Method for transmitting data in a telecommunications network and switch for implementing said method

• US 20050243851A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sigram Schindler Beteiligungsgesellschaft Mbh (Sigram Schindler, PhD)
• Original Assignee: Teles Ag Informationstechnologien (TELES AG)
• Inventors: Schindler, Sigram, Paetsch, Frank, Ludtke, Karsten, Illg, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,145,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• 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 2012/6427 Subscriber Access Module; Concentrator; Group equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13031 Pulse code modulation, PCM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 : ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13292 : Time division multiplexing, TDM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13298 : Local loop systems, access network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/002 : Details

Abstract

A method for transferring data from a first switch to a second switch selectively by line-switching or by packet-switching as well as to a switch for carrying out the method. Data packets are thereby first transferred packet-switched through a packet-switching network to the second switch. With the presence of a corresponding control signal a line-switching connection is established from the first switch to the second switch and the data are then transferred through this connection. Where applicable a renewed change over to a packet-switching transfer is carried out. A flexible packet-switching or line-switching data transfer linked with dynamic costs between the junctions of a telecommunications network is enabled.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data from a first switch to a second switch, the first switch being part of or having access to a lines-switching network, selectively by line-switching or packet switching, comprising:

a) establishing a connection through the line-switching network from the first switch to an access point of the packet-switching network;

b) line-switching transferring of data through said connection from the first switch to the access point of the packet-switching network;

c) packeting of the data into data packets if the data do not yet exist as data packets, and packet-switching transferring of the data packets through the packet-switching network from the access point to the second switch;

d) checking repeatedly whether a control signal exists for changing-over to a line-switching connection to the second switch, wherein the control signal is produced by the user of an end terminal;

e) establishing the line-switching connection from the first switch to the second switch through the line-switching network with a presence of the control signal, if the line-switching connection is not yet present; and

f) changing-over to a line-switching data transfer during the existing transfer and transferring data over the line switching connection to the second switch.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the data packets after changing over to the line-switching data transfer remain as data packets and are transferred as such by line-switching.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the data packets after changing to the line-switching data transfer are unpacketed, more particularly headers of the data packets are removed.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein a same data channel is used to send the data packets to the access point to the packet-switching network and to transfer the data through the line-switching network to the second switch.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein data packets are transferred to the access point to the packet-switching network through a first data channel and the data are transferred for line-switching to the second switch through a second data channel.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the line-switching network is an ISDN network having ISDN switches, the data packets have a TCP/IP format and data channels used for the line-switching data transfer are ISDN B channels.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein, with the line-switching data transfer between the first switch and the second switch or between the first switch and the access point to the packet-switching network, the data of several users are multiplexed on one data channel by forming sub-channels of a fixed bandwidth.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9 wherein the data of the user when line-switching is selected are transferred line-switched with a transfer rate which corresponds to a fraction of the transfer rate of a bandwidth which is available as standard to the user.

11. The method according to claim 8 wherein the line-switching network is an ISDN network and the data of a user to be transferred are transferred between the first and the second switches or between the first switch and the access point to the packet-switching network on a data channel with a bandwidth which is only a fraction of a standard bandwidth of 64 kbit/s, more particularly 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 or 1 kbit/s.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein, in the first switch, only every n-th byte or every n-th bit of an ISDN frame is copied over and forwarded on a data channel to the second switch or to the access point to the packet-switching network, whereby an effective bandwidth of the line-switching data transfer is (64/n) kbit/s.

15. The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein, with a data transfer from the first switch changing over from a packet-switching data transfer to the line-switching data transfer,

a) an address information of the data packets are evaluated and classified according to a network topology, and

b) for the data packets whose destination addresses correspond to a same topological area of the network, the second switch is selected which is located in the same topological area.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein, to classify the data packets according to the network topology, the destination addresses of the data packets are sorted according to geographical areas whereby, for data packets whose destination addresses correspond to a same geographical area, the second switch is selected to be located in this geographical area.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein, for classifying the data packets according to geography, the destination addresses are compared with destination addresses stored in a data bank which contains a link between the destination addresses and associated geographical areas.

