Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method, an apparatus and a system. The method comprises: a data channel control network element receives request information from a first communication device, the request information being used for requesting to acquire a data channel application or requesting to use a data channel application; and, according to the traffic type of the data channel application and a traffic switch state of the first communication device, rejecting the request corresponding to the request information or accepting the request corresponding to the request information, the traffic type being a traffic-exemption type or a non-traffic-exemption type, and the traffic switch state being on or off. Thus, according to the traffic type of data channel applications and the traffic switch state of the first communication device, the data channel control network element manages and controls the acquisition or use of the data channel applications, thereby avoiding waste of bandwidth resources of operator networks caused by accepting request information for non-traffic-exemption type data channel applications when the traffic switch of the first communication device is in an off state.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 6, 2023, with application number 202311665820.8 and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the IMS data channel (DC) based on the Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) audio and video communication architecture. This defines the IMS data channel (DC) by establishing one or more data channels in parallel with the audio and video channels in an IMS communication session to transmit DC application data (which can be any type of data, such as text or images). This enables real-time interaction, screen sharing, augmented reality (AR), and even a fully immersive experience with synchronized hearing, vision, and touch during IMS communication sessions (such as audio and video calls).

[0005] Based on business needs, different DC applications can have different traffic types. For example, some DC applications may have traffic types that are configured as traffic-exempt, while others may not be configured as traffic-exempt. Therefore, further research is needed to determine how to manage and control the access and use of DC applications.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method, device and system for enabling a data channel control network element to manage and control the acquisition or use of data channel applications based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the communication equipment.

[0008] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method (or information transmission method), which can be applied to a data channel control network element or a component in a data channel control network element (such as a circuit or chip). Taking the application of this method to a data channel control network element as an example, in this method, the data channel control network element receives a request message from a first communication device, and the request message is used to request to obtain a data channel application or request to use the data channel application; according to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the first communication device, the request corresponding to the request message is rejected or the request corresponding to the request message is accepted; wherein, the traffic type is a traffic exemption type or a non-traffic exemption type, and the traffic switch status is open or closed.

[0009] In this way, the data channel control network element manages and controls the acquisition or use of the data channel application according to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the first communication device, so as to avoid wasting the bandwidth resources of the operator network by accepting request information of non-traffic exemption type data channel applications when the traffic switch of the first communication device is in the closed state.

[0010] In one possible design, based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the first communication device, the request corresponding to the request information is rejected, including: determining that the traffic type is a non-traffic exemption type and the traffic switch status is closed; and sending a first response information, wherein the first response information indicates that the request corresponding to the request information is rejected.

[0011] In one possible design, based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the first communication device, a request corresponding to the request information is received, including: determining that the traffic type is a traffic exemption type and the traffic switch status is closed; and sending a second response information, wherein the second response information indicates acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information.

[0012] In one possible design, the first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

[0013] In one possible design, the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type applied by the data channel does not match the traffic switch state of the first communication device.

[0014] In this way, by sending the reason information, the first communication device is informed of the reason for rejection.

[0015] In one possible design, the request information is used to request acquisition of the data channel application, and the second response information includes the installation package of the data channel application; or, the request information is used to request use of the data channel application, and the second response information includes media resource information for establishing an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving status information from an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) application server, where the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status.

[0017] In a possible design, the receiving of the status information from the IMS application server includes: receiving a session event reporting message from the IMS application server, where the session event reporting message includes the status information.

[0018] In one possible design, the status information includes a packet switched data interruption flag.

[0019] In one possible design, the method also includes: obtaining a traffic exemption application whitelist, the traffic exemption application whitelist including multiple application identifiers, each application identifier being used to identify a data channel application identified as a traffic exemption type by the network side; based on the traffic exemption application whitelist including the identifier of the data channel application, determining that the traffic type of the data channel application is the traffic exemption type; or, based on the traffic exemption application whitelist not including the identifier of the data channel application, determining that the traffic type of the data channel application is the non-traffic exemption type.

[0020] In one possible design, the first communication device is a calling party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in an originating IMS network; or, the first communication device is a called party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

[0021] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to an IMS application server or a component in an IMS application server (such as a circuit or chip). Taking the application of this method to an IMS application server as an example, in this method, the IMS application server obtains status information of a first communication device, and the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status of the first communication device, and the flow switch status is on or off; the status information is sent to a data channel control network element, and the status information is used to accept or reject a request corresponding to the request information sent by the first communication device, and the request information is used to request to obtain a data channel application or request to use the data channel application.

[0022] In one possible design, obtaining status information of a first communication device includes: receiving a registration request message or a re-registration request message from the first communication device, where the registration request message or the re-registration request message includes the status information.

[0023] In one possible design, sending the status information to the data channel control network element includes: receiving a Session Initiation Protocol SIP message from the IMS communication control network element, the SIP message being used to manage a communication session between the first communication device and the second communication device, the communication session being associated with a data channel; and sending the status information to the data channel control network element according to the SIP message.

[0024] In one possible design, sending the status information to the data channel control network element includes: sending a session event reporting message to the data channel control network element, wherein the session event reporting message includes the status information.

[0025] In one possible design, the request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the method also includes: receiving a first response information from the data channel control network element, the first response information indicating the rejection of the request corresponding to the request information; wherein the first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

[0026] In one possible design, the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type applied by the data channel does not match the traffic switch state of the first communication device.

[0027] In one possible design, the request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the method also includes: receiving a second response information from the data channel control network element, the second response information indicating acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information; the second response information includes media resource information for establishing an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

[0028] In one possible design, the first communication device is a calling party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in an originating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in an originating IMS network; or, the first communication device is a called party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in a terminating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

[0029] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method (or information transmission method), in which an IMS application server IMS application server obtains status information of a first communication device, wherein the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status of the first communication device, and the flow switch status is on or off; the IMS application server sends the status information to a data channel control network element, and the data channel control network element receives the status information; the data channel control network element receives request information from the first communication device, and the request information is used to request to obtain a data channel application or request to use the data channel application; the data channel control network element rejects the request corresponding to the request information or accepts the request corresponding to the request information based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status; wherein the traffic type is a traffic exemption type or a non-traffic exemption type.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which has the functions of implementing the first or second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first or second aspect above. The module or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware.

[0031] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit. The communication unit can be used to send and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the communication unit can correspond to the operations described in the first or second aspect above.

[0032] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first or second aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design or implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0033] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first or second aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design or implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0034] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0035] It can be understood that in the fourth aspect above, the processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. In addition, the above processors can be one or more, and the memories can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be set separately. In the specific implementation process, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which may include an IMS application server and a data channel control network element; wherein the data channel control network element is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect above, and the IMS application server is used for the method provided in the second aspect above.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-readable instructions are stored. When a computer reads and executes the computer-readable instructions, the computer executes the method in any possible design of the first to third aspects above.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which, when read and executed by a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any possible design of the first to third aspects above.

[0039] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to read and execute a software program stored in the memory to implement a method in any possible design of the first to third aspects above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a data channel protocol stack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG4 is a flow chart of an application for obtaining a data channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a process of UE 1 and UE 2 communicating through a data channel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG7 is a possible exemplary block diagram of a device involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operating methods in the method embodiments can also be applied to device embodiments or system embodiments. In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0049] It is understood that the various numbers involved in this application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of this application. The size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic. The terms "first", "second" and other various terminology labels (if any) in the specification and claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than the content illustrated or described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, such as processes, methods, systems, products or equipment that include a series of steps or units, which are not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0050] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as the fifth generation (5G) communication system (also known as the new radio (NR) system), the fourth generation (4G) communication system (also known as the long term evolution (LTE) system), the LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, the LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system.

