Telephony protocol server and telephony protocol client in a distributed IP architecture telecommunications system

• US 20060013201A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lowman, Philip L., Bettis, Sonny R., Spencer, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/06 using auxiliary connections for control or supervision , e.g. where the auxiliary connection is a signalling system number 7 link
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols

Abstract

A telephone system architecture enabling various components of a telephone system to be distributed geographically yet operates as a seamlessly integrated system. A signaling gateway interfaces to the PSTN and through an SS7 interface. The signaling gateway includes a telephony protocol server. At least one other component of the telephone system includes a telephony protocol client. The telephony protocol client and telephony protocol server communicate over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The telephony protocol server provides access to the PSTN to the component having the telephony protocol client. Any functions in the various components that require an SS7 interface to the PSTN are simply handled through the signaling gateway by the telephony protocol server.

Claims

1. A method of providing telecommunication services from a telecommunications platform having a distributed architecture, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring a signal gateway to include a signaling interface to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an Internet Protocol (IP) interface to an IP network and a telephony protocol server;

configuring a component of the telecommunications platform to include a telephony protocol client; and

establishing communications between the telephony protocol server and the telephony protocol client over the IP network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony protocol server comprises a SS7 server having a set of SS7 protocols.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the telephony protocol client comprises an application program interface (API) for interfacing with the SS7 server.

4. The method of claim 3, further including the steps of:

enabling the API to provide the SS7 server with a message having a payload; and

enabling the SS7 server to provide the payload of the message to the PTSN using a particular protocol of the set of SS7 protocols, wherein the particular protocol is TCAP.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message from the API to the SS7 server conforms to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the payload conforms to Short Message System (SMS) protocol.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of establishing communications includes the steps of:

sending a bind_transceiver message from the telephony protocol client to the telephony protocol server to initiate an instance of client session with the server;

sending a bind_transceiver_resp message from the telephony protocol server to the telephony protocol client.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of establishing communications includes the steps of:

sending a keep_alive message from the telephony protocol client to the telephony protocol server.

9. The method of claim 3, further including the step of:

determining route availability for communications over the IP network.

10. A telecommunications system platform based on a distributed architecture, the telecommunications platform comprising:

a first component of the telecommunications platform including a signaling gateway and telephony protocol server, the signaling gateway having a internet protocol (IP) interface and a signaling interface to a public switched telephone network (PTSN);

an IP network; and

a second component of the telecommunications platform, the second having a telephony protocol client and a IP interface, wherein the telephony protocol server and the telephony protocol client communicate over the IP network.

11. The telecommunications platform of claim 10, wherein the telephony protocol server comprises a SS7 server having a set of SS7 protocols.

12. The telecommunications platform of claim 11, wherein the telephony protocol client comprises an application program interface (API) for interfacing with the SS7 server.

13. The telecommunications platform of claim 12, wherein the API is enabled to provide the SS7 server with a message having a payload, and wherein the SS7 server is enabled to provide the payload of the message to the PTSN using a particular protocol of the set of SS7 protocols, wherein the particular protocol is TCAP.

14. The telecommunications platform of claim 13, wherein the message from the API to the SS7 server conforms to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

15. The telecommunications platform of claim 13, wherein the payload conforms to Short Message System (SMS) protocol.

16. The telecommunications platform of claim 12, wherein the telephony protocol client sends a bind_transceiver message to the telephony protocol server to initiate an instance of client session with the server, and wherein the telephony protocol server sends a bind_transceiver_resp message to the telephony protocol client.

17. The telecommunications platform of claim 12, wherein the telephony protocol client sends a keep_alive message to the telephony protocol server.

18. The telecommunications platform of claim 12, wherein the telephony protocol server determines route availability for communications over the IP network.