18. The method according to claim 1, when the data is being transferred using the line-switching data transfer, further comprising the steps of:

a) checking repeatedly whether a second control signal exists for changing-over to a packet-switching data transfer to the second switch;

b) establishing a second connection through the line-switching network, during the existing transfer, from the first switch to the access point of the packet-switching network with a presence of the second control signal, if the connection to the access point is no longer present;

c) changing-over to a packet-switching data transfer during the existing transfer;

d) line-switching transferring of the data through the connection or the second connection from the first switch to the access point; and

e) packeting of the data into data packets if the data does not yet exist as data packets, and packet-switching transferring of the data packets through the packet switching network from the access point to the second switch.

20. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising locating the first switch between at least one end terminal of a user and an access of the packet switching network, wherein data are transmitted from the at least one end terminal to the first switch.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least one end terminal is part of a local area network.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one end terminal is a telephone.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the telephone is an analog telephone.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the telephone is an ISDN telephone.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the telephone is a mobile telephone.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one end terminal is connected to a private branch exchange (PBX), which is in turn connected to the first switch.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the data produced at least one end terminal are analog data.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the data produced at at least one end terminal are digital, non-packetized data.

29. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the data produced at at least one end terminal are digital packetized data, wherein the first switch unpacks these packetized data and transmits them over the line-switching connection to the second switch as digital, non-packetized data.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the first switch is located between a plurality of user end terminals and an access of the packet switching network, wherein data are transmitted from the plurality of end terminals to the first switch.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the first switch is located at the at least one end terminal.

32. The method of claim 1 or 2, in which transferring the data through the packet-switching network comprises transferring the data through the internet.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point of the packet switching network is a POP (point of presence) of a service provider.

2. A method for transferring data from a first switch to a second switch, the first switch being part of or having access to a line-switching network and a packet switching network, selectively by line-switching or packet switching, comprising:

a) packeting the data into data packets in the first switch if the data does not yet exist as data packets;

b) packet-switching transferring of the data packets through the packet-switching network to the second switch;

c) checking repeatedly whether a control signal exists for transferring to a line-switching connection to the second switch, wherein the control signal is produced by the user of an end terminal;

d) establishing the line-switching connection through the line-switching network to the second switch with a presence of the control signal, if the line-switching connection is not yet present; and

e) changing-over to a line-switching data transfer during the existing transfer and transferring data over the line switching connection to the second switch.

9. The method according to claim 2 wherein, with the line-switching data transfer between the first switch and the second switch the data of several users are multiplexed on one data channel by forming sub-channels of a fixed bandwidth.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein the line-switching network is an ISDN network and the data of a user to be transferred are transferred between the first and the second switches on a data channel with a bandwidth which is only a fraction of a standard bandwidth of 64 kbit/s, more particularly 32, 16, 8, 4, 2 or 1 kbit/s.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein, in the first switch, only every n-th byte or every n-th bit of an ISDN frame is copied over and forwarded on a data channel to the second switch, whereby an effective bandwidth of the line-switching data transfer is (64/n) kbit/s.

19. The method according to claim 2, when the data is being transferred using the line-switching data transfer, further comprising the steps of:

a) checking repeatedly whether a second control signal exists for changing-over to a packet-switching data transfer to the second switch;

b) changing-over to a packet-switching data transfer during the existing transfer with a presence of the second control signal; and

c) packeting the data into data packets in the first switch if the data does not yet exist as data packets, and packet-switching transferring of the data packets through the packet-switching network to the second switch.

34. Switching apparatus for routing a telephone call from a first end terminal located at a user'"'"'s premises to a second end terminal located at another user'"'"'s premises, selectively by line switching or packet switching, the switching apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a connection through a line-switching network to the second end terminal;

means for line-switching transferring data received from the first end terminal over the line-switching network to the second end terminal;

means for establishing a connection through a packet switching network to the second end terminal;

means for packet-switching transferring data received from the first end terminal over the Packet-switching network to the second end terminal; and

means responsive to a control signal for transferring to a line-switching transfer or a packet-switching transfer to the second end terminal, wherein said control signal is produced by the user of the first end terminal;

said means responsive to a control signal changing-over to a line-switching data transfer or a Packet-switching transfer during the existing transfer with the presence of said control signal.