Multi-party call method, device, system and user equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-party call method, device and system and user equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The multi-party call method is executed by first user equipment, and comprises the following steps: interaction with second user equipment participating in a multi-party call is carried out through an application program installed on the first user equipment, the second user equipment is provided with the application program, the multi-party call is carried out based on an IP multimedia subsystem IMS, and a server of the application program participates in the multi-party call.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, system, and user equipment for multi-party communication. Background Technology

[0002] The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) relies on the transport network to implement multimedia services. For example, IMS can provide multi-party calling services for a group of users, enriching the ways users can communicate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One of the technical problems this disclosure aims to solve is: how to improve the diversity of interaction methods in multi-party calls.

[0004] According to a first aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for multi-party calling is provided, performed by a first user equipment, comprising: interacting with a second user equipment participating in the multi-party call through an application installed on the first user equipment, wherein the second user equipment has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and a server of the application participates in the multi-party call.

[0005] In some embodiments, interacting with a second user device participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on a first user device includes: sending data to a server of the application, wherein the data is generated in response to an operation performed by the first user device on the application, to share the data with the second user device via the application's server.

[0006] In some embodiments, the application's server is used to perform at least one of the following: data storage and management, wherein the data is data sent by a first user device and / or a second user device.

[0007] In some embodiments, the server of the first user equipment and the server of the application communicate with the application server of IMS as the relay anchor point and transmit data through the data channel (DC) of IMS.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending a service request to an enabling server to determine the server for the application.

[0009] In some embodiments, service requirements include at least one of call volume, location information, and service information.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further includes: requesting the application from the DCAR if the enabling server determines that the application is included in the Data Channel Application Repository (DCAR).

[0011] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the DCAR includes: requesting the application from the DCAR via the Data Channel Signalling Function (DCSF); and receiving the application transmitted by the DCAR via the DCSF.

[0012] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the DCAR via the data channel signaling function DCSF includes: sending a first download request to the DCSF, so that the DCSF determines the application based on the first download request and requests the application from the DCAR.

[0013] In some embodiments, an application that receives DCAR transmissions via DCSF includes an application that receives DCSF transmissions after the DCAR has transmitted the application to DCSF.

[0014] In some embodiments, the application is uploaded to the DCAR by the application's server using an enabling server.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method further includes: requesting the application's server to retrieve the application if the enabling server determines that the application is not included in the DCAR.

[0016] In some embodiments, requesting the application from the application's server includes: requesting the application from the application server by enabling the server; and receiving the application transmitted by the application's server by enabling the server.

[0017] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the application's server by enabling the server includes: sending a second download request to the enabling server, so that the enabling server requests the application from the application's server based on the second download request.

[0018] In some embodiments, receiving an application transmitted by an application server through an enabling server includes: receiving the application transmitted by the enabling server after the application server transmits the application to the enabling server.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further includes: enabling the server to call the application's server to invite the application's server to participate in a multi-party call.

[0020] In some embodiments, calling an application's server through an enabling server includes: determining the identifier of the application's server through the enabling server; sending a call request to the enabling server using the Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) of IMS based on the identifier of the application's server; and sending the call request to the application's server through the enabling server.

[0021] According to a second aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, the user equipment being a first user equipment, comprising: an interaction module configured to interact with a second user equipment participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on the user equipment, wherein the second user equipment has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and the server of the application participates in the multi-party call.

[0022] According to a third aspect of some embodiments of this disclosure, a multi-party calling system is provided, comprising: a user equipment as described above; a second user equipment; and an application server.

[0023] In some embodiments, the system further includes an enabling server configured to transmit applications to a user device.

[0024] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive service requests sent by user equipment; and determine the server of the application corresponding to the service request.

[0025] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to determine whether the DCAR includes an application.

[0026] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a second download request from the user equipment when the DCAR does not include the application; send a third download request to the application's server based on the second download request; receive the application transmitted by the application's server; and transmit the application to the user equipment using the IMS data channel.

[0027] In some embodiments, the third download request includes at least one of the user device's authentication information and identity information.

[0028] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: determine the server of the candidate application that meets the business requirements based on the business requirements; and determine the server of the application corresponding to the business requirements from the servers of the candidate applications based on at least one of load information and latency information.

