Network entity and method for managing Session Initiation Protocol communications towards a user entity in a communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756134-B2
Application number	US-201113816600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2011
Priority date	Aug 12, 2010
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A network entity for managing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communications towards a user entity in a communication network. The network entity has a receiver and a processor. The receiver is configured to receive a first SIP message. The processor is configured to generate a second SIP message in response to receiving the first SIP message, the second SIP message having user-specific data relating to the user entity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for managing Session Initiation Protocol communications in an IP Multimedia Subsystem communication network, the system comprising:
a network entity for managing the Session Initiation Protocol communications towards a user entity in the communication network, the network entity including:
a receiver for receiving a first Session Initiation Protocol message from a second network entity comprising a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF);
a transmitter for transmitting a second Session Initiation Protocol message over the communication network towards a third network entity comprising an application server; and
a processor for generating the second Session Initiation Protocol message in response to receiving the first Session Initiation Protocol message, the second Session Initiation Protocol message having user-specific data relating to the user entity, wherein the user-specific data is received from a fourth network entity comprising a Home Subscriber Server (HSS),
wherein the processor is configured to insert the user-specific data into the first Session Initiation Protocol message for generating the second Session Initiation Protocol message, and the user-specific data indicates a current communication status of the user entity in both a packet-switched domain and a circuit-switched domain of the communication network;

the second network entity being a hardware entity comprising the Serving Call Session Control Function;
the third network entity comprising the application server; and
a fifth network entity comprising a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF), wherein
the network entity is configured to transmit the second Session Initiation Protocol message including the user-specific data towards the second network entity; wherein
the second network entity is configured to forward the second Session Initiation Protocol message towards the application server comprised in the third network entity, the application server using the user-specific data; and wherein
the second network entity is configured to remove the user-specific data from the second Session Initiation Protocol message before forwarding the second Session Initiation Protocol message towards the P-CSCF comprised in the fifth network entity.

2. The system of claim 1 , the network entity further comprising the transmitter for transmitting the second Session Initiation Protocol message over the communication network towards a further network entity.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first Session Initiation Protocol message is a Session Initiation Protocol Invite message requesting to establish a communication link towards the user entity.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to insert the user-specific data in an Extensible Markup Language format into the first Session Initiation Protocol message for generating the second Session Initiation Protocol message.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to provide the user-specific data, the user-specific data being trusted in the communication network.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate a transmission of a request for the user-specific data towards the communication network.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive the user-specific data over the communication network, in particular from the HSS or from a User Profile Server Function.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user-specific data indicates a location of the user entity.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network entity is a Multimedia Telephony entity application server of the IP Multimedia Subsystem.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user-specific data indicates prepaid information of the user entity.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the P-CSCF is configured to forward the second Session Initiation Protocol message towards the user entity.

12. A method for managing Session Initiation Protocol communications towards a user entity in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving user-specific data relating to the user entity from a fourth network entity comprising a Home Subscriber Server (HSS);
receiving a first Session Initiation Protocol message from a second network entity comprising a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF);
transmitting a second Session Initiation Protocol message over the communication network towards a third network entity comprising an application server;
generating the second Session Initiation Protocol message in response to receiving the first Session Initiation Protocol message, the second Session Initiation Protocol message having the user-specific data relating to the user entity;
inserting the user-specific data into the first Session Initiation Protocol message for generating the second Session Initiation Protocol message, the user-specific data indicating a current communication status of the user entity in both a packet-switched domain and a circuit-switched domain of the communication network;
transmitting the second Session Initiation Protocol message including the user-specific data towards the second network entity;
forwarding, by the second network entity, the second Session Initiation Protocol message towards the application server comprised in the third network entity for using the user-specific data; and
removing, by the second network entity, the user-specific data from the second Session Initiation Protocol message before forwarding the second Session Initiation Protocol message towards a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) comprised in a fifth network entity.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, is configured to cause the device to perform the method of claim 12 .

Assignees

• Klein Andreas
• Deutsche Telekom Ag

Inventors

• Klein Andreas

Classifications

• H04L65/1063 Primary

  Application servers providing network services (systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04L67/141 Primary

  Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) · CPC title

• H04L65/1016 Primary

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title

• H04L65/1104

  Session initiation protocol [SIP] · CPC title

• H04W8/04

  Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server] · CPC title