Patent Application
20100064336
The present disclosure relates to network communication technologies, and in particular, a method and a network device for implementing an IPTV streaming service in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
The Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service is a service for providing media streams for a terminal device through the public Internet or a private IP network. The IPTV streaming service provides abundant video and audio broadband IP multimedia information such as television programs, Live Television (LTV), and Video On Demand (VOD) on a terminal device. The terminal device here may be a Personal Computer (PC), Set-Top Box (STB), or Mobile Station (MS). The STB is a terminal device suitable for ordinary television users, and is a terminal device in the IPTV service.
However, prior art IPTV systems exhibit at least the following problem: The IPTV streaming service in the IMS in the prior art is unable to switch IPTV media streams between different terminal devices.
A method, a network device, and a terminal device for implementing an IPTV streaming service in an IMS are disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure to switch an IPTV media stream between different terminal devices in the IMS.
A method for implementing an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) streaming service in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is disclosed. The method includes:
receiving IPTV streaming service switching request information;
determining information of a program that needs to be switched and information of a target terminal device according to the switching request information, and setting up a connection with the target terminal device; and
sending IPTV media streams of the program to be switched onto the target terminal device through the connection.
A method of charging for an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) streaming service in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The charging method includes:
recording information about IPTV media streams of a program, which are received by a source terminal device and a target terminal device before and after switching, in the process of switching the IPTV media streams of the program watched on the source terminal device to the target terminal device; and
performing charging for the source terminal device and/or the target terminal device according to the recorded information about the IPTV media streams of the program, which are received by the source terminal device and the target terminal device before and after the switching.
A network device is disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The network device includes:
a receiving module, configured to receive Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) streaming service switching request information from a terminal device;
a switching module, configured to determine information of a program that needs to be switched and information of a target terminal device according to the IPTV streaming service switching request information received by the receiving module;
a connecting module, configured to set up a connection with the target terminal device determined by the switching module; and
a playing module, configured to send the IPTV media streams of the program to the target terminal device through the connection set up by the connection module according to the program determined by the switching module as needing to be switched.
An Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)-based terminal device is disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal device includes:
a switching request module, configured to send IPTV streaming service switching request information to a network in view of the IPTV streaming service in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) according to information received by the terminal device;
a setup module, configured to set up a connection with the network after the terminal device receives information of the program that needs to be switched; and
a media stream receiving module, configured to receive the IPTV media streams from the network through the connection set up by the setup module.
The IPTV streaming service implementation method disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure implements switching of the IPTV media streams of a program. That is, embodiments consistent with the present disclosure enable switching of the IPTV media streams.
Currently, the IMS-based IPTV media stream transmission involves no switching service. The switching service under the present disclosure means: after a terminal device sets up an IPTV streaming service successfully, the IPTV media streams of the IPTV streaming service are switched to another terminal device, namely, one terminal device can receive and display the IPTV media streams of the IPTV streaming service of other terminal devices. The IPTV streaming service here may be an LTV service, a Broadcast Television (BTV) service, or a VOD service. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific form of the IPTV streaming service.
In
After the switching operation,
Because the existing IPTV streaming service involves no switching service, some new concepts are put forward in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The new concepts involved in the present disclosure are described below.
The switching service under the present disclosure may be initiated by a source terminal device or a target terminal device. Depending on the switching initiator, the switching of the IPTV media streams under the present disclosure is categorized into forward switching and backward switching.
Forward switching means that a terminal device currently receiving IPTV media streams requests to switch the IPTV media streams to another terminal device, namely, the source terminal device requests to switch the IPTV media streams.
Backward switching means that a terminal device currently not receiving IPTV media streams requests to switch the IPTV media streams being received by another terminal device to the requesting terminal device, namely, the target terminal device requests to switch the IPTV media streams.
Backward switching may occur in another circumstance: a terminal device currently not receiving IPTV media streams requests to switch the IPTV media streams being received by another terminal device onto other terminal devices. “Other terminal devices” are all the terminal devices other than the requesting terminal device and the terminal device currently receiving the IPTV media streams. That is, the network device that requests to switch the IPTV media streams is the switching initiator, but not the target terminal device. Neither the target terminal device nor the source terminal device is the switching initiator.
Depending on the terminal device that receives the IPTV media streams of the IPTV streaming service after the completion of switching, the switching of the IPTV media streams under the present disclosure is categorized into shared switching and exclusive switching.
Shared switching means that: after the switching operation is completed, both parties to the switching share the media streams. That is, after the switching operation is completed, the party, which receives the IPTV media streams before switching, does not interrupt its IPTV streaming service. In other words, after the switching operation is completed, both the source terminal device and the target terminal device can receive and display the IPTV media streams.
