Network gateway device and communications system for real item communication connections

• US 20040249963A1
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Klaghofer, Karl, Totzke, Jurgen, Muller, Harald, Muller, Heribert
• Application Number:
  US10/490,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• 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: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention relates to a network gateway device, which permits a logically direct, transport protocal-based coupling of several VoIP communications networks with different, connection control protocols that are attached to the packet-oriented transport protocol. To achieve this, for each of the VoIP communications networks to be coupled, the network gateway has a respective transport protocol-based data interface, a connection control protocol-based signaling interface, in addition to a conversion device for conversion between the different connection control protocols.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A network gateway device for real time communication connections, comprising:

a packet oriented transport protocol;

a first communication network with a first connection control protocol based on the transport protocol;

a second communication network with a second connection control protocol based on the transport protocol;

a communication connection between the first communication network and the second communication network;

a first and a second transport-protocol-based data interface for logically directly linking the first and the second communication network at transport protocol level;

a first signaling interface based on the first connection control protocol and connected to the first data interface, and a second signaling interface based on the second connection control protocol and connected to the second data interface; and

a conversion device linked to the first and second signaling interface and used for converting between the first and the second connection control protocol.

15. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein the transport protocol is implemented by an Internet protocol.

16. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein the first and/or the second connection control protocol is implemented by a protocol according to ITU-T Recommendation H.323.

17. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein the first and/or the second connection control protocol is implemented by means of the SIP protocol of the IETF Forum.

18. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein there exists a logical and/or physical separation into a signaling gateway for converting between the first and the second connection control protocol and a media gateway for converting media data to be transmitted in the course of real time communication connections.

19. The network gateway device according to claim 17, wherein the signaling gateway and the media gateway are linked by means of the H.248 protocol as per ITU-T recommendation.

20. The network gateway device according to claim 17, wherein the signaling gateway and the media gateway are linked by the so-called “

Media Gateway Control Protocol”

according to the IETF Standard.

21. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein a proxy device for servicing control and/or requesting messages from the first communication network as stand-in for a device of the second communication network participates in a real time communication connection.

22. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein a proxy device for representing a feature supported in the first communication network and not supported in the second communication network is compared to the first communication network.

23. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein a feature gateway device converts between different feature protocols of the first and second communication network.

24. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein a firewall device is connected between the data interfaces and used for data traffic monitoring particularly at the level of the connection control protocols.

25. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein an address resolution device for exchanging address information is located between the first and the second communication network.

26. The network gateway device according to claim 14, wherein a quality of service control mechanism for converting quality of service classes of the connection control protocols to quality of service classes at the transport protocol level.

28. The communication system according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of communications networks comprises two private enterprise networks.

29. The communication system according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of communications networks comprises two carrier networks.

30. The communication system according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of communications networks comprises a private enterprise network and a carrier network.

27. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of communication networks linked with a network gateway device;

a packet oriented transport protocol; and

a network gateway device having different connection control protocols based on the packet oriented transport protocol.