Swisscom Ag

Swisscom

Christophe Gourraud

A central terminal may receive from a user a first message, which may be transmitted from a communication terminal, identifying particular media content on a particular content server, and in response the central terminal may transmit a second message to a particular application server if the central terminal determines that the first message is associated with the application server. The application server may generate and transmit to the communication terminal accessing information that may be used by the user to retrieve, via the communication terminal, the media content from the content server. Submitting content requests in this manner may enable routing content requests through a particular system, such as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), thereby making use of filtering features of the particular system for user authentication and access control, and obviating need for separate proprietary access control mechanisms for the content server.

Method and system for providing media content to a user

A Call Session Control Function (CSCF) unit may receive from a user a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message, which may be transmitted via a communication terminal, identifying particular media content on a particular content server, and in response the CSCF unit may transmit a second message to a particular application server (SIP-AS) if the CSCF unit determines that the SIP message is associated with the application server. The application server may generate and transmit to the communication terminal accessing information that may be used by the user to retrieve, via the communication terminal, the media content from the content server. Submitting content requests in this manner may enable routing content requests through an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), thereby making use of filtering features of the IMS for user authentication and access control, and obviating need for separate proprietary access control mechanisms for the content server.

For providing to a user on a communication terminal () media content () from a content server (), a Session Initiation Protocol message, addressed to a resource identifier identifying the media content (), is transmitted from the communications terminal () to a Call Session Control Function unit (S-CSCF), in response to the user activating a hyperlink associated with the media content (). If there are filter criteria (iFC) associated with the user and associating the first message with an application server (SIP-AS), the resource identifier is transmitted from the Call Session Control Function unit (S-CSCF) to the application server (SIP-AS). The application server (SIP-AS) transmits to the communication terminal () accessing means for the user to retrieve the media content () from the content server (). Generating und submitting in the communication terminal () the Session Initiation Protocol message make it possible to route the request for the media content () through an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), thereby making use of filtering features of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for user authentication and access control such that there is no need for separate proprietary access control mechanisms for the content server ().

For subscribing a user to a service offered by a first application server (SIP-AS) of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, a request for the service, addressed to a public service identifier of the service, is received from the user in a Call Session Control Function unit (S-CSCF). The request is evaluated based on filter criteria (iCF) associated with the user. In absence of the filter criteria (iCF) associating the service with the first application server (SIP-AS), the request is forwarded to a second application server (SIP-AS) based on addressing information obtained from filter criteria (FC) associated with the public service identifier. The second application server (SIP-AS) transmits to the user a message that includes means for enabling the user to subscribe to the service. Users can be subscribed to a service at the time they desire to use the service, immediately preceding usage of the service. IMS user profiles are used as the basis for deciding whether or not a user is subscribed to a service, consequently, there is no need to provide interfaces to data repositories of multimedia services for determining the subscription status of a user. Subscription mechanisms for multimedia services can be centralized in a dedicated application server.

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Fribourg, Switzerland

Christophe Gourraud