[0029] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to send a service response to the user equipment, wherein the service response includes information about the application's server, and the information about the application's server includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the application's server, the load information of the application's server, and the latency information of the application's server.

[0030] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive applications uploaded by the server; and upload the applications to the IMS DCAR.

[0031] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a first upload request sent by the application's server, wherein the first upload request includes application information; based on the first upload request, send a second upload request to the IMS's DCSF, wherein the second upload request includes application information; receive a second upload response sent by the DCSF, wherein the second upload response includes the application's encoding determined by the DCSF; based on the second upload response, send a first upload response to the application's server; receive the application sent by the application's server; and upload the application to the DCAR via the DCSF and in conjunction with the application's encoding.

[0032] In some embodiments, the application information includes at least one of the following: media stream information corresponding to the application, service information, and Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0033] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive the updated application uploaded by the application's server; and upload the updated application to the IMS's DCAR.

[0034] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a first update request sent by the server of the application, wherein the first update request includes an updated application; and based on the first update request, transmit the updated application to the DCSF of the IMS to upload the updated application to the DCAR via the DCSF.

[0035] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a call request sent by a user equipment via the S-CSCF of IMS, wherein the call request includes information about the application's server; and forward the call request to the application's server to enable the user equipment to communicate with the application's server.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus for multi-party calling is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the multi-party calling method as described above.

[0037] According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having computer instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method described above.

[0038] According to a sixth aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of multi-party calling as described above.

[0039] This disclosure enables user devices to interact through applications by adding an application server to multi-party calls. This allows user devices to interact through a variety of applications during multi-party calls, thereby increasing the diversity of interaction methods.

[0040] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0042] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for multi-party communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a multi-party call service architecture according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a user device requesting an application is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of uploading an application to a server according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0046] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of a user device requesting an application from an application server according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of an application server participating in a multi-party call according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0049] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-party call system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0050] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-party call system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0051] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0052] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0054] The existing IMS network mechanism can provide multi-party calling (or multi-party session) services for a group of users. It uses the Session Initialization Protocol (SIP) to allow multiple users to join the same call and transmits data, including audio and video streams, based on the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP), ensuring call quality. However, its service cannot provide users with richer interactive methods, such as file transfer, multi-functional interfaces, and sharing operations, which limits the user's utilization of IMS calls.

[0055] Compared to OTT (Over the Top) calls, IMS calls offer higher QoS guarantees, such as reduced jitter, packet loss, and latency. However, many users only use IMS for voice / video calls and rarely utilize it for multi-party calls, such as video conferencing. This hinders operators from providing users with a richer range of calling services through IMS.

[0056] Current IMS data channel technology adds a channel for transmitting multimedia data in addition to voice and video channels. This data channel (also called a data channel) can be used to transmit other forms of communication data besides voice and video, such as application downloads, sensory data, and extended reality (XR) data. Therefore, IMS calling still has significant potential to provide users with a richer and more diverse range of communication services.

[0057] Based on this, this disclosure provides a method for multi-party communication.

[0058] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for multi-party communication according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the method of this embodiment is executed by a first user equipment and includes step S102.

[0059] The first user device is the device participating in the multi-party call, such as various terminal devices like mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

[0060] In step S102, the second user device participating in the multi-party call interacts with an application installed on the first user device. The second user device has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and the application's server participates in the multi-party call.

[0061] The first user device has the application required for multi-party calling installed. The application can provide the corresponding interface and interactive functions for the call. For example, when conducting a multi-party conference call with the second user device, the user can submit their own files through the functions in the application and operate and display the files through the interface of the application.

[0062] By adding the application's server to multi-party calls, the first and second user devices can interact during the call by installing the application. The application's server, acting as a storage server for interactive data such as files and call logs, enriches the diversity of multi-party call formats.

[0063] In some embodiments, interacting with a second user device participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on a first user device includes: sending data to a server of the application, wherein the data is generated in response to an operation performed by the first user device on the application, to share the data with the second user device via the application's server.

[0064] A first user device operates an application, such as submitting a file to the application. The application's server receives the file submitted by the first user device through the application and shares it with a second user device that has the application installed in the multi-party call. This allows the first and second user devices to conduct further communication based on the file. For example, operations performed by the first user device on the file can be shared with the second user device.

