Method and Device for Controlling Communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem IMS

A control device for controlling communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the control device comprising:

• a receiving unit for receiving, from the user equipment or from an intermediate node, implicit location information that implicitly indicates a geographical location of the user equipment as a reference to that geographical location;
• a communication unit configured to:
• send a request to a presence server for converting said reference into explicit location information that explicitly indicates the geographical location of the user equipment;
• and
• receive the explicit location information from the presence server;
• a verification unit configured to verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on the explicit location information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and
• a control unit configured to control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification unit.

An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, comprising a control device for controlling communication in the IMS, wherein the IMS couples a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the control device comprising:

• a receiving unit for receiving, from the user equipment or from an intermediate node, implicit location information that implicitly indicates a geographical location of the user equipment as a reference to that geographical location;
• a communication unit configured to:
• send a request to a presence server for converting said reference into explicit location information that explicitly indicates the geographical location of the user equipment;
• and
• receive the explicit location information from the presence server;
• a verification unit configured to verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on the explicit location information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and
• a control unit configured to control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification unit.

A method for controlling communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the method comprising:

• receiving, from the user equipment or from an intermediate node, implicit location information that implicitly indicates a geographical location of the user equipment as a reference to that geographical location;
• sending a request to a presence server for converting said reference into explicit location information that explicitly indicates the geographical location of the user equipment;
• receiving the explicit location information from the presence server;
• verifying whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on the explicit location information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and
• controlling a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification.

A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a control device, cause the control device to control communication in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, coupling a user equipment and an application provider that provides an application, the computer program instructions causing the control device to:

• receive, from the user equipment or from an intermediate node, implicit location information that implicitly indicates a geographical location of the user equipment as a reference to that geographical location;
• send a request to a presence server for converting said reference into explicit location information that explicitly indicates the geographical location of the user equipment;
• receive the explicit location information from the presence server;
• verify whether or not a spatial condition is met that depends on the explicit location information and its relation to a defined spatial area, wherein the spatial area and the spatial condition are part of a control criterion associated with said application, and
• control a provisioning of the application to the user equipment according to a result of the verification.