System and method for transporting time-division multiplexed communications through a packet-switched access network

• US 20050220148A1
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bencheck, Michael U., DelRegno, Nick, McDysan, David E., Kotrla, Scott R., Turlington, Matthew W., Drake, William, Hardin, Ross S., Bengston, Lee D., Schell, Richard C., Chiu, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/498
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• 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

A system and method are provided for providing access communications between customer locations and a core network service edge. Access flows are handled as carrier-tagged flows through a packet switched network comprising network elements that interpret and manipulate carrier tag values associated with traffic-bearing data frames. Time-division multiplexed (TDM) signals are transported as carrier-tagged flows between customer premise equipment that communicates using TDM signals and a service edge that communicates using TDM signals.

Claims

1. A method for providing access communications between a customer premise equipment and a service edge, the method comprising:

receiving from the customer premise equipment a communication according to a first time-division multiplexed signal format;

converting the first communication to a carrier-tagged communication;

sending the carrier-tagged communication as a packet-switched communication along a packet-switched communication path;

converting the carrier-tagged communication to a second communication according to a second time-division multiplexed signal format; and

sending the second communication to the service edge.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first time-division multiplexed signal format comprises a plesiochronous digital hierarchy signal format.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first time-division multiplexed signal format comprises a synchronous digital hierarchy signal format.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second time-division multiplexed signal format comprises a plesiochronous digital hierarchy signal format.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second time-division multiplexed signal format comprises a synchronous digital hierarchy signal format.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet-switched communication comprises ethernet communications.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet-switched communication path is at least one of a packet-switched network tunnel, a service emulation instance, a pseudowire, a logical networking tagged path and a VLAN virtual circuit.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet-switched communication path is transported using a third time-division multiplexed signal format.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the third time-division multiplexed signal format comprises a synchronous digital hierarchy signal format.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at a network element, affecting a routing of the carrier-tagged communication responsive to a carrier tag value associated therewith.