Exclusive switching means that: after the switching operation is completed, the IPTV streaming service of the party, which receives the IPTV media streams before switching, is interrupted, and the IPTV media streams of the IPTV streaming service are exclusively seized by the target terminal device. In other words, after the switching operation is completed, the source terminal device is unable to receive the IPTV media streams, but the target terminal device can receive and display the IPTV media streams.
The terminal device under the present disclosure may be an STB or MS. The terminal device under the present disclosure supports the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling and the function of setting up a SIP session, and can be registered onto an IMS network normally. The signaling exchanged between the terminal device and the network under the present disclosure may be a SIP message, or a SIP signaling of other forms. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific form of the signaling exchanged between the terminal device and the network.
Taking the forward switching, backward switching, shared switching, and exclusive switching performed through a SIP message as examples, multiple switching service implementation methods in the IPTV media stream transmission process under the present disclosure are described below by reference to accompanying drawings.
In
In
Step 1: UE1 sends switching request information to an IPTV Application Server (AS) that provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1. The switching request information may be carried in a SIP message. The switching request information may include: information of the source terminal device, information of the target terminal device, and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The SIP message sent by UE1 may be routed to the IPTV AS in the form of a Public Service Identity (PSI). For example, UE1 inputs the PSI address of the forward switching service corresponding to the WIN AS into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message sent by UE1 is transmitted to a Call Session Control Function (CSCF), the CSCF can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address.
Step 2: The IPTV AS receives the SIP message from UE1, and determines that it is necessary to perform forward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. From the SIP message, the IPTV AS obtains information of the target terminal device and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The IPTV AS allocates resources for the forward switching, and sends to UE2 a SIP message that carries the description information of the program to be switched.
Step 3: If UE2 consents to switch the IPTV media streams, then, from the received SIP message, UE2 obtains the description information of the program to be switched, and sends a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS according to the description information of the program. After receiving the call request, the IPTV AS sets up a connection with UE2, and sends the IPTV media streams to UE2 through the connection.
Consistent with some embodiments, the connections set up between the IPTV AS and UE2 may include a signaling-plane connection and a media-plane connection. First, a signaling-plane connection is set up between the IPTV AS and UE2 through a SIP signaling, and then a media-plane connection is set up on the basis of the signaling-plane connection. The connections between the IPTV AS and UE2 in the following embodiments are the same as those described in this embodiment.
In step 3, UE2 may use the prior art to send a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS. For example, UE2 uses the SIP Invite call mode in the IMS to send a call request. The process of setting up a connection between the IPTV AS and UE2 may be based on the method of setting up a connection in the IMS in the prior art, and the process of the IPTV AS sending IPTV media streams to UE2 may be based on the process of sending IPTV media streams in the IPTV network in the prior art. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific mode of setting up a connection or the specific mode of sending IPTV media streams.
In the forward switching process in
In the forward switching process in
In step 2 shown in
In the forward switching process shown in
In the forward switching process shown in
In step 3 shown in
The process of implementing a forward shared switching service is detailed below by reference to
Step 1: UE1 that is watching an IPTV VOD program sends a SIP message to the IPTV AS which provides the IPTV VOD program for UE1. The SIP message carries switching request information. The switching request information may include: information of UE1, information of UE2, and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The switching request information may be carried in the message body of the SIP message. The SIP message sent by UE1 to the IPTV AS may be routed to the IPTV AS by means of PSI. For example, UE1 inputs the PSI address of the forward switching service corresponding to the IPTV AS into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message is transmitted to CSCF-A, the CSCF-A can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address in the SIP message.
Step 2: The IPTV AS receives the SIP message transmitted through CSCF-A, and determines that it is necessary to perform forward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. From the SIP message, the IPTV AS obtains IMS number of the target terminal device (namely, UE2) and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The IPTV AS allocates switching authentication information to UE2, and stores the switching authentication information of UE2, the IMS number of UE2, and the description information of the program to be switched.
Step 3: The IPTV AS allocates resources for the forward switching. Through CSCF-A and CSCF-B, the IPTV AS sends a SIP message to UE2. The SIP message sent to UE2 carries the description information of the program to be switched, and may carry the authentication information and resource location information of UE2.
In step 3, the IPTV AS may add the description information of the program to be switched into the message body of the SIP message. The RequestUri in the SIP message may be an IMS Public User Identifier (IMPU) of UE2. In this way, the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS may be routed to UE2 correctly through CSCF-A and CSCF-B.
