VOICE OVER DATA TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
First Claim
1. A method for servicing telecommunications calls over a packet-switched network, the method comprising:
- receiving a signaling message associated with a telecommunications call between a calling party and a called party, wherein the signaling message comprises a trunk ID identifying a trunk group assigned to a telecommunications carrier to which the calling party has subscribed for the provision of telecommunication services;
querying a configuration database using the trunk ID to identify call processing logic for use in communicating telecommunications calls received from the telecommunications carrier across the packet-switched network in accordance with specific options associated with the trunk group; and
implementing the call processing logic such that the telecommunications call is provisioned across the packet-switched network based at least in part on the specific options.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention describes a system and method for communicating voice and data over a packet-switched network that is adapted to coexist and communicate with a legacy PSTN. The system permits packet switching of voice calls and data calls through a data network from and to any of a LEC, a customer facility or a direct IP connection on the data network. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The system interfaces with customer facilities (e.g., a PBX), carrier facilities (e.g., a LEC) and legacy signaling networks (e.g., SS7) to handle calls between any combination of on-network and off-network callers. The soft switch sites provide the core call processing for the voice network architecture. The soft switch sites manage the gateway sites in a preferred embodiment, using a protocol such as the Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) protocol to request the set-up and tear-down of calls. The gateway sites originate and terminate calls between calling parties and called parties through the data network. The gateway sites include network access devices to provide access to network resources. The data network connects one or more of the soft switch sites to one or more of the gateway sites. The provisioning and network event component collects call events recorded at the soft switch sites. The network management component includes a network operations center (NOC) for centralized network management.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for servicing telecommunications calls over a packet-switched network, the method comprising:
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receiving a signaling message associated with a telecommunications call between a calling party and a called party, wherein the signaling message comprises a trunk ID identifying a trunk group assigned to a telecommunications carrier to which the calling party has subscribed for the provision of telecommunication services;
querying a configuration database using the trunk ID to identify call processing logic for use in communicating telecommunications calls received from the telecommunications carrier across the packet-switched network in accordance with specific options associated with the trunk group; and
implementing the call processing logic such that the telecommunications call is provisioned across the packet-switched network based at least in part on the specific options. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for servicing telecommunications calls over a packet-switched network, the system comprising:
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a soft switch operable to receive a signaling message associated with a telecommunications call between a calling party and a called party, wherein the signaling message comprises a trunk ID identifying a trunk group assigned to a telecommunications carrier to which the calling party has subscribed for the provision of telecommunication services;
a configuration server communicably coupled to the soft switch, wherein the configuration server is operable to receive a query comprising the trunk ID from the soft switch and identify call processing logic for use in communicating telecommunications calls received from the telecommunications carrier across the packet-switched network in accordance with specific options associated with the trunk group; and
wherein the soft switch is operable to receive the call processing logic from the configuration server and implement the call processing logic to thereby control provisioning of the telecommunications call across the packet-switched network based at least in part on the specific options. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer program product comprising computer-readable medium on which is stored control logic that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a signaling message associated with a telecommunications call between a calling party and a called party, wherein the signaling message comprises a trunk ID identifying a trunk group assigned to a telecommunications carrier to which the calling party has subscribed for the provision of telecommunication services;
querying a configuration database using the trunk ID to identify call processing logic for use in communicating telecommunications calls received from the telecommunications carrier across the packet-switched network in accordance with specific options associated with the trunk group; and
implementing the call processing logic such that the telecommunications call is provisioned across the packet-switched network based at least in part on the specific options. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification