Establishing call sessions between terminals through plural switch systems

• US 20020075849A1
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Audet, Francois, Bissell, Mark Y., Tarle, Peter G., Coffin, Mitchell D., Mostafa, Adel E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,958,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communications system includes a first switch and a second switch coupled to a packet-based network. A first set of network terminals are coupled to the first switch, and a second set of network terminals are coupled to the second switch. Each of the terminals is associated with a virtual terminal number (VTN). Each of the first and second switches store profile information associated with VTNs of the terminals. The profile information relate to the capabilities or features of the network terminals. The switches communicate signaling over a packet-based trunk, or virtual trunk, that is established on the packet-based network. Each switch sends messages to their associated terminals to establish media paths over the packet-based network to establish a call session.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a call session over a packet-based network, comprising:

receiving, in a first switch, a call request over the packet-based network from a first terminal associated with a logical identifier, the call request targeting a second terminal coupled to a second switch;

storing, in the first switch, information relating to features of the first terminal, the information associated with the logical identifier;

sending, from the first switch, a request over a packet-based trunk to the second switch in response to the call request; and

sending, from the first switch to the first terminal, a media connection request containing a network address of the second terminal to enable the first terminal to establish a media path with the second terminal over the packet-based network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the call request comprises receiving an off-hook indication and a dialed number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the call request comprises receiving a network address of the first terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the logical identifier based on the network address.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the network address comprises an Internet Protocol address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical identifier comprises a virtual terminal number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the information in response to the call request to perform a predetermined action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the call request comprises receiving an indication of activation of a button on the first terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing the information comprises accessing the information to determine an action to perform in response to the activation of the button.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the information comprises storing the information in a profile associated with the logical identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing other profiles of other terminals associated with other logical identifiers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the information comprises storing configuration information relating to one or more buttons of the first terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the second switch sending a second media connection request to the second terminal, the second media connection request containing a network address of the first terminal to enable the second terminal to establish a media path with the first terminal over the packet-based network

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logical identifier comprises a virtual terminal number.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the storage unit further comprises a table mapping the virtual terminal number to a network address.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the network address comprises an Internet Protocol address.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the table comprises plural virtual terminal numbers mapped to corresponding plural network addresses.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage unit contains a profile associated with the logical identifier of the first terminal, the profile containing the information relating to features.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the storage unit contains at least another profile associated with at least another logical identifier of another terminal.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the signaling between the switch systems comprise signaling to determine if the second terminal is a network terminal capable of communicating over the packet-based terminal.

14. A switch system for establishing calls over a packet-based network, comprising:

an interface adapted to communicate over the packet-based network;

a controller communicatively coupled to the interface and adapted to receive a call request from a first terminal, the first terminal associated with a logical identifier, the call request targeting a second terminal that is coupled to a second switch system,

the controller adapted to further send signaling to the second switch system over a packet-based trunk provided over the packet-based network; and

a storage unit containing information relating to features of the first terminal, the information associated with the logical identifier of the first terminal.

22. An article comprising at least one storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause a first switch to:

receive a request over a packet-based network from a first terminal, the terminal associated with a logical identifier;

access a profile associated with the logical identifier; and

use information in the profile to send signaling to a second switch to establish a call session with a second terminal.

23. A data signal embodied in a carrier wave and comprising instructions that when executed cause a first switch to:

receive a call request over the packet-based network from a first terminal associated with a logical identifier, the call request targeting a second terminal coupled to a second switch;

store information relating to features of the first terminal, the information associated with the logical identifier;

send a request over a packet-based trunk to the second switch in response to the call request; and

send a media connection request to the first terminal containing a network address of the second terminal to enable the first terminal to establish a media path with the second terminal over the packet-based network.