[0065] In other words, the application's server can share instructions from the first user device with the second user device. The first and second user devices can then engage in richer communication beyond just voice and video calls. For example, a multi-party call could take the form of a video conference between the first and second user devices, allowing them to share files, demonstrate operations, and perform other tasks.

[0066] In a multi-party call, in addition to the first and second user devices, a third user device may also be present, provided that the aforementioned application is not installed on the third user device. That is, multi-party calls do not restrict all user devices from having the same application installed; rather, user devices with the same application installed can interact through that application. For example, when the first and second user devices share files via the application, the third user device cannot share the file, but can still conduct voice and video communication normally.

[0067] In some embodiments, the application's server is used to perform at least one of the following: data storage and management, wherein the data is data sent by a first user device and / or a second user device.

[0068] That is, the application's server can store, manage, and share data according to the user device's instructions. For example, in the above embodiment, the application's server can store a file stored by the first user device so that the first user device and / or the second user device can still retrieve the file through the application after the multi-party call ends.

[0069] In some embodiments, the server of the first user equipment and the server of the application communicate with the application server of IMS as the relay anchor point and transmit data through the data channel of IMS.

[0070] The servers of the first user equipment and application, and the servers of the second user equipment and application, use the IMS application server as a relay anchor to realize basic multi-party calls, such as audio and video communication.

[0071] The first user device and the application server, and the second user device and the application server, transmit multimedia data (excluding audio and video) through the IMS data channel. For example, the first user device submits a file to the application server through a first data channel with the application server; the application server shares the file with the second user device through a second data channel with the second user device.

[0072] By adding the application's server to multi-party calls, user devices can interact through the application. This allows user devices to interact through a variety of applications during multi-party calls, thereby increasing the diversity of interaction methods.

[0073] The applications used by user equipment in multi-party calls can be downloaded and installed before or during the multi-party call. The user equipment can determine the application based on business needs.

[0074] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending a service request to an enabling server to determine the server of the application.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first user equipment (UAE) sends a service request to the enabling server based on a service client and an enabling client on the UAE. Specifically, the service client on the UAE sends the service request to the enabling client, which then forwards it to the enabling server. The service client is the main client used by the UAE for multi-party calls, while the enabling client provides the applications or services required for multi-party calls. For example, the first and second UAEs implement video conferencing communication in the service client; that is, the service client has the applications required for video conferencing installed, and these applications are obtained through the enabling client and the enabling server.

[0076] Business requirements include at least one of the following: call volume, location information, and business information. Call volume may include, for example, the number of user devices participating in the multi-party call; location information may include, for example, the geographical location of the user devices participating in the multi-party call; and business information may include, for example, the type of multimedia data transmitted in the multi-party call.

[0077] The enabling server is implemented using the enabling layer. The enabling layer is a trusted software platform deployed outside the core network, customized by operators or equipment manufacturers according to their services. By integrating network-side and application-side information and interfaces, the enabling layer exposes itself to user devices and application servers, improving the user experience through a service-oriented platform and reducing signaling overhead and service latency. The enabling server can also be called an Emtel Enabler Server (EES) to indicate its purpose of providing various types of new calls.

[0078] Enabling the server to manage and upload applications reduces the interaction between the application server and the core network, thereby improving the network's ability to manage multi-party calls and reducing the management burden on the core network for call service applications.

[0079] The application's server registers with the enabling server. Upon receiving a business request, the enabling server retrieves the application servers registered with it to determine which server can meet the business request and whether the application server has uploaded the application to the DataChannel Application Repository (DCAR).

[0080] DCAR is responsible for storing data channel applications. Application servers can upload applications to DCAR for user devices to download and install. Using DCAR can improve application management efficiency, such as facilitating batch downloads of applications.

[0081] In some embodiments, the application is uploaded to the DCAR by the application's server using an enabling server. That is, the application's server sends an upload request to the enabling server to upload the application to the DCAR.

[0082] In some embodiments, the method further includes: requesting the application from the DCAR if the enabling server determines that the application is included in the data channel application repository DCAR.

[0083] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the DCAR includes: requesting the application from the DCAR via the Data Channel Signaling Function (DCSF); and receiving the application transmitted by the DCAR via the DCSF.

[0084] The DCSF is responsible for signaling transmission and control in the IMS network. The first user equipment requests an application from the DCSF through a relay anchor in the IMS network. The DCSF retrieves the application from the DCAR and, after confirming that the application requested by the first user equipment exists in the DCAR, requests the transmission of the application from the DCAR.