[0051] The following describes a communication system 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application with reference to FIG1 . It should be understood that the communication system described in this application is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on this application. Here is a brief introduction to each network element (or functional network element, functional entity, node, device, etc.) shown in FIG1 :

[0052] 1. Terminal device: A terminal device can be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, terminal device, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. It is a device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. For example, a terminal device can connect to a wireless access device via an air interface, or it can connect to a wired access device via a wired interface. In terms of product form, terminal devices can include handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, or computing devices with communication capabilities. Exemplarily, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless communication function (such as a laptop computer, a PDA, etc.), a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a smart watch, a smart bracelet, smart glasses, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a SIP phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system, a desktop computer, or a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GP) system. project, 3GPP) standard specifications, etc., are not restricted.

[0053] In the network architecture provided in the embodiments of the present application, different UEs can conduct IMS calls through the IMS network. For example, UE 1 and UE 2 in Figure 1 can conduct IMS calls through the IMS network, wherein UE 2 can be referred to as the opposite-end device of the IMS call conducted by UE 1, and similarly, UE 1 can be referred to as the opposite-end device of the IMS call conducted by UE 2. Assuming that UE 1 is the calling party user equipment and UE 2 is the called party user equipment, the IMS network providing services for UE 1 can be referred to as the originating IMS network (originating IMS), and the IMS network providing services for UE 2 can be referred to as the terminating IMS network (terminating IMS). In addition, for UE 1, the originating IMS network is the local IMS network (local IMS), and the terminating IMS network is the remote IMS network (remote IMS); for UE 2, the terminating IMS network is the local IMS network, and the originating IMS network is the remote IMS network. It is understandable that the network element architecture within the terminating IMS network is similar to the network element architecture within the originating IMS network. For the sake of simplicity, the network element architecture within the remote IMS network is not shown in the figure.

[0054] 2. Call session control function (CSCF) network element: CSCF is a functional entity within the IMS and is the core of the entire IMS. It is mainly responsible for handling signaling control during multimedia call sessions. It manages IMS user authentication, IMS bearer plane quality of service (QoS), cooperates with other network elements to control session initiation protocol (SIP) sessions, as well as service negotiation and resource allocation. For the sake of convenience, the CSCF network element in this application is referred to as "CSCF". Among them, CSCF can communicate with terminal devices, and CSCF can communicate with gateway devices. For example, the CSCF can select a gateway device to communicate with the terminal device, and the CSCF can allocate routing information, such as IP addresses or ports, to the terminal device and the gateway device.

[0055] As an example and not a limitation, CSCF is divided into proxy CSCF (P-CSCF), interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), serving CSCF (S-CSCF), etc. according to its function. Among them, P-CSCF is the entry node for users to access the IMS network, and is mainly responsible for forwarding SIP signaling between IMS users and their home networks. I-CSCF is the unified entry point for IMS users' home networks, and is responsible for allocating or querying S-CSCFs that serve users. S-CSCF is the unified entry point for IMS users' home networks, and is responsible for allocating or querying S-CSCFs that serve users. It can be understood that the above-mentioned P-CSCF, S-CSCF, and I-CSCF can be independently configured in different entities, or integrated into the same entity, and this application does not limit this.

[0056] The IMS communication control network element in the embodiments of the present application below may be a CSCF, and further, for example, an S-CSCF.

[0057] 3. IMS access media gateway (AGW): IMS AGW can provide IMS network access gateway and media gateway functions.

[0058] 4. Data channel server (DCS): DCS can be divided into two logical functional entities: data channel signaling function (DCSF) network element and media function (MF) network element. Among them, the MF network element is used to provide media resource management functions, including media resource management of data channels, and the DCSF network element is used to provide data channel signaling control functions. It is understandable that in actual network deployment, the DCSF network element and the MF network element can be co-located (in this case referred to as DCS) or separately located, and this application does not limit this.

[0059] 5. Data Channel Application Repository (DCAR): The DCAR is a repository for data channel applications (DC Apps). After a developer completes a DC App, they upload it to the operator's DCS, which then stores it in the DCAR. The DCS then downloads the DC App from the DCAR to its local server for subsequent processing when needed.

[0060] The data channel control network element (ie, DC control network element) in the embodiment of the present application includes a DCSF and optionally also includes a DCAR.

[0061] 6. Home Subscriber Server (HSS): The HSS is a database that stores user information in the IMS. Users save user data. By way of example and not limitation, user data may include information about data channel services that the user has signed up for with the operator.

[0062] 7. IMS application server (AS): The IMS AS is the top-level application layer device in the IMS system, providing basic and supplementary services such as multimedia conferencing, converged communications, SMS gateways, and standard switchboards. The IMS network is an open system based on IP bearer that provides users with various multimedia services. The IMS AS interacts with the CSCF to trigger and execute various network services. In addition, the terminal device and the IMS AS are connected in communication, and the IMS AS can establish a data channel for the terminal device. For example, the IMS AS can be a multimedia telephony application server (MMTEL AS) or a telephony application server (TAS).

[0063] 8. Data Channel Application Server (DC AS): The DC AS provides data channel service logic. It is understood that the DC AS can be deployed within the IMS network, in which case it can directly connect to other network elements in the IMS network through interfaces (such as service-based interfaces). Alternatively, the DC AS can be deployed outside the IMS network, in which case it can connect to other network elements in the IMS network through a network exposure function (NEF) network element (or IMS edge network management).

[0064] 9. NEF network element: NEF network element is used to securely open various services of the 5GC network to third parties.

[0065] The above-mentioned network architecture applied to the embodiment of the present application is only an example. The network architecture applicable to the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiment of the present application. That is, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiment of the present application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiment of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0066] It can also be understood that the network elements or devices listed in the above network architecture are only exemplary illustrations, and the network architecture applicable to this application may also include other network elements or devices, which is not limited in this application.

[0067] It is also understood that the naming of the above network elements or devices is defined only to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 4G networks, 5G networks, and other future networks. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may continue to use the terminology used in 4G / 5G, or may adopt other names.

[0068] Based on the network architecture shown in FIG1 , in order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application are introduced here.

[0069] 1. Communication Session

[0070] The communication session described in the embodiment of the present application is an IMS session, which is used to transmit data in communication services, such as data between terminal devices in the communication services, and / or data between terminal devices in the communication services and the communication network.

[0071] Among them, the communication service refers to a service such as voice call, video call or data interaction between a terminal device as an originating party or a terminating party and connected to one or more other terminal devices via a communication network (such as an IMS network). Among them, the IMS network is an open system based on IP bearer and provides various multimedia services to users. In terms of time, the communication service can cover the entire process from the start of communication establishment (for example, dialing) to the end of communication, or it can cover a part of the process from the start of communication establishment (for example, dialing) to the end of communication, such as the process from the parties participating in the communication service entering the communication state to the end of communication. The communication service can be a one-to-one communication service or a one-to-many (such as a conference) communication service; the embodiment of the present application takes a one-to-one communication service as an example, but the related solutions can be used for one-to-many communication services.

[0072] An IMS session can be understood as a logical connection between communication devices in a communication service. For example, it can be understood as a logical connection between terminal devices in a communication service, which can transmit data between terminal devices; or it can be understood as a logical connection between a terminal device and a communication network in a communication service, which is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the communication network. In specific applications, an IMS session can be negotiated (or established) based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) / Session Description Protocol (SDP). It is understandable that an IMS session can also be replaced by a communication session, an IMS communication session, a session, or a communication service session, etc., without limitation.

[0073] It is understood that a communication service may correspond to at least one IMS session. Taking the communication service between UE1 and UE2 as an example, this communication service corresponds to one IMS session, such as the IMS session between UE1 and UE2. Taking the communication service between UE1, UE2, and UE3 as an example, this communication service corresponds to one IMS session, such as the IMS session between UE1, UE2, and UE3; alternatively, this communication service corresponds to three IMS sessions, such as the IMS session between UE1 and UE2, the IMS session between UE1 and UE3, and the IMS session between UE2 and UE3.

