Method for exchanging information between ISDN terminal equipment, that is, data terminals, terminals, or telecommunication systems

• US 5,553,146 A
• Filed: 08/16/1994
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz SIT GmbH (Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Flake, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US08/291,104
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 380/9, 380/28, 380/48, 380/49, 380/21
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0457 Connection protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/339 Ciphering/encryption

Abstract

When information is to be exchanged in encrypted or unencrypted form on a per call basis between ISDN terminal equipment (15, 16; 20, 21), that is, data terminals, terminals or telecommunications systems, under the condition that the ISDN basic call procedures are available at the interfaces but supplementary services are not yet available everywhere, then, following a phase produced during the course of the call setup wherein the network (14) has already setup a connection between the calling and the called cryptographic equipment, the cryptographic equipment instead of the network control the further course of the call setup. The B-channel connection that already exists is employed for the mutual control, that is, the D-channel procedures at the ISDN terminal equipment interfaces are imaged onto B-channel procedures at the network interfaces upon employment of an expedient in-band coordination. The method can be employed in conjunction with the utilization of cryptographic equipment in ISDN.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging information on a per call basis using basic call procedures, whereby cryptographic call statuses are synchronized between ISDN terminal equipment having ISDN standard interfaces without special functions and having associated cryptographic equipment, said ISDN standard interfaces connected to a network via said associated cryptographic equipment, a calling ISDN terminal equipment reaching a specific intermediate call status during a call setup with a called ISDN terminal equipment, and the calling cryptographic equipment of said calling ISDN terminal equipment producing a connection to a called cryptographic equipment of the called ISDN terminal equipment in the intermediate call status across the network and communicating a required auxiliary information, and, subsequently, the called cryptographic equipment initiating a call setup to an associated called ISDN terminal equipment, in-band communicated auxiliary information being also employed in the call setup, comprising the steps of:

after said intermediate call status wherein the network has already setup a connection between the calling and called cryptographic equipment, but before the calling ISDN terminal equipment, the called ISDN terminal equipment, and the network are synchronized with one another with respect to call statuses of the calling ISDN terminal equipment, of the called ISDN terminal equipment, and of the network, controlling via said calling cryptographic equipment and said called cryptographic equipment further call setup and thereby emulating the network, whereby an existing B-channel is used for mutual control;

executing basic call procedures of the D-channel at the ISDN equipment interfaces of the called and calling ISDN terminal equipment by utilizing the B-channel at network interfaces and using in-band B-channel coordination between signalling processes of the called and calling cryptographic equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein for in-band B-channel coordination between the signalling processes in the calling and called cryptographic equipment, the calling and called cryptographic equipment allocate a B-channel respectively allocated to their network interface to later communication of user information as well as to transmission of preceding signalling information between signalling processes at one side of the network with the ISDN terminal equipment, said signalling processes being defined by respective parameter pairs at both sides of the network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the call setup by the calling and called cryptographic equipment is ended when a predetermined status has been reached that defines an end-to-end through-connection between the calling and called ISDN terminal equipment.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a call cleardown is signalled in the B-channel before said intermediate call status is reached and is subsequently accomplished from both sides of the network in the D-channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises an additionally installed substitute for a supplementary service that is not offered internetwork by all network operators and with whose assistance information, that is not communicable according to rules of the basic call procedures, are transported call-accompanying.

6. A method for exchanging information on a per call basis in encrypted form between ISDN terminal equipment using basic call procedures, said ISDN terminal equipment having associated ISDN standard interfaces, said ISDN standard interfaces connected to a network via cryptographic equipment, a calling ISDN terminal equipment reaching a specific intermediate call status during a call setup with a called ISDN terminal equipment, a calling cryptographic equipment for said calling ISDN terminal equipment establishing a connection to a called cryptographic equipment for said called ISDN terminal equipment in said intermediate call status across the network and communicating in-band auxiliary information, and, subsequently, the called cryptographic equipment initiating a call setup to the called ISDN terminal equipment, comprising the steps of:

following an initial call setup, wherein the network has already setup the connection between the calling and called cryptographic equipment but the calling ISDN terminal equipment, the called ISDN terminal equipment, and the network are not yet synchronized to one another, emulating the network via the calling and called cryptographic equipment for mutually controlling further call setup;

executing basic call procedures of the D-channel at the ISDN equipment interfaces of the called and calling ISDN terminal equipment by utilizing the B-channel at network interfaces and using in-band B-channel coordination between signalling processes of the called and calling cryptographic equipment.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein for in-band B-channel coordination between the signalling processes in the calling and called cryptographic equipment, the calling and called cryptographic equipment allocate a B-channel respectively allocated to their network interface to later communication of user information as well as to transmission of preceding signalling information between signalling processes at one side of the network with the ISDN terminal equipment, said signalling processes being defined by respective parameter pairs at both sides of the network.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the control of the call setup by the cryptographic equipment is ended when a predetermined status has been reached that defines an end-to-end through-connection between the calling and called ISDN terminal equipment.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a call cleardown is signalled in the B-channel before said intermediate call status is reached and is subsequently accomplished from both sides of the network in the D-channel.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises an additionally installed substitute for a supplementary service that is not offered internetwork by all network operators and with whose assistance information, that is not communicable according to rules of the basic call procedures, are transported call-accompanying.

11. A method for exchanging information on a per call basis of encrypted form between ISDN terminal equipment using basic call procedures, said ISDN terminal equipment having associated ISDN standard interfaces, said ISDN standard interfaces connected to a network via cryptographic equipment, a calling ISDN terminal equipment reaching a specific intermediate call status during a call setup with a called ISDN terminal equipment, a calling cryptographic equipment for said calling ISDN terminal equipment establishing a connection to a called cryptographic equipment for said called ISDN terminal equipment in said intermediate call status across the network and communicating in-band auxiliary information, and, subsequently, the called cryptographic equipment initiating a call setup to the called ISDN terminal equipment, comprising the steps of:

following an initial call setup, wherein the network has already setup the connection between the calling and called cryptographic equipment but the calling ISDN terminal equipment, the called ISDN terminal equipment, and the network are not yet synchronized to one another, emulating the network via the calling and called cryptographic equipment for mutually controlling further call setup;

executing basic call procedures of the D-channel at the ISDN equipment interfaces of the called and calling ISDN terminal equipment by utilizing the B-channel at network interfaces and using in-band B-channel coordination between signalling processes of the called and calling cryptographic equipment, the existing B-channel being respectively allocated for later communication of user information as well as for transmission of preceding signalling information between signalling processes of the calling and called ISDN terminal equipment, said signalling processes being defined by respective parameter pairs at both sides of the network, the respective parameter pairs being a connection end point identifier and a call reference.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control of the call setup by the calling and called cryptographic equipment is ended when a predetermined status has been reached that defines an end-to-end through connection between the calling and called ISDN terminal equipment.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a call cleardown is signalled in the B-channel before said intermediate call status is reached and is subsequently accomplished from both sides of the network in the D-channel.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises an additionally installed substitute for a supplementary service that is not offered internetwork by all network operators and with whose assistance information, that is not communicable according to rules of the basic call procedures, are transported call-accompanying.