IMS Services Gateway Protocol Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) lacks the ability to handle protocols other than Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), limiting its capability to provide seamless access to non-SIP application services across diverse networks and devices.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enables mobile devices to access non-IMS application services via IMS by encapsulating non-SIP messages, such as HTTP messages, into SIP messages, using a services gateway that extracts and converts these messages for communication between mobile devices and non-SIP application services, ensuring authentication and access control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IMS uses SIP protocol for session management, then session control capability is improved, but protocol compatibility with non-SIP services deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that translates between SIP protocol (used by IMS) and other protocols (such as HTTP used by non-IMS services). This gateway acts as a mediator that enables communication between IMS and non-IMS services without requiring modification to the core IMS architecture, thus resolving the protocol compatibility issue while maintaining SIP's session control capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enhances the IMS architecture by adding multi-functional capabilities through the gateway, which can handle multiple protocol types (SIP, HTTP, and others). This allows the IMS system to universally support both SIP-based and non-SIP-based services, improving adaptability without sacrificing the core SIP session management functionality
2Device complexity
If IMS architecture remains unchanged, then system complexity is reduced, but service access capability for non-SIP services deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service access function by introducing a separate gateway component that handles protocol translation and service access. This segmentation allows the core IMS architecture to remain simple and unchanged, while the gateway handles the complexity of supporting multiple protocols and services, thus resolving the contradiction between system complexity and service access capability
3Speed
If mobile devices access non-IMS services directly, then access speed is improved, but network control and security management deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as an intermediary that mobile devices use to access non-IMS services. This intermediary maintains network control and security by mediating all communications, while still enabling relatively fast access by establishing efficient translation and routing paths between mobile devices and external services
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method to enable mobile devices to access non-IMS application services over an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is described herein. In order to access a non-IMS application service via the IMS, messages in a format that are suitable for exchange with the non-IMS application service are encapsulated by the mobile device user agent into SIP messages. The SIP messages are then routed by the IMS to a services gateway. The services gateway extracts the application service messages from the SIP messages and provides the extracted messages to the appropriate application service. In this fashion, the mobile device is able to request services from an application service via SIP messaging, even if the requested application service does not support SIP messaging.