[0074] It is understandable that in order to transmit various types of data, a channel for transmitting the corresponding type of data can be established based on the IMS session. Exemplarily, depending on the type of data, the channel can be divided into a media channel and a data channel. In some scenarios, the media channel can be further divided into an audio channel and a video channel. For example, in Figure 2, UE 1 and UE 2 can communicate through an IMS network, and the channel established based on the IMS session between UE 1 and UE 2 includes a data channel, an audio channel, and a video channel. It is understandable that Figure 2 is only an example of an IMS session. In specific applications, the channel established based on the IMS session may include a data channel but not a media channel, or the channel established based on the IMS session may include one of an audio channel and a video channel, as well as a data channel. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, the audio channel can be used to transmit voice, and the video channel can be used to transmit video. The data channel will be described in detail below.

[0076] 2. Data Channel

[0077] The data channel described in the embodiment of the present application, also known as the IMS data channel, is associated with the IMS session of the terminal device, or is created based on the IMS session of the terminal device, or is created during the IMS session of the terminal device, and is used to transmit application data or application programs (i.e., programs for generating / consuming application data) related to the terminal device during the duration of the IMS session.

[0078] Illustratively, based on the relationship between the data channel and the audio / video call, the data channel in the embodiment of the present application can be divided into at least the following types.

[0079] (1) During an IMS session, when an audio or video call is being conducted between the terminal device and another session participant (which can be another terminal device or a network element), a data channel also exists. This data channel can be called an auxiliary data channel or a dependent data channel.

[0080] (2) During an IMS session, when only a data channel exists between the terminal device and other session participants, and no traditional voice call or video call exists, the data channel at this time can be called a standalone data channel or an independent data channel.

[0081] Whether it is an auxiliary data channel or an independent data channel, it can be used to transmit any type of application data between the session participants. For example, the purpose of the data channel in the embodiment of the present application or the type of data that can be transmitted has at least the following possibilities.

[0082] (1) The application data transmitted by the data channel can be interactive application data (interactive data for short). Interactive application data can be application data used to support interactive operations (such as data or code / script used to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) for users to perform interactive operations, such as a "Like" button or a "Red Envelope" button), or application data generated by executing the interactive operation (such as control instructions, control signals or output files generated after the conversation participants perform the interactive operation, such as the number of "Likes" or the amount in a "Red Envelope"). It can also be data collected or stored by the terminal device, for example, data collected by the terminal device through the input / output (I / O) module, such as images or videos captured by a camera, voice collected by a microphone, text, symbols or emoticons input through a keyboard, and data generated by actions such as clicking / swiping on a touch screen.

[0083] (2) The application data transmitted by the data channel may also be communication enhancement application data (communication enhancement data for short). Communication enhancement data may be data generated based on the content of an audio call / video call, such as converting the voice in an audio call / video call into text, or converting sign language in a video call into text or voice. It may also be data superimposed on the audio call / video call, such as AR special effects images, etc. It may also be data independent of the audio call / video call, such as geographic location data, screen sharing data, etc.

[0084] (3) The application data transmitted by the data channel can also be remote control commands, which can provide users with remote control services or remote IoT device connection services. It can be understood that in the above situation, the data channel can also be used to transmit remote control commands.

[0085] (4) The application transmitted by the data channel may be an installation package, executable code or script of the application. The application may be an interactive enhancement application or a communication enhancement application used to enhance the interactive effect / communication effect of traditional voice calls / video calls, or may be a remote control application / IoT communication application, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0086] As an example, data channels are divided into two types based on their usage: bootstrap data channel (BDC) and application data channel (ADC). BDC is used by terminal devices to obtain DC apps from DCS. ADC is used to transmit interactive data generated by DC apps running on both communicating parties.

[0087] 3. IMS Session Protocol Stack

[0088] In the embodiments of the present application, the protocol stack of an IMS session is used to indicate the sum of protocols applicable to the IMS session and can reflect the transmission process of various data in the IMS session. As mentioned above, an IMS session can transmit various data (e.g., voice, video, text, and data other than voice, video, and text). Therefore, to match the transmission requirements of different types of data, different protocols can be configured for channels of different types of data. For example, the protocol stack of an IMS session can be shown in Figure 3.

[0089] In Figure 3, the lowest-level protocol for the audio, video, and data channels is the Internet Protocol (IP), and above IP is the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). For each of these channels, the protocols above UDP vary, as described below. For the audio or video channel, above UDP is the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) or the RTP Control Protocol (RTCP). RTP can encapsulate payloads such as voice, video, or text. Above this is the conversational multimedia application, which also sits above RTCP. For the data channel, above UDP is the Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), above which sits the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). Above SCTP sits the application data / application, and above this sits the conversational multimedia application.

[0090] It can be understood that UDP, RTP, RTCP, DTLS and SCTP protocols are all transport layer protocols. Therefore, the UDP / RTP protocol stack can be understood as a type of transport layer protocol stack for audio channels / video channels, the UDP / RTCP protocol stack can be understood as another type of transport layer protocol stack for audio channels / video channels, and the UDP / DTLS / SCTP protocol stack can be understood as a transport layer protocol stack for data channels. In the embodiments of the present application, the symbol " / " used to describe the protocol stack represents the hierarchical relationship of the protocols in the protocol stack. For example, the UDP / DTLS / SCTP protocol stack indicates that the DTLS protocol is above UDP, and the SCTP protocol is above the DTLS protocol.

[0091] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the transport layer protocol stack of the data channel is not limited to the "UDP / DTLS / SCTP" protocol stack shown in Figure 3, but can also be other protocol stacks, such as: "TCP / DTLS / SCTP" protocol stack, "UDP / QUIC" (QUIC is the abbreviation of quick UDP internet connection) protocol stack, "UDP / SCTP" protocol stack, etc.

[0092] 4. Data channel application

[0093] The data channel application in the embodiments of the present application is an application that provides services based on the data channel. The data channel application is typically downloaded from the network side by the terminal device and runs during the IMS communication session, without the need for installation or uninstallation. It is understood that the data channel application can exist in the form of a web page, or in the form of a mini-program, quick application, or light application, and this application does not limit this.

[0094] For example, the data channel application involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a DC App in a 4G / 5G network. The DC App can transmit various data such as text, images, locations, files, etc. before and after an IMS call is established, enabling communication between the two parties in addition to voice or video calls, which can greatly enhance the experience of both parties.

[0095] The terminal device can obtain the DC App from the DCS through the BDC using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) process, and can automatically or interactively update it at any time, and then communicate with the terminal device on the other end through the DC App in addition to voice calls or video calls. For example, UE 1 and UE 2 are in the same IMS communication session. Assume that UE 1 wants to share its mobile phone screen with UE 2 during a call with UE 2 to guide B to set up the mobile phone, then UE 1 and UE 2 can first obtain the DC App for screen sharing respectively, and then run the DC App respectively to communicate with the UE on the other end in addition to voice calls or video calls. The following briefly introduces the process of the terminal device obtaining the DC App in conjunction with the workflow shown in Figure 4. In the example given in Figure 4, UE 1 and UE 2 are taken as the calling user equipment and the called user equipment as an example for explanation.

[0096] ①. Developers complete the development of the DC App through an offline process, and then upload the developed DC App to the operator's DCS.

[0097] ②. DCS stores the DC App in DCAR.

[0098] ③. DCS downloads the DC App from DCAR when needed.

[0099] ④. UE 1 establishes a BDC with the DCS and obtains the required DC App from the DCS through the BDC.

[0100] ⑤. UE 2 establishes a BDC with DCS and obtains the required DC App from DCS through BDC.

[0101] ⑥. UE 1 and UE 2 establish ADC to transmit the interactive data of the DC App.

[0102] 5. Session event reporting message

[0103] In an embodiment of the present application, the IMS application server may send a session event reporting message to the DC control network element. The session event reporting message is a non-SIP message, such as an HTTP message. The session event reporting message may be used to report events of a communication session. For example, the events of a communication session may include one or more of the following:

[0104] The session establishment request event (SessionEstablishmentRequestEvent) indicates that the IMS AS receives a SIP invite request message.

