Methods and systems for creating, distributing and executing multimedia telecommunications applications over circuit and packet switched networks

• US 20030012183A1
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberdyne Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Convergent Networks, Inc. (Global NAPs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Freedman, R. David, Butler, David, Stevens, Del
• Granted Patent: US 7,304,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1225 Details of core network interconnection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0058 using service-independent building blocks (SIBBs) or "primitives"

Abstract

A service creation switch (114) supports both tightly coupled and loosely distributed application server (AS) (126) functions, with the tightly coupled AS (126) functions residing in the switch (114), and the loosely coupled AS (126) functions carried out in a service level executable environment (SLEE) (34). The SLEE (134) utilizes DLLs to facilitate the distribution of services over a packet network.

Claims

1. A system for delivering and executing multimedia telecommunications applications over circuit and packet switch networks, said system comprising:

a) a media gateway coupled to the PSTN and packet network;

b) a signaling gateway coupled to the SS7 signaling network; and

c) a service creation switch coupled to said media gateway and said signaling gateway, said switch having

i) a generic signaling interface between the signaling gateway and the media gateway,

ii) a management interface for coupling to a management server,

iii) a first application server interface for coupling to a local application server, and

iv) a second application server interface for coupling to a remote application server.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

d) said second application server,

wherein said second application server resides in the packet network.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

Class 5 services are embedded in said switch.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said switch is a softswitch.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said local application server is an open service level executable environment (SLEE).

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein:

said SLEE is adapted to execute non-Class 5 service functions.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

said switch is adapted to support both loosely coupled and tightly coupled application server functions.

8. A system for delivering and executing multimedia telecommunications applications over circuit and packet switch networks, said system comprising:

a) a media gateway coupled to the PSTN and packet network;

b) a signaling gateway coupled to the SS7 signaling network; and

c) a service creation switch coupled to said media gateway and said signaling gateway, said switch having

i) a generic signaling interface between the signaling gateway and the media gateway,

ii) a management interface for coupling to a management server,

iii) an application server interface for coupling to an application server, and

iv) means for providing Class 5 services to said media gateway.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

said switch accesses second services other than Class 5 services via said application server interface using a service level executable environment (SLEE).

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

said SLEE utilizes dynamically loaded shared libraries to distribute said second services over the packet network.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein:

said SLEE includes means to locate said second services on a plurality of application servers.

13. A service creation switch according to claim 12, wherein:

communication over said application server interface is in Internet Protocol.

14. A service creation switch according to claim 13, wherein:

said application server is remotely located on the packet network.

15. A service creation switch according to claim 12, further comprising:

d) a service level executable environment coupled to said application server interface.

16. A service creation switch according to claim 15, further comprising:

e) means for determining whether the latency of an accessed application is within a predetermined latency requirement.

17. A service creation switch according to claim 16, further comprising:

f) means for locating an application on a plurality of application servers.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein:

said Class 5 services are embedded in said switch.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein:

said application server is remotely located relative to the service creation switch.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein:

said second application server resides in the packet network.

22. A method according to claim 18, wherein:

said application server is local relative to the service creation switch.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein:

said application server is an open service level executable environment (SLEE).

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein:

said SLEE distributes non-Class 5 services over the packet network.

25. A system according to claim 23, wherein:

said SLEE locates non-Class 5 services on a plurality of application servers in the packet network.

12. A service creation switch for use with a media gateway coupled to a packet network and a PSTN, the PSTN having an SS7 signaling network, and a signaling gateway coupled to the SS7 signaling network, said service creation coupled to both the media gateway and the signaling gateway, said switch comprising:

a) a generic signaling interface between the signaling gateway and the media gateway;

b) a management interface for coupling to a management server; and

c) an application server interface for coupling to an application server,

wherein said switch includes means for providing Class 5 services to the media gateway within predetermined latency requirements.

18. A method for delivering and executing multimedia telecommunications applications over circuit and packet networks, said method comprising:

a) coupling a media gateway to the circuit and packet network;

b) coupling a signaling gateway to the SS7 signaling network;

c) enabling a service creation switch to couple to the signaling gateway and the media gateway, said service creation switch adapted to provide Class 5 services to a telephone call over the packet network and the circuit network; and

e) enabling the switch to couple to an application server provided with non-Class 5 services to provide the non-Class 5 services to a call over the integrated network.