WO2009086661A1

WO2009086661A1 - User identification method and apparatus for multimedia priority service

Info

Publication number: WO2009086661A1
Application number: PCT/CN2007/003929
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xiao Mei He; Jin Yue Chen; Scott T. Droste
Original assignee: Motorola, Inc.
Priority date: 2007-12-29
Filing date: 2007-12-29
Publication date: 2009-07-16

Abstract

A mobile station may initiate a Multi-Media Priority Service (MMPS) by for example, dialing a Service Code and destination number. The mobile station reads a priority authority identifier information from with a Removable User Identity Module RUIM) or a Device Management (DM) Tree of a DM module on the mobile station, and communicates the information to a home server such as a Home Location Register (HLR) or Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The HLR or HSS verifies the mobile station subscription information with the priority authority identifier sent from the mobile station and provides authorization of the mobile station to proceed with MMPS. The priority authority identifier information may be updated by using Over-the-Air device management methods.

Description

USER IDENTIFICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIMEDIA

PRIORITY SERVICE

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communications systems and services and user priority service, particularly Multimedia Priority Service (MMPS) in which predefined users maybe provided with service access and usage priority over other users in a wireless communications network, and specifically in a Multi-Media Domain (MMD) or IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Network operators as well as standards organizations have recognized a need for providing priority service to user groups such as, but not necessarily limited to, first responders who would require the best possible service access during time of disaster or crisis. While priority service has been addressed to some extent for voice communications, such priority service is only now beginning to be addressed with respect to Multi-Media Domain (MMD) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks that include voice, data, video, messaging and multimedia services. A Multimedia Priority Service (MMPS) is being developed to address priority service in an MMD or IMS network.

[0003] Various challenges exist in development of MMPS, one of which is the handling of various mobile stations. For example, some mobile stations employ a "Removable User Identity Module" (RUIM) which is a removable card having identification information associated with a user and with the user's subscription to various services on a network such as an MMD or IMS network. However some devices exist that do not require a RUIM. Further, some users may not require the same level of priority level as other users such as emergency responders. [0004] Therefore, what is needed are methods and apparatuses for user identification for priority service for mobile stations in an MMD or IMS network, whether or not a RUIM card is employed within the device, and also a way of providing varying levels of priority access.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 is a network block diagram illustrating a wireless communication network such as a Multi-Media Domain (MMD) network or an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating operation of a mobile station and a Home Server such as a Home Location Register (HLR) or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) ) in accordance with the embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the HLR or HSS in accordance with the embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a mobile station in accordance with the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Turning to FIG. 1, a wireless communications network 150, which may be an MMD network or an IMS network, is illustrated. In FIG. 1 a mobile station 100 such as a mobile telephone, notebook computer, or other wireless communication device communicates over a wireless interface 103 with the wireless communications network. The wireless communication network may comprise various network components as understood by one of ordinary skill, such as a Base Transceiver Station, Node B, etc., which may further comprise, or be connected to, a controller. The controller and one or more base stations may be considered as forming a Radio Access Network (RAN) 101. The network may utilize any appropriate air interface for communication between the mobile station 100 and the RAN 101 such as, but not limited to, CDMA, UMTS, Wide Band CDMA₅ 802.16, etc. The network may also utilize Voice-over- internet Protocol (VoIP) for establishing voice calls or voice group calls, such as Push-to-talk or Push-to-X multimedia sessions, between mobile station 100 and other mobile stations. Various other Internet protocols may be employed where convenient for establishing multimedia sessions including, but not limited to, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), HTML, XML, etc., or any other suitable protocol useful for establishing multimedia sessions between mobile station 100 and any other mobile station, or between mobile station 100 and a multimedia server (not shown) which maybe located in a separate network coupled to network 150.

[0010] The RAN 101 is operatively connected 107 to an IP multimedia subsystem QMS) or Multi-Media Domain (MMD) core network 105 which includes a home server 109 and a Device Management (DM) server 111 in some embodiments. The home server 109 maybe a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for supporting a range of IP-based services over both packet switch (PS) and circuit switch (CS) networks or a Home Location Register, depending on whether the network is an IMS or MMD network, respectively.

