Method and apparatus for integrating telephone and broadband networks

• US 5,583,927 A
• Filed: 05/01/1995
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Ely, Thomas C., Smyk, Darek A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US08/432,586
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 379/94, 379/201, 379/202, 379/207, 379/230, 379/90, 379/93, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 370/60.1, 370/94.1, 370/110.1, 370/58.1, 348/16, 348/14
• US Class Current: 379/221.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5616 Terminal equipment, e.g. codecs, synch.
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5626 Network management, e.g. Intelligent nets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3081 ATM peripheral units, e.g. policing, insertion or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A broadband service control point provides processing instructions and data to a broadband session controller and an information sender/receiver. The broadband session controller communicates with a user'"'"'s settop controller and video information providers, ("VIPs"), and requests processing information from the broadband service control point in response to predetermined triggers. The broadband session controller also instructs the broadband switch network to establish broadband connections between a VIP and a predetermined settop controller. An integrated service control point integrates broadband and telephone networks to provide efficient and effective integrated broadband and telephone services via a video interface at a user'"'"'s remote location. Also, the integrated network provides unique caller identification delivery services.

Claims

1. An integrated network, comprising:

a broadband network;

a telephone network; and

an integrated service control point connected to both said broadband network and said telephone network, said integrated service control point including

customizable processing means for executing call processing records customizable to individual users of the network.

2. An integrated network according to claim 1, wherein said customizable processing means in said integrated service control point includes:

means for sending processing instructions to said broadband network in response to queries from said broadband network; and

means for sending processing instructions to said telephone network in response to queries from said telephone network.

3. An integrated network according to claim 2, wherein said integrated service control point further comprises:

a first database having a plurality of broadband processing records; and

a second database having a plurality of call processing records.

4. An integrated network according to claim 2, wherein said integrated service control point further comprises:

a database having a plurality of broadband processing records and call processing records.

5. An integrated network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a remote video display;

a remote settop controller associated with said video display; and

a remote telephone;

wherein said broadband network is connected to said remote settop controller and said telephone network is connected to said remote telephone.

6. An integrated network according to claim 1, wherein said broadband network includes:

a broadband switch network and a broadband session controller.

7. An integrated network according to claim 1, wherein said telephone network includes a line information database.

8. An integrated broadband/telephone service control point connected to both a broadband network and a telephone network, comprising:

a first database having a plurality of broadband processing records customizable to individual users of the broadband network;

a second database having a plurality of call processing records customizable to individual users of the telephone network;

means responsive to a first set of triggers from said broadband network for executing one of said broadband processing records and returning processing instructions to said broadband network; and

means responsive to a second set of triggers from said telephone network for executing one of said call processing records and returning processing instructions to said telephone network.

9. In an integrated network including a broadband network, a telephone network and an integrated service control point connected to both said broadband network and said telephone network, a method, executed by a processor in the integrated service control point, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first trigger of a first kind from said broadband network;

executing a first customizable processing record corresponding to a user in response to said first trigger;

returning broadband processing instructions derived from said first broadband processing record to said broadband network;

receiving a second trigger of a second kind from said telephone network;

executing a second customizable processing record corresponding to the user in response to said second trigger; and

returning call processing instructions derived from said second processing record to said telephone network.

10. An integrated broadband/telephone service control point connected to both a broadband network and a telephone network comprising:

a database having a plurality of broadband processing records and call processing records customizable to individual users of the networks;

means responsive to a first set of triggers from said broadband network for executing one or more of said broadband processing records and returning processing instructions to said broadband network; and

means responsive to a second set of triggers from said telephone network for executing one or more of said call processing records and returning processing instructions to said telephone network.