Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: sending a first request message, wherein the first request message is used for requesting configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application includes a first application; and receiving a first response message, wherein the first response message comprises configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application comprises first information and / or second information, the first information is used for indicating whether the first application collects user information, and the second information is used for indicating the address of a protocol by which the first application collects the user information. By adopting the present application, whether an application collects user information can be determined, thereby ensuring the user's right to know, guaranteeing the security of the user information, and enhancing user experience.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411093706.7, filed on August 8, 2024, entitled “Communication method and apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] The new call based on IP multimedia subsystem data channel (IMSDC) refers to establishing one or more data channels parallel to audio and video in an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) session, in which any type of data can be transmitted, such as pictures, audio, video, menus, actions, positions, expressions, etc., so as to realize real-time interaction, screen sharing, augmented reality (AR) overlay, and even full immersive experience of hearing, vision, and touch synchronization in audio and video calls.

[0004] In the new call establishment process, application lists will be downloaded first, and applications with an Autoload attribute will also be downloaded. After the call is established, the user clicks the service icon to trigger the download of applications without the Autoload attribute. These are all carried through the bootstrap data channel (BDC). After the application is downloaded, the terminal device and the IMS network will establish an application data channel (ADC) through the session initialization protocol (SIP) and the session description protocol (SDP), which is used to carry application-related services.

[0005] In various scenarios, how to protect user information is an important issue. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application proposes a communication method and apparatus, which can confirm whether an application collects user information, ensure the right to know of the user, ensure the security of user information, and improve the user experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a terminal device, including can be executed by the terminal device, can be executed by a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the terminal device, or can be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device function, the method includes: sending a first request message, the first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application includes a first application; receiving a first response message, the first response message includes configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application includes first information and / or second information, the first information is used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information is used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0008] For example, the configuration information of the first application includes the first information and / or the second information, which can also be described as the configuration information of the first application including one or more of the first information or the second information.

[0009] Optionally, before the terminal device sends the first request message, a bootstrap data channel is established between the terminal device and a first network element, the terminal device sends the first request message in the bootstrap data channel, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first response message in the bootstrap data channel.

[0010] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information, so that the user can determine whether the first application will collect user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby ensuring the right to know of the user, ensuring the security of the user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information, correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience, and further ensuring the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second request message, the second request message including the second information; and receiving a second response message, the second response message including a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0012] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine how the first application collects user information based on the protocol by which the first application collects user information, correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience, and further ensuring the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0013] In a further possible implementation, before the sending of the second request message, the method further includes: establishing a BDC (Bootstrapping Data Channel) with the first network element based on the first indication information, the first indication information being used to request a protocol for querying the first application to collect user information; the sending of the second request message includes: sending the second request message in the BDC; and the receiving of the second response message includes: receiving the second response message in the BDC.

[0014] Optionally, the first indication information is received from the user before the establishing of the BDC based on the first indication information.

[0015] Optionally, the first indication information used to request a protocol for querying the first application to collect user information can be replaced by that the first indication information is indication information used by the user to request a protocol for querying the first application to collect user information.

[0016] In the above method, the data transmission between the point-to-point can be realized by the establishing of the BDC, the sending of the second request message in the BDC, and the receiving of the second response message in the BDC.

[0017] In a further possible implementation, the first response message further includes configuration information of a second application, the configuration information of the second application including third information and / or fourth information, the third information being used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information being used to indicate an address of a protocol for the second application to collect user information, and the method further includes: displaying whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

[0018] In the above method, by the above manner, the user can be more intuitively informed of whether the first application and the second application will collect user information, which is beneficial to the user to further select an application for downloading, improves the user experience, and further guarantees the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0019] In a further possible implementation, the configuration information of the second application further includes fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate downloading of the second application, and the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate an agreement to download the second application; and downloading the second application.

[0020] Optionally, the fifth information used to indicate downloading of the second application can be replaced by that the fifth information is used to indicate automatic downloading of the second application, or the fifth information is used to indicate a self-start of the second application.

[0021] In the above method, by the manner of obtaining the consent or authorization of the user before the downloading of the second application, the informed right of the user can be guaranteed, and the legal rights and interests of the user and the personal information security are guaranteed.

[0022] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first network element, and includes the following steps executed by the first network element, or executed by a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system) in the first network element, or executed by a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of functions of the first network element. The method includes the following steps: receiving a first request message, the first request message being used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application including a first application; and sending a first response message, the first response message including configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application including first information and / or second information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0023] Optionally, before the first network element receives the first request message, a bootstrap data channel is established between a terminal device and the first network element, and the first network element receives the first request message in the bootstrap data channel. Correspondingly, the first network element sends the first response message in the bootstrap data channel.

[0024] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information. Therefore, the user can determine whether the first application will collect user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby guaranteeing the informed right of the user, guaranteeing the security of user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information. Correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience and further guaranteeing the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes the following steps: receiving a second request message, the second request message including the second information; and sending a second response message, the second response message including a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0026] In the above method, by the above manner, the first network element sends the protocol by which the first application collects user information to the terminal device. The terminal device can determine how the first application collects user information based on the protocol by which the first application collects user information. Correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience and further guaranteeing the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0027] In yet another possible implementation, before the receiving the second request message, the method further includes: establishing a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with the terminal device; the receiving the second request message includes: receiving the second request message in the BDC; and the sending the second response message includes: sending the second response message in the BDC.

[0028] In the above method, by the above manner, data transmission between points can be realized.

[0029] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device, or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can include a module or unit or means corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit is configured to send a first request message, the first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application includes a first application; and the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first response message, the first response message includes configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application includes first information and / or second information, the first information is used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information is used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second request message, the second request message includes the second information; and the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second response message, the second response message includes the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0033] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to establish a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with a first network element based on first indication information, the first indication information is used to request to query the protocol by which the first application collects user information; the transceiver unit is configured to send the second request message in the BDC; and the transceiver unit is configured to receive the second response message in the BDC.