[0011] The network 150 may also be coupled to other networks for obtaining and providing various services to mobile stations such as mobile station 100. For example, network 150 may be connected to the Internet or an enterprise intranet that may be accessed only by authorized users. The network 150 may also include a Packet Data Subscriber Network (PDSN). [0012] It is to be understood that various methods and apparatuses illustrated by FIG. 1, such as various network components for operating a communications network such as that illustrated by FIG. 1, are generally known and as such understood by those of ordinary skill. Therefore FIG. 1 is for illustration only of those components and features necessary for describing the various embodiments disclosed herein in relation to such components and features and therefore FIG.l is not for the purpose of describing in detail all features and components required for such a network. FIG. 1 is only for illustrating and describing the various embodiments with respect to, and in relation with, such network components, features or apparatuses such that one of ordinary skill would be able to understand, make and use the various embodiments herein disclosed. [0013] Returning to FIG. 1, the Device Management (DM) server 111, may maintain some functional aspects of the mobile station 100 such as, but not limited to, a Device Management Tree (DMT) of a DM Module of mobile station 100. The DM server 111 may be located within the MMD/EVIS core network 105 as illustrated, or alternatively, maybe connected to a Packet Data Subscriber Network (PDSN) via an Internet Protocol (P) based interface. [0014] Mobile station 100 may comprise a "Removable User Identity Module" (RUIM) in some embodiments but in other embodiments may not require a RUM in order to be operational. The mobile station 100 user is a subscriber of the network 150 and has information related to the mobile station 100 and the mobile station 100 subscription in home server 109. [0015] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating operation of the wireless communication network 150 and mobile station 100 hi accordance with the embodiments. The user 200 of mobile station 100 initiates an MMPS related service by for example, dialing an MMPS service code (SC) and a destination number to gain access to the MMD network and services.

[0016] In block 203 a priority authority identifier is read from one of either a RUM card of the mobile station 100 or from data of a Device Management Tree (DMT) of a DM Module of mobile station 100. The mobile station 100 provides the priority authority identifier information to the home server 109 via a message 205. For embodiments where the mobile station 100 provides the priority authority identifier information from a DMT, the home server 109 will make this determination independently. Some embodiments will further use various encryption and security schemes between the mobile station 100 and the home server 109 for transmitting and receiving the priority authority identifier information to and from the home server 109. [0017] If the home server 109 finds the appropriate recorded information such as subscription information indicating that the mobile station 100 is authorized for MMPS then the home server

109 will send an authorization message 207 to the mobile station 100.

[0018] If the mobile station 100 is not authorized the user will receive a message 211 from the mobile station 100 indicating that access has been denied. The mobile station 100 user 200 will at that point only have access to normal service at normal service priority levels as in 215.

However if authority is granted in 209 the mobile station 100 will be able to access the MMPS priority service as in 213, for various services including, but not limited to, voice, data, video, messaging and various other multimedia services.

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates the home server 109 of the embodiments which includes processors 301 and a database of MMPS authentication records 303.

[0020] FIG.4 illustrates further detail of mobile station 100 in accordance with the embodiments.

Mobile station 100 comprises components as known by those of ordinary skill such as, but not limited to, user interfaces 401, graphical display 403, transceiver/s 405, and processor/s 407. In addition, the mobile station 100 comprises various radio stacks 409 for communicating over the air interface, an MMPS module 411 and a RUIM card 413 in some embodiments. Alternative embodiments will use the DM Module 415 which includes a DM Tree, rather than the RUIM card 413, for storing and providing priority authority identifier information.

[0021] The priority authority identifier information residing in the RUIM 413 in accordance with the embodiments may make use of reserved bytes in, for example in CDMA networks, the

CDMA Service Table, which is defined as an "Elementary File" (EF) in the 3^rd Generation

Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2) technical specification, 3GPP2 C.S0023-0, Removable User

Identity Module (R-UIM) for CDMA2000 Spread Spectrum Systems (June 9, 2000) and also in 3GPP2 C.S0023-0, Version 4, Removable User Identity Module for Spread Spectrum Systems (June 15, 2001), both of which are incorporated by reference herein.

[0022] For example various services are defined within the Service Table while some are left as reserved for future use. For example, services "⁵nl5" and "nl6," or some other reserved service bytes, could be used for defining priority authority identifier information. In accordance with the embodiments, several priority levels are defined using several bits. Thus in accordance with the embodiments, 16 priority levels may be defined by 4 bits, for example; "0000" indicates "no priority," "0001" indicates a "highest priority" level, "0010" indicates a second "highest priority" level, "0011" indicates a third "highest priority" level, "0100" indicates a forth "highest priority" level and so on. In some embodiments, "0101" through "1111" maybe reserved and used for special applications.

