Method and apparatus for providing an ims group

Abstract

This application provides a method and apparatus for providing IMS groups. The method is applied to an IMS group management application server and includes: upon receiving an IMS group creation request from an IMS group creator, obtaining IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator; if the obtained permissions include IMS group creation permissions allowing the creation of location-based IMS groups for the IMS group creator, obtaining UE information corresponding to the location information from the GMLC according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request; creating and storing the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and sending an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator; upon receiving a query request carrying a specified group ID from an IMS value-added service application server, sending a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID to the IMS value-added service application server. This application can improve user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for providing an IMS group. Background Technology

[0002] The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an architecture defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization that provides multimedia services based on the Internet Protocol (IP).

[0003] In an IMS network, the IMS group management application server creates IMS groups for UEs or third-party application servers, and the IMS value-added service application server calls the IMS groups provided by the IMS group management application server to provide corresponding value-added services to UEs or third-party application servers.

[0004] Here, an IMS group can include multiple UEs as members, and an IMS group can be used for a variety of value-added services, such as chat service, message distribution service, etc., or it can be used for only one value-added service.

[0005] Among these IMS groups, there are usually no IMS groups related to location information. This makes it impossible for IMS value-added service application servers to provide specific value-added services for application scenarios related to location information, such as emergency broadcast services for specific areas. As a result, the user experience of relevant users is poor. Therefore, how to provide IMS groups based on location information is one of the technical problems that need to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this application provides a method and apparatus for providing an IMS group.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a method for providing an IMS group is provided, the method being applied to an IMS group management application server, the method comprising:

[0008] When receiving an IMS group creation request from an IMS group creator, the system obtains the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator, wherein the IMS group creator is a user equipment (UE) or a third-party application server, and the IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created.

[0009] When the obtained permissions include the permission to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC) according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request, wherein the group member acquisition method is either a one-time acquisition or a periodic acquisition.

[0010] Create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created. The group ID of the created IMS group is a specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group members are the UEs included in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response.

[0011] Upon receiving a query request carrying the specified group ID from the IMS value-added service application server, a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID is sent to the IMS value-added service application server, so that the IMS value-added service application server can process the service request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, an IMS group providing apparatus is provided, the apparatus being applied to an IMS group management application server, the apparatus comprising:

[0013] The first acquisition module is used to acquire the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator when receiving an IMS group creation request from the IMS group creator. The IMS group creator is a user equipment (UE) or a third-party application server. The IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created.

[0014] The second acquisition module is used to acquire UE information corresponding to the location information from GMLC according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request when the permissions acquired by the first acquisition module include IMS group creation permission that allows the IMS group creator to create a location-based IMS group. The group member acquisition method is either one-time acquisition or periodic acquisition.

[0015] A creation module is used to create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created. The group ID of the created IMS group is a specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group members are the UEs included in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response.

[0016] A module is provided to send a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID to the IMS value-added service application server when a query request carrying the specified group ID is received from the IMS value-added service application server, so that the IMS value-added service application server can process the service request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

[0017] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application may include the following beneficial effects:

[0018] In this embodiment, when the IMS group management application server receives an IMS group creation request carrying relevant location information from the IMS group creator, it interacts with GMLC to create an IMS group based on location information. This enables the IMS value-added service application server to provide specific value-added services in application scenarios related to location information, thereby improving the user experience of relevant users.

[0019] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this application, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0021] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for providing an IMS group as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between UE1, IMS group management application server, IMS value-added service application server, and GLMC provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an IMS group providing device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0026] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the words “if” or “suppose” as used herein may be interpreted as “when…” or “when…”.

[0028] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail.

[0029] This application provides a method for providing an IMS group, which is applied to an IMS group management application server, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0030] S11. Upon receiving an IMS group creation request from the IMS group creator, obtain the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator.

[0031] In this step, the IMS group creator is either a user equipment (UE) or a third-party application server, and the IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created.

[0032] Here, the location information mentioned above can be a list of cells, a list of tracking areas, or latitude and longitude information.

[0033] Of course, the IMS group creation request can also carry the group name of the IMS group to be created, the identification information of the IMS group creator, etc., so that the IMS group management application server can record and manage it in the future.

[0034] S12. When the obtained permissions include the permission to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the GMLC according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request.

[0035] In this step, group members can be acquired either once or periodically. In one example, the UE information corresponding to the above location information can be presented in the form of a UE list. Of course, other methods can also be used, which will not be listed here.

[0036] S13. Create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created.

