HK1101630B - Wireless communication method and system for establishing a multimedia message service over a wlan - Google Patents

Description

Wireless communication method and system for establishing multimedia information service on WLAN

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system including at least one wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a third generation partnership project (3GPP) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Multimedia Message (MMS) server, and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). More particularly, the present invention relates to enabling the WTRU to register with a 3GPP UMTS and the MMS server so that the WTRU may receive MMS messages from the MMS server over the WLAN.

Background

The implementation of WLANs in wireless communication systems has expanded dramatically to replace wired computer networks, where end users can have the benefit of flexibility and freedom of movement. In addition to providing faster bit rates and being cheaper because WLANs operate over unlicensed bandwidth, current WLAN architectures lack the ability and mechanisms to call the WTRU to ensure that it can exist for network-based service delivery.

Existing 3GPP UMTS systems provide WTRU users access to network-based services, such as MMS, which is a storage and forwarding method for transmitting images, movies, audio files, and short messages (e.g., e-mail) over wireless networks. It is therefore desirable to implement a wireless communication system that provides 3 GPP-based services using a WLAN interworking with a 3 GPP.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is implemented in a wireless communication system for supporting MMS over 3GPP UMTS interworking with WLAN. The 3GPP UMTS includes a short message service-service center (SMS-SC); an SMS-telecommunication gateway Mobile switching center (SMS-GMSC)/SMS-inter-working Mobile Switching Center (MSC) (SMS-IWMSC); a Home Location Register (HLR)/Home Subscriber Service (HSS); an authentication, authorization, accounting (AAA) server; an IP short message communication gateway (IP-SM-GW) having an SMS proxy and accessing an IP address database; and a packet data communication gateway (PDG). The 3GPP UMTS and WLAN access an MMS server via the Internet.

A WTRU establishes an SMs tunnel connection between the 3gpp umts and the WLAN via the IP-SM-GW and the packet data communication gateway (PDG), the SMs tunnel connection being established to support MMS over the WLAN. The WTRU registers with the SMS proxy within the IP-SM-GW to establish an SMS connection. The WTRU also registers with the MMS server and provides its mobile station international ISDN number (MSISDN) (i.e., telephone number). When the MMS server receives the MMS message, the MMS server sends an SMS message to the WTRU via the WLAN using its MSISDN. The MMS server stores the MMS message in a memory until the WTRU retrieves the MMS message. The SMS message informs the WTRU that the user has received an MMS message, the WTRU user accesses a related MMS account and retrieves the MMS message.

Drawings

The invention may be understood in more detail by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment, given as an example, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system including a 3GPP UMTS interworking with a WLAN in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for establishing MMS over a WLAN by providing a WTRU subscriber phone number when registering with an MMS server in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method for establishing MMS over a WLAN by providing the IP address of a WTRU user when registering with an MMS server in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the term "WTRU" includes, but is not limited to, a User Equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment.

As shown in fig. 1, the present invention is implemented in a wireless communication system 100 for supporting MMS. The wireless communication system 100 includes a 3GPP UMTS 105, a WLAN 110, and at least one WTRU115 that establishes MMS connectivity by registering with an MMS server 125 over the internet 120 in accordance with the present invention. The MMS server 125 includes a memory 130 for storing MMS messages accessible by the WTRU 115.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system 200 that supports MMS in accordance with the present invention. The system 200 includes a 3GPP UMTS 105 including an SMS-SC210 that provides multimedia services via the Internet 120, an SMS-GMSC/SMS-IWMSC 215, an HLR/HSS220, an AAA server 225, an IP-SM-GW 230 having an SMS proxy platform 232 and accessing an IP address database 235, and a PDG 240.

The SMS-GMSC/SMS-IWMSC 215 has two functions: an SMS-GMSC function and an SMS-IWMSC function. The SMS-GMSC function receives a short message and queries the HLR/HSS220 to route the message, and the SMS-IWMSC function forwards the short message received from the WTRU115 to the SMS-SC210 and the MMS server 125 via the internet 120.

