Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L65/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
  • H04L65/1066—Session management
  • H04L65/1096—Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L65/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
  • H04L65/10—Architectures or entities
  • H04L65/102—Gateways
  • H04L65/1033—Signalling gateways
  • H04L65/1036—Signalling gateways at the edge
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L65/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
  • H04L65/1066—Session management
  • H04L65/1083—In-session procedures
  • H04L65/1094—Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/58—Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L65/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication
  • H04L65/1066—Session management
  • H04L65/1101—Session protocols
  • H04L65/1104—Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Definitions

• the invention relates to the general field of management of multimedia communication sessions in a telecommunications network and more particularly the transfer of an ongoing communication session within a local network managed by a home gateway.
• the invention finds a preferred but non-limiting use in the transfer of VoIP ("Voice Over IP”) telephone calls.
• VoIP Voice Over IP
• the home gateway Upon receipt of an incoming call addressed to this number, the home gateway distributes the incoming call to all local terminals, to allow the establishment of a communication between a local terminal and a remote or local terminal which is at the origin of the call.
• a communication session is then established between the local terminal and the terminal that is causing the call.
• Such a solution is not adapted to a flexible environment such as a home environment, in which each user is not necessarily associated with a specific terminal, unlike a professional environment where a relationship linking a user to a terminal is known. a priori from each user.
• the present invention provides a solution that does not have the drawbacks mentioned above, by proposing a method of managing a communication session between a first local terminal of a plurality of local terminals connected to a home gateway and a remote terminal. , said method being characterized in that the home gateway performs, in response to a transfer command of said communication session sent by the first local terminal, a step of transferring said communication session to the local terminals of said plurality of local terminals. except for the first local terminal.
• the transfer step according to the invention offers the possibility to another potentially more suitable user than the one who is at the origin of the transfer command, to receive the current communication session, without having to know previously the identity of this other user (or a terminal associated with it).
• This feature makes the method particularly advantageous in the case where all local terminals are linked to the same contact number via the home gateway and that these do not have the ability to differentiate from each other to allow the addressing the communication session to a given terminal.
• Transferring the current communication session to the local terminals with the exception of the one that initiated the transfer command makes the process flexible and non-binding in that it does not require the assignment of a virtual contact number specific to each local terminal for transferring to a potentially more suitable terminal.
• the method according to the invention is also particularly advantageous in the case where the relationship between the users and the local terminals is constantly changing over time.
• This is for example the case of local terminals in a home network, where each user is not necessarily associated with a specific terminal and / or portable local terminals can be moved over time, thus making the user / terminal relationship difficult. predictable.
• the user at the origin of the transfer command does not know, a priori, the distribution of the local terminals with respect to the present users, that is to say that he does not know in the vicinity of which terminal local is each user when transferring the communication session.
• the home gateway broadcasts an integration request to enable to integrate in said current communication session, a local terminal of the plurality of local terminals to the exception of the first local terminal.
• This broadcast offers the possibility to any local terminal and in particular to a more suitable terminal than the one at the origin of the sending of the transfer command, to integrate the current communication session, by answering this request.
• the home gateway broadcasts the integration request with an information message indicating the object of the transfer. This feature is particularly advantageous in the case where the local terminals are able to display this message to the user, to maximize the chances that a potentially interested user answers the call by unhooking.
• the home gateway also performs the following operations:
• the holding of the remote terminal keeps the communication session in progress, for example by preventing the remote terminal from terminating the communication session, in which case the transfer of the communication would no longer be necessary.
• the steps performed by the home gateway are repeated until the communication session is transferred to an appropriate local terminal.
• the number of local terminals to which the integration request is broadcast decreases during the iterations, eliminating at each iteration the terminal which is at the origin of the new iteration of the transfer step, the user this terminal is not affected by the current communication.
• the home gateway manages the transfer of the current communication session according to a session initiation signaling protocol, which has the advantage of being a protocol whose use by the operators of telecommunication is widespread for the implementation of conversational services.
• the present invention also aims at a home gateway capable of implementing the steps of the management method described above.
• the home gateway according to the invention is able to manage a communication session between a first local terminal of a plurality of local terminals connected to said home gateway and a remote terminal.
• the home gateway comprises means for transferring the communication session to the local terminals of said plurality of local terminals except the first local terminal, in response to a transfer command of said communication session sent by the first local terminal.
