SYSTEM FOR INTERCONNECTING PACKET-SWITCHED AND CIRCUIT-SWITCHED VOICE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20020097708A1
• Filed: 02/06/1997
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: DENG, SHUANG
• Granted Patent: US 6,600,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A system and method for establishing voice communication between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network includes a network interface unit for coupling to the packet-switched network, a phone interface unit for coupling to the circuit-switched network and a gateway processor coupled to the network interface unit and to the phone interface unit. In response to a call request, a packet-switched network connection is established between the gateway processor and a first station in the packet-switched network, and a circuit-switched network connection is established between the gateway processor and a second station in the circuit-switched network. Incoming voice data packets received from the first station are converted to outgoing voice signals, which are transmitted over the circuit-switched network connection to the second station. Incoming voice signals received from the second station are converted to outgoing voice data packets, which are transmitted over the packet-switched network connection to the first station. A conference call may be established among three or more conference call participants.

Claims

1. A system for establishing voice communication between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network, comprising:

a network interface unit for coupling to the packet-switched network;

a phone interface unit for coupling to the circuit-switched network;

a gateway processor coupled to said network interface unit and coupled to said phone interface unit, said gateway processor, said network interface unit and said phone interface unit including;

means responsive to a call request received from a first station in the packet-switched network or a second station in the circuit-switched network for establishing a packet-switched network connection through said network interface unit between the first station and said gateway processor and for establishing a circuit-switched network connection through said phone interface unit between the second station and said gateway processor;

means responsive to incoming voice data packets received from the first station over said packet-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice data packets to outgoing voice signals that are compatible with the circuit-switched network and for transmitting said outgoing voice signals over said circuit-switched network connection to the second station; and

means responsive to incoming voice signals received from the second station over said circuit-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice signals to outgoing voice data packets and for transmitting said outgoing voice data packets over said packet-switched network connection to the first station, wherein two-way voice communication is established between the first station and the second station.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said incoming voice signals and said outgoing voice signals comprise analog audio signals.

3. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said incoming voice data packets and said outgoing voice data packets utilize mu-law encoding.

4. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said packet-switched network connection includes an incoming packet-switched network connection and an outgoing packet-switched network connection, and said circuit-switched network connection includes an incoming circuit-switched network connection and an outgoing circuit-switched network connection and wherein said gateway processor executes a server process for establishing said incoming packet-switched network connection and said outgoing circuit-switched network connection and for controlling reception of said incoming voice data packets from the first station over said incoming packet-switched network connection and transmission of said outgoing voice signals to the second station over said outgoing circuit-switched network connection.

5. A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said gateway processor further executes a client process for establishing said incoming circuit-switched network connection and said outgoing packet-switched network connection and for controlling reception of said incoming voice signals from the second station over said incoming circuit-switched network connection and transmission of said outgoing voice data packets to the first station over said outgoing packet-switched network connection.

6. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said gateway processor includes a combined process for establishing said connections between said first and second stations and for controlling reception and transmission of said voice data packets to and from said first station and reception and transmission of said voice signals to and from said second station.

7. A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said circuit-switched network comprises a public switched telephone network.

8. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said call request comprises a telephone number of said second station sent by said first station to said gateway processor.

9. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said call request comprises a telephone number of said second station and an identification of said gateway processor sent by said first station to said gateway processor.

10. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said call request comprises a telephone number of said gateway processor and an address of said first station sent by said second station to said gateway processor.

11. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said gateway processor further includes conference call means responsive to a conference call request received from the first station or the second station for establishing a conference call among three or more conference call participants, at least one of said conference call participates being located in said packet-switched network and at least one of said conference call participants being located in said circuit-switched network, said conference call means including means for establishing a conference call network connection to each of said conference call participants.

12. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said two-way voice communication is full duplex voice communication.

13. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said two-way voice communication is half duplex voice communication.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein said packet-switched network connection includes an incoming packet-switched network connection and an outgoing packet-switched network connection, and said circuit-switched network connection includes an incoming circuit-switched network connection and an outgoing circuit-switched network connection and wherein the steps of responding to a call request, responding to incoming voice data packets and responding to incoming voice signals include executing a server process on said gateway computer for establishing said incoming packet-switched network connection and said outgoing circuit-switched network connection and for controlling reception of said incoming voice data packets from the first station over said incoming packet-switched network connection and transmission of said outgoing voice signals to the second station over said outgoing circuit-switched network connection.

