Client Device Handover for Seamless Multimedia Session Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
IMS-based multimedia sessions face challenges in maintaining continuity when a user moves from one access network to another, leading to potential interruptions and dropped connections due to changes in network addresses and connectivity.
Innovation Solution
A client device is configured to detect changes in communication networks and issue requests to maintain or handover multimedia sessions by updating network addresses, using techniques such as network address translation and proxy servers, ensuring seamless continuity across different communication networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user moves from one access network to another, then the user can maintain connectivity to different networks, but the multimedia session continuity is interrupted due to network address changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Session Border Controller (SBC) as an intermediary component that maintains the multimedia session during access network transitions. The SBC receives the handover request from the client device, manages the session state, and coordinates with both the old and new access networks to ensure continuous service delivery without interruption to the end user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing session pre-configuration and address translation mappings before the actual network handover occurs. The client device sends a handover request in advance, allowing the SBC to prepare the session context and routing information beforehand, ensuring seamless transition when the user moves between access networks.
2Reliability
If network address translation is used to maintain session continuity, then session reliability improves, but system complexity increases due to additional translation and proxy components
Solution Approach 1:
The Session Border Controller is designed as a universal component that performs multiple functions including session management, address translation, handover coordination, and protocol conversion. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional platform, the system achieves session continuity without proportionally increasing overall infrastructure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and maintains session state copies within the SBC during handover operations. When a client device transitions between access networks, the SBC preserves the session context information and uses it to establish the continued session on the new network, effectively copying the session state to ensure continuity without requiring complete session re-establishment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method including determining that a device is connected to a first communication network; establishing, via the first communication network, a multimedia session with the device serving as a first endpoint of the multimedia session via the first communication network; determining that the device is connected to a second communication network while the multimedia session is ongoing, wherein the second communication network is different than the first communication network; requesting via the second communication network, in response to determining that the device is connected to the second communication network while the multimedia session is ongoing, that the first endpoint of the multimedia session be replaced with the device serving as a second endpoint of the multimedia session via the second communication network; and continuing, after the request that the first endpoint of the multimedia session be replaced, the multimedia session via the second communication network.