[0037] In this step, the group identifier (ID) of the created IMS group is the specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group member is the UE in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response.

[0038] S14. Upon receiving a query request carrying a specified group ID from the IMS value-added service application server, send a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID to the IMS value-added service application server, so that the value-added service application server can process the business request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

[0039] Specifically, in step S11 above, the IMS group management application server can obtain the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator in the following ways:

[0040] Obtain the contract information corresponding to the IMS group creator;

[0041] Obtain the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator from the obtained contract information.

[0042] The aforementioned contract information also includes other content related to the IMS group creator, which is all existing technology and will not be detailed here.

[0043] It should be noted that the IMS group management application server can also use other methods to obtain the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator, which will not be listed here.

[0044] It should be further noted that, in this embodiment of the application, in order to improve the user experience of the IMS group creator, when the IMS group management application server discovers that the permissions it has obtained include the permission to create IMS groups based on location information for the IMS group creator, it can first send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group management application server is creating the corresponding IMS group, so that the IMS creator knows the progress of the creation of the corresponding IMS group.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, if the IMS group management application server finds that the obtained permissions do not include the permission to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, or if the obtained permissions include the permission not to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, it will send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the creation of a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator is not allowed, and end the process.

[0046] Specifically, in step S12 above, the IMS group management application server can obtain UE information corresponding to location information from GMLC in the following way:

[0047] If the group member acquisition method is one-time acquisition, a UE information acquisition request carrying location information and positioning method is sent to GMLC. When the UE information corresponding to the location information located by GMLC is received from the acquisition response sent by GMLC, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the acquisition response, where the positioning method is one-time positioning.

[0048] If the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, a UE information subscription request carrying location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC. When the GMLC sends a subscription response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information first located by the GMLC after receiving the UE information subscription request, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the subscription response. The positioning method is periodic positioning, and the subscription response also carries the subscription ID assigned by the GMLC for the UE information subscription request.

[0049] It should be noted that in this acquisition process, for GMLC, whether it receives the above-mentioned UE information acquisition request or the above-mentioned UE information subscription request, it can locate the UE information corresponding to the above-mentioned location information through various existing positioning methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0050] In addition, after receiving the UE information acquisition request, if the location fails, the GMLC will send an acquisition response to the IMS group management application server to indicate the location failure. Subsequently, the IMS group management application server will send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate the failure of IMS group creation based on location information.

[0051] After receiving a UE information subscription request, if the initial location fails, the GMLC will send a subscription response to the IMS group management application server to indicate the location failure. Subsequently, the IMS group management application server will send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate the failure of IMS group creation based on location information.

[0052] Furthermore, for GMLC, when it receives the aforementioned UE information subscription request and the aforementioned UE information subscription request carries the group member update cycle, GMLC will, after obtaining the UE information corresponding to the aforementioned location information for the first time, obtain the UE information corresponding to the aforementioned location information according to the location cycle carried in the aforementioned UE information subscription request, and generate a UE information notification message to send to the IMS group management application server.

[0053] Upon receiving the aforementioned UE information subscription request, and provided that the UE information subscription request does not include a positioning period, the GMLC will, after first acquiring the UE information corresponding to the aforementioned location information, acquire the UE information corresponding to the aforementioned location information according to the positioning period pre-set locally for the aforementioned location information, and generate a UE information notification message to send to the IMS group management application server.

[0054] Accordingly, for IMS group management application servers, in order to maintain the aforementioned location information for IMS groups in a timely manner, the following operations can also be performed:

[0055] After obtaining the UE information corresponding to the location information from the GMLC, the system receives the UE information notification message sent by the GMLC according to the obtained positioning period. The UE information notification message carries the subscription ID, and the positioning period is obtained by the GMLC from the UE information subscription request. The corresponding duration is the same as the duration of the group member update period carried in the IMS group creation request, or the positioning period is preset by the GMLC for the location information.

[0056] If the UE information notification message also carries incremental UE information, then update the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the local subscription ID according to the incremental UE information.

[0057] If the UE information notification message also carries the full set of UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the local subscription ID will be replaced with the full set of UE information.

[0058] Here, when the UE information notification message carries incremental UE information, the incremental UE information only includes the UEs that moved in and the UEs that moved out; when the UE information notification message carries full UE information, the full UE information includes all UEs corresponding to the aforementioned location information obtained by GMLC in the current instance.