[0085] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the DCAR via the data channel signaling function DCSF includes: sending a first download request to the DCSF, so that the DCSF determines the application based on the first download request and requests the application from the DCAR.

[0086] In some embodiments, an application that receives DCAR transmissions via DCSF includes an application that receives DCSF transmissions after the DCAR has transmitted the application to DCSF.

[0087] In some embodiments, the DCSF verifies the validity of the first download request before requesting the DCAR to transmit the application. The DCSF, for example, verifies the user identity of the first user equipment, i.e., performs authentication, to determine the validity of the first download request, thereby ensuring the security of the IMS network.

[0088] In some embodiments, the method further includes: requesting the application's server to retrieve the application if the enabling server determines that the application is not included in the DCAR.

[0089] In other words, besides requesting the application from the DCAR, the first user equipment can also directly request the application from the application's server. When the DCAR includes the application, the signaling interaction for requesting the application from the DCAR is reduced, thus lessening the burden on the application's server. Furthermore, when the DCAR includes the application, the first user equipment can also directly request the application from the application's server.

[0090] In some embodiments, requesting the application from the application's server includes: requesting the application from the application server by enabling the server; and receiving the application transmitted by the application's server by enabling the server.

[0091] In some embodiments, requesting an application from the application's server by enabling the server includes: sending a second download request to the enabling server, so that the enabling server requests the application from the application's server based on the second download request.

[0092] In some embodiments, receiving an application transmitted by an application server through an enabling server includes: receiving the application transmitted by the enabling server after the application server transmits the application to the enabling server.

[0093] That is, after the first user device sends a second download request to the application server through the enabling server, the application server transmits the application to the enabling server, and the enabling server transmits the application to the first user device through the data channel between the enabling server and the first user device.

[0094] In the above embodiments, taking a first user equipment as an example, the process by which the user equipment can determine the application server and obtain the application by enabling the server is described. In fact, the above process is also applicable to other user equipment; for example, a second user equipment can also obtain the application based on a similar process. Further details will not be elaborated here.

[0095] In some embodiments, the method further includes: enabling the server to call the application's server to invite the application's server to participate in a multi-party call.

[0096] In some embodiments, calling an application's server via an enabling server includes: determining the identifier of the application's server via the enabling server; sending a call request to the enabling server using the Service Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) of IMS based on the identifier of the application's server; and sending the call request to the application's server via the enabling server.

[0097] The above embodiments describe how the enabling server, after receiving a service request from a first user device, determines the application server. The enabling server can send a response to the service request to the first user device, which includes information about the application server, such as the server's identifier, load, latency, and other hardware and software information.

[0098] After determining the identifier of the application's server, the first user equipment initiates a call via the IMS network, i.e., sends a call request to the S-CSCF. In some embodiments, the call request includes service information.

[0099] The S-CSCF is the core of the IMS network, providing registration requests and session control for user equipment. Based on the call request from the first user equipment, the S-CSCF determines the data channel between the application server and the first user equipment, as well as the data transmission and audio / video communication anchor point (TAS). The S-CSCF forwards the call request to the TAS and invokes the necessary data channel to inform the TAS of information about the application server, such as the server's identifier, address, and the enabling server it belongs to.

[0100] Based on the information sent by the S-CSCF, the TAS forwards the call request to the enabling server. The enabling server then sends the call request to the application server, informing it of the first user equipment's information and service details. Upon receiving the call request from the first user equipment, the application server can send a call response to the first user equipment according to the call request's receiving path. Subsequently, the application server can communicate with the first user equipment through the data channel defined by the S-CSCF.

[0101] In the above embodiments, the first user device is used as an example to call the application server. In fact, other user devices participating in the multi-party call, such as the second user device, can also make the call, which will not be elaborated here.

[0102] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a multi-party call service architecture according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the user equipment has a service client and an enabling client installed. The service client is the client that invokes multi-party call services. The service client executes multi-party call services through an application; therefore, the service client can also be called an application client. The enabling client and enabling server are used to assist in realizing diverse interactions in multi-party calls, such as determining applications that meet the business requirements of the service client.

