Pragmatic approaches to IMS

• US 8,401,022 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stphane H., Kodukula, Induprakas, Hallett, Richard Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGA, SORI A
• Application Number:
  US12/364,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for providing services such as provided by Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) with an IP network that is not the IMS. According to one embodiment, a system for providing communication services can comprise a communication network, one or more subsystems communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to provide one or more telco functions, and one or more applications communicatively coupled with the network and adapted to utilize the telco functions.

Claims

1. A system for providing communication services, the system comprising:

a communication network, wherein the communication network is a non-IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network;

one or more subsystems executing on a Service Delivery Platform (SDP) communicatively coupled with the non-IMS network the one or more subsystems of the SDP providing one or more telco functions over the non-IMS network, wherein the one or more subsystems are further adapted to provide one or more IMS services over the non-IMS network, wherein the one or more subsystems comprise a platform adapted to provide an abstraction of the non-IMS network and other resources, wherein the one or more subsystems provide the one or more IMS services but are not an IMS architecture implementation and wherein the platform is not an IMS architecture implementation; and

one or more application servers communicatively coupled with the non-IMS network and executing one or more service level applications that utilize the telco functions and wherein the one or more applications are adapted to access the non-IMS network and resources through the one or more subsystems of the SDP independent of underlying technologies of the non-IMS network and resources.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a charging function.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise security functions.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the security functions comprises an access control function.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the security functions comprises an authentication function.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the security functions comprises a firewall.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a subscription management function.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a policy enforcement function.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a Quality of Service (QoS) management and enforcement function.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a logging function.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise a presence service.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a streaming media service.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise an IP television service.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a multimedia messaging service.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise an instant messaging service.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a telephony service.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication non-IMS network comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a presence service.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a push-to-talk service.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a conference service.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the conference service comprises a voice conference service.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the conference service comprises a multimedia conference service.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise a download service.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprise an upload service.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is implemented as a Service Oriented Architecture.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform comprises one or more enablers communicatively coupled with the non-IMS network, each enabler adapted to provide access to capabilities of the non-IMS network to the one or more applications independent of the non-IMS network.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the enablers comprise one or more of a call control enabler, a media server control enabler, an intelligent messaging enabler, a presence enabler, a location enabler, a QoS management and enforcement enabler, a charging enabler, an authentication enabler, an identity management enabler, a policy enforcement enabler, a subscription management enabler, or a user profile enabler.

28. A method of providing communication services, the method comprising:

providing by a Service Delivery Platform (SDP) a first telco function over a non-IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network;

providing by the SDP a second telco function over the non-IMS network; and

providing by the SDP one or more IMS services over the non-IMS network, wherein the computer system is not an IMS architecture implementation, wherein the computer system provides the one or more IMS services without using an IMS architecture implementation, wherein the computer system provides an abstraction of the non-IMS network and other resource and wherein one or more service level applications access the first telco function, the second telco function, or the IMS services through the computer system independent of underlying technologies of the non-IMS network and other resources.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second telco function is provided at a time later than the first telco function.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the second telco function is provided when needed by a service provided on the network.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more telco functions comprise one or more of charging, access control, authentication, a firewall, subscription management, policy enforcement, Quality of Service (QoS) enforcement, logging, or a presence service.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more services comprise one or more of a streaming media service, an IP television service, a multimedia messaging service, an instant messaging service, a telephony service, a presence service, a push-to-talk service, a conference service, or a download service.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed instead of implementing IMS.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed as part of a migration to an IMS deployment.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the migration to an IMS deployment includes providing both services with features as provided by IMS and assuming the telco functions.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the services with features as provided by IMS can migrate, coexist, or switch across a plurality of networks.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed as a way to integrate the IMS deployment with a legacy network.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed to test services prior to an IMS deployment.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the one or more services with features as provided by IMS is performed to generate revenues to fund an IMS deployment.