Abstract:
A communication system comprises an IP network offering services to users and an IPT provider network providing call related functions to users. A control protocol message is received and analyzed by a respective serving entity in the IPT provider network. Depending on the analyzing result, call related functions are performed by the respective serving entity. Moreover, a received control protocol message is analyzed by the IP network and, depending on the analyzing result, services are executed by the IP network.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an IP (Internet Protocol) based service architecture (IPSA). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A telephony service provider today provides all the end-user supplementary telephony services. An end-user with multiple telephone subscriptions must configure the supplementary services associated with each subscription separately even though many of the services are the same, such as the service “Call forwarding if no answer”. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to avoid the necessity of configuring services for each subscription. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved by a communication system comprising an IP network offering services to users and an IPT (Internet Protocol Telephony) provider network providing call related functions to users. The IPT provider network comprises serving entities which are arranged to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message, and, depending on the analyzing result, perform call related functions. The IP network is arranged to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message and, depending on the analyzing result, execute services. 
     According to a second aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a method of communicating in a communication system which comprises an IP network offering services to users and an IPT provider network providing call related functions to users. According to the method, a control protocol message is received by a respective serving entity in the IPT provider network, the received control protocol message is analyzed by the respective serving entity, and, depending on the analyzing result, call related functions are performed by the respective serving entity. In addition, a received control protocol message is analyzed by the IP network, and, depending on the analyzing result, services are executed by the IP network. 
     According to a third aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a user equipment for communicating in the communication system, wherein the user equipment is arranged to use control protocol methods for attaching to the system. 
     According to a fourth aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a serving entity in an IPT provider network providing call related functions to users and communicating with an IP network offering services to users. The serving entity is arranged to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message, and, depending on the analyzing result, perform call related functions. 
     According to a fifth aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by an IP network offering services to users and communicating with an IPT provider network providing call related functions to users. The IP network is arranged to receive a control protocol message, analyze the control protocol message and, depending on the analyzing result, execute services. 
     Further features of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims. 
     According to the present invention, a service provider network (IP network) and a telephony provider network (IPT provider network) are separated in an IPT (IP Telephony) environment. This separation allows an end-user to have the same services across multiple subscription networks. In other words, with this architecture, an end-user has to customize just one set of services and apply them all to his telephony subscriptions. This allows the end-user to manage his services in a centralized manner instead of customize each set of services individually with each telephony provider. 
     According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the IP network is called IPSA network and the functions of the IPT provider network are implemented in a so called SIP network. In this communication system, SIP calls can be flexibly routed when the IPSA network is involved, wherein the IPSA network does not require any a priori knowledge of a SIP proxy address. In other words, there is no requirement of an a priori agreement between the SIP call/routing control network and the IPSA network. 
     In the following the present invention will be described by way of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a diagram illustrating functional elements involved in service triggering and control in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a diagram illustrating a registration to an IPSA network according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a diagram illustrating a registration to an IPSA network according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a diagram illustrating an IPSA invocation on the basis of an originating call according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a diagram illustrating an IPSA invocation on the basis of an originating call according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a diagram illustrating an IPSA invocation on the basis of a terminating call according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a diagram illustrating an IPSA invocation on the basis of a terminating call according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a diagram illustrating routing of SIP calls from a SIP network to an IPSA network and from the IPSA network to the SIP network in greater detail. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The idea of the present invention is to separate a service provider network from a bearer provider network in an IPT (Internet Protocol Telephony) environment. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are to be described in the following, this concept is realized by using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) as a control protocol between an IP network called IPSA (IP based Services Architecture) network, an IPT provider network called SIP network and an end-user terminal (user equipment). 
     In  FIG. 1 , functional elements involved in service triggering and control in the communication system according to an embodiment are shown. A SIP client represents an end-user&#39;s terminal attaching to the communication system using SIP methods. The end-user&#39;s terminal may be called user equipment (UE) and, for example, may be a PC (Personal Computer) or laptop running an IPT SIP client application. 
     A SIP proxy server is part of the SIP network that provides bearer connection and call related functions like call routing capabilities to the end-user. In the SIP network, an SDB (Subscriber Database) may be present, which contains subscriber subscription information such as authentication data and IPSA-ID (IPSA-Identifier). 
     The IPSA network shown in  FIG. 1  is an IP based service architecture platform that offers services like telephony and other IP type of services to the end-user. A user has a unique identity called IPSA-ID within one IPSA cloud. The ID may be formed out of the user name and IPSA provider&#39;s domain name as ipsa-user@ipsa-provider.com. 
     An IP cloud shown in  FIG. 1  represents an IP backbone network to interconnect the SIP client, SIP network and IPSA network. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate a registration of a SIP client to the communication system, and in particular to the IPSA network shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Some services such as “Presence” need to know whether the client&#39;s terminal is ready to receive a call or not, i.e. whether the client is attached to the network or not. When this type of service is implemented in IPSA, the IPSA network needs to know the status of the client. 