[0103] The network uses an EPC or 5GC architecture, and IMS supports data channel services, providing users with call media streaming channels in addition to audio and video. The enabling layer integrates various service interfaces such as N33 / DC4 / MDC2 / MDC3. The enabling server, deployed on the network side of the enabling layer, manages application downloads and uploads. The enabling server manages servers for multiple applications, providing diverse multi-party calling services to user devices.

[0104] The service client on the user device sends service requests to the enabling client. The enabling client then forwards these requests to the enabling server. The enabling server, by accessing information developed in the core network, determines the server of the application that meets the service requirements for the user device. This application server then transmits the application to the service client via a data channel. The application server participates in multi-party calls involving the user device and can provide different applications and user interfaces. The application server can also store user data, including files, call logs, demo videos, and shared data, and can manage the stored data according to user instructions.

[0105] like Figure 2As shown, the business client and the application server can transmit the application (APP-1) through a data channel. The enabled client and the enabled server can conduct a new call 1 (eMMTel-1), and the enabled server and the application server can conduct a new call 2 (eMMTel-2). The enabled client and the enabled server can be regarded as a new call platform, through which user equipment realizes a variety of multi-party call services.

[0106] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a user device requesting an application according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 3 As shown, steps S302 to S308 are included.

[0107] In step S302, the user equipment (i.e., the service client) sends an application download request (i.e., the first download request) to the DCSF through a relay anchor in the IMS network. The request contains a description of the required service.

[0108] In step S304, the DCSF verifies the validity of the first download request, extracts the service description parameters, and retrieves the application that meets the requirements from the DCAR. It then sends an application download request to the DCAR.

[0109] In step S306, DCAR sends an application download response to DCSF, that is, the application is transferred to DCSF.

[0110] In step S308, the DCSF reuses the relay anchor point in S302 to send an application download response to the service client, that is, to transmit the application to the service client.

[0111] Uploading applications to DCAR via the application's server allows user devices to directly request applications from DCAR, thereby reducing the process for user devices to obtain applications and alleviating the burden on the application's server.

[0112] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of uploading an application to a server according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 4 As shown, it includes steps S402 to S410.

[0113] In step S402, the application's server sends an application upload request to the enabling server. The request includes specific parameters of the application, such as a description of the media stream, service information, and QoS information.

[0114] In step S404, the enabling server sends an application upload request to the DCSF, which means that the enabling server notifies the DCSF to accept the application. The message includes the specific parameters from step S402.

[0115] In step S406, DCSF assigns a unique code to the application based on the specific parameters of the application and sends an application upload response to the enabling server, which includes the application's unique code.

[0116] In some embodiments, DCSF also subscribes to application update notifications from the enabling server.

[0117] In step S408, the enabling server sends an application upload response to the application's server, that is, informing the application's server that the application can be uploaded.

[0118] In step S410, the application server uploads the application to DCAR through the enable server and DCSF.

[0119] The application server uploads the application to the DCAR, thereby enabling the application to be provided to the user device through the DCAR. This reduces the burden on the application server to directly provide the application to the user device and also helps to unify the management of applications in the data channel.

[0120] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating a process in which a user device requests an application from an application server according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 As shown, steps S502 to S510 are included.

[0121] In step S502, the business client sends an application request report to the enabling client, that is, sends a business requirement, so that the enabling client can trigger the server discovery process of the application.

[0122] In step S504, the enabling client sends a server discovery request for the data channel application to the enabling server it has registered with, that is, it sends a server discovery trigger request for the application. The request includes session size, location information, service information, etc.

[0123] In step S506, the enabling server retrieves the servers of registered applications to obtain the servers of applications that meet the business requirements, and selects the optimal application server as the application server for the user device based on parameters such as the load and latency requirements of these application servers.

[0124] In step S508, the enabling server sends an application download request to the application server based on the application server of the user device determined in step S506. The request includes the authentication and identity information of the business client.

[0125] In step S510, the enabling server sends a server discovery response for the data channel application to the business client. The response includes information about the application server, such as the server's identifier, load, latency, and other hardware and software information. The server then calls the data channel to transmit the application to the business client.

[0126] User devices obtain applications from application servers through the enabling server. In other words, the enabling server centrally manages application downloads, which reduces the difficulty for user devices to obtain applications. User devices only need to inform the enabling server of their business requirements, and the enabling server can determine the corresponding application server and then download and install the application.

