Switching System Routing Legacy Devices to IMS Networks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy devices, such as traditional telephones and H.323 IP devices, cannot register with IMS networks and thus cannot access IMS services, as they do not comply with IMS registration standards, limiting access to multimedia services for users of these devices.
Innovation Solution
A communication network system that allows legacy devices to access IMS networks by using a switching system with a subscriber database to identify IMS subscribers, routing calls between IMS and non-IMS networks without requiring the legacy devices to perform IMS registration, enabling access to IMS services for a broader range of devices, including mobile and wireline devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If legacy devices are used to access IMS networks, then device compatibility and user access are improved, but registration compliance and network security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component between legacy devices and the IMS network. This gateway performs protocol translation and registration mediation, allowing legacy devices to access IMS services without directly complying with IMS registration standards. The gateway handles the compatibility gap by converting legacy device protocols into IMS-compatible formats.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network architecture into distinct domains: legacy network domain for traditional devices and IMS network domain for modern services. The gateway acts as a boundary between these segments, allowing each domain to operate with its own protocols while enabling inter-domain communication. This segmentation isolates the compliance burden from legacy devices.
2Reliability
If IMS registration is required for access, then network security and service control are improved, but device requirements and deployment complexity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a security intermediary that performs authentication and authorization functions. It validates legacy device credentials and translates them into IMS-compatible authentication mechanisms, maintaining network security without requiring legacy devices to implement complex IMS security protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables legacy devices to access IMS services through self-service mechanisms where the gateway automatically handles registration, authentication, and protocol conversion. Legacy devices don't need to understand or implement IMS registration procedures - the gateway performs these functions autonomously.
3Productivity
If legacy devices can access IMS services, then service coverage and subscriber base are improved, but registration overhead and network processing are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs preliminary registration actions before legacy devices need to access IMS services. By pre-establishing device profiles, authentication credentials, and routing information in the gateway, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time registration processes when devices actually access services.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as a registration intermediary that consolidates registration processing. Instead of each legacy device performing individual registration operations, the gateway batches and manages these operations centrally, reducing overall registration overhead and network processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication network is described that allows legacy devices to access an IMS network. The communication network includes a switching system, an IMS network, and a non-IMS network. The switching system includes a subscriber database that is pre-provisioned with identities of IMS subscribers using legacy devices. When in operation, a calling party places a call through a legacy device. The switching system receives the call and accesses the subscriber database based on a calling party identifier (e.g., a phone number, URL, etc) to determine if the calling party is an IMS subscriber. If the calling party is an IMS subscriber, then the switching system routes the call to the IMS network. If the calling party is not an IMS subscriber, then the switching system routes the call to the non-IMS network.