[0105] The session establishment progress event (SessionEstablishmentProgressEvent) indicates that the IMS AS receives a SIP invite response message.

[0106] The SessionEstablishmentSuccessEvent event indicates that the communication session is successfully established.

[0107] The session establishment failure event (SessionEstablishmentFailureEvent) indicates that the communication session establishment failed.

[0108] A media change request event (MediaChangeRequestEvent) indicates that the IMS AS receives a request to change media resources. Furthermore, a media change request event may include an ADC setup request event and an ADC teardown request event. The ADC setup request event indicates that the IMS AS receives an ADC setup request, and the ADC teardown request event indicates that the IMS AS receives an ADC teardown request.

[0109] The MediaChangeSuccessEvent event indicates that the request to change the media resource is successful.

[0110] The MediaChangeFailureEvent event indicates that a request to change a media resource has failed.

[0111] Session Termination Event: indicates the termination of a session.

[0112] It is understandable that the event of the communication session may also be other possible events, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0113] 6. Packet Switching Data Interruption

[0114] To allow users to explicitly control the amount of traffic they send or receive, 3GPP introduced the Packet Switched Data Off (PSData Off) feature. The PSData Off feature on a terminal device corresponds to the device's traffic switch. When the PSData Off feature is activated, the device's traffic switch status is off. When the PSData Off feature is disabled or deactivated, the device's traffic switch status is on. The device's traffic switch status can be set or changed by the user.

[0115] When the traffic switch status of a terminal device is off, all applications except those related to the PS Data Off exemption service (i.e., the PS Data Off Exempt Service, also known as traffic exemption services) are prohibited from accessing the PS network. For details, refer to 3GPP TS22.011. Current protocols (such as 3GPP TS23.228) describe that the network can deliver a list of traffic exemption services to the terminal device during registration, or configure it for the terminal device through other means.

[0116] In the embodiment of the present application, the type of application is a traffic exemption type or a non-traffic exemption type. Traffic exemption type applications can be called traffic exemption applications, or traffic exemption services; non-traffic exemption type applications can be called non-traffic exemption applications, or non-traffic exemption services. Among them, traffic exemption applications refer to applications that are allowed to access the PS network even if the user has activated the PSData Off function in the terminal device; non-traffic exemption applications refer to applications that are not allowed to access the PS network when the user has activated the PSData Off function in the terminal device. That is to say, when the traffic switch status of the terminal device is off, traffic exemption type applications are allowed to access the PS network, that is, the terminal device is allowed to obtain or use traffic exemption type applications; while non-traffic exemption type applications are not allowed to access the PS network, that is, the terminal is not allowed to obtain or use non-traffic exemption type applications.

[0117] The relevant terms are introduced above. Now, based on the network architecture shown in FIG. 1 , a possible process is described to introduce a data channel between two communicating parties (eg, UE 1 and UE 2).

[0118] Among them, UE 1 and UE 2 are two devices in the same IMS call session, or in other words, UE 1 and UE 2 are each other's opposite-end devices of the IMS communication session. Assuming that UE 1 is the calling party user equipment and UE 2 is the called party user equipment, for convenience, the various network elements involved in the originating network in the embodiment of the present application are respectively recorded as IMS core network (IMS core) 1, IMS AS1, DCS1 (or DCSF 1), and the various network elements involved in the terminating network in the embodiment of the present application are respectively recorded as IMS core 2, IMS AS2, DCS2 (or DCSF 2). It can be understood that the above network elements are only used as examples, and the originating network and the terminating network may also include other network elements, which are not limited in this application; UE 1 and UE 2 are both IMS multimedia telephony service (MTSI) terminals (i.e., DC MTSI terminals) that support data channels, and the originating network and the terminating network also support data channels.

[0119] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a process for UE 1 and UE 2 to communicate via a data channel. As shown in FIG5 , the process may include:

[0120] S501, UE 1 and UE 2 establish guided data channels with DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively through an initial invitation (INVITE) process; DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 obtain and save the association between the calling number, called number and call identification (Call ID).

[0121] For example, if UE 1 and UE 2 need or wish to communicate using a data channel application in addition to voice or video calls, UE 1 and UE 2 can establish guided data channels with DCSF 1 and DCSF 2, respectively, through an initial invitation process, to obtain guided applications through the guided data channels. For example, as shown in Figure 5 , UE 1 establishes guided data channel #1 with DCSF 1 and guided data channel #2 with DCSF 2; UE 2 establishes guided data channel #3 with DCSF 1 and guided data channel #4 with DCSF 2.

[0122] For convenience, in the embodiment of the present application, the guided data channel between the UE and the originating DCSF (i.e., the DCSF of the originating network) is recorded as guided data channel No. 0 (i.e., the stream ID of the guided data channel is 0), and the guided data channel between the UE and the terminating DCSF (i.e., the DCSF of the terminating network) is recorded as guided data channel No. 100 (i.e., the stream ID of the guided data channel is 100). Therefore, guided data channel #1 and guided data channel #4 are guided data channel No. 0, and guided data channel #2 and guided data channel #3 are guided data channel No. 100. It can be understood that the stream IDs corresponding to the above-mentioned guided data channels are only examples, and different guided data channels can also be referred to by other stream IDs. For example, the guided data channel between the UE and the local DCSF can be recorded as guided data channel No. 10 (i.e., stream ID is 10), and the guided data channel between the UE and the opposite DCSF can be recorded as guided data channel No. 110 (i.e., stream ID is 110). This application does not limit this.

[0123] DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 can each obtain and store the association between the calling number, called number, and Call ID. For example, when UE 1 and UE 2 perform media negotiation through the INVITE process to establish the media resource information required for guided data channels #1, #2, #3, and #4, DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 obtain and store the association between the calling number, called number, and Call ID during the INVITE process. Furthermore, DCSF 1 obtains the media resource information for guided data channels #1 and #3, and DCSF 2 obtains the media resource information for guided data channels #2 and #4.

[0124] Furthermore, UE 1 and UE 2 respectively request DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 to obtain the bootstrap application through the established bootstrap data channel.

[0125] S502: UE 1 sends HTTP GET Request messages to DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively. The Request URI of the HTTP GET Request message is the root directory, indicating that UE 1 requests to obtain the DC application list. Correspondingly, DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 receive the HTTP GET Request messages from UE 1 respectively.

[0126] S503: DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively send HTTP response messages to UE 1, where the HTTP response messages include the DC application list. Correspondingly, UE 1 receives HTTP response messages from DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively.

[0127] Exemplarily, UE 1 sends an HTTP get request message to DCSF 1 through boot data channel #1 (i.e., boot data channel No. 0), and the request URI (Request URI) of the HTTP get request message is the root directory, indicating that UE 1 requests to obtain the DC application list on DCSF 1. In response to the HTTP get request message, DCSF 1 sends an HTTP response message to UE 1 through boot data channel #1, and the response message carries the DC application list on DCSF 1. For convenience, the DC application list sent by DCSF 1 to UE 1 is recorded as boot application #1, and boot application #1 includes the DC application list available to UE 1 on the originating network.

[0128] Similarly, UE 1 obtains the bootstrap application (denoted as bootstrap application #2) on DCSF 2 from DCSF 2 through the bootstrap data channel #2. Bootstrap application #2 includes a DC application list available to UE 1 on the terminating network.

[0129] S504: UE 2 sends HTTP get request messages to DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively. The request URI of the HTTP get request message is the root directory, indicating that UE 2 requests to obtain the boot application. Correspondingly, DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 receive the HTTP get request messages from UE 2 respectively.

[0130] S505: DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 each send an HTTP response message including the boot application to UE 2. Correspondingly, UE 2 receives the HTTP get response message from DCSF 1 and DCSF 2 respectively.