• the various steps of the management method described above are determined by computer program instructions intended to be executed by a processor.
• the invention also relates to a computer program on an information medium, this program being capable of being implemented in the home gateway according to the present invention or more generally in a computer, this program comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of the steps of a management method according to the invention as described above.
• This program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other form desirable shape.
• the invention also relates to a computer readable information medium, on which are recorded instructions of a computer program as mentioned above.
• the information carrier may be any entity or device capable of storing the program.
• the medium may comprise storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disk or a disk. hard.
• the information medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means.
• the program according to the invention can be downloaded in particular on an Internet type network.
• the information carrier may be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.
• the invention also relates to the use of the management method according to the invention for the transfer of at least one voice-over-IP type communication session.
• FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system comprising a home gateway according to the present invention.
• FIG. 2 illustrates in flowchart form the steps of the method according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 1 shows a system comprising a home gateway P placed in a power cut between a set of local terminals comprising a first local terminal Ti, a second local terminal T 2 and a third local terminal T 3 on a local network. 1 and on the other hand a remote terminal T'i on a telecommunications network 2.
• the local network 1 is a home network in a subscriber client with an operator (or service provider) and the telecommunication network 2 is an IMS network ("IP Multimedia Subsystem ") of the operator.
• the IMS network is compatible with mobile or fixed networks and IP type networks such as the Internet.
• IP IP Multimedia Subsystem
• the IMS network makes it possible to offer multimedia services on the underlying network architectures.
• the IMS uses VoIP technology based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
• SIP Session Initiation Protocol
• the first local terminal Ti is a wireline telephone SIP
• the second local terminal T 2 is a wireless telephone (DECT / SIP)
• the third local terminal T 3 is a Wi-Fi telephone (IEEE 802.11) carrying a protocol stack SIP
• the remote terminal T'i is a computer on which is installed an IP telephony application (softphone SIP).
• the skilled person can use any other type of terminal able to communicate with the home gateway P.
• the local terminals T1, T2, T3 are all linked to a single VoIP telephone number previously defined at the home gateway P, so that they can not differentiate from each other.
• the home gateway P is an ADSL modem router ("Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line") capable of managing SIP communication sessions, such as an Orange LiveBox TM.
• ADSL modem router Analog Subscriber Line
• the home gateway P has the conventional architecture of a computer. It comprises in particular a processor 11, a RAM type RAM 12 and a ROM type ROM 13.
• the read-only memory 13 stores a computer program 130 according to the invention, this program 130 comprising instructions for executing the steps of the management method in accordance with the invention, these steps being represented on the flowchart of FIG. 2.
• the computer program 130 is a server application 130 running by the processor 11 of the home gateway P.
• the RAM 12 is used during the execution of the computer program 130 by the processor 11.
• the home gateway P also comprises communication means 14 adapted to communicate with the local terminals T1, T2, T3 and the remote terminal T'I.
• communication means 14 adapted to communicate with the local terminals T1, T2, T3 and the remote terminal T'I.
• the signaling protocol used in this embodiment is the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the person skilled in the art will understand that other signaling protocols, such as H.323 or MGCP type protocols ( Media Gateway Control Protocol ”) may be applied in the context of the present invention.
• SIP Session Initiation Protocol
• H.323 H.323
• MGCP type protocols Media Gateway Control Protocol
• the home gateway P being placed in a power cut between the plurality of local terminals T1, T2, T3 and the remote terminal T'1, it intercepts all the signaling messages exchanged between the terminals.
• the remote terminal T1 initiates the incoming call, sending to the single VoIP number a request to initialize a communication session compliant with the SIP protocol.
• This initialization request is an invitation encapsulating the SDP ("Session Description Protocol") protocol.
• SDP Session Description Protocol
• This is of the following form: INVITE (SDPl), where "SDPl” designates a set of parameters characterizing the communication session S according to the SDP protocol. Such parameters are described in particular in a publication referenced RFC 4566.
• the home gateway P Upon receipt of this initialization request, the home gateway P broadcasts (step E2) said request to the plurality of local terminals T1, T2, T3 on the home network 1. In known manner, it follows that each local terminal home network 1 starts ringing to indicate the incoming call.
• a user of the first terminal T1 of the plurality of local terminals T1, T2, T3 responds to the incoming call by unhooking.