Step 4: UE2 receives the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS through CSCF-A and CSCF-B. The message body of the SIP message carries the description information of the program to be switched. Therefore, the content in the SIP message may be presented to UE2. For example, UE2 is allowed to choose whether to watch the program, and, by this means, the content of the message body is presented to UE2. The SIP message is an instant message but the information in the SIP message may be stored into the terminal device, and the SIP message corresponds to the switching time information. Therefore, UE2 may check the information in the SIP message anytime in the validity period denoted by the switching time information, and choose to watch the program. If UE2 chooses to watch the program, it indicates that UE2 agrees to switch. Through the SIP message and the switching time information, it is prevented that the switching fails as a result of UE2 failing to choose to watch the program timely at the time of initiating the switching.
After choosing to watch the program, UE2 returns a SIP message 200 to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A. After receiving the SIP message 200 returned by UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B, the IPTV AS returns the SIP message 200 to UE1.
Step 5: UE2 initiates a call to the IPTV AS address in the message body of the received SIP message, for example, sending an Invite message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B. The IPTV AS address may be input as RequestUri in the Invite message sent by UE2. The Invite message sent by UE2 may carry the authentication information transmitted from the IPTV AS. The Invite message sent by UE2 may be transmitted to the IMS domain CSCF-A of UE1 through the routing function provided by CSCF-B, and may be triggered to the IPTV AS through CSCF-A. The connection between UE2 and the IPTV AS is a new call connection initiated by UE2. Therefore, it is not necessary to switch the connection between UE1 and the IPTV AS to UE2, and no switching failure occurs as a result of UE2 failing to choose to watch the program timely at the time of initiating the switching.
Step 6: The IPTV AS identifies the authentication information in the received Invite message. If determining that the Invite message is legal according to the authentication result, the IPTV AS sets up a call connection with UE2. For example, the IPTV AS sends an Invite 200 message to UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B in order to set up a call connection between the IPTV AS and UE2.
Step 7: After receiving the Invite 200 message, UE2 sends an ACK message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A.
After receiving the ACK message from UE2, the IPTV AS starts sending the IPTV media streams of the program to UE2 according to the playing time, and UE2 receives and displays the IPTV media streams. The IPTV AS may also perform charging for UE1 and UE2 according to the switching service that has occurred. In the foregoing switching process, the IPTV AS records the information of the source terminal device and the target terminal device, for example, the ID of both parties to the switching, and the program description information. Therefore, the IPTV AS may perform charging flexibly according to the charging policy. For example, if UE1 goes on receiving the IPTV media streams of the program after the completion of the switching, the IPTV AS performs charging for the IPTV media streams which are used by UE1 before and after the switching, and performs charging for the IPTV media streams which are used by UE2 after the switching. For another example, for the IPTV media streams used by UE2 after the switching, UE1 instead of UE2 is charged after the completion of the switching. The charging policy may be set according to the actual application conditions. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific form of the charging policy.
In
In
In
The IPTV AS receives the SIP message from UE2, and determines that it is necessary to perform backward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. The IPTV AS sends a switching notification to UE1, for example, the IPTV AS forwards the SIP message sent by UE2 to UE1. In this case, the switching request information in the SIP message is the switching notification.
The IPTV AS may obtain the information of the source terminal device and the information of the target terminal device from the SIP message.
After UE1 receives the SIP message from the IPTV AS and agrees to switch, UE1 sends switching request information to the IPTV AS that provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1. The switching request information sent by UE1 to the IPTV AS is switching permission information. The switching request information may be carried in a SIP message. The switching request information sent by UE1 (namely, switching permission) may include: information of the source terminal device, information of the target terminal device, and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The SIP message sent by UE1 may be routed to the IPTV AS by means of PSI. For example, UE1 inputs the PSI address of the forward switching service corresponding to the IPTV AS into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message sent by UE1 is transmitted to a CSCF, the CSCF can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address.
The IPTV AS receives the SIP message from UE1, and determines that it is necessary to perform forward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. From the SIP message sent by UE1, the IPTV AS obtains information of the target terminal device and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The IPTV AS allocates resources for the switching, and sends to UE2 a SIP message that carries the description information of the program to be switched.
If UE2 consents to switch the IPTV media streams, from the received SIP message, UE2 obtains the description information of the program to be switched, and sends a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS according to the description information of the program. After receiving the call request, the IPTV AS sets up a connection with UE2, and sends the IPTV media streams to UE2 through the connection.
UE2 may use the prior art to send a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS. For example, UE2 uses the SIP Invite call mode in the IMS to send a call request. The process of setting up a connection between the IPTV AS and UE2 may be based on the method of setting up a connection in the IMS in the prior art, and the process of the IPTV AS sending IPTV media streams to UE2 may be based on the process of sending IPTV media streams in the IPTV network in the prior art. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific mode of setting up a connection or the specific mode of sending IPTV media streams.