[0034] In a further possible implementation, the first response message further comprises configuration information of a second application, the configuration information of the second application comprising third information and / or fourth information, the third information being used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the second application collects user information, and the processing unit is further configured to display whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

[0035] In a further possible implementation, the configuration information of the second application further comprises fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate downloading the second application, the transceiver is further configured to receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate consent to download the second application, and the processing unit is further configured to download the second application. For the technical effects brought by the third aspect or possible implementation, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be a first network element, a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system) in the first network element, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first network element.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can comprise a module or unit or means corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit and a transceiver, the transceiver is configured to receive a first request message, the first request message being used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application comprising a first application, and the transceiver is further configured to send a first response message, the first response message comprising configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application comprising first information and / or second information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the transceiver is further configured to receive a second request message, the second request message comprising the second information, and the transceiver is further configured to send a second response message, the second response message comprising the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0040] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit is configured to establish a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with the terminal device; the transceiver is configured to receive the second request message in the BDC; and the transceiver is configured to send a second response message in the BDC.

[0041] As to the technical effects brought by the fourth aspect or possible implementation, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the second aspect or corresponding implementation.

[0042] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises at least one processor configured to invoke a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method of the first aspect or possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises the memory and a communication interface. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication apparatus.

[0045] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises at least one processor configured to invoke a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method of the second aspect or possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises the memory and a communication interface. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication apparatus.

[0048] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip apparatus, which comprises at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction to implement the method of any one of the aspects or possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0049] In a possible implementation, an input of the chip apparatus corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the aspects or possible implementation of any one of the aspects, and an output of the chip apparatus corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the aspects or possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0050] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0051] Optionally, the chip apparatus further comprises a memory, and the memory stores the computer program instruction.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a processor, a method of any of the above aspects is implemented.

[0053] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a processor, a method of any of the above aspects is implemented.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the apparatus of the fifth aspect and the apparatus of the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an IMS DC according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a BDC call flow according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of downloading a DC application through a BDC according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of displaying whether a first application and a second application collect user information according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIGS. 7-9 are schematic diagrams of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0065] Reference within this application to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" in various places within specifications are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, although it can. The terms "including," "comprising," "having" and variations thereof are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified otherwise, "or" as used herein is

[0066] In the description of the application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is only a description of the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can mean: A alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B alone. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c, can mean a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0067] It can be understood that in this application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing a certain indication information for indicating A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0068] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is called the to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information, or the to-be-indicated information can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. It can also only indicate part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, the protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0069] The to-be-indicated information can be sent together as a whole or can be sent separately in multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the present application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the transmitting end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0070] It can be understood that “sending” and “receiving” in the present application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, “sending information to XX” can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. “Receiving information from YY” can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. “Sending” can also be understood as “output” of a chip interface, and “receiving” can also be understood as “input” of a chip interface.

[0071] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices, or can be within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0072] It can be understood that the information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information transmission, such as encoding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0073] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) related cellular communication system, for example, a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication system, such as a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) communication system, and can also be applied to a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system, such as a 5G new radio (new radio, NR) communication system, or various future communication systems and future communication networks. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a Bluetooth system, a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system, a LoRa system or a vehicle-to-vehicle system, a communication system supporting multiple wireless technology fusion, a device-to-device (device-to-device, D2D) system. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a satellite communication system, which can be integrated with the above communication system. The wireless communication system related in the present application also includes but is not limited to: a narrow band internet of things (narrow band-internet of things, NB-IoT) system, a global system for mobile communications (global system for mobile communications, GSM) system, an enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (enhanced data rate for GSM evolution, EDGE) system, a wideband code division multiple access (wideband code division multiple access, WCDMA) system, a code division multiple access (code division multiple access, CDMA2000) system, or a time division-synchronous code division multiple access (time division-synchronous code division multiple access, TD-SCDMA) system.

[0074] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is an architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a terminal device and a data channel signaling function (DCSF) network element. The terminal device can be a data channel capable multimedia telephony service for IMS (DCMTSI) terminal, which is a terminal device that supports both IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) multimedia telephony service and data channel (DC) channel function. Optionally, the communication system can further include a media function (MF) network element, a data channel application server (DC application server), a data channel application repository (DCAR), and a network exposure function (NEF) network element. Optionally, the MF network element can also be referred to as a data channel media function (DCMF) network element. Exemplarily, the MF network element is a collection of media plane functions, and the DCMF network element is one of the media plane functions.Optionally, the communication system further comprises an IP multimedia subsystem home subscriber server (IMS HSS), an IP multimedia subsystem application server (IMS AS), an interrogation call session control function (I-CSCF), a serving call session control function (S-CSCF), a proxy call session control function (P-CSCF), an IP multimedia subsystem access gateway (IMS-AGW), and a remote IP multimedia subsystem (remote IMS). The main functions of each network element are as follows.

[0075] DCSF network element: mainly used for DC application distribution, DC establishment, disassembly, and policy control, etc.

[0076] MF network element: mainly used for DC media control and forwarding.

[0077] DC application server: for example, it can be a world wide web server (Web Server), and is mainly used for sending necessary information to the user when the user uses a DC application.

[0078] DCAR: mainly used for storing a database of DC applications, and is connected to the DCSF network element through a DC5 interface.

[0079] NEF network element: mainly used for being responsible for the external opening of network capabilities and providing a standard interface.

[0080] HSS: a user database in the IMS network, and is mainly used for storing user configuration information, service permissions, and user location, etc. It can interact with other components to provide necessary user information.

[0081] IMS AS: mainly used for providing various multimedia applications and services, such as voice calls, video calls, instant messages, etc. It can provide personalized services according to user needs and operator policies.

[0082] I-CSCF: is a signaling node in the IMS core network, mainly responsible for processing user registration and session establishment requests. It can process session requests by requesting user configuration information from the HSS and selecting a suitable S-CSCF.

[0083] S-CSCF: is a service node in the IMS core network, mainly responsible for processing user session requests and session control. It establishes a session with the terminal device and provides multimedia communication services.

[0084] P-CSCF: is an access point of the IMS core network, mainly responsible for processing communication between terminal devices and the IMS network. It provides user identity verification, address forwarding, and session control functions.

[0085] IMS-AGW: is an access gateway for IMS core network media, mainly responsible for processing communication between the IMS network and the terminal. It provides gateway control, network address translation (NAT) traversal, traffic control, and other functions.

[0086] It can be understood that Figure 1 only shows one possible communication system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. In other possible scenarios, other devices can also be included in the communication system architecture. It should be noted that the terminal device described above can be any one of the terminal devices described below. The method proposed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1.