[0023] Therefore, in the embodiments, the mobile station 100 will read the priority authority identifier information residing in the RUIM 413, for example the CDMA Service Table in some embodiments, when the user initiates use of MMPS. An air-interface protocol stack, radio stacks 409, will then provide priority service based on the priority identifier of the mobile station 100. [0024] For the various embodiments a network operator or associated organization may want to change the priority authority identifier information for a mobile station or a group of mobile stations. The priority authority identifier information may be updated by using, for example the UIM Tool Kit packet via an Over-the-Air (OTA) mechanism.

[0025] For non-RUIM mobile stations, the priority authority identifier information is added into the DM management tree of DM module 415 as an MMPS object. The MMPS object may contain data items such as, but not limited to; "Description" (describing a Multi-Media Priority Service), "Occurrence" (designating a predetermined number), "Scope," "Access Type," and a "Formaf field. An identifier may also be present which further defines the user subscribed MMPS activity and priority level using, for example, the 4 bit scheme as was described previously.

[0026] Updating of the DM Tree of the embodiments is accomplished using methods understood by those of ordinary skill with respect to DM management via OTA updates.

[0027] Because the embodiments herein described utilize the home server 109 for user authority management, it is not necessary to set up a separate server for MMPS which reduces the latency that would be associated with an additional network element.

[0028] While various embodiments have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of providing a user priority service identification in a multimedia network, the method comprising: reading a priority authority identifier information from a memory of a mobile station, said priority authority identifier information including a priority access level for said mobile station; sending, by said mobile station, said priority authority identifier information to a home server of said multimedia network; receiving, by said mobile station, an authorization message from said home server; and establishing a multimedia session using said priority access level in response to receiving said authorization message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reading a priority authority identifier information from a memory of a mobile station, said priority authority identifier information providing a priority access level for said mobile station, further comprises: reading said priority authority identifier information from a removable user identity module of a mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reading a priority authority identifier information from a memory of a mobile station, said priority authority identifier information providing a priority access level for said mobile station, further comprises: reading said priority authority identifier information from a device management tree of a mobile station.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: reading said priority authority identifier information from a CDMA Service Table of said mobile station, said CDMA Service Table including a set of byte positions, said byte positions storing said priority authority identifier information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing a multimedia session using said priority access level in response to receiving said authorization message, further comprises: establishing a voice, data, video or messaging session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending, by said mobile station, said priority authority identifier information to a home server of said multimedia network, further comprises: sending said priority authority identifier information including said priority access level, wherein said priority access level is a four bit segment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said four bit segment utilizes 0000 to indicate no priority, and increasing binary values from 0001 through 1111 to indicate correspondingly increasing levels of priority.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said home server is one of a Home Location Register (HLR) or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS).

9. A multimedia network for providing a user priority service access to multimedia service provided by the multimedia network, the network comprising: a Home server having a multimedia priority service database, and configured to receive a priority authority identifier information from a mobile station for the purpose of verifying said mobile station's authority to access said multimedia network at a specified priority level, said specified priority level being specified by said priority authority identifier information, and to send an authorization message to said mobile station verifying that said priority authority identifier information matches a record of said multimedia priority service database; and at least one mobile station, said mobile station configured to read said priority authority identifier information from a memory, said priority authority identifier information including a priority access level for said mobile station, send said priority authority identifier information to said Home server, receive said authorization message from said Home server, and establish a multimedia session using said priority access level in response to receiving said authorization message.

10. The multimedia network of claim 9, wherein said mobile station further comprises a removable user identity module and is further configured to read said priority authority identifier information from said removable user identity module.

11. The multimedia network of claim 9, wherein said mobile station further comprises a device management tree and is further configured to read said priority authority identifier information from said device management tree.

12. The multimedia network of claim 10, wherein said mobile station further comprises a CDMA Service Table, said CDMA Service Table including a set of byte positions, said byte positions storing said priority authority identifier information.

13. The multimedia network of claim 9, wherein said mobile station is further configured to establish a multimedia session including voice, data, video or messaging, using said priority access level in response to receiving said authorization message.

14. The multimedia network of claim 9,wherein said mobile station is further configured to send said priority authority identifier information to said Home server of said multimedia network wherein said priority access level is sent as a four bit segment.

15. The multimedia network of claim 14, wherein said four bit segment utilizes 0000 to indicate no priority, and increasing binary values from 0001 through 1111 to indicate correspondingly increasing levels of priority.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said home server is one of a Home Location Register (HLR) or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS).