Method and apparatus for enhanced Internet telephony

• US 20080183892A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage America LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Holdings Corporation (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Holder, Louis, Citron, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,924,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enhanced Internet telephony ensures that communication between a source and destination is not interrupted by common network address translation. According to one aspect of the invention, communication may continue through a router that employs network address translation.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. An internet telephony system comprising an internet telephony server configured to process a SIP signaling message to setup a communication of streaming packets with a media terminal adapter on a first network, the internet telephony server being on a second network and further configured to rewrite a network address of the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message to accommodate the first and second networks being separated by a router performing network address translation between corresponding network addresses on the first and second networks.

9. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the internet telephony server is configured to rewrite a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message with a corresponding network address of the second network for the media terminal adapter.

10. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the internet telephony server is configured to rewrite a network address of the second network corresponding to the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message with a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter.

11. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the first network is a private network.

12. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the second network is a public network.

13. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the internet telephony server is further configured to store a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter.

14. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the internet telephony server is further configured to store a network address of the second network corresponding to the media terminal adapter.

15. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the SIP signaling message is a SIP Invite.

16. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the internet telephony server is further configured as a pre-proxy server.

17. The internet telephony system of claim 8, wherein the streaming packets are Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.

18. A method of providing internet telephony comprising:

receiving at an internet telephony server on a second network a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling message for setting up a communication of streaming packets with a media terminal adapter on a first network;

rewriting a network address of the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message to accommodate the first and second networks being separated by a router performing network address translation between corresponding network addresses on the first and second networks.

19. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message is rewritten with a corresponding network address of the second network for the media terminal adapter.

20. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein a network address of the second network for the media terminal adapter in one or more headers of the SIP signaling message is rewritten with a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter.

21. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein the first network is a private network.

22. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein the second network is a public network.

23. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18 further comprising the step of storing a network address of the first network for the media terminal adapter.

24. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18 further comprising the step of storing a network address of the second network corresponding to the media terminal adapter.

25. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein the SIP signaling message is a SIP Invite.

26. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein the internet telephony server is configured as a pre-proxy server.

27. The method of providing internet telephony of claim 18, wherein the streaming packets are Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.