[0087] (1) Terminal device, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to users. Specifically, it includes a device that provides voice to users, or a device that provides data connectivity to users, or a device that provides voice and data connectivity to users. For example, it can include a handheld device with wireless connection function, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with the core network through the radio access network (RAN), exchange voice or data with the RAN, or interact with the RAN for voice and data. Currently, the terminal device can be: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.), a vehicle-mounted device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, etc.), a smart robot, a workshop device, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a flight device (such as a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device that plays a terminal function in D2D communication.The terminal device can also include a vehicle to everything (V2X) terminal device, a machine to machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, a light terminal device, a reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, or a user device, a drone device, etc. For example, it can include a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, a portable, pocket, handheld, built-in computer mobile device, etc. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. It also includes limited devices, such as devices with lower power consumption, or devices with limited storage capacity, or devices with limited computing capacity, etc. For example, it includes information sensing devices such as bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensor, global positioning system (GPS), laser scanner, etc. In this application, the terminal device with wireless transceiver function and the chip that can be provided in the terminal device are collectively referred to as terminal device.

[0088] It should be noted that the terminal device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus integrated with a circuit, or a chip, module or control unit in the above-mentioned device or apparatus, and the specific application is not limited.

[0089] For better understanding of the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application, the following first introduces some terms, concepts or processes related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] DC: a way for transmitting data from one point to another point.

[0091] Bootstrap data channel (BDC): a data channel, which is generally established between a terminal device and a calling network or a called network, and is used for obtaining a bootstrap program, an application list or a specific IP multimedia subsystem data channel (IMSDC) application, that is, is mainly used for downloading a small program list and downloading a specific small program in a call process.

[0092] Application data channel (ADC): a data channel, which is generally established between a terminal device and a terminal device, or between a terminal device and a calling network or a called network, and is used for data interaction between two end points for a specific application.

[0093] IP multimedia subsystem data channel application (IMSDC APP): can be simply referred to as APP, which is an application program using IMSDC for downloading and / or data exchange.

[0094] I. IMSDC

[0095] Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram of an IMSDC. As shown in the figure, the IMSDC refers to establishing one or more data channels parallel to audio and video transmission in an IMS session, in which any type of data can be transmitted, such as pictures, audio, video, menus, actions, positions, expressions, etc., so as to realize real-time interaction, screen sharing, superimposed augmented reality (AR), and even full immersive experience of hearing, vision, touch, etc. synchronization in audio and video calls.

[0096] The terminal device and the IMS network can establish a DC through session description protocol (SDP) media description offer and media description answer negotiation, the IMS network can deliver diversified application content to the terminal device through the DC, for example, the application content can include a world wide web (Web) page (Page) and a JavaScript script, through the DC technology, the IMS can support fast innovation, fast deployment and fast online of new services; meanwhile, based on the manner, the terminal device can be greatly relieved in the new service innovation, and the page display layout and operation buttons can be flexibly customized and delivered by the network side, so that different terminal devices can be avoided from being adapted and developed one by one for each service.

[0097] The IMS DC is a further extension based on the IMS to carry rich media services, the IMS has a good deployment in each operator, has a good future evolution prospect, and a small program for downloading and / or data exchange using the IMS DC is an IMS DC application, which can also be referred to as a DC application or a DC APP.

[0098] In the new call establishment process, an application list and an application with an Autoload attribute are first downloaded, and after the call is established, the user clicks a service icon to trigger the download of an application without the Autoload attribute, and these are all carried through the BDC. After the application is downloaded, the terminal device and the IMS network establish an ADC through a session initialization protocol (SIP) and an SDP, and the ADC is used to carry application-related services.

[0099] II. BDC call flow

[0100] Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of a BDC call flow, as follows:

[0101] Step 1: The terminal device 1 sends an invite message.

[0102] The invite message includes audio media description information, video media description information and SDP media description information for the BDC.

[0103] Step 2: The IMS AS makes a DC routing decision and a DCSF address.

[0104] Step 3: IMS AS sends IMS AS Session Event Control Notify (Nimsas_SesssionEventControl_Notify) message to DCSF network element.

[0105] This step is an optional step.

[0106] Step 4: DCSF network element decides whether to provide DC and determines DC control policy.

[0107] Step 5: DCSF network element creates initiation and termination side DC media information.

[0108] Step 6: DCSF network element sends Media Instruction in IMS AS Media Control service (Nimsas_MediaControl_MediaInstruction) message to IMS AS.

[0109] This step is an optional step.

[0110] Step 7: IMS AS performs MF network element addressing.

[0111] Step 8: IMS AS requests MF network element to reserve initiation and termination side DC media resources, and MF network element allocates resources for initiation and termination side MDC1.

[0112] Step 9: IMS AS sends Media Instruction Response in IMS AS Media Control service (Nimsas_MediaControl_MediaInstruction response) message to DCSF network element.

[0113] This step is an optional step.

[0114] Step 10: DCSF network element sends IMS AS Session Event Control Notify Response (Nimsas_SesssionEventControl_Notify response) message to IMS AS.

[0115] This step is an optional step.

[0116] Step 11: IMS AS sends invite message to I-CSCF or S-CSCF.

[0117] Step 12: I-CSCF or S-CSCF sends invite message to terminal network or terminal device 2.

[0118] Step 13: Terminal network negotiates.

[0119] Step 14: 18X message and / or reliable provisional response acknowledgement (PRACK) message and / or 200 OK (PRACK) message and / or UPDATE message.

[0120] Step 15: Terminal network or terminal device 2 sends 200 OK message to I-CSCF or S-CSCF.

[0121] Step 16: I-CSCF or S-CSCF sends 200 OK message to IMS AS.

[0122] Step 17: IMS AS sends Nimsas_SesssionEventControl_Notify message to DC SF.

[0123] Step 18: DC SF sends Nimsas_SesssionEventControl_Notify response message to IMS AS.

[0124] Step 19: IMS AS sends 200 OK message to I-CSCF or S-CSCF, I-CSCF or S-CSCF sends 200 OK message to P-CSCF, P-CSCF sends 200 OK message to terminal device 1.

[0125] Exemplarily, steps 1-19 are the process of media negotiation signaling interaction.

[0126] Step 20-1: Data channel 1 is established.

[0127] Wherein, the data channel 1 is BDC. When the stream ID of the data channel is less than 1000, the data channel is BDC. Exemplarily, the stream ID or data mapping (dcmap) of the data channel 1 is 0, 10.

[0128] Step 20-2: DC application list is downloaded.

[0129] It can be understood that the terminal device 1 downloads the corresponding application list, that is, the DC application list, through the BDC.