       FIG. 2  shows a first way of registering an end-user to the IPSA network. In this way of registering, the SDB contains an IPSA-ID in the form of a logical name at some domain, for examples “john.doe@some.ipsa.com”. Whenever the SIP client sends a SIP REGISTER message to the SIP proxy server, the SIP proxy server registers the SIP client to the SIP network and also fetches an IPSA-ID for the end-user represented by the SIP client from the SDB. If an IPSA-ID in the SDB is associated with the end-user, the SIP proxy server generates another REGISTER message with the IPSA-ID and sends it towards the IPSA network. On the basis of this register message, the IPSA network is able to register the SIP client. 
       FIG. 3  shows another possibility of registering an end-user to the IPSA network. In this way of registering, the SIP client directly registers to the IPSA network using its IPSA-ID in another REGISTER message. 
     Option  1  shown in  FIG. 2  allows the IPT provider to retain the control of which IPSA provider is providing the end-user&#39;s services, while option  2  shown in  FIG. 3  gives total control to the user with respect to the choice of the IPSA provider. 
     Next, an IPSA invocation on the basis of an originating call will be described.  FIG. 4  shows a first method of invoking IPSA on the basis of an originating call. A SIP client sends an INVITE message towards the SIP network, which message is received by a SIP proxy server. The SIP proxy server can route this end-user initiated call towards the IPSA network when an IPSA-ID found in the SDB is associated with the called party B, i.e. with the request URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) B in the INVITE message. When the IPSA-ID is found in the SDB, the SIP proxy server changes the request URI to IPSA-ID and indicates that this is an originating call in a new SIP header and routes the INVITE message to the IPSA network. 
     Optionally, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the SIP client can also send the INVITE message directly to the IPSA network via the SIP proxy server by indicating the request URI with an IPSA-ID of the called party. The SIP proxy server then analyses the request URI and forwards the INVITE message to the IPSA network. 
     Next, an IPSA invocation on the basis of a terminating call will be described.  FIG. 6  shows a first method of invoking IPSA on the basis of a terminating call. When a SIP proxy server receives an INVITE message from an originated end-point inviting a SIP client called b_party to a call, it fetches an, IPSA-ID for the called b_party from the SDB. If an IPSA-ID is associated with the called b_party, the SIP proxy server routes the INVITE message to the IPSA network, using the fetched IPSA-ID along with a new SIP header indicating that this is a terminating call. The SIP proxy server further includes a Gateway SIP proxy address or hop address in the routers INVITE message, which will be described in greater detail in connection with  FIG. 8 . The IPSA network should use this address for further routing. The IPSA network then executes any terminating services, and if further routing is needed, it uses the address provided by the SIP proxy server to reach the end-user, i.e. the b_party. 
     Optionally, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the INVITE message received by the SIP proxy server already contains the IPSA-ID in the request URI as well as the terminated call indication. After having analyzed the request URI, the SIP proxy server adds the hop address for further routing to the INVITE message and forwards it to the IPSA network. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 8 , a mechanism for appropriately routing service invocations between the IPSA network and the SIP network is described. 
     When the SIP network re-routes SIP calls to the IPSA network in order to have services executed for the subscriber or SIP client involved in the call, the IPSA network may have, as part of service execution, to re-route the SIP call or initiate a new SIP signaling, e.g. call setup, INFO methods, etc., through the SIP network. For example, considering a loop detection for INVITE messages, the SIP signaling cannot be sent back to the element in the SIP network that routed the call to the IPSA network and the IPSA network does not necessarily know the topology of the SIP network. 
     When a SIP proxy server in the SIP network routes a SIP call to the IPSA network, the SIP network provides an address of a SIP proxy in the SIP network to be used as a gateway for SIP signaling which the IPSA network needs to exchange with the SIP network. 
     For example, according to  FIG. 8 , a SIP client sends an INVITE message to the SIP network for inviting another SIP client (b_party). The INVITE message is received by a SIP proxy server via a network of SIP proxies forwarding the message. The SIP proxy server routes the INVITE message towards the IPSA network and indicates a gateway SIP proxy address in the message. Now, an IPSA network element receiving the message knows to which SIP proxy server in the SIP network the call has to be routed in order to reach the b_party. Hence, the IPSA network element routes the INVITE message to the gateway SIP proxy, the address of which has been indicated by the SIP proxy server. The b_party receives the INVITE message from the gateway SIP proxy via the network of SIP proxies. 
     The provision of the gateway address to the IPSA network can be implemented by adding a parameter in an SDP (Session Description Protocol) descriptor contained in the SIP message routed from the SIP proxy server to the IPSA network and containing the address of the gateway SIP proxy. Alternatively, the address can be indicated to the IPSA network by adding a SIP header to the SIP message routed from the SIP proxy server to the IPSA network and containing the address of the gateway SIP proxy. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.