IMS User Availability Detection via Network Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
IMS network users may become temporarily unavailable due to factors like battery loss or spotty radio coverage, preventing external services from being notified of their unreachability, which hinders the delivery of MMS notifications and other services.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where an application server subscribes to the network user's state event package, generating notifications when the user becomes available again, allowing messages to be routed accordingly, even if the user is registered but unreachable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user remains registered in the network despite being temporarily unavailable (battery loss, spotty radio coverage), then the network maintains continuous service capability, but external services cannot detect the unreachability and message delivery fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary notification mechanism between the network core and external services. When a registered user becomes unreachable (detected through failed message delivery attempts), the network generates a notification event that is forwarded to external services. This intermediary layer allows external services to detect availability status without requiring direct communication with the user device, thus resolving the information loss problem while maintaining service continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the network monitors message delivery status to registered users and generates notifications when delivery fails. This feedback mechanism allows the network to detect when a registered user is temporarily unavailable and communicate this status to external services, enabling them to adjust their message routing decisions based on real-time availability information.
2Loss of information
If external services continuously probe user availability, then they can detect unreachability, but this increases network traffic and system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the network proactively generate availability notifications before external services need to query them. Instead of requiring continuous probing by external services, the network monitors user reachability in advance and pushes notifications when status changes occur. This eliminates the need for complex continuous discovery mechanisms while maintaining accurate availability information.
Solution Approach 2:
The network performs self-service by autonomously monitoring message delivery status and generating availability notifications without requiring external services to actively probe or query user status. The network's existing message routing infrastructure is leveraged to detect unreachability, and the notification mechanism is automatically triggered based on delivery failure events, reducing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If the network implements continuous monitoring of user reachability, then message delivery can be optimized, but this increases network overhead and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by triggering availability notifications only at specific intervals - namely, when message delivery attempts fail. Instead of continuous monitoring, the network leverages existing periodic message routing operations to detect unreachability. Notifications are generated event-driven based on delivery failures, which occurs periodically as part of normal message routing, thus optimizing delivery efficiency without requiring additional continuous monitoring overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by integrating availability detection into the existing message routing process. The same network infrastructure and message flows used for normal communication are leveraged to detect unreachability and trigger notifications. This approach maintains message delivery efficiency while avoiding duplicate monitoring actions, as the useful message routing activity itself serves the dual purpose of delivery and availability detection.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system and network device routes a message to a temporarily unavailable network user, wherein a subscription to a registration state of the network user is initiated if the network user is indicated as being unavailable. Then, a notification is generated, when the registration state of the network user is changed to indicate a state when the network user is available again or when the network user is registered again, and the message is routed to the network user in response to receiving the notification. Thereby, network elements or servers generating messages can be informed about the connection state of the network user.