Providing an IMS voice session via a packet switch network and an emergency voice session via a circuit switch network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9654954-B2
Application number	US-201214374156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2012
Priority date	Jan 26, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A communication network comprises a packet switched domain associated with a packet switched capable radio access network and supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network. The terminal supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem emergency voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network. A method is executed by a control node of the packet switched domain and comprises sending instruction information to the terminal. The instruction information instructs the terminal to execute an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network without regard to whether the communication network has indicated support of an emergency session related data transmission via the packet switched capable radio access network and the packet switched domain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of providing an availability of an execution of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session with a terminal via a packet switched capable radio access network of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem based communication network, wherein the communication network comprises a packet switched domain associated with the packet switched capable radio access network and comprises a circuit switched domain associated with a circuit switched capable radio access network, wherein the communication network supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, the method being executed by a control node of the packet switched domain, the method comprising:
determining that the terminal supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network and also supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem emergency voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network;
determining whether the circuit switched capable radio access network spatially at least covers the packet switched capable radio access network; and
sending to the terminal, responsive to said determining that the terminal supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network and also supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem emergency voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, and based on the result of said determining whether the circuit switched capable radio access network spatially at least covers the packet switched capable radio access network, instruction information that instructs the terminal that the terminal may execute an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network without regard to whether the communication network has indicated support of an emergency session related data transmission via the packet switched capable radio access network and the packet switched domain, wherein the instruction information further instructs the terminal to exclusively initiate any emergency voice session as a circuit-switched emergency voice session via the circuit switched capable radio access network.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising determining whether the terminal supports communication with the circuit switched domain of the communication network, wherein the sending of the instruction information comprises sending the instruction information based on a result of the determining whether the terminal supports communication with the circuit switched domain of the communication network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication network is a serving communication network of the terminal distinct of a home communication network of the terminal, the method further comprising:
determining whether the terminal communicating with the circuit switched domain is in accordance with a roaming agreement between the serving communication network of the terminal and the home communication network of the terminal, wherein the sending of the instruction information comprises sending the instruction information based on a result of the determining whether the terminal communicating with the circuit switched domain is in accordance with a roaming agreement between the serving communication network of the terminal and the home communication network of the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
receiving, from the terminal, a support indication indicating at least one of the terminal supporting an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, the terminal supporting an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem emergency voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, and the terminal supporting communication with the circuit switched domain of the communication network, wherein the sending of the instruction information comprises sending the instruction information based on the received support indication.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the receiving of the support indication comprises receiving the support indication in an attachment request of the terminal, in a location update request of the terminal or in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem registration request of the terminal for registering the terminal in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem domain of the communication network.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sending of the instruction information comprises sending the instruction information in response to every reception of the support indication.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the support indication comprises terminal manufacturing information of the terminal, particularly an International Mobile Equipment Identity of the terminal.

8. A method of providing an availability of an execution of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session with a terminal via a packet switched capable radio access network of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem based communication network, wherein the communication network comprises a packet switched domain associated with the packet switched capable radio access network and comprises a circuit switched domain associated with a circuit switched capable radio access network, wherein the communication network supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, wherein the terminal supports an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem emergency voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, the method being executed by the terminal, the method comprising:
receiving instruction information from a control node of the packet switched domain, wherein the instruction information instructs the terminal that the terminal may execute an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network without regard to whether the communication network has indicated support of an emergency session related data transmission via the packet switched capable radio access network and the packet switched domain, wherein the instruction information further instructs the terminal to exclusively initiate any emergency voice session as a circuit-switched emergency voice session via the circuit switched capable radio access network; and
subsequently initiating an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network, wherein initiating the Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session rather than a circuit-switched voice session is based on the received instruction information.

9. The method of claim 8 , the method further comprising setting, based on the received instruction information, a terminal parameter of the terminal to indicate the availability of the execution of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network.

10. The method of claim 9 , the method further comprising initiating an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network exclusively if the terminal parameter is set to indicate the availability of an execution of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem voice session via the packet switched capable radio access network.

11. A control node for providing an availability of an execution of an Internet Protocol Multime

Assignees

• Sedlacek Ivo
• Keller Ralf
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Sedlacek Ivo
• Keller Ralf

Classifications

• H04L65/1016

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W76/50

  for emergency connections · CPC title

• H04W60/00

  Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration · CPC title

• H04W80/00

  Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation · CPC title