• This causes the sending to the remote terminal T'1 by the first local terminal T1 of a signaling message 200 OK according to the SIP protocol (called SIP response code 200 OK).
• the remote terminal T1 sends a confirmation message ACK compliant with the SIP protocol (called SIP ACK), to indicate the establishment of the communication session S between the first local terminal T1 and the terminal.
• SIP ACK confirmation message ACK compliant with the SIP protocol
• the communication session S is established between the first local terminal T1 and the remote terminal T1.
• a media session according to the RTP ("Real-time Transport Protocol") protocol is established within the SIP communication session to provide data transmission.
• the home gateway P causes the ringing of the local terminals T2, T3 to stop by canceling the SIP INVITE initialization request (SDP1) with the second T2 and third T3 local terminals.
• the home gateway P sends a CANCEL cancellation message conforming to the SIP protocol (known as the SIP CANCEL) to the second T2 and third local T3 terminals, which return the SIP response code 200 OK.
• the user of the first local terminal T1 realizes that he is not concerned by this call and therefore he wishes to transfer the current communication session. For this, it causes by means of its terminal, the sending of a transfer command C of the current communication session, during a transfer control step E4.
• This transfer command C is an invitation of the INVITE type (SDPl, HoId) conforming to the SIP protocol and encapsulating the SDP protocol, where "SDPl” designates all the parameters characterizing the communication session S according to the SDP protocol already described above. before.
• the invitation further includes so-called "HoId” data necessary to enable the remote terminal Tl to be held while the current communication session is being transferred.
• the transfer command C is generated when the user of the first terminal Tl presses a dedicated virtual button (called “softkey”) displayed on the screen of his terminal or on at least one key DTMF ("Dual Tone Multi-Frequency" ) predetermined on the keyboard of his terminal.
• DTMF Double Tone Multi-Frequency
• the transfer function can be activated preferably by a single press of a dedicated DTMF key or a virtual button.
• the definition of such a function requires updating each local terminal so that it stores the SIP transfer command to be sent associated with a dedicated key.
• the transfer control C comprises an information message O intended to indicate the object of the transfer.
• this information message O may consist of a voice or text message recorded by the user from the first local terminal T1, indicating for example the name of a user to whom the call is intended. .
• the transfer command C is sent by the first local terminal T1 to the home gateway P which will process this command to first broadcast an invitation to other local terminals to take part in the current communication session and secondly to waiting for the remote terminal to wait until another local terminal has accepted the invitation.
• the standby procedure is standardized in SIP by HETF ("Internet Engineering Task Force") according to RFC 3261 to which a person skilled in the art can refer.
• the home gateway P From the data "HoId" contained in the control request C, the home gateway P transmits to the remote terminal Tl a hold command to maintain the communication session S with the remote terminal T1.
• the hold command may include an audio or text message indicating that the current communication session is being transferred to another local terminal, so that the user of the remote terminal T1 does not end. to it by hanging up, in which case the transfer of this communication session S would no longer be necessary.
• the hold command is constituted by the INVITE invitation (SDPl (sendonly); HoId) where "sendonly" is an attribute within the meaning of the document RFC 4566.
• the remote terminal T1 Upon reception of this hold command, the remote terminal T1 is placed in a waiting state ("on hold” status), which it confirms by sending to the first local terminal T1 via the home gateway P, a SIP response code 200 OK with the attribute "recvonly” where "recvonly” is an attribute in the sense of the document RFC 4566
• the first local terminal T1 Upon receipt of the SIP code 200 OK accompanied by the attribute "recvonly", the first local terminal T1 has confirmation that the remote terminal T'1 is put on hold. As a result, the remote terminal T'1 can only receive data within the current communication session and not send it. In other words, the RTP media session ensuring the transmission of data (voice and / or video) within the SIP communication session is made unidirectional.
• the home gateway P From the parameters "SDPl" contained in the transfer control C, the home gateway P generates and broadcasts an integration request I, to allow the integration of at least one local terminal of the plurality of local terminals to the exception of the first local terminal Tl, in the current communication session S.
• This integration request consists of a SIP invitation of the type INVITE (SDPl) already described. This is broadcast by the home gateway P, during a broadcast step E6, the second T2 and third T3 local terminals. This has the effect of ringing the second T2 and third T3 terminals.