[0130] Step 20-3: Special DC application request and download from the initiating DC SF.

[0131] It can be understood that the terminal device downloads the corresponding application through the BDC.

[0132] Exemplarily, step 20-1 is the process of establishing BDC, i.e. the process of establishing BDC between terminal device 1 and the calling DCSF, wherein the process of establishing BDC between terminal device 1 and the calling DCSF passes through the DCMF network element.

[0133] Step 21-1: Data channel 2 is established.

[0134] The data channel 2 is BDC. Exemplarily, the streamID or dcmap of the data channel 2 is 100, 110.

[0135] Step 21-2: DC application list is downloaded.

[0136] Step 21-3: Special DC application request and download from the initiating DCSF.

[0137] Exemplarily, step 21-1 is the process of establishing BDC by the called and the calling network, i.e. the process of establishing BDC between terminal device 2 and the calling DCSF, wherein the process of establishing BDC between terminal device 2 and the calling DCSF passes through the DCMF network element, and steps 21-2 and 21-3 are the process of using BDC.

[0138] Step 22-1: Data channel 3 is established.

[0139] The data channel 3 is BDC. Exemplarily, the streamID or dcmap of the data channel 3 is 100, 110.

[0140] Step 22-2: DC application list is downloaded.

[0141] Step 22-3: Special DC application request and download from the terminal DCSF.

[0142] Exemplarily, step 22-1 is the process of establishing BDC by the calling and the called network, and steps 22-2 and 22-3 are the process of using BDC.

[0143] Step 23: Data channel 4 is established, DC application list is downloaded, and special DC application is downloaded.

[0144] The data channel 4 is BDC. Exemplarily, the streamID or dcmap of the data channel 4 is 0, 10.

[0145] Exemplarily, step 23 is the process of establishing BDC by the called and the called network.

[0146] The above steps 1-23 illustrate a schematic diagram of a BDC call flow. For example, the BDC establishment includes four steps, as follows: the caller and the caller network establish the BDC, such as step 21-1; the callee and the caller network establish the BDC, such as step 22-1; the caller and the callee network establish the BDC, such as step 23-1; and the callee and the callee network establish the BDC, such as step 24-1. When the above four steps are completed, the BDC is successfully established.

[0147] Step 24: a subsequent step.

[0148] For example, the subsequent step is an ADC establishment procedure.

[0149] The above illustrates the BDC establishment. Next, how to download a DC application through the established BDC is described. Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of downloading a DC application through a BDC, as follows:

[0150] Step 1: the terminal device A and the DCSF network element establish a BDC.

[0151] For details, please refer to the above steps 1-23 in FIG. 3, which are not repeated here.

[0152] Step 2: the terminal device A sends a request message to the DCSF network element.

[0153] For example, the request message can be a hypertext transfer protocol get (HTTP Get) message. The request message is used to request an application list.

[0154] Step 3: the DCSF network element generates an application list based on the request message.

[0155] For example, the application list includes one or more applications, and each application corresponds to a DCAPP configuration file.

[0156] For example, the DCSF network element generates the application list based on user subscription data.

[0157] Step 4: the DCSF network element sends a response message to the terminal device A.

[0158] For example, the response message includes the application list. For example, the response message can be a 200 OK message, and the application list is included in the body of the 200 OK message.

[0159] Step 5: the terminal device A displays the application list.

[0160] It can be understood that the terminal device A presents the application list received from the DCSF to the user. Accordingly, the user can request any application included in the application list, that is, the user can select any application from the presented application list. If the user requests any application, the following steps 6-8 are triggered, which are as follows.

[0161] Step 6: The terminal device A sends a request message to the DCSF network element.

[0162] The request message is used to request any application selected by the user. For example, the request message is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) Get Application Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

[0163] Step 7: The DCSF network element sends a response message to the terminal device A.

[0164] The response message includes any application selected by the user. For example, the response message is an HTTP 200 OK message.

[0165] Step 8: The DC application runs on the terminal device A.

[0166] As can be seen from the above process, when the user selects any application from the application list, it cannot be determined whether the corresponding application will collect user information, which damages the user's right to know.

[0167] Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0168] S501: The terminal device sends a first request message.

[0169] For example, the terminal device sends a first request message to a first network element. Accordingly, the first network element receives the first request message from the terminal device. The first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application includes a first application. Optionally, the first request message is used to request at least one application and / or configuration information of at least one application. Optionally, the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application can be included in an application list, that is, the application list includes the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application, and the first request message is used to request the application list.

[0170] For example, the first request message can be an HTTP Get message. The first network element can be a DCSF network element in the communication system shown in FIG. 1.

[0171] In a possible implementation, the terminal device and the first network element establish a first BDC before the terminal device sends the first request message, and the establishment process can refer to the related description in FIG. 3. For example, the terminal device sends the first request message in the first BDC, and the first network element sends the first response message to the terminal device in the first BDC.

[0172] S502: The first network element sends the first response message.

[0173] For example, the first network element sends the first response message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first response message from the first network element.

[0174] The first response message includes configuration information of the first application. Optionally, the first response message can also include the first application. The configuration information of the first application includes the first information and / or the second information, and can also be alternatively described as the configuration information of the first application including one or more of the first information or the second information. Optionally, the configuration information can also be alternatively described as a profile.

[0175] The first information is used to indicate whether the first application collects user information. For example, the first information can occupy 1 bit. When the first information is in a first state, the first information indicates that the first application collects user information; when the first information is in a second state, the first information indicates that the first application does not collect user information. For example, the first state is 1, and the second state is 0; or the first state is 0, and the second state is 1.

[0176] The second information is used to indicate an address of a protocol for collecting user information by the first application, and the address can be a uniform resource locator (URL). For example, the second information can be of a string data type. In one example, when the first information is in the first state and the first state is 1, the first information is used to indicate that the first application collects user information, and the second information is used to indicate the address of the protocol for collecting user information by the first application, for example, http: / / XXXX. In another example, when the first information is in the second state and the second state is 0, the first information is used to indicate that the first application does not collect user information, and the second information is empty.

[0177] Optionally, the first response message can further comprise at least one application other than the first application and / or configuration information of the at least one application other than the first application. That is, it can be understood that the first response message can comprise at least one application and / or configuration information of the at least one application. In a possible example, the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application can be in the form of a list. Optionally, the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application is contained in an application list, that is, the application list comprises the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application, and the first response message comprises the application list.