In the backward switching process in
In the backward switching process in
In the backward switching process shown in
In the backward switching process shown in
In the backward switching process shown in
The process of implementing a backward shared switching service is detailed below by reference to
Step 1: UE2 sends a SIP message to the IPTV AS that provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1. The SIP message sent by UE2 carries switching request information. The SIP message sent by UE2 to the IPTV AS may be routed to the IPTV AS by means of PSI. For example, UE2 inputs the PSI address of the backward switching service corresponding to the IPTV AS into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message is transmitted to CSCF-B, CSCF-B can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address in the SIP message.
Because the switching is backward switching, the switching request information includes: information of the source terminal device, and information of the target terminal device. The switching request information may not include the description information of the program to be switched. The switching request information may be carried in the message body of the SIP message, or carried elsewhere in the SIP message (for example, in the header field of the SIP message). In this way, the SIP message sent by UE2 may carry a message body or not. When the switching request information is carried in the header field of the SIP message, the peer address of the switching request information may be carried in the To header field.
Step 2: The IPTV AS receives the SIP message transmitted through CSCF-B. The IPTV AS determines that it is necessary to perform backward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. The IPTV AS obtains the IMS number of the source terminal device (UE1) from the SIP message. The IPTV AS authenticates UE1. After the authentication succeeds, the IPTV AS sends a switching notification to UE1. For example, the IPTV AS forwards the SIP message sent by UE2 to UE1. The SIP message sent by the IPTV AS to UE1 may carry a message body, and the message body may carry switching request information. The SIP message sent by the IPTV AS to UE1 may be routed to UE1 through CSCB-A by means of a normal IMS routing mechanism.
Step 3: After the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS arrives at UE1, because the SIP message carries the message body of the switching request information, the content of the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS can be presented to UE1. For example, UE1 is allowed to choose whether to watch the program, and, by this means, the content of the message body is presented to UE1, and UE1 may choose whether to switch the currently receiving program onto UE2.
Step 4: After UE1 chooses to switch the currently received program onto UE2, UE1 sends switching request information to the IPTV AS that provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1. The switching request information may be carried in a SIP message. The switching request information sent by UE1 may include: information of the source terminal device, information of the target terminal device, and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The SIP message sent by UE1 may be routed to the IPTV AS by means of PSI. For example, UE1 inputs the PSI address of the forward switching service into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message sent by UE1 is transmitted to CSCF-A, the CSCF-A can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address in the SIP message.
Step 5: The WIN AS receives the SIP message transmitted through CSCF-A, and determines that it is necessary to perform forward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. From the SIP message, the IPTV AS obtains IMS number of the target terminal device (namely, UE2) and description information of the program that needs to be switched. The IPTV AS allocates switching authentication information to UE2, and stores the switching authentication information of UE2, the IMS number of UE2, and the description information of the program to be switched.
Step 6: The IPTV AS allocates resources for the switching. The IPTV AS sends a SIP message to UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B, and the SIP message sent to UE2 carries description information of the program to be switched. The SIP message sent to UE2 may further carry the authentication information and the resource location information of UE2.
In step 6, the IPTV AS may add the description information of the program to be switched into the message body of the SIP message. The RequestUri in the SIP message may be an IMPU of UE2. In this way, the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS may be routed to UE2 correctly through CSCF-A and CSCF-B.
Step 7: UE2 receives the SIP message sent by the IFFY AS through CSCF-A and CSCF-B. The message body of the SIP message carries the description information of the program to be switched. Therefore, the content in the SIP message may be presented to UE2. For example, UE2 is allowed to choose whether to watch the program, and, by this means, the content of the message body is presented to UE2. The SIP message is an instant message but the information in the SIP message may be stored into the terminal device, and the SIP message corresponds to the switching time information. Therefore, UE2 may check the information in the SIP message anytime in the validity period denoted by the switching time information, and choose to watch the program. If UE2 chooses to watch the program, it indicates that UE2 agrees to switch. Through the SIP message and the switching time information, it is prevented that the switching fails as a result of UE2 failing to choose to watch the program timely at the time of initiating the switching.
After choosing to watch the program, UE2 returns a SIP message 200 to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A. After receiving the SIP message 200 returned by UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B, the IPTV AS returns the SIP message 200 to UE1.
Step 8: UE2 initiates a call to the IPTV AS address in the message body of the received SIP message, for example, sending an Invite message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B. The IPTV AS address may be input as RequestUri in the Invite message sent by UE2. The Invite message sent by UE2 may carry the authentication information transmitted from the IPTV AS. The Invite message sent by UE2 may be transmitted to the IMS domain CSCF-A of UE1 through the routing function provided by CSCF-B, and may be triggered to the IPTV AS through CSCF-A. Likewise, the connection between UE2 and the IPTV AS is a new call connection initiated by UE2, thus further avoiding failure of switching.