[0131] It is understood that S504 and S505 are similar to S502 and S503, respectively, and the specific process is not limited here. Through S504 and S505, UE 2 can obtain the bootstrapping application on DCSF 1 (denoted as bootstrapping application #3) from DCSF 1 via bootstrapping data channel #3; and obtain the bootstrapping application on DCSF 2 (denoted as bootstrapping application #4) from DCSF 2 via bootstrapping data channel #4.

[0132] It is understandable that this application does not limit the order in which S502 - S503 and S504 - S505 are executed.

[0133] S506: UE 1 determines to start application X, that is, determines that application X needs to be acquired.

[0134] Exemplarily, when detecting that the user has selected application X, UE 1 determines to start application X. For example, application X is any data channel application in the guided application #1 obtained by UE 1.

[0135] For example, after UE 1 obtains boot application #1, it displays the obtained boot application #1 (i.e., the DC application list) on the screen. UE 1 can display the boot application on the screen through images or text, and the user can select any data channel application from the DC application list displayed on the screen. If the user selects application X, UE 1 determines to start application X. It can be understood that each DC application in boot application #1 corresponds to an App ID, which can uniquely identify a DC application on DCSF1 and map to the resource location of the application on the DCSF.

[0136] S507: UE 1 sends an HTTP get request message to DCSF 1. Correspondingly, DCSF 1 receives the HTTP get request message from UE 1.

[0137] Exemplarily, when UE 1 determines to launch application X, UE 1 sends an HTTP obtain request message to the DCSF of the network to which application X belongs, requesting to obtain application X. For example, UE 1 sends the HTTP obtain request message to DCSF 1 through bootstrap data channel #1 (i.e., bootstrap data channel No. 0). The request URI (Request URI) of the HTTP obtain request message is the App ID of application X (denoted as App ID-X), which is used to request to obtain application X, or in other words, to request the installation package of application X.

[0138] It will be understood that the above description is based on an example in which UE 1 obtains application X during the IMS call establishment phase, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, UE 1 may obtain application X after the IMS call is connected. In this case, in S601, UE 1 and UE 2 should negotiate to establish a bootstrap data channel through a re-INVITE process (rather than an initial INVITE process).

[0139] S508: DCSF 1 sends an HTTP response message to UE 1. Correspondingly, UE 1 receives the HTTP response message from DCSF 1.

[0140] For example, after receiving the HTTP get request message from UE 1, DCSF 1 determines the resource location of application X according to App ID-X, and then sends an HTTP response message to UE 1 through data channel #1, and carries application X, that is, the installation package of application X, in the HTTP response message.

[0141] Correspondingly, UE 1 receives the HTTP response message from DCSF 1, and obtains the installation package of application X from the HTTP response message.

[0142] S509 , UE 1 runs application X, that is, uses application X.

[0143] Exemplarily, after obtaining application X, UE 1 runs application X. For example, UE 1 displays an HTML page corresponding to application X in a web browser and executes a JavaScript script therein.

[0144] Furthermore, UE 1 and UE 2 negotiate media resource information of the application data channel required by application X, so that UE 1 and UE 2 can communicate in addition to voice calls or video calls through application X. The following describes this with reference to S510 - S519 as an example.

[0145] S510: UE 1 sends a re-INVITE request message / update request message to IMS AS 1. Correspondingly, IMS AS 1 receives the re-INVITE request message / update request message from UE 1.

[0146] For example, after UE 1 executes the JavaScript script in application X, UE 1 is triggered to send a re-INVITE request message to UE 2. The re-INVITE request message is used to negotiate media resource information of the application data channel required by application X.

[0147] The re-INVITE request message includes SDP information (such as SDP Offer information). The SDP Offer information includes media resource information of the application data channel supported (or intended to be used) by UE 1 (such as the IP address, port information, TLS ID and certificate, QoS requirements, etc. used by UE 1 to connect to application data channel No. 1000). Optionally, the SDP Offer information also includes information about application X, such as the identifier of application X (App ID-X). The identifier of application X is used by UE 2 to obtain application X.

[0148] Optionally, the information about application X also includes information for downloading application X. The information for downloading application X is used by UE 2 to determine how to obtain application X (i.e., from which network to obtain it, or through which guided data channel to obtain it). The information for downloading application X and the identifier of application X can be carried in the same parameter of an attribute line, or in different parameters of the same attribute line, or in different attribute lines, which is not limited in this application.

[0149] S511: IMS AS1 reports media resource information of application data channels supported by UE 1 to DCSF 1.

[0150] S512: DCSF 1 allocates DC resources and instructs to update the SDP offer, and then IMS AS1 updates the SDP offer information.

[0151] For example, after IMS AS1 receives the re-INVITE request message / UPDATE request message from UE 1, IMS AS1 reports the media resource information of the application data channel to DCSF 1. DCSF 1 allocates DC resources to the corresponding application data channel based on this information and instructs IMS AS1 to update the SDP Offer information. Furthermore, IMS AS1 updates the SDP offer information according to the instruction of DCSF 1. For example, if the application data channel passes through the network side (i.e., UE 1—network side—UE 2), DCSF 1 can send the media resource information of the application data channel supported by the network side to IMS AS1, and then IMS AS1 updates the SDP offer information to the media resource information of the application data channel supported by the network side. The specific method is not limited in this application. It can be understood that IMS AS1 retains (i.e., does not modify) the information of application X carried in the SDP offer information.

[0152] S513: IMS AS1 sends a re-INVITE request message / UPDATE request message to UE 2. Correspondingly, UE 2 receives the re-INVITE request message / UPDATE request message from IMS AS1.

[0153] For example, after IMS AS 1 updates the SDP offer information, it routes a re-INVITE request message / UPDATE request message to UE 2 via IMS core 1, IMS core 2, and IMS AS 2. For convenience, the following description uses only the re-INVITE request message as an example. The re-INVITE request message includes the updated SDP offer information, which includes the information of application X as described in S510.

[0154] Optionally, in S514, UE 2 determines DCSF 1 according to information of application X.

[0155] Exemplarily, after receiving the re-INVITE request message, UE 2 parses the attribute line parameters corresponding to the application data channel to obtain information about application X. The information about application X includes APP ID-X, and UE 2 determines to obtain application X corresponding to APP ID-X based on APP ID-X. Optionally, the information about application X also includes information for downloading application X. Based on the information for downloading application X, UE 2 determines DCSF 1, i.e., determines to request DCSF 1 of the originating network to obtain application X.

[0156] S515: UE 2 sends an HTTP get request message to DCSF 1. Correspondingly, DCSF 1 receives the HTTP get request message from UE 2.

[0157] Exemplarily, UE 2 sends an HTTP obtain request message to DCSF 1 through guided data channel #3 (i.e., guided data channel No. 100) based on the received information of application X. The request URI (Request URI) of the HTTP obtain request message is App ID-X, for requesting to obtain application X.

[0158] S516: DCSF 1 sends an HTTP response message to UE 1. Correspondingly, UE 2 receives the HTTP response message from DCSF 1.

[0159] For example, after receiving the HTTP get request message from UE 2, DCSF 1 determines the resource location of application X according to App ID-X, and then sends an HTTP response message to UE 2 through data channel #3, and carries application X, that is, the installation package of application X, in the HTTP response message.

[0160] Correspondingly, UE 2 receives the HTTP response message from DCSF 1, and obtains the installation package of application X from the HTTP response message.

[0161] S517: UE 2 runs application X.

[0162] For example, if UE 2 successfully obtains application X, UE 2 runs application X. For example, UE 2 displays an HTML page corresponding to application X in a web browser and executes a JavaScript script therein.

[0163] S518: UE 2 sends a SIP response message to UE 1. Correspondingly, UE 1 receives the SIP response message from UE 2.

