MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION SESSION COORDINATION ACROSS HETEROGENEOUS TRANSPORT NETWORKS

• US 20100239077A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Toennis, Roger L., Mohler, David S., Michaelis, Paul Roller
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

The present invention, in one embodiment, is directed to the use of a communication pathway traversing a digital telephone network to handle a portion of the signaling traffic associated with a communication method performed over the Internet.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving, from a first user at a first endpoint, a request to communicate, by a selected communication method, with a second user at a second endpoint, wherein communication between the first and second endpoints is possible by a digital telephone network and a data network;

(b) in response, establishing a first communication pathway between the first and second endpoints over the digital telephone network, wherein the first and second endpoints exchange, over the first communication pathway, selected information respecting the selected communication method; and

(c) based on the exchanged selected information, conducting a communication session, over a second communication pathway between the first and second endpoints and traversing the data network, wherein, in the communication session, the first and second endpoints exchange, over the second pathway and by the selected communication method, media information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data network is un-trusted, wherein the selected communication method is at least one of instant messaging, web chat, social networking, short message service, web-based video conferencing, Voice over Internet Protocol, application sharing, Voice over Instant Messaging (“

VoIM”

), and Twitter, wherein the selected information is a plurality of an endpoint'"'"'s telephone number and electronic address on the data network, an identifier of a type of the communication method, a Universal Resource Indicator (“

URI”

) associated with the selected communication method, authentication information, media type to be supported by the second pathway, encryption algorithm and an encryption key to be applied to selected communications on the second pathway, compression algorithm to be applied to selected communications on the second pathway, Quality of Service (“

QoS”

) to be realized for communications on the second pathway, and network resources to be used for the second pathway, and wherein the media information comprises media communications, by the selected communication method, between the first and second users.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein signals exchanged over one of the first and second communication pathways are mapped, by the first endpoint, to a common session using the telephone number and/or electronic address of the second endpoint and wherein signals exchanged over one of the first and second communication pathways are mapped, by the second endpoint, to a common session using the telephone number and/or electronic address of the first endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data network is a public network and wherein the receiving step (a) comprises:

(A1) providing a popup user interface to the second user, the user interface displaying an identifier of the first user and an option at least one to accept and decline the call; and

(A2) receiving, from the second user, a selection of the option to accept the call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected information comprises an IP address of each of the first and second endpoints and a Universal Resource Indicator (“

URI”

) associated with the selected communication method and wherein the conducting step comprises the sub-step;

(C1) populating automatically at least one of a web browser, applet, and application instance with the URI.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected information comprises digital certificates and at least one encryption key and wherein step (b) comprises the sub-step:

(B1) authenticating, by the first endpoint, at least one of the second endpoint and second user;

(B2) determining that authentication was successful;

(B3) receiving, from the second endpoint, a request to open a selected port in a security gateway;

(B4) forwarding, by the first endpoint, the request to the security gateway;

(B5) determining whether a test signal from the second endpoint to the first endpoint passed through the selected port; and

(B6) in response to sub-step (B5), applying the following rules;

(i) when the test signal failed to pass through the selected port, thereafter routing control signals over the first communication pathway; and

(ii) when the test signal passed through the selected port, creating a third communication pathway over the untrusted network for control signals between the first and second endpoints.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein rule (ii) applies and wherein, in a first mode, control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the first communication pathway.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein rule (i) applies and wherein, in a second mode, a first set of control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the first communication pathway and a second different set of control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the third communication pathway.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected information comprises a failover strategy in the event of an unacceptable Quality of Service over the second communication pathway.

10. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions to perform the steps of claim 1, wherein the computer readable medium is connected to and accessible by a processor.