• SDPl type INVITE
• the user at the origin of the transfer is not aware a priori of the identity of the local terminal and / or its user to whom the call is really intended, because it does not exist in the environment domestic relationship predefined linking a user to a local terminal.
• the second terminal T2 is a wireless phone, it is caused to be moved geographically by a user unpredictably through the domestic environment covered by the local network.
• the broadcast of the integration request I to all the local terminals T2, T3, with the exception of the terminal at the origin of the transfer T1, allows a user who has received the incoming call transfer this call without having to know the identity of the local terminal to which the call is destined.
• the information message O generated from the first local terminal T1 has been included in the transfer command C, it is extracted from the transfer command C and inserted in the integration request I by the home gateway P to indicate the object of the transfer.
• the information message O is presented to the second T2 and third T3 local terminals, so as to inform the users of these terminals of the purpose of the call transfer.
• This message can be used for example to communicate the identity of the user to whom the call is really intended.
• the information message O does not know on which local terminal this user can be attached, but can be advantageously used during the broadcast step E6 of the request d I integration, to maximize the chances that the user concerned answers the call in view of this message.
• the user of the second terminal T2 answers the call by unhooking.
• This causes the sending to the home gateway P by the second local terminal T2 of a SIP response code 200 OK in response to which, the home gateway P sends a SIP confirmation message ACK.
• the second local terminal T2 is then integrated into the current communication session S.
• the home gateway P Upon reception of the SIP response code 200 OK sent by the second local terminal T2, the home gateway P terminates the waiting state of the remote terminal T'1. For this purpose, the home gateway P sends the remote terminal T1 a command to resume the communication session.
• This recovery command is a SIP invitation of the INVITE type (SDPl (summarize)), where "summarizes” designates an SDP attribute causing the bidirectionality of the RTP media session to be restored with the remote terminal T'1, so that It can not only receive data within the SIP communication session but also transmit it.
• SDPl summarize
• the remote terminal T1 Upon receipt of the resume command, the remote terminal T1 sends a SIP response code 200 OK to the home gateway P which in response returns a SIP confirmation message ACK.
• the home gateway P causes the ringing of the third local terminal to stop, canceling the SIP INVITE initialization request (SDP1) with the second local terminal T2. For this, the home gateway P sends a CANCEL cancellation message to the second local terminal T2 which returns a SIP response code 200 OK.
• the home gateway P causes the release of the first local terminal Tl of the current communication session.
• a BYE message conforming to the SIP protocol (called SIP BYE) is sent by the home gateway P to the first local terminal T1 which responds by returning a SIP response code 200 OK.
• SIP BYE BYE message conforming to the SIP protocol
• the release step ElO executed by the home gateway P is provided to ensure that the first local terminal T1 is automatically excluded from the communication session S, since the second local terminal T2 has taken part in the communication session. S.
• the user of the first local terminal Tl can hang up of his own free from the moment the second local terminal T2 is integrated in the current communication session.
• the communication session S can be transferred again by repeating the steps E4 to ElO described above, until a user of an appropriate local terminal answers the transferred call.
• a second transfer step can be performed when the second local terminal T2 sends a transfer command to the home gateway P.
• This second and last transfer step will transfer the communication session to the third local terminal T3, after which it will no longer be possible to perform a new transfer step.
• the local network 1 comprises a set of N local terminals
• the communication session S has been initiated by the remote terminal T'1 (incoming call of the point of view of the local network 1).
• the present invention applies to any type of communication session in progress between a local terminal and a remote terminal T'1, regardless of how this communication session has been established.
• the present invention applies in particular to the case where the communication session S has been established on the initiative of a local terminal (outgoing call from the point of view of the local network 1) and not on the initiative of the terminal. remote T'1.
• management method described above generally applies to multimedia communication sessions allowing the exchange of data (textual, audio and / or video) in real time.
• the scope of the present invention is not limited to the case of IP telephony, but also includes for example video telephony over IP (V 2 OlP: “Voice and Video over IP”) or instant messaging.
• V 2 OlP video telephony over IP
• instant messaging instant messaging

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)

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• 2009
  • 2009-02-25 EP EP09720715A patent/EP2248333A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-02-25 WO PCT/FR2009/050300 patent/WO2009112760A1/fr active Application Filing

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