[0178] In an example, the terminal device sends a first request message, where the first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application comprises APP1, APP2 and APP3, where APP1 is the first application. The first network element sends a first response message, where in an example, the first response message comprises configuration information of the first application, that is, configuration information of APP1, and optionally, the first response message further comprises APP1. In another example, the first response message comprises configuration information of the first application, that is, configuration information of APP1, and the first response message further comprises configuration information of APP2, and optionally, the first response message further comprises APP1 and APP2. In another example, the first response message comprises configuration information of the first application, that is, configuration information of APP1, and the first response message further comprises configuration information of APP2 and configuration information of APP3, and optionally, the first response message further comprises APP1, APP2 and APP3.

[0179] In a possible implementation, before the first network element sends the first response message, the first network element determines the configuration information of the first application.

[0180] In an example, the first response message can be a 200 OK message, and the configuration information of the first application is included in a body of the 200 OK message.

[0181] In an example, the configuration information of the first application can further comprise one or more of the following: an application identifier, an application name, an application icon, an application loading period, automatic downloading, automatic starting, if working without a same data channel, a supported scenario, a usage condition, or a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) quality of service indication. For related explanations of the above parameters, reference can be made to related descriptions in Table 1.

[0182] Table 1

[0183] In a possible implementation, the first response message further includes configuration information of the second application, the configuration information of the second application includes third information and / or fourth information, the third information is used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information is used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the second application collects user information, and the method further includes: displaying whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

[0184] For example, the configuration information of the second application including the third information and / or the fourth information can also be described as the configuration information of the second application including one or more of the third information or the fourth information. It should be noted that the first application and the second application can be the same application or different applications, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0185] The display of whether the first application and the second application will collect user information can be understood as displaying, based on the first information, whether the first application will collect user information, and displaying, based on the third information, whether the second application will collect user information. When the first information is used to indicate that the first application will collect user information, it is displayed that the first application will collect user information, and when the first information is used to indicate that the first application will not collect user information, it is displayed that the first application will not collect user information. When the third information is used to indicate that the second application will collect user information, it is displayed that the second application will collect user information, and when the third information is used to indicate that the second application will not collect user information, it is displayed that the second application will not collect user information.

[0186] In an example, referring to FIG. 6, which is a schematic diagram of displaying whether the first application and the second application will collect user information according to an embodiment of the present application, for example, the first information is used to indicate that the first application will collect user information, and the third information is used to indicate that the second application will not collect user information, the first application is APP1, and the second application is APP2. As shown in the figure, it is displayed that APP1 will collect user information and APP2 will not collect user information.

[0187] In the above method, by the above manner, the user can be more intuitively informed of whether the first application and the second application will collect user information, which is beneficial for the user to further select an application for downloading, improves the user experience, and further guarantees the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0188] The following will describe that, in the process of downloading the first application through the first BDC, when the user wants to determine in detail how the first application collects user information, the terminal device can request to obtain a protocol by which the first application collects user information, and the specific process is as follows:

[0189] In another possible implementation, after the terminal device receives the first response message, the method further includes: the terminal device sends a second request message, and the terminal device receives a second response message.

[0190] Exemplarily, the terminal device sends a second request message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device, the second request message comprising second information, i.e., the second request message comprises the address of the protocol of the first application for collecting user information. Exemplarily, the second request message can be an http get message. Then, the first network element acquires the protocol of the first application for collecting user information based on the second information. Then, the first network element sends a second response message to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second response message from the first network element, the second response message comprising the protocol of the first application for collecting user information. The protocol of the first application for collecting user information comprises one or more of the following: the range of collecting user information or the method used. Optionally, the terminal device can display the protocol of the first application for collecting user information. In the above manner, the terminal device can determine how the first application collects user information based on the protocol of the first application for collecting user information, and correspondingly, the user can be informed of how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience and further guaranteeing the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0191] Exemplarily, the terminal device sends a second request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device in the first BDC. The first network element sends a second response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second response message from the first network element in the first BDC.

[0192] Optionally, before the terminal device sends the second request message, the terminal device can receive a first operation from the user, the first operation being used to determine to acquire the protocol of the first application for collecting user information.

[0193] Optionally, after the terminal device receives the second response message, the terminal device sends a third request message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the third request message from the terminal device, the third request message comprising the acquisition address of the first application, exemplarily, the acquisition address can be the URL of the first application. The first network element downloads the first application based on the acquisition address of the first application, and then sends a third response message to the terminal device, the third response message comprising the first application. Exemplarily, the terminal device sends the third request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the third request message from the terminal device in the first BDC. Then, the first network element sends the third response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third response message from the first network element in the first BDC.

[0194] When the terminal device receives the first response message, before downloading the second application through the first BDC, it is determined that the configuration information of the second application includes collecting user information and downloading or automatically starting the second application, the terminal device needs to obtain the permission of the user, and after the user authorizes the consent, the terminal device can download the second application, and the specific process is as follows:

[0195] In another possible implementation, the first response message includes the configuration information of the first application and the configuration information of the second application, the configuration information of the second application includes third information and / or fourth information, the third information is used to indicate that the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information is used to indicate the address of the protocol of the second application collecting user information, the configuration information of the second application further includes fifth information, and the fifth information is used to indicate downloading the second application. The method further includes: the terminal device receives second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate agreeing to download the second application, and the second application is downloaded.

[0196] Wherein, the explanation of the third information can refer to the explanation of the first information, and the explanation of the fourth information can refer to the explanation of the second information, which will not be repeated here. Illustratively, the terminal device receiving the second indication information can mean that the terminal device receives the second indication information from the user.

[0197] Illustratively, the fifth information used to indicate downloading the second application can also be understood as the fifth information used to indicate automatically downloading the second application, or the fifth information used to indicate that the second application is automatically started. Illustratively, the fifth information can be Autoload or Autolaunch.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the process of the terminal device downloading the second application can be as follows: the terminal device sends a fourth request message and receives a fourth response message.

[0199] Illustratively, the terminal device sends the fourth request message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the fourth request message from the terminal device, the fourth request message including the acquisition address of the second application. Illustratively, the acquisition address can be the URL of the second application, the first network element downloads the second application based on the acquisition address of the second application, and then the first network element sends the fourth response message to the terminal device, the fourth response message including the second application.

[0200] Illustratively, the terminal device sends the fourth request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the fourth request message from the terminal device in the first BDC. Then, the first network element sends the fourth response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth response message from the first network element in the first BDC.