16. A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the steps of responding to a call request, responding to incoming voice data packets and responding to incoming voice signals include executing a client process on said gateway computer for establishing said incoming packet-switched network connection and said outgoing packet-switched network connection and for controlling reception of said voice signals from the second station over said incoming circuit-switched network connection and transmission of said outgoing voice data packets to the first station over said outgoing circuit-switched network connection.

17. A method as defined in claim 14 further including the step of responding to a conference call request from the first station or from the second station by establishing conference call connections between the gateway computer and three or more conference call participants, at least one of the conference call participants being located in the packet-switched network and at least one of the conference call participants being located in the circuit-switched network.

14. A method for establishing voice communication between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network, comprising the steps of:

interconnecting a gateway computer between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network;

said gateway computer responding to a call request received from a first station in the packet-switched network or a second station in the circuit-switched network by establishing a packet-switched network connection between the first station and the gateway computer and establishing a circuit-switched network connection between the second station and the gateway computer;

said gateway computer responding to incoming voice data packets received from the first station over said packet-switched network connection by converting the incoming voice data packets to outgoing voice signals that are compatible with the circuit-switched network and transmitting the outgoing voice signals over the circuit-switched network connection to the second station; and

said gateway computer responding to incoming voice signals received from the second station over said circuit-switched network connection by converting said incoming voice signals to outgoing voice data packets and transmitting said outgoing voice data packets over said packet-switched network connection to the first station, wherein two-way voice communication is established between the first station and the second station.

18. A method for establishing voice communication between a first station in a first circuit-switched network and a second station in a second circuit-switched network, comprising the steps of:

establishing a first circuit-switched network connection between the first station and a first gateway computer, said first gateway computer being interconnected between the first circuit-switched network and a packet-switched network;

establishing a packet-switched network connection between the first gateway computer and a second gateway computer in the packet-switched network, said second gateway computer being interconnected between the packet-switched network and the second circuit-switched network;

establishing a second circuit-switched network connection between the second gateway computer and the second station through said second circuit-switched network; and

sending voice information between said first station and said second station over said first circuit-switched network connection, said packet-switched network connection and said second circuit-switched network connection.

19. A system for establishing voice communication between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network, comprising:

a network interface unit for coupling to the packet-switched network;

a phone interface unit for coupling to the circuit-switched network; and

a gateway processor coupled to said network interface unit and coupled to said phone interface unit, said network interface unit, said phone interface unit and said gateway processor including;

means responsive to a call request received from a first station in the packet-switched network for placing a call to a second station in the circuit-switched network for establishing a packet-switched network connection through said network interface unit between the first station and said gateway processor and for establishing a circuit-switched network connection through said phone interface unit between the second station and said gateway processor;

means responsive to incoming voice data packets received from the first station over said packet-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice data packets to outgoing voice signals that are compatible with the circuit-switched network and for transmitting said outgoing voice signals over said circuit-switched network connection to the second station; and

means responsive to incoming voice signals received from the second station over said circuit-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice signals to outgoing voice data packets and for transmitting said outgoing voice data packets over said packet-switched network connection to the first station, wherein two-way voice communication is established between the first station and the second station.

20. A system for establishing voice communication between a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network, comprising:

a network interface unit for coupling to the packet-switched network;

a phone interface unit for coupling to the circuit-switched network; and

a gateway processor coupled to said network interface and coupled to said phone interface unit, said network interface unit, said phone interface unit and said gateway processor including;

means responsive to a call request received from a second station in the circuit-switched network for placing a call to a first station in the packet-switched network for establishing a packet-switched network connection through said network interface unit between the first station and said gateway processor and for establishing a circuit-switched network connection through said phone interface unit between the second station and said gateway processor;

means responsive to incoming voice data packets received from the first station over said packet-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice data packets to outgoing voice signals that are compatible with the circuit-switched network and for transmitting said outgoing voice signals over said circuit-switched network connection to the second station; and

means responsive to incoming voice signals received from the second station over said circuit-switched network connection for converting said incoming voice signals to outgoing voice data packets and for transmitting said outgoing voice data packets over said packet-switched network connection to the first station, wherein two-way voice communication is established between the first station and the second station.