The WLAN 110 provides MMS to at least one WTRU115, and the HLR/HSS220 communicates with the AAA server 225, which stores information about which WTRUs may access the WLAN 110, the services that the WTRUs 115 are allowed to use, and the account records of each WTRU 115. Further details of the operation of the HLR/HSS/AAA may be found in co-pending application No. 11/112,503 entitled "reporting terminal capability for short message service support" filed on April.22 of 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method for establishing MMS over the WLAN 110 by a user providing the phone number of the WTRU115 when registering with the MMS server 125 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In step 305, an SMS tunnel connection is established through the WTRU115, the WLAN 110 and the PDG 240. In step 310, the HLR 220 record is updated, and the HLR 220 has access to information needed to locate the WTRU115 and how to route incoming MMS service. When the WTRU115 is registered to receive its SMS and MMS services via the WLAN 110, the HLR/HSS220 returns the address of the IP-SW-GW to the SMS-GMSC/SMS-IWMSC 215, which in turn receives a query from the SMS-GMSC/SMS-IWMSC 215 regarding the location of the WTRU115, the WTRU115 is described by the MSISDN included in an SMS message sent from the MMS server 125 to the SMS-SC210 over the Internet 120.

In step 315, the WTRU115 registers with the SMS proxy 232 to establish an SMS connection. In step 320, the WTRU registers with the MMS server 125 to establish an MMS connection, and the user of the WTRU115 may provide the MMS server 125 with a telephone number (i.e., MSISDN) for the WTRU 115. When a new MMS message arrives at the MMS server 125, the MMS server 125 sends an SMS message to the WTRU115 to notify the user of the WTRU115 that an MMS message is waiting to be retrieved at the MMS server 125 (steps 325 and 340). The SMS is routed by the HLR/HHS 220 and/or the AAA server 225 retrieving routing information (i.e., the PDG/SMS server address IP address for the WTRU 115) (steps 330, 335). In step 345, the WTRU115 retrieves the MMS message from the memory 130 of the MMS server 125.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for establishing MMS over the WLAN 110 by providing the user IP address of a WTRU when registering with the MMS server 125 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In step 405, an MMS tunnel connection is established between the WTRU115 and the WLAN 110. In step 410, the records of the HLR 220 are updated in a similar manner as in step 315. In step 415, the WTRU115 registers with the MMS server 125 using the IP address for the WTRU 115. In step 420, a new MMS service is established and the user of the WTRU115 is notified that an MMS message is waiting to be retrieved at the MMS server 125 (step 420). In step 425, the WTRU115 retrieves the MMS message from the memory 130 of the MMS server 125.

If the WTRU115 remains idle for a long period of time, the connection established between the WTRU115 and the WLAN may be terminated.

The WTRu115 periodically registers with the SMS server 232 and/or the MMS server 125 to maintain the connection established between the WTRu115 and the WLAN.

The user of the WTRU115 may initiate a service termination request to terminate any pending activities (pending activities) on the WLAN 110.

Although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. In a wireless communication system including a third generation partnership project (3GPP) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) including an internet protocol messaging gateway (IP-SM-GW) having a Short Message Service (SMS) proxy, a method for supporting a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) provided to a user of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) in communication with the wireless communication system, the method comprising:

the wireless transmit/receive unit registers with the short message service proxy through the wireless local area network to establish short message service connection;

the wireless transmit/receive unit registering with the multimedia messaging service server via the wireless local area network to establish a multimedia messaging service connection;

when the multimedia message service server receives a multimedia service message of the wireless transmission/reception unit, the wireless transmission/reception unit receives a notification via the wireless local area network;

the wireless transmit/receive unit retrieving the multimedia service message from the multimedia message service server via the wireless local area network; and

the wtru establishes a multimedia messaging service channel connection via the wireless local area network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering with the short message service agent comprises:

and establishing short message service channel connection between the wireless transmission/reception unit and the wireless local area network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering with the multimedia message service server comprises:

providing the subscriber's telephone number with respect to the wireless transmit/receive unit to the multimedia message service server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification indicates:

there is a multimedia service message waiting to be retrieved from the multimedia message service server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering with the multimedia message service server comprises:

providing an internet communication protocol (IP) address for the wireless transmit/receive unit to the multimedia message service server via the internet.