Step 9: The IPTV AS identifies the authentication information in the received Invite message. If determining that the Invite message is legal according to the authentication result, the IPTV AS sets up a call connection with UE2. For example, the IPTV AS sends an Invite 200 message to UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B in order to set up a call connection between the IPTV AS and UE2.
Step 10: After receiving the Invite 200 message, UE2 sends an ACK message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A.
After receiving the ACK message from UE2, the IPTV AS starts sending the IPTV media streams of the program to UE2 according to the playing time, and UE2 receives and displays the IPTV media streams. The IPTV AS may also perform charging for UE1 and UE2 according to the switching service that has occurred. The details are illustrated in
In the description about
In
In
In
The IPTV AS receives the SIP message from UE2, and determines that it is necessary to perform backward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message.
The IPTV AS queries the program currently being watched by UE1. If the IPTV AS provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1 at the same time, the IPTV AS queries the information stored in the IPTV AS to know the program currently being watched by UE1 and obtain the description information of the program to be switched. In this way, the IPTV AS may construct the description information of the program to be switched without notifying UE1, thus obtaining the information of the source terminal device, information of the target terminal device, and description information of the program to be switched. The IPTV AS allocates resources for the backward switching, and sends to UE2 a SIP message that carries the description information of the program to be switched.
If UE2 receives the SIP message from the IPTV AS and agrees to switch the IPTV media streams, from the received SIP message, UE2 obtains the description information of the program to be switched, and sends a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS according to the description information of the program. After receiving the call request, the IPTV AS sets up a connection with UE2, and sends the IPTV media streams to UE2 through the connection.
UE2 may use the prior art to send a call request of watching the program to the IPTV AS, for example, UE2 uses the SIP Invite call mode in the IMS to send a call request. The process of setting up a connection between the IPTV AS and UE2 may be based on the method of setting up a connection in the IMS in the prior art, and the process of the IPTV AS sending IPTV media streams to UE2 may be based on the process of sending IPTV media streams in the IPTV network in the prior art. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not restrict the specific mode of setting up a connection or the specific mode of sending IPTV media streams.
In the backward switching process in
In the backward switching process in
In the backward switching process shown in
The process of implementing a backward shared switching service shown in
Step 1: UE2 sends a SIP message to the IPTV AS that provides the IPTV streaming service for UE1. The SIP message sent by UE2 carries switching request information. The SIP message sent by UE2 to the IPTV AS may be routed to the IPTV AS by means of PSI. For example, UE2 inputs the PSI address of the backward switching service corresponding to the IPTV AS into the RequestUri of the SIP message. In this way, after the SIP message is transmitted to CSCF-B, CSCF-B can trigger the SIP message onto the IPTV AS according to the PSI address in the SIP message.
Because the switching is backward switching, the switching request information includes: information of the source terminal device, and information of the target terminal device. The switching request information is like that in the description about
Step 2: The IPTV AS receives the SIP message transmitted through CSCF-B. The IPTV AS determines that it is necessary to perform backward switching according to the PSI address in the SIP message. The IPTV AS obtains the IMS number of the source terminal device (UE1) from the SIP message. The IPTV AS queries the information stored in the IPTV AS to know the program currently being watched by UE1 and obtain the description information of the program to be switched.
Step 3: The IPTV AS allocates switching authentication information to UE2, and stores the switching authentication information of UE2, the IMS number of UE2, and the description information of the program to be switched.
Step 4: The IPTV AS allocates resources for the backward switching. The IPTV AS sends a SIP message to UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B, and the SIP message sent to UE2 carries description information of the program to be switched. The SIP message sent to UE2 may further carry the authentication information and the resource location information of UE2.
In step 4, the IPTV AS may add the description information of the program to be switched into the message body of the SIP message. The RequestUri in the SIP message may be an IMPU of UE2. In this way, the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS may be routed to UE2 correctly through CSCF-A and CSCF-B.
Step 5: UE2 receives the SIP message sent by the IPTV AS through CSCF-A and CSCF-B. The message body of the SIP message carries the description information of the program to be switched; therefore, the content in the SIP message may be presented to UE2. For example, UE2 is allowed to choose whether to watch the program, and, by this means, the content of the message body is presented to UE2. The SIP message is an instant message but the information in the SIP message may be stored into the terminal device, and the SIP message corresponds to the switching time information. Therefore, UE2 may check the information in the SIP message anytime in the validity period denoted by the switching time information, and choose to watch the program. If UE2 chooses to watch the program, it indicates that UE2 agrees to switch. Through the SIP message and the switching time information, it is prevented that the switching fails as a result of UE2 failing to choose to watch the program timely at the time of initiating the switching.
After choosing to watch the program, UE2 returns a SIP message 200 to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A.