[0164] Exemplarily, UE 2 determines, based on the SDP Offer information, that it agrees to establish a corresponding application data channel with UE 1 (for example, UE 2 supports part or all of the media resource information provided in the SDP Offer information), and UE 2 successfully obtains application X and runs application X (i.e., successfully executes S515-S517). Then, UE 2 sends a SIP response message to UE 1 in response to the re-INVITE request message. In this case, the SIP response message may be a 200OK response message.

[0165] The SIP response message includes SDP Answer information determined by UE 1 according to the SDP Offer information. The SDP Answer information includes media resource information of the application data channel supported (or willing to be used) by UE 2 in the media resource information provided by the SDP Offer information.

[0166] Optionally, in S519 , UE 1 sends an ACK message to UE 2. Correspondingly, UE 2 receives the ACK message from UE 1.

[0167] Exemplarily, after receiving the SIP response message from UE 2, UE 1 determines, based on the information carried in the SIP response message, that the media resource information negotiation was successful and that UE 2 successfully obtained application X. For example, if the SIP response message carries SDP Answer information, and the IP address and / or port information carried in the SDP Answer information for UE 2 to connect to application data channel No. 1000 is not 0, UE 1 determines that the media resource information negotiation was successful and that UE 2 successfully obtained application X. Alternatively, UE 1 determines that the media resource information negotiation was successful and that UE 2 successfully obtained application X based on other explicit indication information carried in the SIP response message.

[0168] In this case, UE 1 returns an ACK message to UE 2 to indicate successful message reception.

[0169] It is understandable that if UE 1 negotiates media resource information with UE 2 through an UPDATE procedure (ie, UE 1 sends an UPDATE request message in S510 ), UE 1 may not execute S519 .

[0170] S520: UE 1 and UE 2 establish application data channel No. 1000.

[0171] For example, UE 1 and UE 2 establish a DTLS association and an SCTP association based on the negotiated media resource information, and allocate stream ID 1000 to application X, thereby establishing application data channel No. 1000 required by application X.

[0172] S521 , application X on UE 1 and application X on UE 2 transmit additional communication information through application data channel No. 1000 .

[0173] It can be understood that in the process illustrated in Figure 5 above, the subsequent process is triggered by the calling party user equipment (i.e., UE 1) determining to start application X. In other possible examples, the process can also be triggered by the called party user equipment determining to start application Y (for example, application Y can be any DC application in the DC application list available to the called party user equipment on the terminating IMS network). In other words, the process illustrated in Figure 5 above can also be applied to the scenario where "UE 1 is the called party user equipment, UE 2 is the calling party user equipment, IMS core 1, IMS AS 1, and DCS1 are network elements in the terminating IMS network, and IMS core 2, IMS AS2, and DCS2 are network elements in the originating IMS network."

[0174] In addition, if UE 1 and UE 2 belong to the same IMS network, there is no need to perform the above-mentioned interaction between the network element in the originating IMS network and the network element in the terminating IMS network.

[0175] The above process describes the data channel between UE 1 and UE 2. In current standards, the IMS data network is a traffic-exempt data network. The PS network serves as the transmission network between the terminal device and the IMS network. From the PS network's perspective, the IMS network is a service network. Because the IMS data network is traffic-exempt, the PS network will not intercept uplink traffic packets destined for the IMS network, regardless of whether the terminal device's traffic switch is on or off.

[0176] However, depending on business needs, different DC applications can have different traffic types. For example, some DC applications may have traffic types that are configured as traffic-exempt, while others may not be configured as traffic-exempt. Therefore, further research is needed to determine how to manage and control the access and use of DC applications.

[0177] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for enabling a DC control network element to manage and control the acquisition or use of DC applications based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the communication device.

[0178] Illustratively, the communication method of an embodiment of the present application involves one or more communication devices (e.g., a first communication device and a second communication device), and one or more network elements (e.g., an IMS application server, an IMS communication control network element, and a DC control network element) in an IMS network to which the first communication device belongs. The communication device may be the terminal device described above, for example, the first communication device may be UE 1 described above, and the second communication device may be UE 2 described above.

[0179] The first communication device and the second communication device may belong to different IMS networks, or may belong to the same IMS network. For example, if the first communication device and the second communication device belong to different IMS networks, then when the first communication device is an initiating user equipment and the second communication device is a called user equipment, the IMS network to which the first communication device belongs is the originating IMS network, and the IMS network to which the second communication device belongs is the terminating IMS network; when the first communication device is a called user equipment and the second communication device is an initiating user equipment, the IMS network to which the second communication device belongs is the originating IMS network, and the IMS network to which the first communication device belongs is the terminating IMS network.

[0180] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes the following steps:

[0181] S601: The IMS application server obtains status information of a first communication device.

[0182] Here, the status information of the first communication device is used to indicate the flow switch status of the first communication device, where the flow switch status is on or off. For example, the status information of the first communication device is a PSData Off tag of the first communication device.

[0183] Among them, there are multiple ways for the IMS application server to obtain the status information of the first communication device. One possible way is that the first communication device can send the status information of the first communication device (such as the PSData Off tag) to the IMS application server when registering or re-registering. For example, the first communication device can send the PSData Off tag to the S-CSCF through a registration request message or a re-registration request message, and then the S-CSCF can send the PSData Off tag to the IMS application server based on the third-party registration process defined in the protocol (such as TS24.229), and the IMS application server can store the PSData Off tag. Among them, each time the first communication device modifies the PSData Off tag, it can trigger the re-registration process and send the modified PSData Off tag to the IMS application server.

[0184] S602, the IMS application server sends the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element; accordingly, the data channel control network element receives the status information of the first communication device and stores the status information of the first communication device, so as to subsequently accept or reject the request corresponding to the request information sent by the first communication device based on the status information of the first communication device.

[0185] Exemplarily, the IMS application server receives a SIP message from the IMS communication control network element and sends the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element according to the SIP message. In other words, the IMS application server may send the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element after receiving the SIP message.

[0186] The SIP message is used to manage a communication session between a first communication device and a second communication device, the communication session being associated with a data channel. The SIP message may be a variety of possible SIP messages, such as one or more of the following: a SIP invite request message; a SIP invite response message; a SIP re-invite request message; a SIP re-invite response message; a SIP update request message; a SIP update response message; a SIP bye message; a SIP notify message; a SIP register message; a SIP subscribe message; a SIP publish message; a SIP cancel message; or a SIP message.

[0187] As described above, when an IMS application server receives certain SIP messages, it can send a session event reporting message to the data channel control network element. The session event reporting message is used to report events related to the communication session between the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, when an IMS application server receives a SIP invite request message from the IMS communication control network element, it sends a session event reporting message to the data channel control network element. The session event reporting message is used to report to the data channel control network element that the IMS AS has received the SIP invite request message. Therefore, as a possible implementation, the IMS application server can send the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element via the session event reporting message. That is, the session event reporting message includes the status information of the first communication device.

[0188] It is understandable that the IMS application server may also send the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element through other possible messages, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0189] S603, the first communication device sends request information to the data channel control network element; correspondingly, the data channel control network element receives the request information from the first communication device.

[0190] Exemplarily, the request information is used to request the acquisition of a data channel application, or to download the data channel application, or to request the installation package of the data channel application. For example, after a communication session between a first communication device and a second communication device is successfully established, a bootstrap data channel can be established between the first communication device and the data channel control network element. The first communication device can then send a request information to the data channel control network element via the bootstrap data channel, requesting the download of the data channel application. For example, the request information is an HTTP get request message, and the specific implementation can refer to S507 in Figure 5.

[0191] Alternatively, the request information is used to request the use of a data channel application, and using the data channel application may include establishing an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application. For example, if the first communication device has pre-cached the data channel application, in this case, the first communication device may not need to request the data channel application, but instead directly request the establishment of an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application. For example, after the first communication device determines to run the data channel application, it sends a request information to the data channel control network element, requesting the establishment of an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application. The first communication device sending the request information to the data channel control network element may be a transit communication. For example, the first communication device may send a re-invite request message / update request message to the IMS application server. The re-invite request message / update request message includes media resource information of the application data channel supported by the first communication device. After receiving the re-invite request message / update request message, the IMS application server may send a request information to the data channel control network element, requesting the establishment of an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application. The request information includes media resource information of the application data channel supported by the first communication device. For specific implementation, see S509 to S511 in Figure 5.