[0127] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of a server participating in a multi-party call in an application according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 6 As shown, it includes steps S602 to S610.

[0128] In step S602, the service client initiates a call through the IMS core network based on the identifier (e.g., ID) of the application server provided by the enabling server, that is, sends a call application server request to the S-CSCF.

[0129] In step S604, the S-CSCF selects and invokes the appropriate data channel based on the business request from the business customer, and determines the required data transmission and video / audio communication anchor TAS. The S-CSCF sends a request to the selected TAS to call the application's server, designates the TAS as the communication anchor, invokes the required data channel, and informs the TAS of information about the application's server, such as the server's identifier, address (IP), and the enabling server it belongs to.

[0130] In step S606, the relay anchor sends a call application server request to the enabling server based on the server information of the application and the enabling server information provided by the S-CSCF.

[0131] In step S608, after the server verifies the validity of the request, it sends a request to the application's server to call the application's server, and informs it of the corresponding business client information and business information.

[0132] In step S610, the application's server sends a call response to the business client using the call path described above, and then communicates through the invoked data channel.

[0133] User equipment identifies and calls the application server through the enabling server. In other words, the user equipment only needs to determine its own needs and inform the enabling server. The enabling server acts as an intermediary negotiation platform between the user equipment and the application server, enabling the user equipment to achieve diverse multi-party calls in a timely manner.

[0134] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the user equipment is the first user equipment 70, which includes an interaction module 710.

[0135] The interaction module 710 is configured to interact with a second user device participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on a user device, wherein the second user device has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and the server of the application participates in the multi-party call.

[0136] In some embodiments, the interaction module 710 is configured to send data to the application's server, wherein the data is generated in response to an operation performed by the first user device on the application to share the data with the second user device via the application's server.

[0137] In some embodiments, the application's server is used to perform at least one of the following: data storage and management, wherein the data is data sent by a first user device and / or a second user device.

[0138] In some embodiments, the server of the first user equipment and the server of the application communicate with the application server of IMS as the relay anchor point and transmit data through the data channel of IMS.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to send a service request to an enabling server to determine the server of the application.

[0140] In some embodiments, service requirements include at least one of call volume, location information, and service information.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to request the application from the DCAR if the enabling server determines that the application is included in the data channel application repository DCAR.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to request an application from the DCAR via the Data Channel Signalling Function (DCSF) and to receive the application transmitted by the DCAR via the DCSF.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to send a first download request to the DCSF, so that the DCSF determines the application based on the first download request and requests the application from the DCAR.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to receive the application transmitted by the DCSF after the DCAR transmits the application to the DCSF.

[0145] In some embodiments, the application is uploaded to the DCAR by the application's server using an enabling server.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to request the application from the application's server if the enabling server determines that the application is not included in the DCAR.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to request an application from an application server via an enabling server; and to receive an application transmitted by the application server via an enabling server.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to send a second download request to an enabling server, so that the enabling server requests the application from the application's server based on the second download request.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to receive the application transmitted by the enabling server after the application server transmits the application to the enabling server.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to call the application's server by enabling the server to invite the application's server to participate in a multi-party call.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first user equipment 70 is further configured to determine the identifier of the application's server by enabling the server; based on the identifier of the application's server, send a call request to the enabling server using the Service Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) of IMS; and send the call request to the application's server by enabling the server.

[0152] The user equipment disclosed herein can interact with other user equipment participating in a multi-party call through an application, and the application's server also participates in the multi-party call. This allows user equipment to interact through a variety of applications during a multi-party call, thereby increasing the diversity of interaction methods.

[0153] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-party call system according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 8 As shown, the multi-party calling system 80 includes a first user equipment 810 as described above; a second user equipment 820; and an application server 830.

[0154] In some embodiments, the multi-party calling system 80 also includes an enabling server configured to transmit applications to user devices.

[0155] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive service requests sent by user equipment; and determine the server of the application corresponding to the service request.

[0156] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to determine whether the DCAR includes an application.

[0157] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a second download request from the user equipment when the DCAR does not include the application; send a third download request to the application's server based on the second download request; receive the application transmitted by the application's server; and transmit the application to the user equipment using the IMS data channel.

[0158] In some embodiments, the third download request includes at least one of the user device's authentication information and identity information.