11. A first endpoint, comprising:

an input operable to receive, from a first user, a request to communicate, by a selected communication method, with a second user at a second endpoint, wherein communication between the first and second endpoints is possible by a digital telephone network and a data network; and

a session coordination module operable, in response to the request, (a) to establish a first communication pathway between the first and second endpoints over the digital telephone network, wherein the first and second endpoints exchange, over the first communication pathway, selected information respecting the selected communication method and (b) while the first communication pathway is enabled, to initiate a second communication pathway between the first and second endpoints over the data network, wherein the first and second endpoints exchange, over the second pathway and by the selected communication method, media information.

12. The first endpoint of claim 11, wherein the data network is an un-trusted, public network, wherein the selected communication method is at least one of instant messaging, web chat, social networking, short message service, web-based video conferencing, Voice over Internet Protocol, application sharing, Voice over Instant Messaging (“

VoIM”

), and Twitter, wherein the selected information is a plurality of an endpoint'"'"'s telephone number and electronic address on the data network, an identifier of a type of the communication method, a Universal Resource Indicator (“

URI”

) associated with the selected communication method, authentication information, media type to be supported by the second pathway, encryption algorithm and an encryption key to be applied to selected communications on the second pathway, compression algorithm to be applied to selected communications on the second pathway, Quality of Service (“

QoS”

) to be realized for communications on the second pathway, and network resources to be used for the second pathway, and wherein the media information comprises media communications, by the selected communication method, between the first and second users.

13. The first endpoint of claim 12, wherein signals exchanged over one of the first and second communication pathways are mapped, by the session coordination module, to a common session using the telephone number and/or electronic address of the second endpoint, wherein the selected information comprises an IP address of each of the first and second endpoints and a Universal Resource Indicator (“

URI”

) associated with the selected communication method, and wherein at least one of a web browser, applet, and application instance is automatically populated with the URI.

14. The first endpoint of claim 11, wherein the selected information comprises digital certificates and at least one encryption key and wherein operation (a) comprises the sub-operations:

(A1) authenticating at least one of the second endpoint and second user;

(A2) determining that authentication was successful;

(A3) receiving, from the second endpoint, a request to open a selected port in a security gateway;

(A4) forwarding the request to the security gateway;

(A5) determining whether a test signal from the second endpoint to the first endpoint passed through the selected port; and

(A6) in response to sub-operation (A5), applying the following rules;

(iii) when the test signal failed to pass through the selected port, thereafter routing control signals over the first communication pathway; and

(iv) when the test signal passed through the selected port, creating a third communication pathway over the untrusted network for control signals between the first and second endpoints.

15. The first endpoint of claim 14, wherein rule (ii) applies and wherein, in a first mode, control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the first communication pathway.

16. The first endpoint of claim 14, wherein rule (i) applies, wherein, in a second mode, a first set of control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the first communication pathway and a second different set of control signals for the selected communication method, after the communication method is initiated, pass over the third communication pathway, and wherein the selected information comprises a failover strategy in the event of an unacceptable Quality of Service over the second communication pathway.

17. A method, comprising:

(a) establishing, by a processor, a first communication pathway between first and second endpoints over a digital telephone network; and

(b) performing, by the processor, at least one of the following sub-steps;

(B1) in response to a request received over the first communication pathway, requesting that a security gateway port be opened and determining whether a test signal transmitted by the second endpoint passed through the port;

(B2) negotiating, by messages sent over the first communication pathway, a failover strategy, in the event of a failover triggering event, for a subsequent Voice over Internet Protocol communication between the first and second endpoints; and

(B3) exchanging, between the first and second endpoints and over the first communication pathway, encryption keys, the encryption keys to be used for at least one of a second communication pathway traversing the Internet and for validating a license.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein sub-step (B1) is performed.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein sub-step (B2) is performed, wherein a first failover strategy for the first and second endpoints in first and second enterprise networks, respectively, differs from a second failover strategy for third and fourth endpoints in the first and second enterprise networks, respectively.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein sub-step (B3) is performed.

21. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions to perform the steps of claim 17, wherein the computer readable medium is connected to and accessible by a processor.