Step 6: UE2 initiates a call to the IPTV AS address in the message body of the received SIP message, for example, sending an Invite message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B. The IPTV AS address may be input as RequestUri in the Invite message sent by UE2. The Invite message sent by UE2 may carry the authentication information transmitted from the IPTV AS. The Invite message sent by UE2 may be transmitted to the IMS domain CSCF-A of UE1 through the routing function provided by CSCF-B, and may be triggered to the IPTV AS through CSCF-A. Likewise, the connection between UE2 and the IPTV AS is a new call connection initiated by UE2, thus further avoiding failure of switching.
Step 7: The IPTV AS identifies the authentication information in the received Invite message. If determining that the Invite message is legal according to the authentication result, the IPTV AS sets up a call connection with UE2. For example, the IPTV AS sends an Invite 200 message to UE2 through CSCF-A and CSCF-B in order to set up a call connection between the IPTV AS and UE2. If the Invite message is determined as illegal according to the authentication result, the IPTV AS refuses to set up a connection with UE2, and the switching process is ended.
Step 8: After receiving the Invite 200 message, UE2 sends an ACK message to the IPTV AS through CSCF-B and CSCF-A. After receiving the ACK message from UE2, the IPTV AS starts sending the IPTV media streams of the program to UE2 according to the playing time, and UE2 receives and displays the IPTV media streams. The IPTV AS may also perform charging for UE1 and UE2 according to the switching service that has occurred. The details are illustrated in
As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure enable switching of an IPTV streaming service in the IMS domain. The switching service under the present disclosure is triggered by a source terminal device, or by a target terminal device. The switching service is implemented as permitted by the source terminal device, or implemented without notifying the source terminal device, thus making the switching service flexibly accomplishable according to the actual requirements. When the switching service is implemented without notifying the source terminal device, the program watched by the source terminal device may be monitored. A SIP signaling is used to carry the switching request information and the call request in the switching process. Therefore, the process of setting up the IPTV media streams in the switching is the same as the process of setting up an ordinary session in the IMS. In this way, the workload of developing the switching service is reduced, and it is easier to implement the switching service because the existing devices such as CSCF need no improvement. The switching request information is transmitted through a SIP message, switching time information is employed, and UE2 initiates a new call connection to the IPTV AS. Therefore, the target terminal device can choose at convenient time whether to start watching the switched program, and the target terminal device does not need to make a switching response or watch the switched program hardly when the switching is initiated. The switching success ratio is improved, and the switching service can be implemented more flexibly. By using the playing time, the target terminal device can receive the predetermined segment of the switched program. By means of performing charging for the source terminal device and the target terminal device according to the information about the IPTV media streams of the program, which are received by the source terminal device and the target terminal device before and after the switching, the charging process ensures accuracy of the charging for the switching service.
The network device disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure is detailed below by reference to
The network device shown in
The receiving module 700 is configured to receive an IPTV streaming service switching request information from a terminal device. The switching request information may be switching request information sent by the source terminal device, or switching request information sent by the target terminal device. The switching request information may be carried in the SIP message. The content and the transmission mode of the switching request information are described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The switching module 710 is configured to determine the program that needs to be switched and the target terminal device according to the IPTV streaming service switching request information received by the receiving module 700. In the forward switching process, the switching module 710 obtains the information of the program that needs to be switched and information of the target terminal device directly from the switching request information received by the receiving module 700 and sent by the source terminal device. In the backward switching process, the switching module 710 may send a switching notification to the source terminal device after the receiving module 700 receives switching request information from the target terminal device, and then obtain the description information of the program to be switched from the switching permission information sent by the source terminal device. Nevertheless, in the backward switching process, the switching module 710 may query the network to obtain the description information of the program to be switched without sending a switching notification to source terminal device.
In practice, if a backward switching scenario exists, the switching module 710 may include a judging submodule 711, an obtaining submodule 712, and a sending submodule 713; or, the switching module 710 includes a judging submodule 711, an obtaining submodule 712, and a querying submodule 714; or the switching module 710 includes a judging submodule 711, an obtaining submodule 712, a sending submodule 713, and a querying submodule 714.
The judging submodule 711 is configured to judge whether the switching request information carries description information of the program to be switched, and output a judgment result. The judging submodule 711 determines whether the switching request information includes description information of the program to be switched according to the PSI address in the SIP message that carries the switching request information. For example, when the PSI address corresponds to the forward switching address of the corresponding network device, it is determined that the switching request information includes the description information of the program to be switched; otherwise, it is determined that the switching request information includes no description information of the program to be switched.
The obtaining submodule 712 is configured to: obtain the description information of the program to be switched and the information of the target terminal device in the switching request information if the judging submodule 711 determines that the switching request information includes the description information of the program to be switched; and obtain the information of the source terminal device and the information of the target terminal device in the switching request information, and transmit the information of the source terminal device to the sending submodule 713 if the judging submodule 711 determines that the switching request information includes no description information of the program to be switched.