[0059] It should be noted that by performing the above operation process, the IMS group management application server can ensure that the members of the IMS group corresponding to the subscription ID provided to the IMS value-added service application server each time are the latest location determined by GMLC. This allows the IMS value-added service application server to accurately process the relevant service requests of the UE, thereby improving the user experience.

[0060] The following is combined Figure 2 The interaction processes between the IMS group creator (taking the UE as an example) and the IMS group management application server and the IMS value-added service application server, the interaction processes between the IMS group management application server and the GMLC, and the interaction processes between the IMS group management application server and the IMS value-added service application server describe the implementation process of the above-mentioned IMS group provision method. The specific implementation process is as follows:

[0061] 1. When UE1 needs to communicate with other UEs within a specific area, for example, when UE1 needs to broadcast an emergency message to all UEs within the specific area, UE1 sends an IMS group creation request 1 to the IMS group management application server. The IMS group creation request 1 contains the name of the IMS group to be created, the location information corresponding to the specific area, UE1's identification information, etc.

[0062] 2. When the IMS group management application server receives IMS group creation request 1, it obtains the IMS group creation permission corresponding to UE1.

[0063] In one example, when the IMS group management application server receives IMS group creation request 1, it can obtain the subscription information corresponding to UE1 and obtain the IMS group creation permission corresponding to UE1 from the subscription information.

[0064] 3. When the IMS group management application server obtains permissions including the permission to create a location-based IMS group for UE1, assuming that the group member acquisition method carried in IMS group creation request 1 is periodic acquisition, and that IMS group creation request 1 also carries the group member update cycle, the IMS group management application server sends UE information subscription request 1 carrying the location information, positioning method and positioning cycle to GMLC.

[0065] Here, the positioning method is periodic positioning, and the duration of the positioning period is the same as the duration of the group member update period carried in IMS group creation request 1.

[0066] 4. After receiving the UE information subscription request 1, GMLC assigns a unique subscription ID (e.g., subscription ID1) to the UE information subscription request and begins to locate the UE list corresponding to the location information. After successfully locating the UE list corresponding to the location information, it sends a subscription response 1 to the IMS group management application server, carrying the UE list located by GMLC for the first time and subscription ID1.

[0067] 5. After receiving subscription response 1, the IMS group management application server creates the IMS group corresponding to the location information and assigns it a specified group ID (e.g., group ID1). It then associates and stores the group ID with the subscription ID and other content carried in the IMS group creation request. After that, it sends IMS group creation response 1 to UE1 to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created.

[0068] Here, in the IMS groups stored on the application server side of the IMS group management application, different IMS groups correspond to different group IDs.

[0069] The members of the IMS group corresponding to this location information are the UEs in the UE list carried in the subscription response 1, and the IMS group creation response 1 carries group ID1.

[0070] 6. After receiving IMS group creation response 1, UE1 stores the group ID 1 carried in IMS group creation response 1. When it is necessary to broadcast an emergency message to all UEs in the IMS group corresponding to group ID 1, UE1 sends a broadcast emergency request 1 carrying group ID 1 to the IMS value-added service application server.

[0071] 7. After receiving the broadcast emergency request 1, the IMS value-added service application server sends a query request 1 carrying group ID 1 to the IMS group management application server.

[0072] 8. After receiving query request 1, the IMS group management application server sends query response 1, which carries the IMS group corresponding to group ID 1, to the IMS value-added service application server.

[0073] 9. After receiving Query Response 1, the IMS Value-Added Service Application Server processes the broadcast emergency request sent by the UE, which carries Group ID 1, based on the IMS group carried in Query Response 1. That is, the IMS Value-Added Service Application Server broadcasts the emergency message requested by the broadcast emergency request to all UEs in the IMS group.

[0074] 10. Suppose that at a certain moment, GMLC detects that the positioning period has been reached, restarts the positioning of the UE list corresponding to the location information, and after locating the corresponding UE list, generates UE information notification message 1 carrying subscription ID1 and the full UE list, and sends UE information notification message 1 to the IMS group management application server.

[0075] 11. After receiving UE Information Notification Message 1, the IMS group management application server replaces the UE list corresponding to the location information of subscription ID1 carried in the local UE Information Notification Message 1 with the full UE list carried in UE Information Notification Message 1. That is, it refreshes the UE list corresponding to the location information of subscription ID1 carried in UE Information Notification Message 1 so that the IMS value-added service application server can process relevant business requests based on the latest UE list.