[0201] In the above method, by obtaining the consent or authorization of the user before downloading the second application, the user's right to know can be guaranteed, and the user's legal rights and personal information security are guaranteed.

[0202] The above describes how to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information in downloading the first application through the first BDC, and the process of downloading the second application after obtaining the user's permission before downloading the second application through the first BDC. The following will explain that when the terminal device includes the first application and the configuration information of the first application, that is, the terminal device caches the first application and the configuration information of the first application, and the user requests to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information, the terminal device requests to obtain the protocol of the first application collecting user information, and the specific process is as follows:

[0203] In another possible implementation, before the terminal device sends the second request message, the method further includes: the terminal device establishes a BDC with the first network element based on the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to request to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information; the terminal device sends the second request message in the BDC and receives the second response message in the BDC.

[0204] Wherein, the related description of the second request message and the second response message can be referred to the above description, which will not be repeated here. Before the terminal device establishes the BDC with the first network element based on the first indication information, the terminal device receives the first indication information, for example, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the user.

[0205] For example, the terminal device establishes the BDC with the first network element based on the first indication information can be understood as the terminal device triggers the establishment of the BDC between the terminal device and the first network element based on the first indication information. The specific process of establishing the BDC between the terminal device and the first network element can be referred to the related description in FIG. 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0206] Wherein, the BDC can be the second BDC, that is, the terminal device sends the second request message in the second BDC and receives the first response message in the second BDC, and the first BDC is disconnected at this time. It can be understood that when the terminal device downloads the first application through the first BDC, that is, the terminal device includes the first application and the configuration information of the first application cached in the terminal device, and the first BDC is disconnected at this time, the user requests to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information, the terminal device establishes the second BDC with the first network element based on the first indication information, sends the second request message to the first network element in the second BDC, and receives the second response message from the first network element in the second BDC.

[0207] In the above method, the data transmission between the point-to-point can be realized by the terminal device establishing the BDC between the first indication information and the first network element, and sending the second request message in the BDC, and receiving the second response message in the BDC.

[0208] In the method described in FIG. 5, by the above method, the terminal device can determine whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information, so that the user can determine whether the first application will collect user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby ensuring the right to know of the user, ensuring the security of the user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information, and accordingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience, and further ensuring the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0209] Next, how to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information in the process of downloading the first application through the first BDC will be described. Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0210] S701: The terminal device establishes a first BDC with a first network element.

[0211] The first network element can be the DCSF network element in FIG. 1, and the process of establishing the BDC between the terminal device and the first network element can be referred to the related description in FIG. 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0212] S702: The terminal device sends a first request message to the first network element.

[0213] Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first request message from the terminal device.

[0214] The first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application includes the first application. Optionally, the first request message is used to request at least one application and / or configuration information of at least one application. Optionally, the at least one application and / or the configuration information of at least one application is contained in an application list, that is, the application list includes the at least one application and / or the configuration information of at least one application, and the first request message is used to request the application list. For example, the terminal device sends the first request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the first request message from the terminal device in the first BDC. For details, please refer to the related description in step S501.

[0215] S703: The first network element determines the configuration information of the at least one application.

[0216] The first network element determining the configuration information of the at least one application can refer to that the first network element determines an application list based on the subscription data of the user. It can be understood that the first network element determines the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application based on the subscription data of the user, and the at least one application includes the first application.

[0217] S704: The first network element sends a first response message to the terminal device.

[0218] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first response message from the first network element.

[0219] The first response message includes the configuration information of the first application. The configuration information of the first application includes first information and / or second information, the first information is used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information is used to indicate the address of the protocol of the first application collecting user information. The first response message can also include the configuration information of the second application, and the configuration information of the second application includes third information and / or fourth information, the third information is used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information is used to indicate the address of the protocol of the second application collecting user information. Optionally, the first response message can also include the first application and / or the second application. Alternatively, the first response message includes an application list, and the application list includes the at least one application and / or the configuration information of the at least one application. The configuration information of each application in the configuration information of the at least one application can refer to the related description in the configuration information of the first application, and can refer to the related description in step S502.

[0220] For example, the first network element sends the first response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first response message from the first network element in the first BDC.

[0221] S705: The terminal device displays whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

[0222] This step is an optional step.

[0223] For example, the terminal device can display whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information, and display whether the second application will collect user information based on the third information. This process can also be understood as that the terminal device displays whether the at least one application will collect user information.

[0224] S706: The terminal device determines the protocol of the first application collecting user information.

[0225] This step is an optional step.

[0226] The terminal device can receive a first operation from the user, and the first operation is used to determine a protocol for collecting user information by the first application.

[0227] The terminal device sends a second request message to the first network element.

[0228] The first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device.

[0229] This step is an optional step.

[0230] The second request message includes second information, i.e., the address of the protocol for collecting user information by the first application. For example, the terminal device sends the second request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and the first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device in the first BDC. For details, refer to the related description in step S502.

[0231] The first network element sends a second response message to the terminal device.

[0232] The terminal device receives the second response message from the first network element.

[0233] This step is an optional step.

[0234] The second response message includes the protocol for collecting user information by the first application. For example, the first network element sends the second response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and the terminal device receives the second response message from the first network element in the first BDC. For details, refer to the related description in step S502.

[0235] The terminal device displays the protocol for collecting user information by the first application.

[0236] The terminal device sends a third request message to the first network element.

[0237] The first network element receives the third request message from the terminal device. The third request message includes the acquisition address of the first application, and the acquisition address can be the URL of the first application. The first network element downloads the first application based on the acquisition address of the first application.

[0238] For example, the terminal device sends the third request message to the first network element in the first BDC, and the first network element receives the third request message from the terminal device in the first BDC.

[0239] The first network element sends a third response message to the terminal device.

[0240] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a third response message from the first network element. The third response message includes the first application.

[0241] For example, the first network element sends the third response message to the terminal device in the first BDC, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third response message from the first network element in the first BDC.

[0242] S712: The first application runs on the terminal device.

[0243] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information, so that the user can determine whether the first application will collect user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby ensuring the right to know of the user, ensuring the security of the user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information, correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience, and further protecting the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0244] The following will describe that before downloading the second application through the first BDC, when the configuration information of the second application includes that the application collects user information and downloads the second application or the second application is self-started, the terminal device needs to obtain the permission of the user, and after the user authorizes and agrees, the terminal device can download the second application. Please refer to FIG. 8, which is a flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0245] S801-S804 can refer to the related description in S701-S704.