[0159] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: determine the server of the candidate application that meets the business requirements based on the business requirements; and determine the server of the application corresponding to the business requirements from the servers of the candidate applications based on at least one of load information and latency information.

[0160] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to send a service response to the user equipment, wherein the service response includes information about the application's server, and the information about the application's server includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the application's server, the load information of the application's server, and the latency information of the application's server.

[0161] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive applications uploaded by the server; and upload the applications to the IMS DCAR.

[0162] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a first upload request sent by the application's server, wherein the first upload request includes application information; based on the first upload request, send a second upload request to the IMS's DCSF, wherein the second upload request includes application information; receive a second upload response sent by the DCSF, wherein the second upload response includes the application's encoding determined by the DCSF; based on the second upload response, send a first upload response to the application's server; receive the application sent by the application's server; and upload the application to the DCAR via the DCSF and in conjunction with the application's encoding.

[0163] In some embodiments, the application information includes at least one of the following: media stream information corresponding to the application, service information, and Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0164] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive the updated application uploaded by the application's server; and upload the updated application to the IMS's DCAR.

[0165] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a first update request sent by the server of the application, wherein the first update request includes an updated application; and based on the first update request, transmit the updated application to the DCSF of the IMS to upload the updated application to the DCAR via the DCSF.

[0166] In some embodiments, the enabling server is configured to: receive a call request sent by a user equipment via the S-CSCF of IMS, wherein the call request includes information about the application's server; and forward the call request to the application's server to enable the user equipment to communicate with the application's server.

[0167] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-party call system according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 9 The multi-party calling system 90 includes user equipment 910, other user equipment 920, and application server 930, all of which are in the multi-party call and communicate through IMS application server 940 as a communication anchor.

[0168] After user equipment 910 discovers application server 930 through enabling server 950, if application server 930 has already stored the application in DCAR 960, then user equipment 910 can request to download the application from DCAR 960. The path for user equipment 910 to request to download the application from DCAR 960 is, for example, user equipment 910-S-CSCF970-IMS application server 980-DCSF 990-DCAR 960. The application in DCAR 960 is uploaded by application server 930, with the upload path being application server 930-enabling server 950-DCSF 990-DCAR 960. Application server 930 will keep the application in DCAR 960 updated to ensure that the version of the application downloaded by all user equipment is consistent. Figure 9 The IMS application server 940 and IMS application server 980 are used to describe the communication path of the user equipment in a multi-party call and the path of the user equipment to download the application from the DCAR, respectively. IMS application server 940 and IMS application server 980 can be the same IMS application server or different IMS application servers.

[0169] If the application server 960 does not store the application in the DCAR 970, then the user equipment 910 can directly request to download the application from the application server 960.

[0170] The user equipment in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by various computing devices or computer systems, as described below. Figure 10 as well as Figure 11 Describe it.

[0171] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 10 As shown, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a memory 1010 and a processor 1020 coupled to the memory 1010. The processor 1020 is configured to execute a multi-party call method in any of the embodiments of this disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 1010.

[0172] The memory 1010 may include, for example, system memory, fixed non-volatile storage media, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.

[0173] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 11As shown, the electronic device 110 of this embodiment includes a memory 1110 and a processor 1120, which are similar to the memory 1010 and processor 1020, respectively. It may also include an input / output interface 1130, a network interface 1140, a storage interface 1150, etc. These interfaces 1130, 1140, 1150, and the memory 1110 and processor 1120 can be connected, for example, via a bus 1160. The input / output interface 1130 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. The network interface 1140 provides a connection interface for various networked devices, such as connecting to a database server or cloud storage server. The storage interface 1150 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives.

[0174] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the program, when executed by a processor, implements any of the aforementioned methods for multi-party communication.

[0175] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the foregoing methods of multi-party communication.