[0076] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, in the embodiments of this application, when the IMS group management application server receives an IMS group creation request carrying relevant location information from the IMS group creator, it realizes the creation of the IMS group based on location information by interacting with GMLC. This enables the IMS value-added service application server to provide specific value-added services in application scenarios related to location information, thereby improving the user experience of relevant users.

[0077] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides an IMS group providing device, which is applied to an IMS group management application server, and its structural schematic diagram is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, it specifically includes:

[0078] The first acquisition module 31 is used to acquire the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator when receiving an IMS group creation request from the IMS group creator, wherein the IMS group creator is a user equipment UE or a third-party application server, and the IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created.

[0079] The second acquisition module 32 is used to acquire UE information corresponding to the location information from the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request when the permissions acquired by the first acquisition module 31 include IMS group creation permission that allows the IMS group creator to create a location-based IMS group. The group member acquisition method is either one-time acquisition or periodic acquisition.

[0080] The creation module 33 is used to create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created. The group ID of the created IMS group is a specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group members are the UEs included in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response.

[0081] The module 34 is configured to send a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID to the IMS value-added service application server when it receives a query request carrying the specified group ID from the IMS value-added service application server, so that the IMS value-added service application server can process the service request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

[0082] Preferably, the first acquisition module 31 is specifically used for:

[0083] Obtain the contract information corresponding to the IMS group creator;

[0084] Obtain the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator from the obtained contract information.

[0085] Preferably, the device further includes:

[0086] First sending module ( Figure 3 (Not shown in the image) is used to send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator, indicating that the creation of a location-based IMS group is not permitted, when the obtained permissions do not include the permission to create an IMS group for the IMS group creator, or when the obtained permissions include the permission not to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator.

[0087] Preferably, the second acquisition module 32 is specifically used for:

[0088] If the group member acquisition method is one-time acquisition, then a UE information acquisition request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC, and when the GMLC sends an acquisition response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information located by the GMLC in one-time positioning, the UE information corresponding to the location information is acquired from the acquisition response, wherein the positioning method is one-time positioning;

[0089] If the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, then a UE information subscription request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC. When the GMLC sends a subscription response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information that the GMLC first locates after receiving the UE information subscription request, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the subscription response. The positioning method is periodic positioning, and the subscription response also carries the subscription ID assigned by the GMLC to the UE information subscription request.

[0090] Preferably, when the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, the device further includes:

[0091] Maintenance module ( Figure 3 (Not shown in the image), is used to receive a UE information notification message sent by the GMLC according to the obtained positioning period after obtaining the UE information corresponding to the location information from the GMLC. The UE information notification message carries the subscription ID, and the positioning period is obtained by the GMLC from the UE information subscription request. The corresponding duration is the same as the duration of the group member update period carried in the IMS group creation request, or the positioning period is preset by the GMLC for the location information.

[0092] If the UE information notification message also carries incremental UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the subscription ID in the local system is updated according to the incremental UE information.

[0093] If the UE information notification message also carries the full set of UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the local subscription ID will be replaced with the full set of UE information.

[0094] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, in the embodiments of this application, when the IMS group management application server receives an IMS group creation request carrying relevant location information from the IMS group creator, it realizes the creation of the IMS group based on location information by interacting with GMLC. This enables the IMS value-added service application server to provide specific value-added services in application scenarios related to location information, thereby improving the user experience of relevant users.

[0095] This application also provides an electronic device, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes a processor 41 and a machine-readable storage medium 42, the machine-readable storage medium 42 storing machine-executable instructions that can be executed by the processor 41, the processor 41 being prompted by the machine-executable instructions to implement the steps of the above-described IMS group providing method.

[0096] The aforementioned machine-readable storage medium may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the machine-readable storage medium may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor.

[0097] The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, including central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), etc.; they can also be digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0098] In another embodiment provided in this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method provided by the IMS group described above.