[0246] S805: The terminal device receives second indication information.

[0247] When the first response message includes the configuration information of the first application and the configuration information of the second application, the configuration information of the second application includes third information and / or fourth information, the third information is used to indicate that the second application will collect user information, the fourth information is used to indicate the address of the agreement of the second application collecting user information, the configuration information of the second application further includes fifth information, the fifth information is used to indicate downloading the second application, the terminal device receives the second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate agreeing to download the second application, and then the terminal device downloads the second application. In a possible implementation manner, the process of the terminal device downloading the second application includes S806 and S807, which will not be described herein.

[0248] S806: The terminal device sends a fourth request message to the first network element.

[0249] The fourth request message includes the address of the second application. For example, the terminal device sends the fourth request message to the first network element via the first BDC, and the first network element receives the fourth request message from the terminal device via the first BDC. For details, refer to the related description in S502.

[0250] S807: The first network element sends a fourth response message to the terminal device.

[0251] The fourth request message includes the second application. For example, the first network element sends the fourth response message to the terminal device via the first BDC, and the terminal device receives the fourth response message from the first network element via the first BDC.

[0252] S808: The second application runs on the terminal device.

[0253] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine whether the first application collects user information based on the first information, so that the user can determine whether the first application collects user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby ensuring the right to know of the user, ensuring the security of the user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information, and the user can be informed how the first application collects user information accordingly, thereby improving the user experience and further protecting the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0254] The above Fig. 7 illustrates how to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information in the process of downloading the first application via the first BDC, and Fig. 8 illustrates the process of downloading the second application after obtaining the user permission before downloading the second application via the first BDC.

[0255] The following will illustrate the specific process when the terminal device includes the first application and the configuration information of the first application, that is, the terminal device caches the first application and the configuration information of the first application, and the first BDC is disconnected at this time, and the user requests to query the protocol of the first application collecting user information. Please refer to Fig. 9, which is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0256] S901: The terminal device has cached the first application and the configuration information of the first application.

[0257] In other words, the terminal device downloads the first application via the first BDC and obtains the configuration information of the first application.

[0258] S902: The terminal device receives first indication information.

[0259] The first indication information is used to request to query a protocol of collecting user information by the first application. For example, the terminal device receives the first indication information from the user. Details can be referred to the related description in S502.

[0260] S903: The terminal device establishes a BDC between the terminal device and the first network element based on the first indication information.

[0261] The BDC can be a second BDC. The first network element can be the DCSF network element in FIG. 1. Details can be referred to the related description in FIG. 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0262] S904: The terminal device sends a second request message to the first network element in the BDC.

[0263] Correspondingly, the first network element receives the second request message from the terminal device in the BDC. The second request message includes an address of the protocol of collecting user information by the first application. The BDC can be a second BDC, and the first BDC has been disconnected. Details can be referred to the related description in S502.

[0264] S905: The first network element sends a second response message to the terminal device in the BDC.

[0265] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second response message from the first network element in the BDC. The second response message includes the protocol of collecting user information by the first application. The BDC can be a second BDC, and the first BDC has been disconnected. Details can be referred to the related description in S502.

[0266] S906: Display the protocol of collecting user information by the first application.

[0267] The step is an optional step.

[0268] In the above method, by the above manner, the terminal device can determine whether the first application will collect user information based on the first information. Then, the user can determine whether the first application will collect user information before downloading the first application, that is, the user can be informed whether the first application collects user information, thereby ensuring the right to know of the user, ensuring the security of the user information, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, the terminal device can obtain how the first application collects user information based on the second information. Correspondingly, the user can be informed how the first application collects user information, thereby improving the user experience, and further protecting the legal rights and interests of the user.

[0269] It should be noted that the above three embodiments of FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are not independent, and can be combined with each other. For example, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 can be combined with each other, and FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 can be combined with each other. The embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0270] The above describes the method of the embodiments of the application in detail. The apparatus of the embodiments of the application is provided below.

[0271] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1000 provided by the embodiments of the application. The communication apparatus 1000 can include a module or unit or means corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions performed by the terminal device or the first network element in the above method embodiments. The module or unit or means can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0272] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1000 can include a processing unit 1001 and a transceiver unit 1002, which are specifically as follows.

[0273] The processing unit 1001 is configured to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 1002 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1002 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0274] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a storage unit, which can be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1001 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit, so as to implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0275] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1002 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is configured to perform the sending operations in the foregoing method embodiments. The receiving unit is configured to perform the receiving operations in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0276] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 1000 can include the sending unit and not include the receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 1000 can include the receiving unit and not include the sending unit. Specifically, whether the sending unit and the receiving unit are included in the communication apparatus 1000 can depend on whether the sending action and the receiving action are included in the above scheme performed by the communication apparatus 1000.

[0277] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 is configured to perform the actions performed by the terminal device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9. Details can be referred to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, which are not described here in detail. For example, the communication apparatus 1000 is configured to perform the following scheme:

[0278] The transceiver 1002 is configured to send a first request message, where the first request message is used to request configuration information of at least one application, and the at least one application includes a first application. The transceiver 1002 is further configured to receive a first response message, where the first response message includes the configuration information of the first application, and the configuration information of the first application includes first information and / or second information. The first information is used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information is used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0279] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 1002 is further configured to send a second request message, where the second request message includes the second information. The transceiver 1002 is further configured to receive a second response message, where the second response message includes the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0280] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1001 is further configured to establish a BDC (Bootstrapping Data Channel) with a first network element based on first indication information, where the first indication information is used to request to query the protocol by which the first application collects user information. The transceiver 1002 is configured to send the second request message in the BDC. The transceiver 1002 is configured to receive the second response message in the BDC.

[0281] In another possible implementation, the first response message further includes configuration information of a second application, where the configuration information of the second application includes third information and / or fourth information. The third information is used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information is used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the second application collects user information. The processing unit 1001 is further configured to display whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

[0282] In another possible implementation, the configuration information of the second application further includes fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate to download the second application. The transceiver 1002 is further configured to receive second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate to agree to download the second application. The processing unit 1001 is further configured to download the second application.

[0283] It should be noted that the implementation and advantages of each module can also be referred to the corresponding description of the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9.

