includes a special FDT generating sub-module;

and

the special FDT generating sub-module is configured to generate a special FDT that serves as the FDT, carry the special FDT in a transport object corresponding to a preset TOI, and transmit the transport object via the transmitting module, the preset TOI being any positive integer.

12. The FLUTE server of claim 10, wherein the FDT generating module includes a notification carrying sub-module;

and

the notification carrying sub-module is configured to set a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT to Notification and carry notification related information in a notification related element of the FILE element of the FDT.

13. The FLUTE server of claim 10, wherein the FDT generating module further includes a notification carrying sub-module;

and

the notification carrying sub-module is configured to carry a Notification element in the FDT, set a TOI attribute of the Notification element to the TOI of the transport object that carries the notification content, and carry the notification related information in a Notifi element of the Notification element.

14. A terminal for receiving a notification message via File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE), comprising:

a receiving module; and

a transport object determining module, wherein the receiving module executed by a processor of the terminal, is configured to receive a file description table (FDT) that carries notification related information and a transport object identifier (TOI) of a transport object that carries a notification content and send the FDT to the transport object determining module wherein the notification related information carries in the FDT by use of these steps as follows;

setting a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element to a Notification type, wherein the Notification type is in the Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of the FDT to indicate that a corresponding transport object carries a notification message; and

carrying the notification related information in a notification related element, wherein the notification related element is in the FILE element of the FDT to carry the notification related information; and

the transport object determining module executed by the processor of the terminal, is configured to determine the transport object that carries the notification content according to the notification related information and the TOI in the FDT and notify the receiving module to receive the transport object.

15. A method for transporting a notification message via File Delivery over Unidirectional Transport (FLUTE), comprising:

carrying a notification content in a transport object, wherein a Content-Type attribute of a FILE element of a FDT is set to a Notification type, wherein the Notification type indicates that a corresponding transport object carries a notification message;

carrying a notification related information in a notification related element, wherein the notification related element is in the File element;

carrying a transport object identifier (TOI) of the transport object that carries the notification content in the FDT; and

sending the FDT and the transport object that carries the notification content in a FLUTE session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the FDT is a special FDT in the FLUTE session;

and the special FDT is carried in a transport object corresponding to a preset TOI, wherein a value of the preset TOI is any positive integer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein carrying the notification related information in the notification related element comprises:

carrying header information of the notification related information in a sub-element that carries header information of the notification message and carrying header extension information of the notification related information in a sub-element that carries header extension information of the notification message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the FDT is an FDT carried in a transport object with TOI=0.