Connection manager for integrating legacy telephony environments and IP networks

• US 20040120501A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Victor S., Celi, Joseph Jr., Gavagni, Brett J., Zabolotskaya, Margarita
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5234 Uniform load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

In a telephony call management system, a method of distributing calls among a plurality of packet-based load balancing resources can include receiving over a telephony channel a call request specifying call information, comparing the call information with selection criteria to select one of the plurality of packet-based load balancing resources, and querying the selected packet-based load balancing resource to resolve the call request. A response from the selected packet-based load balancing resource can be received which indicates whether the call request can be resolved.

Claims

1. In a telephony call management system, a method of distributing calls among a plurality of packet-based load balancing resources comprising:

receiving over a telephony channel a call request specifying call information;

comparing the call information with selection criteria to select one of the plurality of packet-based load balancing resources;

querying the selected packet-based load balancing resource to resolve the call request; and

receiving a response from the selected packet-based load balancing resource indicating whether the call request can be resolved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the call request was not resolved, selecting and querying subsequent ones of the plurality of packet-based load balancing resources until no further load balancing resources are left to be queried or until the call request is resolved.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step receives the call request from a circuit-switched telephony network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said call information specifies origination information, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the origination information for the call request;

comparing the origination information with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource which is associated with the origination information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said call information specifies termination information, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the termination information for the call request;

comparing the termination information with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource which is associated with the termination information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said call information specifies a telephony communications protocol, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the telephony communications protocol for the call request;

comparing the telephony communications protocol with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource according to the telephony communications protocol of the call request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said call information specifies the telephony channel, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the telephony channel for the call request;

comparing the telephony channel with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource according to the telephony channel of the call request.

8. A call management system comprising:

a plurality of telephony channel interfaces, each configured to communicate with a particular telephony communications channel;

a plurality of load balancing resource interfaces, each configured to communicate with a packet-based load balancing resource; and

a processor configured to receive call requests via said telephony channel interfaces and query load balancing resources via said load balancing resource interfaces to determine a resolution for the call request.

9. The call management system of claim 8, said processor further comprising:

a registry specifying at least available packet-based load balancing resources available for resolving call requests; and

selection criteria specifying a hierarchy for querying the packet-based load balancing resources according to call information specified in the call requests.

10. The system of claim 8, said plurality of telephony channel interfaces comprising:

at least one circuit-switched telephony channel interface configured to communicate over a circuit-switched telephony channel; and

at least one packet-switched telephony interface configured to communicate with a packet-switched telephony channel.

11. The system of claim 10, said at least one packet-switched telephony channel interface further comprising:

a first packet-switched telephony channel interface configured to communicate with a first packet-switched telephony channel using a first communications protocol; and

a second packet-switched telephony channel interface configured to communicate with a second packet-switched telephony channel using a second communications protocol.

12. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

receiving over a telephony channel a call request specifying call information;

comparing the call information with selection criteria to select one of a plurality of packet-based load balancing resources;

querying the selected packet-based load balancing resource to resolve the call request; and

receiving a response from the selected packet-based load balancing resource indicating whether the call request can be resolved.

13. The machine readable storage of claim 12, further comprising:

if the call request was not resolved, selecting and querying subsequent ones of the plurality of packet-based load balancing resources until no further load balancing resources are left to be queried or until the call request is resolved.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein said receiving step receives the call request from a circuit-switched telephony network.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein said call information specifies origination information, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the origination information for the call request;

comparing the origination information with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource which is associated with the origination information.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein said call information specifies termination information, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the termination information for the call request;

comparing the termination information with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource which is associated with the termination information.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein said call information specifies a telephony communications protocol, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the telephony communications protocol for the call request;

comparing the telephony communications protocol with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource according to the telephony communications protocol of the call request.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein said call information specifies a telephony channel, said comparing step further comprising:

identifying the telephony channel for the call request;

comparing the telephony channel with the selection criteria; and

selecting a packet-based load balancing resource according to the telephony channel of the call request.