[0099] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for providing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) group, characterized in that, The method is applied to an IMS group management application server, and the method includes: When receiving an IMS group creation request from an IMS group creator, the system obtains the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator, wherein the IMS group creator is a user equipment (UE) or a third-party application server, and the IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created. When the obtained permissions include the permission to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request. The group member acquisition method is either a one-time acquisition or a periodic acquisition. Create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created. The group ID of the created IMS group is a specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group members are the UEs included in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response. Upon receiving a query request carrying the specified group ID from the IMS value-added service application server, a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID is sent to the IMS value-added service application server, so that the IMS value-added service application server can process the service request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Obtaining the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator specifically includes: Obtain the contract information corresponding to the IMS group creator; Obtain the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator from the obtained contract information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the obtained permissions do not include permission to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, or if the obtained permissions include permission not to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator, an IMS group creation response indicating that permission not to create a location-based IMS group for the IMS group creator shall be sent to the IMS group creator.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the GMLC, specifically including: If the group member acquisition method is one-time acquisition, then a UE information acquisition request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC, and when the GMLC sends an acquisition response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information located by the GMLC in one-time positioning, the UE information corresponding to the location information is acquired from the acquisition response, wherein the positioning method is one-time positioning; If the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, then a UE information subscription request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC. When the GMLC sends a subscription response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information that the GMLC first locates after receiving the UE information subscription request, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the subscription response. The positioning method is periodic positioning, and the subscription response also carries the subscription ID assigned by the GMLC to the UE information subscription request.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the method for obtaining group members is periodic, the method further includes: After obtaining the UE information corresponding to the location information from the GMLC, the system receives a UE information notification message sent by the GMLC according to the obtained positioning period. The UE information notification message carries the subscription ID, and the positioning period is obtained by the GMLC from the UE information subscription request. The corresponding duration is the same as the duration of the group member update period carried in the IMS group creation request, or the positioning period is preset by the GMLC for the location information. If the UE information notification message also carries incremental UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the subscription ID in the local system is updated according to the incremental UE information. If the UE information notification message also carries the full set of UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the local subscription ID will be replaced with the full set of UE information.

6. A device for providing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) group, characterized in that, The device is used in an IMS group management application server, and the device includes: The first acquisition module is used to acquire the IMS group creation permission corresponding to the IMS group creator when receiving an IMS group creation request from the IMS group creator. The IMS group creator is a user equipment (UE) or a third-party application server. The IMS group creation request carries the location information corresponding to the IMS group to be created. The second acquisition module is used to acquire UE information corresponding to the location information from the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) according to the group member acquisition method carried in the IMS group creation request when the permissions acquired by the first acquisition module include IMS group creation permission that allows the IMS group creator to create a location-based IMS group. The group member acquisition method is either one-time acquisition or periodic acquisition. A creation module is used to create and store the IMS group corresponding to the location information, and send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator to indicate that the IMS group corresponding to the location information has been successfully created. The group ID of the created IMS group is a specified group ID assigned by the IMS group management application server, the corresponding group members are the UEs included in the UE information, and the specified group ID is carried in the IMS group creation response. A module is provided to send a query response carrying the IMS group corresponding to the specified group ID to the IMS value-added service application server when a query request carrying the specified group ID is received from the IMS value-added service application server, so that the IMS value-added service application server can process the service request carrying the specified group ID sent by the IMS group creator based on the IMS group carried in the query response.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first acquisition module is specifically used for: Obtain the contract information corresponding to the IMS group creator; Obtain the IMS group creation permissions corresponding to the IMS group creator from the obtained contract information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The device further includes: The first sending module is configured to send an IMS group creation response to the IMS group creator, indicating that the creation of a location-based IMS group is not permitted, when the obtained permissions do not include the permission to create an IMS group for the IMS group creator, or when the obtained permissions include the permission not to create an IMS group for the IMS group creator.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second acquisition module is specifically used for: If the group member acquisition method is one-time acquisition, then a UE information acquisition request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC, and when the GMLC sends an acquisition response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information located by the GMLC in one-time positioning, the UE information corresponding to the location information is acquired from the acquisition response, wherein the positioning method is one-time positioning; If the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, then a UE information subscription request carrying the location information and positioning method is sent to the GMLC. When the GMLC sends a subscription response carrying the UE information corresponding to the location information that the GMLC first locates after receiving the UE information subscription request, the UE information corresponding to the location information is obtained from the subscription response. The positioning method is periodic positioning, and the subscription response also carries the subscription ID assigned by the GMLC to the UE information subscription request.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the group member acquisition method is periodic acquisition, the device further includes: The maintenance module is used to receive a UE information notification message sent by the GMLC according to the obtained positioning period after obtaining the UE information corresponding to the location information from the GMLC. The UE information notification message carries the subscription ID, and the positioning period is obtained by the GMLC from the UE information subscription request. The corresponding duration is the same as the duration of the group member update period carried in the IMS group creation request, or the positioning period is preset by the GMLC for the location information. If the UE information notification message also carries incremental UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the subscription ID in the local system is updated according to the incremental UE information. If the UE information notification message also carries the full set of UE information, then the UE information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the local subscription ID will be replaced with the full set of UE information.

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