Channel establishing method of point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-point communications

• US 5,920,620 A
• Filed: 01/17/1997
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/784,052
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/202, 379/205, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 379/230, 370/260, 370/261, 370/351, 370/355, 370/254, 370/255, 370/256, 370/397, 370/401, 370/409, 370/408
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5614 User Network Interface
• 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 2012/5643 Concast/multipoint-to-point
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A communication channel establishing method by which point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to-point connections by a communication network which includes exchanges (switches) can be established at a high speed. When a connection establishment request designating called users 11, 12 and 13 is received from calling user 10, switch 100 retrieves routes to the individual called users and selects switch 102 in the next stage and sends out a connection establishment request to switch 102 designating called users 11, 12 and 13. Switch 102 further retrieves routes to the individual called users and selects switch 103 for called users 11 and 12, but selects switch 104 for called user 13. Then, switch 102 sends out connection establishment requests to switches 103 and 104 individually designating the relevant called users. Any connection establishment request received from a switch of the preceding stage is successively repeated to a selected switch in the next stage until each called user is reached.

Claims

1. A channel establishing method of multipoint-to-point communication which establishes a connection between one terminal and a plurality of terminals in a communication network in which a plurality of terminals are connected via a plurality of exchanges, comprising the steps of;

sending, from one of a plurality of calling terminals, to a home exchange in which the calling terminal is accommodated, a request for a connection establishment of multipoint-to-point communication channels designating a plurality of calling terminals and one called terminal;

retrieving by the home exchange, routes to the plurality of calling terminals to select exchanges in a next stage of each route;

instructing, by the home exchange to selected exchanges in a next stage, the connection establishment for each individual route designating calling terminals to be connected individually for each of the selected exchanges;

retrieving by the home exchange a route to the called terminal to select an exchange in a next stage of the route;

instructing, by the home exchange to a selected exchange in a next stage, the connection establishment within the retrieved route designating the called terminal to be connected to the selected exchanges;

successively repeating the retrieving steps and the instructing steps for one or more subsequent stages until reaching the exchanges accommodating the designated plurality of calling terminals respectively and the exchange accommodating the called terminal;

connecting to the designated terminals individually from the respective accommodating exchanges;

extending, in response to completion of the connections of the terminals, the connections of the channels to a plurality of intervening connection stages; and

connecting, by the home exchange, the calling terminals to the called terminal via the channels.

2. A channel establishing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the designation of any terminal is a terminal selection number.

3. A channel establishing method of point-to-multipoint communication which establishes a connection between one calling terminal and a plurality of called terminals in a communication network in which said terminals are connected via a plurality of exchanges, comprising the steps of:

(a) requesting a connection establishment from a calling terminal to a plurality of called terminals, the request being received by a first exchange in a first stage, the request containing point-to-multipoint information designating the plurality of called terminals;

(b) retrieving routes and selecting exchanges in a next stage based on the retrieved routes for establishing a connection from the calling terminal to each of the called terminals based on the point-to-multipoint information;

(c) repeating step (b) for one or more subsequent stages until reaching all exchanges that accommodate the plurality of called terminals;

(d) connecting to the called terminals individually from the accommodating exchanges;

(e) sending a connection completion signal to all of the selected exchanges and the first exchange; and

(f) establishing a connection from the calling terminal to the first exchange and through all of the selected exchanges to the called terminal for sending data from the calling terminal to the called terminals simultaneously.