METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CONTROL A FLASH CROWD EVENT IN AVOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) NETWORK

• US 20090225746A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, James, Yasrebi, Mehrad
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to control a flash crowd event in a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving at a VoIP border element a VoIP registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a VoIP endpoint, receiving a message from the VoIP endpoint at the VoIP border element, detecting whether a network congestion condition exists, and placing the message received from the VoIP endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the congestion condition is detected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) border element a VoIP registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a VoIP endpoint;

receiving a message from the VoIP endpoint at the VoIP border element;

detecting whether a network congestion condition exists; and

placing the message received from the VoIP endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the congestion condition is detected.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising placing the message received from the VoIP endpoint into a default queue when the congestion condition is not detected.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising querying a database based on an Internet protocol address associated with the VoIP endpoint to retrieve the priority.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of queues communicatively couple a network processor and a signaling processor of the VoIP border element, and the signaling processor is to process a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a registration request message from the VoIP endpoint; and

sending the registration request message to a session initiation protocol (SIP) registrar, wherein the registration response message is received from the SIP registrar.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the registration response message comprises a session initiation protocol 200 OK message.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the message received from the VoIP endpoint comprises a session initiation protocol INVITE message.

8. A voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) border element comprising:

a signaling processor to receive a VoIP registration response message having a field to represent a priority assigned to a VoIP endpoint; and

a network processor communicatively coupled to the signaling processor via a plurality of queues, the network processor to receive a protocol message from the VoIP endpoint, and to place the protocol message into one of queues based on the priority when a congestion condition is present.

9. A VoIP border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the signaling processor is to provide the priority to the network processor via a command channel.

10. A VoIP border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the network processor comprises:

a database to store the priority in association with a VoIP endpoint identifier; and

a queuer to query the database to obtain the priority based on the VoIP endpoint identifier assigned to the VoIP endpoint, and to place the protocol message into one of the plurality of queues based on the obtained priority.

11. A VoIP border element as defined in claim 10, wherein the VoIP endpoint identifier comprises an Internet protocol (IP) address.

12. A VoIP border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the network processor is to place the protocol message into a default queue when the congestion condition is not detected.

13. A VoIP border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the signaling processor is to processes a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue

14. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive at a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) border element a VoIP registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a VoIP endpoint;

receive a message from the VoIP endpoint at the VoIP border element;

detect whether a network congestion condition exists; and

place the message received from the VoIP endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the congestion condition is detected.

15. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to place the message received from the VoIP endpoint into a default queue when the congestion condition is not detected.

16. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to query a database based on an Internet protocol address associated with the VoIP endpoint to retrieve the priority.

17. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the plurality of queues communicatively couple a network processor and a signaling processor of the VoIP border element, and the signaling processor is to process a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue.

18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 14, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive a registration request message from the VoIP endpoint; and

send the registration request message to a session initiation protocol (SIP) registrar, wherein the registration response message is received from the SIP registrar.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device registration request message from a VoIP endpoint;

querying a database to obtain a priority corresponding to the VoIP endpoint, wherein the priority assigns the VoIP endpoint to a particular signaling processor queue of a VoIP border element; and

sending a registration response message having a field representing the priority to the VoIP endpoint.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the priority is high, medium or low.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the priority is high if the VoIP endpoint is associated with an emergency service location.

22. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the priority is low if the VoIP endpoint is associated with a first tier consumer.

23. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the registration request message comprises a session initiation protocol REGISTER message.

24. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the registration request message comprises a session initiation protocol 200 OK message comprising the priority.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a session initiation protocol (SIP) registrar to receive a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) device registration request message from a VoIP endpoint; and

a querier to query a database to obtain a priority corresponding to the VoIP endpoint, the priority is to assign the VoIP endpoint to a particular signaling processor queue of a VoIP border element during a flash crowd event, wherein the SIP registrar is to send a registration response message having a value to represent the priority to the VoIP endpoint.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, further comprising a home subscriber server (HSS), wherein the querier is to query the HSS to obtain the priority.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein the VoIP device registration request message comprises a SIP REGISTER message.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein the registration response message comprises a SIP 200 OK comprising a priority header to represent the priority.