[0192] It will be understood that the above are two examples of request information, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0193] S604: The data channel control network element rejects the request corresponding to the request information or accepts the request corresponding to the request information according to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch state of the first communication device.

[0194] Here, there are multiple ways for the data channel control network element to determine the type of data channel application. One possible implementation is that the data channel control network obtains a traffic exemption application whitelist, and the traffic exemption application whitelist includes multiple application identifiers, each application identifier is used to identify the data channel application identified as a traffic exemption type by the network side; based on the traffic exemption application whitelist including the identifier of the data channel application, the traffic type of the data channel application is determined to be a traffic exemption type; or, based on the traffic exemption application whitelist not including the identifier of the data channel application, the traffic type of the data channel application is determined to be a non-traffic exemption type. For example, the data channel control network element is a DCSF network element, the traffic exemption application whitelist is stored in the DCAR network element, and the DCSF network element obtains the traffic exemption application whitelist from the DCAR network element. Or, the data channel control network element is a DCSF network element, and the traffic exemption application whitelist is stored in the DCSF network element.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the data channel control network element determines that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type, the traffic switch state of the first communication device is closed, and rejects the request corresponding to the request information of the data channel application. Alternatively, the data channel control network element determines that the traffic type of the data channel application is a traffic exemption type, the traffic switch state of the first communication device is closed, and accepts the request corresponding to the request information of the data channel application. Furthermore, optionally, when the traffic switch state of the first communication device is open, the data channel control network element can accept the request corresponding to the request information of the data channel application regardless of whether the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type or a traffic exemption type.

[0196] (1) The request information is used to request the acquisition of the data channel application: As described in S603, the request information can be an HTTP acquisition request message. If the data channel control network element rejects the request corresponding to the request information, it sends a first response information to the first communication device (for example, through the guided data channel between the first communication device and the data channel control network element, the first response information is sent to the first communication device, and the first response information is an HTTP response message), and the first response information indicates that the request corresponding to the request information is rejected. The first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type. Optionally, the reason information is also used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application does not match the traffic switch state of the first communication device.

[0197] If the data channel control network element accepts the request corresponding to the request information, it sends a second response message to the first communication device (for example, sending the second response message to the first communication device via the guided data channel between the first communication device and the data channel control network element, the second response message being an HTTP response message). The second response message indicates acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information. The second response message includes an installation package for the data channel application.

[0198] (2) The request information is used to request the use of the data channel application: As described in S603, the request information includes the media resource information of the application data channel supported by the first communication device. If the data channel control network element rejects the request corresponding to the request information, it sends a first response information to the IMS application server, and the first response information indicates the rejection of the request corresponding to the request information. For example, the first response information instructs the IMS application server to set the port information of the application data channel supported by the first communication device to 0. The first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type; optionally, the reason information is also used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application does not match the traffic switch status of the first communication device. Subsequently, the reason information can be sent to the first communication device via a SIP response message; optionally, the SIP response message includes indication information of the failure to establish the application data channel, such as the port information of the application data channel in the SIP response message is 0, which is used to indicate that the application data channel failed to establish. For example, after receiving the first response information, if the IMS application server determines that interaction with the peer IMS network is required (for example, the re-invite request message / update request message received by the IMS application server in S510 requests establishment of other channels between the first communication device and the second communication device in addition to the application data channel between the first communication device and the second communication device), then the IMS application server may continue to execute subsequent processes after receiving the first response information, and after completing the subsequent processes, send the reason information to the first communication device via a SIP response message. The SIP response message may be a response message to the re-invite request message / update request message received by the IMS application server in S510.

[0199] If the data channel control network element accepts the request corresponding to the request information, it sends a second response message to the IMS application server, indicating acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information. For example, the second response message includes media resource information for establishing the application data channel corresponding to the data channel application, as described in Figure 5. After receiving the second response message, the IMS application server may execute subsequent processes, as described in the prior art.

[0200] It can be understood that the process illustrated in Figure 6 above is an example of an IMS application server sending the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element. In other embodiments, the data channel control network element can also obtain the status information of the first communication device through other methods, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0201] In the embodiment of the present application, the DC application is managed by the data channel control network element. Since the data channel control network element communicates with other network elements based on a service-based interface, that is, the data channel control network element does not receive SIP messages for managing communication sessions, and the UE communicates with the network elements in the IMS network through SIP messages. Therefore, the data channel control network element cannot obtain the UE status information (used to indicate whether the UE's traffic switch status is on or off) from the UE, which in turn causes the data channel control network element to be unable to control the acquisition or use of the DC application based on the UE status information and the traffic type of the DC application (i.e., traffic exemption type or non-traffic exemption type). Using the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the IMS application server can send the status information of the first communication device to the data channel control network element, so that the data channel control network element can control the acquisition or use of the DC application based on the traffic switch status of the first communication device and the traffic type of the DC application, thereby saving bandwidth resources of the operator network.

[0202] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of network element interaction. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, each network element may include a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0203] In the embodiments of the present application, the IMS application server and the DC control network element can be divided into functional units according to the above method examples. For example, different functional units can be divided according to different functions, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0204] In the case of adopting an integrated unit, Figure 7 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the device 700 may include: a processing unit 702 and a communication unit 703. The processing unit 702 is used to control and manage the actions of the device 700. The communication unit 703 is used to support the communication between the device 700 and other devices. Optionally, the communication unit 703 is also called a transceiver unit, and may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, which are used to perform receiving and sending operations respectively. The device 700 may also include a storage unit 701 for storing program code and / or data of the device 700.

[0205] (1) The apparatus 700 may be the data channel control network element in the above-described embodiment, or may be a component (e.g., a circuit or chip) disposed in the data channel control network element. The processing unit 702 may support the apparatus 700 in executing the actions of the data channel control network element in the above-described method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 702 primarily executes the internal actions of the data channel control network element in the method examples, and the communication unit 703 may support communication between the apparatus 700 and other devices.

[0206] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 703 is used to: receive request information from a first communication device, wherein the request information is used to request to obtain a data channel application or to request to use the data channel application; the processing unit 702 is used to: reject the request corresponding to the request information or accept the request corresponding to the request information based on the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch status of the first communication device; wherein the traffic type is a traffic exemption type or a non-traffic exemption type, and the traffic switch status is open or closed.

[0207] In one possible design, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: determine that the traffic type is a non-traffic exemption type and the traffic switch state is closed; and send a first response message, wherein the first response message indicates that the request corresponding to the request information is rejected.

[0208] In one possible design, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: determine that the traffic type is a traffic exemption type and the traffic switch state is closed; and send a second response message, where the second response message indicates acceptance of the request corresponding to the request message.

[0209] In one possible design, the first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

[0210] In one possible design, the request information is used to request acquisition of the data channel application, and the second response information includes the installation package of the data channel application; or, the request information is used to request use of the data channel application, and the second response information includes media resource information for establishing an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

[0211] In a possible design, the communication unit 703 is further used to: receive status information from an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem IMS application server, where the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status.

[0212] In a possible design, the communication unit 703 is further configured to: receive a session event reporting message from the IMS application server, where the session event reporting message includes the state information.

[0213] In one possible design, the status information includes a packet switched data interruption flag.

[0214] In one possible design, the processing unit 702 is also used to: obtain a traffic exemption application whitelist, the traffic exemption application whitelist including multiple application identifiers, each application identifier being used to identify a data channel application identified as a traffic exemption type by the network side; based on the traffic exemption application whitelist including the identifier of the data channel application, determine that the traffic type of the data channel application is the traffic exemption type; or, based on the traffic exemption application whitelist not including the identifier of the data channel application, determine that the traffic type of the data channel application is the non-traffic exemption type.