The sending submodule 713 is configured to send a switching notification to the source terminal device if the judging submodule 711 determines that the switching request information includes no description information of the program to be switched and receives the information of the source terminal device from the obtaining submodule 712. The switching notification may be switching request information sent by the target terminal device, namely, the sending submodule 713 may forward the switching request information sent by the target terminal device to the source terminal device.
After receiving the switching notification, the source terminal device returns switching permission/forbidding information to the network device. For example, if the source terminal device permits switching, it returns switching request information to the network device. The switching request information includes the description information of the program to be switched. The switching request information may be carried in a SIP message, and the PSI address of the SIP message may be the forward switching address of the network device.
The querying submodule 714 is configured to query the network to obtain the program being played to the source terminal device and obtain the description information of the program to be switched if the judging submodule 711 determines that the switching request information includes no description information of the program to be switched. If the network device that holds the querying submodule 714 is an application server that provides the IPTV streaming service for the source terminal device, the querying submodule 714 queries the information stored in the network device to obtain the program being watched by the source terminal device. The detailed query process is described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The connecting module 720 is configured to set up a connection with the target terminal device determined by the switching module 710. The connecting module 720 may allocate resources for the switching. The connecting module 720 may set up a call connection with the target terminal device through a SIP signaling. The connecting module 720 may be restricted by the forbidding module 740 and the authenticating module 760 when setting up the call connection with the target terminal device. That is, when the authentication for the source terminal device fails, the connecting module 720 is unable to set up a call connection with the target terminal device; when the authentication for the target terminal device fails, the connecting module 720 is unable to set up a call connection with the target terminal device; when a switching rejection is received from the source terminal device, the connecting module 720 is unable to set up a call connection with the target terminal device.
The forbidding module 740 is applied to an application scenario of the backward switching process in which the switching needs to be consented by the source terminal device. After determining that the receiving module 700 receives a switching rejection from the source terminal device, the forbidding module 740 forbids the connecting module 720 to set up a connection with the target terminal device. The forbidding module 740 may also forbid the connecting module 720 to set up a connection with the target terminal device according to the switching time information. The process of the source terminal device sending a switching rejection and the switching time information are described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The storing module 750 is configured to store the information of the authentication for the terminal device.
The authenticating module 760 may authenticate the source terminal device, or the target terminal device, or both the source terminal device and the target terminal device.
The authentication process performed by the authenticating module 760 for the source terminal device may be: In the forward switching scenario, after the receiving module 700 receives the switching request information transmitted from the source terminal device, the authenticating module 760 authenticates the source terminal device. If the authentication fails, the authenticating module 760 forbids the connecting module 720 to send the SIP message that carries the program description information to the target terminal device. The SIP message sent by the connecting module 720 to the target terminal device may carry resource location information.
Alternatively, the authentication process performed by the authenticating module 760 for the source terminal device may be: In the backward switching scenario, after the receiving module 700 receives the switching request information transmitted from the target terminal device, the authenticating module 760 authenticates the source terminal device. If the authentication fails, the authenticating module 760 forbids the sending submodule 713 to send a switching notification to the source terminal device, namely, forbids the connecting module 720 to set up a call connection with the target terminal device.
The authentication process performed by the authenticating module 760 for the target terminal device may be: in the forward switching scenario, after the receiving module 700 receives the switching request information transmitted from the source terminal device, the authenticating module 760 allocates authentication information to the target terminal device, and stores the allocated authentication information into the storing module 750. When sending the SIP message that carries program description information to the target terminal device, the connecting module 720 adds the authentication information about the target terminal device stored in the storing module 750 into the SIP message, and sends the SIP message to the target terminal device. In this way, after the receiving module 700 receives a call request from the target terminal device, the authenticating module 760 may identify the authentication information carried in the call request according to the authentication information stored in the storing module 750, namely, verify the legality. When the authentication fails, the authenticating module 760 forbids the connecting module 720 to perform the backward operation of setting up a call connection with the target terminal device. The SIP message sent by the connecting module 720 to the target terminal device may carry resource location information.
Alternatively, the authentication process performed by the authenticating module 760 for the target terminal device may be: In the backward switching scenario, after the receiving module 700 receives the switching request information transmitted from the source terminal device or from the target terminal device, the authenticating module 760 allocates authentication information to the target terminal device, and stores the allocated authentication information into the storing module 750. When sending the SIP message that carries program description information to the target terminal device, the connecting module 720 adds the authentication information about the target terminal device stored in the storing module 750 into the SIP message, and sends the SIP message to the target terminal device. In this way, after the receiving module 700 receives a call request from the target terminal device, the authenticating module 760 may identify the authentication information carried in the call request according to the authentication information stored in the storing module 750, namely, verify the legality. When the authentication fails, the authenticating module 760 forbids the connecting module 720 to perform the backward operation of setting up a call connection with the target terminal device. The SIP message sent by the connecting module 720 to the target terminal device may carry resource location information.
