Coordination of user information across session initiation protocol-based proxy servers
An improvement in the design and operation of telecommunications networks is disclosed, in which when a calling party's telecommunication terminal does not know the address of the called party's terminal, the calling party's telecommunication terminal contacts its home Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server (or “home proxy”). Upon determining that it does not already have the called party's address, the home proxy employs one or more techniques in order to obtain that party's address, as well as to retain that address. The first technique of the illustrative embodiment features the usage of a registration event package, which includes SIP-based subscribe and notify mechanisms. The second technique of the illustrative embodiment features the usage of a data distribution service, which operates in a data distribution layer in contrast to utilizing, for example, a SIP mechanism.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a first node, a first request from a first telecommunications terminal for an address of a first party in a telecommunications network;
transmitting, from the first node to a second node, a request for subscribing to a Session Initiation Protocol registration event package for the first party, wherein the transmitting of the request for subscribing is based on no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party being present at the first node;
receiving a notification from a third node, wherein the notification comprises an indication that the first party is registered and the address of the first party;
populating a database at the first node with a mapping of a predetermined indicium of the first party to the address of the first party received as part of the notification;
receiving, at the first node, a second request from a second telecommunications terminal, wherein the second request comprises the indicium of the first party; and
forwarding the second request to the address of the first party, based on the mapping that is populated in the database, wherein the second node is bypassed.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a notification from the third node, wherein the notification comprises an indication that the first party is unregistered and the address of the first party; and
deleting the mapping from the database at the first node, in response to the receiving of the notification.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising deleting the mapping from the database at the first node, based on a time interval elapsing since the mapping became present at the first node.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the registration event package is defined in accordance with RFC 3680.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first node is the home proxy of the first telecommunications terminal.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first node is a proxy other than the home proxy of the first telecommunications terminal.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first node is an edge proxy.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting is also based on how often the first party is contacted.
9. A method comprising:
receiving, at a second node, a query from a first node for an address of a first party in a telecommunications network, wherein the query is based on no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party being present at the first node;
transmitting the address to the first node whenever a data set that comprises the address of the first party is received at the second node from a third node, for at least one occurrence of the receiving of the address at the second node; and
subsequent to the transmitting of the address to the first node, transmitting at least one update to the first node, based on a change in information that is related to the first party,
wherein transmitting, to the first node, at least one of the address, and
the update causes the first node to populate a database with a mapping of the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party, and
wherein at least one of the transmitting of the address to the first node, and
the transmitting at least one update to the first node enables the first node to forward requests, received from telecommunication terminals and that include the indicium of the first party, to the address of the first party and bypass an intermediate node in the telecommunications network.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein a hierarchical relationship exists between a first database at the first node and a second database at the second node, the first database being subordinate to the second database such that the first second database concentrates a set of data from one or more sources that are external to the second database, and the first database receives at least a portion of the set from the second database.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the change of information corresponds to a deletion of the address of the first party from the second database.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitting of the at least one update results in the deletion of the address of the first party from the first database.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the change of information corresponds to the first party moving to a new address.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein the transmitting of the at least one update is also based on a time interval elapsing since the mapping became present at the second node.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein the transmitting of the address is also based on how often the first party is contacted.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein the address of the first party is unique within a telecommunications network in which the address is to be utilized, wherein the telecommunications network comprises the first node, the second node, and the third node.
17. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a first request from a first telecommunications terminal for an address of a first party in a telecommunications network;
a memory;
a processor configured to determine that no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party is present in the memory; and
a transmitter configured to transmit to a first node a request for subscribing to a Session Initiation Protocol registration event package for the first party, wherein the transmitting of the request for subscribing is based on the processor determining that no mapping is present,
wherein the receiver is further configured to receive from a second node a notification that comprises an indication that the first party is registered and the address of the first party,
wherein the processor is further configured to populate a database with a mapping of an indicium of the first party to the address of the first party received as part of the notification,
wherein the memory is further configured to store the database,
wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a second request from a second telecommunications terminal, wherein the second request comprises the indicium of the first party, and
wherein the transmitter is further configured to bypass the first node and forward the second request to the address of the first party, based on the mapping that is populated in the database.
18. An apparatus comprising:
a proxy node configured to transmit a query for an address of a first party, based on no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party being present at the proxy node; and
a data distribution node configured to:
receive the query;
transmit the address to the proxy node whenever a data set that comprises the address of the first party is received at the data distribution node from another node, for at least one occurrence of the receiving of the address at the data distribution node; and
subsequent to the transmitting of the address to the proxy node, transmit at least one update to the proxy node, based on a change in information that is related to the first party,
wherein the proxy node is further configured to receive the address from the proxy node and populate a database to map the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party,
wherein the proxy node is further configured to, subsequent to receiving the address of the first party and based on the mapping of the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party, bypass an intermediate node and forward, to the address of the first party, a request received by the proxy node from a terminal that includes the indicium of the first party.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein a hierarchical relationship exists between a first database at the data distribution node and a second database at the proxy node, the second database being subordinate to the first database such that the first database concentrates a set of data from one or more sources that are external to the first database, and the second database receives at least a portion of the set from the first database.
20. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver means for receiving, at a first node, a first request from a first telecommunications terminal for an address of a first party in a telecommunications network;
a transmitter means for transmitting, from the first node to a second node, a request for subscribing to a Session Initiation Protocol registration event package for the first party, wherein the transmitting of the request for subscribing is based on no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party being present at the first node; and
a database means configured to map an indicium of the first party to an address of the first party,
wherein the receiver means receives, at the first node, a notification from a third node, wherein the notification comprises an indication that the first party is registered and the address of the first party,
wherein the database means is populated with a mapping of the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party,
wherein the receiver means receives, at the first node and from a second telecommunications terminal, a second request that includes the indicium of the first party, and
wherein the transmitter means forwards the second request to the address of the first party, based on a mapping of the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party, and bypasses an intermediate node in the telecommunications network.
21. An apparatus comprising:
a receiver means for receiving, at a data distribution node, a query from a proxy node for an address of a first party in a telecommunications network, wherein the query is based on no mapping of any indicium of the first party to the address of the first party being present at the proxy node; and
a transmitter means for transmitting the address to the proxy node whenever a data set that comprises the address of the first party is received at the data distribution node from another node, for at least one occurrence of the receiving of the address at the data distribution node;
wherein the transmitter means transmits, subsequent to the transmitting of the address to the proxy node, at least one update to the proxy node based on a change in information that is related to the first party,
wherein at least one of
transmitting the address to the proxy node, and
transmitting at least one update to the proxy node
causes the proxy node to populate a database with a mapping of the indicium of the first party to the address of the first party, and
wherein at least one of
transmitting the address to the proxy node, and
transmitting at least one update to the proxy node
enables the proxy node to forward requests, received from telecommunication terminals and that include the indicium of the first party, to the address of the first party and bypass at least one intermediate node in the telecommunications network.