[0215] In one possible design, the first communication device is a calling party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in an originating IMS network; or, the first communication device is a called party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

[0216] (2) The apparatus 700 may be the IMS application server described in the above embodiments, or may be a component (e.g., a circuit or chip) disposed within the IMS application server. The processing unit 702 may support the apparatus 700 in executing the actions of the IMS application server described in the above method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 702 may primarily execute the internal actions of the IMS application server described in the method examples, and the communication unit 703 may support communication between the apparatus 700 and other devices.

[0217] For example, in one embodiment, the processing unit 702 is used to: obtain status information of the first communication device, the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status of the first communication device, and the flow switch status is on or off; the communication unit 703 is used to: send the status information to the data channel control network element, the status information is used to accept or reject the request corresponding to the request information sent by the first communication device, and the request information is used to request to obtain the data channel application or request to use the data channel application.

[0218] In one possible design, the communication unit 703 is further used to: receive a registration request message or a re-registration request message from the first communication device, where the registration request message or the re-registration request message includes the status information.

[0219] In one possible design, the communication unit 703 is also used to: receive a Session Initiation Protocol SIP message from an IMS communication control network element, the SIP message being used to manage a communication session between the first communication device and the second communication device, the communication session being associated with a data channel; and send the status information to the data channel control network element according to the SIP message.

[0220] In one possible design, the communication unit 703 is further used to: send a session event reporting message to the data channel control network element, where the session event reporting message includes the status information.

[0221] In one possible design, the request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the communication unit 703 is also used to: receive a first response information from the data channel control network element, the first response information indicating the rejection of the request corresponding to the request information; wherein the first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

[0222] In one possible design, the request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the communication unit 703 is also used to: receive a second response information from the data channel control network element, the second response information indicating acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information; the second response information includes media resource information for establishing an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

[0223] In one possible design, the first communication device is a calling party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in an originating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in an originating IMS network; or, the first communication device is a called party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in a terminating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

[0224] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Moreover, the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; or they can all be implemented in the form of hardware; or some units can be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated into a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, called by a certain processing element of the device and execute the function of the unit. In addition, all or part of these units can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can also be a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each operation of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through the processing element.

[0225] In one example, the unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more digital singnal processors (DSPs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0226] The above-mentioned receiving unit is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is the interface circuit of the chip used to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above-mentioned sending unit is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the sending unit is the interface circuit of the chip used to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0227] 8 is a schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present application. Device 800 may be the IMS AS or DC control network element in the above embodiments, and is used to implement the functions of the IMS AS or DC control network element in the above embodiments.

[0228] As shown in Figure 8, apparatus 800 may include a processor 801, a memory 802, and an interface circuit 803. Processor 801 may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and to control apparatus 800. Memory 802 may be used to store programs and data, and processor 801 may execute the method performed by apparatus 800 in the embodiments of the present application based on the programs. Interface circuit 803 may be used for apparatus 800 to communicate with other devices. Such communication may be wired or wireless. For example, the interface circuit may be a service-oriented interface.

[0229] The memory 802 may also be externally connected to the device 800, in which case the device 800 may include an interface circuit 803 and a processor 801. The interface circuit 803 may also be externally connected to the device 800, in which case the device 800 may include the memory 802 and the processor 801. When both the interface circuit 803 and the memory 802 are externally connected to the device 800, the device 800 may include the processor 801.

[0230] The apparatus 800 shown in FIG8 is capable of implementing the various processes related to the apparatus 800 in the above-described method embodiment. The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the apparatus 800 shown in FIG8 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above-described method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above-described method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0231] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC, and "at least one of A, B and C" can also be understood to include A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0232] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0233] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0234] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0235] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0236] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a data channel control network element, and the method comprises: receiving request information from the first communication device, the request information being used to request acquisition of a data channel application or to request use of the data channel application; According to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch state of the first communication device, reject the request corresponding to the request information or accept the request corresponding to the request information; Among them, the flow type is a flow exemption type or a non-flow exemption type, and the flow switch state is open or closed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that According to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch state of the first communication device, rejecting the request corresponding to the request information includes: Determining that the flow type is a non-flow exemption type and the flow switch state is closed; A first response message is sent, where the first response message indicates that the request corresponding to the request message is rejected.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Receiving a request corresponding to the request information according to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch state of the first communication device includes: Determining that the flow type is a flow exemption type and the flow switch state is closed; Sending second response information, where the second response information indicates acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first response information includes reason information, where the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The request information is used to request to obtain the data channel application, and the second response information includes an installation package of the data channel application; or, The request information is used to request the use of the data channel application, and the second response information includes media resource information used to establish an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive status information from an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem IMS application server, where the status information is used to indicate the flow switch status.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The receiving of status information from the IMS application server includes: A session event reporting message is received from the IMS application server, where the session event reporting message includes the state information.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The status information includes a packet switched data interrupt flag.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtain a traffic exemption application whitelist, wherein the traffic exemption application whitelist includes multiple application identifiers, each application identifier is used to identify a data channel application identified as a traffic exemption type by the network side; Based on the fact that the traffic exemption application whitelist includes the identifier of the data channel application, the traffic type of the data channel application is determined to be the traffic exemption type; or, based on the fact that the traffic exemption application whitelist does not include the identifier of the data channel application, the traffic type of the data channel application is determined to be the non-traffic exemption type.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first communication device is a calling party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in the originating IMS network; or, The first communication device is a called party user equipment, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to an IMS application server, and the method comprises: Acquire status information of the first communication device, where the status information is used to indicate a flow switch status of the first communication device, where the flow switch status is on or off; The status information is sent to a data channel control network element, where the status information is used to accept or reject a request corresponding to the request information sent by the first communication device, where the request information is used to request to obtain a data channel application or to request to use the data channel application.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Acquiring status information of a first communication device, including: A registration request message or a re-registration request message is received from the first communication device, where the registration request message or the re-registration request message includes the state information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: Sending the status information to the data channel control network element includes: receiving a session initiation protocol SIP message from an IMS communication control network element, wherein the SIP message is used to manage a communication session between the first communication device and the second communication device, wherein the communication session is associated with a data channel; The status information is sent to the data channel control network element according to the SIP message.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that Sending the status information to the data channel control network element includes: Sending a session event reporting message to the data channel control network element, wherein the session event reporting message includes the state information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that The request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the method further includes: receiving first response information from the data channel control network element, where the first response information indicates that the request corresponding to the request information is rejected; The first response information includes reason information, and the reason information is used to indicate that the reason for the rejection is that the traffic type of the data channel application is a non-traffic exemption type.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that The request information is used to request the use of the data channel application; the method further includes: receiving second response information from the data channel control network element, where the second response information indicates acceptance of the request corresponding to the request information; The second response information includes media resource information used to establish an application data channel corresponding to the data channel application.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that The first communication device is a calling party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in an originating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in an originating IMS network; or, The first communication device is a called party user equipment, the IMS application server is a network element in a terminating IMS network, and the data channel control network element is a network element in a terminating IMS network.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The IMS application server obtains status information of the first communication device, where the status information is used to indicate a flow switch status of the first communication device, where the flow switch status is on or off; The IMS application server sends the status information to the data channel control network element, and the data channel control network element receives the status information; The data channel control network element receives request information from the first communication device, where the request information is used to request to obtain a data channel application or to request to use the data channel application; The data channel control network element rejects the request corresponding to the request information or accepts the request corresponding to the request information according to the traffic type of the data channel application and the traffic switch state; The traffic type is a traffic exemption type or a non-traffic exemption type.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory; the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, and a computer program is stored in the memory; the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17 is executed.

21. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises the apparatus according to claim 19 and the apparatus according to claim 20.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, or the method according to claim 18 is executed.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, or the method according to claim 18 is executed.

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