[0176] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0177] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create a machine for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0178] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0179] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0180] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for multi-party communication, performed by a first user equipment, comprising: The user interacts with a second user device participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on the first user device, wherein the second user device has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and the server of the application participates in the multi-party call.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The interaction with the second user device participating in the multi-party call via the application installed on the first user device includes: Send data to the server of the application, wherein the data is generated in response to an operation performed by the first user device on the application, so as to share the data with the second user device through the server of the application.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The application's server is used to perform at least one of the following: data storage and management, wherein the data is data sent by the first user device and / or the second user device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first user equipment and the application server, and the second user equipment and the application server communicate with the IMS application server as the relay anchor point, and transmit data through the IMS data channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Send a service request to the enabling server to determine the server for the application.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The business requirements include at least one of the following: call volume, location information, and business information.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: If the enabling server determines that the application is included in the Data Channel Application Repository (DCAR), it requests the application from the DCAR.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The step of requesting the application from the DCAR includes: The DCSF requests the application from the DCAR via the data channel signaling function; The application receives the DCAR transmission via the DCSF.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The request for the application from the DCAR via the data channel signaling function DCSF includes: A first download request is sent to the DCSF, so that the DCSF determines the application based on the first download request and requests the application from the DCAR.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The application that receives the DCAR transmission via the DCSF includes: After the DCAR transmits the application to the DCSF, the application transmitted by the DCSF is received.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The application is uploaded to the DCAR by the application's server using the enabling server.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: If the enabling server determines that the application is not included in the DCAR, it requests the application's server to retrieve the application.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The step of requesting the application from the application's server includes: The enabling server requests the application from the application server; The application is received by the server of the application through the enabling server.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The step of requesting the application from the application's server through the enabling server includes: A second download request is sent to the enabling server, so that the enabling server requests the application from the application's server based on the second download request.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The application transmitted by the server through the enabling server includes: After the application's server transmits the application to the enabling server, the application is received from the enabling server.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising: The enabling server calls the application's server to invite the application's server to participate in the multi-party call.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The server that calls the application through the enabling server includes: The enabling server determines the identifier of the application's server; Based on the server identifier of the application, a call request is sent to the enabling server using the Service Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) of the IMS. The enabling server sends the call request to the application's server.

18. A user equipment, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment, comprising: An interaction module is configured to interact with a second user device participating in a multi-party call via an application installed on the user device, wherein the second user device has the application installed, the multi-party call is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and the server of the application participates in the multi-party call.

19. A multi-party calling system, comprising: The user equipment as described in claim 18; Second user equipment. The server for the application.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising: The server is enabled and configured to transmit the application to the user equipment.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Receive the service request sent by the user equipment; Identify the server for the application that corresponds to the stated business requirements.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Determine whether the DCAR includes the application.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: If the DCAR does not include the application, a second download request sent by the user equipment is received; Based on the second download request, a third download request is sent to the server of the application; The application is received by the server from the application. The application is transmitted to the user equipment using the IMS data channel.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein, The third download request includes at least one of the user device's authentication information and identity information.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Based on the business requirements, determine the server of the candidate application that meets the business requirements; The server of the application corresponding to the business requirement is determined from the servers of the candidate applications based on at least one of load information and latency information.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Send a service response to the user equipment, wherein the service response includes information about the application's server, and the information about the application's server includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the application's server, the load information of the application's server, and the latency information of the application's server.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: The application is received by the server that uploads the application. Upload the application to the IMS's DCAR.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Receive a first upload request sent by the server of the application, wherein the first upload request includes information about the application; Based on the first upload request, a second upload request is sent to the DCSF of the IMS, wherein the second upload request includes information about the application; Receive a second upload response sent by the DCSF, wherein the second upload response includes the encoding of the application determined by the DCSF; Based on the second upload response, a first upload response is sent to the server of the application; The application is received by the server of the application. The application is uploaded to the DCAR using the DCSF and the application's encoding.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein, The information of the application includes at least one of the following: media stream information, service information, and Quality of Service (QoS) information corresponding to the application.

30. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Receive the updated application uploaded by the server of the application; The updated application is uploaded to the IMS's DCAR.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Receive a first update request sent by the server of the application, wherein the first update request includes the updated application; Based on the first update request, the updated application is transmitted to the DCSF of the IMS so that the updated application can be uploaded to the DCAR via the DCSF.

32. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The enabling server is configured as follows: Receive a call request sent by the user equipment via the S-CSCF of IMS, wherein the call request includes information about the server of the application; The call request is forwarded to the server of the application so that the user equipment can communicate with the server of the application.

33. A multi-party communication device, comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor is used to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of multi-party calling as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

34. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, wherein, When executed by the processor, this instruction implements the method of multi-party communication as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

35. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of multi-party communication as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17.

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