The detailed authentication process performed by the authenticating module 760 for the source terminal device and the target terminal device is described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The controlling module 770 is configured to control the corresponding network device to continue or stop sending the IPTV media streams of the switched program to the source terminal device. For example, in a shared switching process, the controlling module 770 sends no BYE message to the source terminal device. Therefore, the playing module 730 continues sending the IPTV media streams of the switched program to the source terminal device after the completion of the switching. For an example, in an exclusive switching process, the controlling module 770 sends a BYE message to the source terminal device. Therefore, the playing module 730 stops sending the IPTV media streams of the switched program to the source terminal device after the completion of the switching.
The playing module 730 is configured to send the IPTV media streams of the switched program to the target terminal device according to the connection set up by the connecting module 720. The playing module 730 may send the IPTV media streams of the switched program to the target terminal device alone, or to both the source terminal device and the target terminal device simultaneously, as controlled by the controlling module 770. When sending the IPTV media streams of the switched program, the playing module 730 needs to obtain the information of the target terminal device and the description information of the program to be switched, and such information may be provided by the switching module 710. When sending the IPTV media streams of the program, the playing module 730 may play the program according to the playing time received by the receiving module 700. The playing time is described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The terminal device disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure is detailed below.
The terminal device provided herein holds a switching request module, or holds a switching request module and a setup module.
The switching request module is configured to send switching request information to a network in view of the IPTV streaming service in the IMS according to information received by the corresponding terminal device. The switching request module may add the IPTV streaming service switching request information into a SIP signaling for sending. The switching request module may send the switching request information when the terminal device receives a control command transmitted from the outside. For example, in the forward switching process, the switching request module sends switching request information when the Switch menu of the terminal device is selected or when the Switch button is clicked. For an example, in the backward switching process, the terminal device sends switching request information upon receiving a switching notification from the network. The switching request information may be carried in a SIP message for transmission. The process of the switching request module sending the switching request information, the content of the switching request information, and the information carried in the SIP message are described in the foregoing method embodiment.
The setup module is configured to set up a connection with the network after the terminal device receives description information of the program that needs to be switched. The program description information received by the setup module may be the program description information carried in the SIP message. The SIP message received by the setup module may further carry resource allocation information and authentication information. The setup module may set up a call connection with the network through a SIP signaling, for example, set up a call connection with the IPTV AS through an Invite message. The Invite message may carry authentication information. The process of setting up a connection between the terminal device and the network is described in the foregoing method embodiment.
As described above, the method, the network device, and the terminal device disclosed herein enable switching of an IPTV streaming service in the IMS domain. The switching service under the present disclosure is triggered by a source terminal device, or by a target terminal device. The switching service is implemented as permitted by the source terminal device, or implemented without notifying the source terminal device, thus making the switching service flexibly accomplishable according to the actual requirements. When the switching service is implemented without notifying the source terminal device, the program watched by the source terminal device may be monitored. A SIP signaling is used to carry the switching request information and the call request in the switching process. Therefore, the process of setting up the IPTV media streams in the switching is the same as the process of setting up an ordinary session in the IMS. In this way, the workload of developing the switching service is reduced, and it is easier to implement the switching service because the existing devices such as CSCF need no improvement. The switching request information is transmitted through a SIP message, switching time information is employed, and UE2 initiates a new call connection to the IPTV AS. Therefore, the target terminal device can choose at convenient time whether to start watching the switched program, and the target terminal device does not need to make a switching response or watch the switched program hardly when the switching is initiated. The switching success ratio is improved, and the switching service can be implemented more flexibly. By using the playing time, the target terminal device can receive the predetermined segment of the switched program. The UE is charged for the IPTV media streams which are used by the source terminal device and the target terminal device before the switching, and for the IPTV media streams which are used after the switching, respectively. Therefore, the charging process ensures accuracy of the charging for the switching service.
Although the disclosure has been described through several preferred embodiments, the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. It is apparent that those skilled in the art can make modifications and variations to the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The disclosure is intended to cover the modifications and variations provided that they fall in the scope of protection defined by the following claims or their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200710099400.2 | May 2007 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2008/070698, filed on Apr. 11, 2008, which claims the benefit of priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 200710099400.2, filed on May 18, 2007. The contents of the above identified applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2008/070698 | Apr 2008 | US |
| Child | 12618061 | US |