[0284] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 is configured to perform the actions performed by the first network element in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. For details, refer to the related description in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, which are not described here in detail. For example, the communication apparatus 1000 is configured to perform the following scheme:

[0285] The transceiver 1002 is configured to receive a first request message, the first request message being used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application including a first application; and the transceiver 1002 is further configured to send a first response message, the first response message including configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application including first information and / or second information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 1002 is further configured to receive a second request message, the second request message including the second information; and the transceiver 1002 is further configured to send a second response message, the second response message including the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

[0287] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1001 is configured to establish a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with a terminal device; the transceiver 1002 is configured to receive the second request message in the BDC; and the transceiver 1002 is configured to send the second response message in the BDC.

[0288] It should be noted that the implementation and advantages of each module can also be referred to the corresponding description of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5. The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and only a logical function division. There can be another division way in actual implementation.

[0289] The processing unit 1001 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver 1002 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver 1002 can also be referred to as a communication module or a communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0290] Please refer to FIG. 11, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1100 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1100 can include modules or units or means corresponding to the methods / operations / steps / actions performed by the terminal device or the first network element in the above method embodiments. The modules or units or means can be hardware circuits, software or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0291] The communication device 1100 comprises at least one processor 1101. Optionally, the communication device 1100 further comprises a communication interface 1103, and optionally, the communication device 1100 further comprises a memory 1102, and the processor 1101, the memory 1102 and the communication interface 1103 are connected with each other through a bus 1104. Optionally, the processor 1101 can be integrated with the memory 1102.

[0292] The memory 1102 comprises, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). The memory 1102 is used to store relevant computer programs and data. The communication interface 1103 is used to receive and send data.

[0293] The processor 1101 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs). In the case where the processor 1101 is a CPU, the CPU can be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0294] The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 is configured to read the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1102 to realize the functions of the processing units described above. The communication interface 1103 in the communication device 1100 is configured to realize the functions of the transceiver units described above.

[0295] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip device, which comprises at least one processor configured to invoke computer programs or instructions stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0296] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any of the above embodiments, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any of the above embodiments.

[0297] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0298] Optionally, the chip device further comprises a memory, and the memory stores computer program instructions.

[0299] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein a computer program or instructions are stored in the computer readable storage medium, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a processor, the method executed by the terminal device or the first network element in the method embodiment is implemented.

[0300] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which comprises computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are run on a processor, the method executed by the terminal device or the first network element in the method embodiment is implemented.

[0301] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which comprises the terminal device in the above embodiment and the first network element in the above embodiment. The terminal device is configured to perform part or all of the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the first network element is configured to perform part or all of the operations performed by the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0302] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0303] The method steps in the embodiment of the present application can be realized by a hardware mode or a mode of executing software instructions by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory, an erasable programmable read only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or the terminal.

[0304] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; and a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0305] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0306] In the description of the present application, the words "first", "second", "S501" or "S502" and the like are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description and the context of the writing, and the different order numbers themselves do not have specific technical meanings, cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the execution order of the operation, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first request message, the first request message being used for requesting configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application comprising a first application; receiving a first response message, the first response message comprising configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application comprising first information and / or second information, the first information being used for indicating whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used for indicating an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a second request message, the second request message comprising the second information; receiving a second response message, the second response message comprising the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, Before the sending of the second request message, the method further comprises: establishing a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with a first network element based on first indication information, the first indication information being used for requesting to query the protocol by which the first application collects user information; The sending of the second request message comprises: sending the second request message in the BDC; The receiving of the second response message comprises: receiving the second response message in the BDC.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first response message further comprises configuration information of a second application, the configuration information of the second application comprising third information and / or fourth information, the third information being used for indicating whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information being used for indicating an address of a protocol by which the second application collects user information, the method further comprising: displaying whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The configuration information of the second application further comprises fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating downloading the second application, the method further comprising: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used for indicating consent to download the second application; downloading the second application.

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a first network element comprises: receiving a first request message, the first request message being used for requesting configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application comprising a first application; sending a first response message, the first response message comprising configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application comprising first information and / or second information, the first information being used for indicating whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used for indicating an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a second request message, the second request message comprising the second information; sending a second response message, the second response message comprising the protocol by which the first application collects user information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Before the receiving of the second request message, the method further comprises: establishing a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with a terminal device; The receiving of the second request message comprises: receiving the second request message in the BDC; The sending of the second response message comprises: sending the second response message in the BDC.

9. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a transceiver unit and a processing unit, The transceiver is configured to send a first request message, the first request message being used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application including a first application; The transceiver is further configured to receive a first response message, the first response message including the configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application including first information and / or second information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information. 10.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein The transceiver is further configured to send a second request message, the second request message including the second information; The transceiver is further configured to receive a second response message, the second response message including the protocol by which the first application collects user information. 11.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein The processing unit is further configured to establish a BDC based on first indication information, the first indication information being used to request to query the protocol by which the first application collects user information; The transceiver is configured to send the second request message in the BDC; The transceiver is configured to receive the second response message in the BDC.

12. The device of any one of claims 9-11, wherein, The first response message further includes configuration information of a second application, the configuration information of the second application including third information and / or fourth information, the third information being used to indicate whether the second application will collect user information, and the fourth information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the second application collects user information, The processing unit is further configured to display whether the first application and the second application will collect user information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The configuration information of the second application further includes fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate to download the second application, The transceiver is further configured to receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate to agree to download the second application; The processing unit is further configured to download the second application.

14. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes a transceiver and a processing unit, The transceiver is configured to receive a first request message, the first request message being used to request configuration information of at least one application, the at least one application including a first application; The transceiver is further configured to send a first response message, the first response message including the configuration information of the first application, the configuration information of the first application including first information and / or second information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first application will collect user information, and the second information being used to indicate an address of a protocol by which the first application collects user information. 15.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein The transceiver is further configured to receive a second request message, the second request message including the second information; The transceiver is further configured to send a second response message, the second response message including the protocol by which the first application collects user information. 16.The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein The processing unit is configured to establish a bootstrap data channel (BDC) with the terminal device. The transceiving unit is configured to receive the second request message in the BDC. The transceiving unit is configured to send a second response message in the BDC.

17. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes at least one processor that invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform the method of claims 1-5.

18. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes at least one processor that invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform the method of claims 6-8.

19. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes the apparatus of claim 17 and the apparatus of claim 18.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement the method of any of claims 1-8.

21. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, implement the method of any of claims 1-8.

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