Technique for performing signaling conversion between HTTP and SIP domains

1. A method of performing signaling conversion between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog, comprising:

receiving from an HTTP enabled entity a first HTTP request message, the first HTTP request message including HTTP state information;

creating a first SIP message in response to receipt of the first HTTP request message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

sending the first SIP message to an SIP enabled entity;

establishing a mapping between the HTTP state information and the SIP dialog;

receiving a second SIP message;

determining the SIP dialog to which the second SIP message belongs;

determining the HTTP state information associated with the SIP dialog;

generating a second HTTP request message including or referencing the HTTP state information thus determined; and

sending the second HTTP request message to the HTTP enabled entity.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising returning a first HTTP response message to the HTTP enabled entity.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a second HTTP response message responsive to the second HTTP request message from the HTTP enabled entity.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein based on the HTTP state information, the pair of first HTTP request and response messages as well as the pair of second HTTP request and response messages are grouped into the HTTP stateful session.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first HTTP request message further includes address information indicative of an SIP User Agent of the SIP enabled entity, and wherein the address information is used to address the first SIP message to the SIP User Agent.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first HTTP request message further includes HTTP dialog information, and wherein the HTTP dialog information is mapped to SIP dialog information.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first HTTP request message further includes session description information, and further comprising inserting the session description information included in the first HTTP request message into the first SIP message.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the session description information is sent in a Session Description Protocol (SDP) offer/answer context.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information is included in at least one of the first HTTP request message and the second HTTP request message in the form of at least one of an HTTP cookie, a Fat Universal Resource Locator (Fat URL) an HTTP parameter and a query component.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first HTTP request message includes an SIP message indication indicative of at least one of an SIP method, an SIP code and an HTTP status code.

11. A method of performing signaling conversion between a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session, comprising:

receiving from an SIP enabled entity a first SIP message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

establishing a mapping between HTTP state information and the SIP dialog;

creating a first HTTP request message indicative of a content of the first SIP message, the first HTTP request message including the HTTP state information mapped on the SIP dialog;

sending the first HTTP request message to an HTTP enabled entity;

receiving a second HTTP request message, the second HTTP request message including the HTTP state information and an optional indication of a second SIP message that is to be created;

determining the SIP dialog mapped on the HTTP state information;

creating a second SIP message in response to receipt of the second HTTP request message based on the optional indication in the second HTTP request message and the determined SIP dialog; and

sending the second SIP message to the SIP enabled entity.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a first HTTP response message responsive to the first HTTP request message from the HTTP enabled entity.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising returning a second HTTP response message to the HTTP enabled entity.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein based on the HTTP state information the pair of first HTTP request and response messages as well as the pair of second HTTP request and response messages are grouped into the HTTP stateful session.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating the HTTP state information in response to receipt of the first SIP message.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HTTP enabled entity is a user equipment or the SIP enabled entity is an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) entity.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SIP dialog is performed in one of a user registration context, a session initiation context and a session termination context.

18. An apparatus for performing signaling conversion between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog, comprising:

an HTTP User Agent adapted to receive from an HTTP enabled entity a first HTTP request message, the first HTTP request message including HTTP state information;

an SIP User Agent adapted to send a first SIP message to an SIP enabled entity in response to receipt of the first HTTP request message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog; and

a mapping logic adapted to establish a mapping between the HTTP state information and the SIP dialog,

wherein the SIP User Agent is further adapted to receive a second SIP message,

wherein the mapping logic is further adapted to determine the SIP dialog to which the second SIP message belongs and to determine the HTTP state information associated with the SIP dialog, and

wherein the HTTP User Agent is further adapted to generate a second HTTP request message including or referencing the HTTP state information thus determined and to send the second HTTP request message to the HTTP enabled entity.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the HTTP User Agent is further adapted to return a first HTTP response message to the HTTP enabled entity.

20. An apparatus for performing signaling conversion between a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, stateful session, comprising:

an SIP User Agent adapted to receive from an SIP enabled entity a first SIP message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

a mapping logic adapted to establish a mapping between HTTP state information and the SIP dialog;

an HTTP User Agent adapted to send a first HTTP request message indicative of a content of the first SIP message to an HTTP enabled entity, the first HTTP request message including the HTTP state information mapped on the SIP dialog,

wherein the HTTP User Agent is further adapted to receive a second HTTP message, the second HTTP request message including the HTTP state information and an optional indication of a second SIP message that is to be created,

wherein the mapping logic is further adapted to determine the SIP dialog mapped on the HTTP state information and to create a second SIP message in response to receipt of the second HTTP request message based on the optional indication in the second HTTP request message and the determined SIP dialog, and

wherein the SIP User Agent is further adapted to send the second SIP message to the SIP enabled entity.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the HTTP User Agent is further adapted to receive a first HTTP response message responsive to the first HTTP request message from the HTTP enabled entity.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 , configured as a Web proxy.

23. The A method of performing signaling conversion between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog, comprising:

receiving from an HTTP enabled entity a first HTTP request message, the first HTTP request message including HTTP state information;

creating a first SIP message in response to receipt of the first HTTP request message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

sending the first SIP message to an SIP enabled entity; and

establishing a mapping between the HTTP state information and the SIP dialog,

wherein the HTTP enabled entity is a user equipment or the SIP enabled entity is an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) entity, and

wherein the SIP dialog is performed in one of a user registration context, a session initiation context and a session termination context.

24. A method of performing signaling conversion between a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session, comprising:

receiving from an SIP enabled entity a first SIP message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

establishing a mapping between HTTP state information and the SIP dialog;

creating a first HTTP request message indicative of a content of the first SIP message, the first HTTP request message including the HTTP state information mapped on the SIP dialog; and

sending the first HTTP request message to an HTTP enabled entity,

wherein the HTTP enabled entity is a user equipment or the SIP enabled entity is an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) entity, and

wherein the SIP dialog is performed in one of a user registration context, a session initiation context and a session termination context.

25. An apparatus for performing signaling conversion between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stateful session and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog, comprising:

an HTTP User Agent adapted to receive from an HTTP enabled entity a first HTTP request message, the first HTTP request message including HTTP state information;

an SIP User Agent adapted to send a first SIP message to an SIP enabled entity in response to receipt of the first HTTP request message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog; and

a mapping logic adapted to establish a mapping between the HTTP state information and the SIP dialog,

wherein the HTTP enabled entity is a user equipment or the SIP enabled entity is an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) entity, and

wherein the SIP dialog is performed in one of a user registration context, a session initiation context and a session termination context.

26. An apparatus for performing signaling conversion between a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) dialog and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, stateful session, comprising:

an SIP User Agent adapted to receive from an SIP enabled entity a first SIP message, the first SIP message belonging to an SIP dialog;

a mapping logic adapted to establish a mapping between HTTP state information and the SIP dialog;

an HTTP User Agent adapted to send a first HTTP request message indicative of a content of the first SIP message to an HTTP enabled entity, the first HTTP request message including the HTTP state information mapped on the SIP dialog,

wherein the HTTP enabled entity is a user equipment or the SIP enabled entity is an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) entity, and

wherein the SIP dialog is performed in one of a user registration context, a session initiation context and a session termination context.