METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR PROVIDING VOICE-CALL SERVICES RESPONSIVE TO A DIALED SEQUENCE

• US 20100091767A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lin, Shiejye Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A connection is established in a communications network responsive to receiving a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal at a port having an assigned sequence associated therewith. A dialed sequence corresponding to the received DTMF signal is identified. If the dialed sequence is associated with a request for a specified service, first and second fields of a packet-switched signaling protocol message are populated with the assigned sequence associated with the port. The populated packet-switched signaling protocol message is transmitted over a packet-switched network to request the specified service, and a connection is established to provide the specified service through the port. Related systems and devices are also discussed.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a connection between a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the method comprising:

receiving a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal at a port of a network access device, the port having a first numerical sequence associated therewith;

identifying a dialed sequence corresponding to the received DTMF signal;

associating a second numerical sequence that is different from the dialed sequence with the identified dialed sequence at the network access device when the dialed sequence is associated with a specified service;

populating an origination field of a session initiation protocol (SIP) message with the first numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence;

populating a destination field of the SIP message with the second numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence and associating the second numerical sequence therewith; and

transmitting the SIP message including the first numerical sequence and the second numerical sequence from the network access device to a server over a packet-switched network to request the specified service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialed sequence is a shorter numerical sequence than the first numerical sequence associated with the port.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

populating the destination field of the SIP message with the dialed sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence when the dialed sequence is not associated with a request for a specified service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified service comprises a voice-call service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the DTMF signal over a public telephone network,

wherein identifying the dialed sequence and populating the origination and destination fields of the SIP message comprises identifying the dialed sequence and populating the origination and destination fields of the SIP message at a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)/Internet Protocol (IP) gateway device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the PSTN/IP gateway device comprises a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is operable to provide the specified service, and further comprising:

establishing a connection between the port and the server to provide the specified service through the port responsive to transmitting the SIP message thereto.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the SIP message comprises transmitting the SIP message to an application server, wherein the application server is operable to transmit a request to a media server operable to provide the specified service, and further comprising:

establishing a connection between the port and the media server to provide the specified service through the port responsive to transmitting the SIP message.

9. A network access device, comprising:

a port having a first numerical sequence associated therewith and operable to receive a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal;

a controller operable to identify a dialed sequence corresponding to the received DTMF signal, associate a second numerical sequence that is different from the dialed sequence with the identified dialed sequence when the dialed sequence is associated with a specified service, populate an origination field of a session initiation protocol (SIP) message with the first numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence, and populate a destination field of the SIP message with the second numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence and associating the second numerical sequence therewith; and

a transmitter operable to transmit the SIP message including the first numerical sequence and the second numerical sequence from the network access device to a server over a packet-switched network to request the specified service.

10. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the dialed sequence is a shorter numerical sequence than the first numerical sequence associated with the port.

11. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further operable to populate the destination field with the dialed sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence when the dialed sequence is not associated with a request for a specified service.

12. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the specified service comprises a voice-call service.

13. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the port is operable to receive the DTMF signal over a public telephone network, and wherein the controller is operable to provide an interface between the public telephone network and the packet-switched network.

14. The network access device of claim 13, wherein the network access device comprises a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) operable to provide a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)/Internet Protocol (IP) gateway.

15. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the server is operable to provide the specified service, and wherein the controller is operable to establish a connection between the port and the server responsive to transmission of the SIP message thereto.

16. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit the SIP message to an application server, wherein the application server is operable to transmit a request to a media server operable to provide the specified service, and wherein the controller is operable to establish a connection between the port and the media server responsive to transmission of the SIP message.

17. A computer program product for establishing a connection in a communications network, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code executable to receive a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal at a port of a network access device, the port having a first numerical sequence associated therewith;

computer readable program code executable to identify a dialed sequence corresponding to the received DTMF signal;

computer readable program code executable to associate a second numerical sequence that is different from the dialed sequence with the identified dialed sequence at the network access device when the dialed sequence is associated with a specified service;

computer readable program code executable to populate an origination field of a session initiation protocol (SIP) message with the first numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence;

computer readable program code executable to populate a destination field of the SIP message with the second numerical sequence responsive to identifying the dialed sequence and associating the second numerical sequence therewith; and

computer readable program code executable to transmit the SIP message including the first numerical sequence and the second numerical sequence from the network access device to a server over a packet-switched network to request the specified service.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the dialed sequence is a shorter numerical sequence than the first numerical sequence associated with the port.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the server is operable to provide the specified service, and further comprising:

computer readable program code executable to establish a connection between the port and the server to provide the specified service through the port responsive to transmission of the SIP message thereto.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the server comprises an application server operable to transmit a request to a media server operable to provide the specified service, and further comprising:

computer readable program code executable to establish a connection between the port and the media server to provide the specified service through the port responsive to transmission of the SIP message.