Distributed network control and fabric application interface

• US 6,041,117 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Androski, Frank J., Sheinbein, Daniel, Robinson, Jerry Allen, Binowski, Nancy, Ehlinger, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US08/808,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 379/230, 379/201, 379/207, 379/211, 379/212, 379/265, 379/266, 379/89, 379/268, 379/269, 379/279, 379/88.28, 379/219, 399/32
• US Class Current: 379/268
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13107 Control equipment for a part of the connection, distributed control, co-processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1329 Asynchronous transfer mode, ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1338 Inter-exchange connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13527 protocols - X.25, TCAP etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13535 distributed systems - also domains in service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13546 Intelligent Peripheral
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A distributed communications switching system and its associated telecommunications network infrastructure(10) includes a plurality of interconnected switching systems (12₁, 12₂ and 12₃), some of which may be controlled by another switching system and its associated telecommunications network infrastructure. The switching systems are controlled via at least one switch processing platform (16) that generates generic commands for receipt by the switching systems in response to signaling messages received by the SPP. A fabric application interface (19) couples the switching systems to the switch processing platform for distributing generic commands to and from the appropriate switching system and for translating the generic commands into native commands (or vice versa) for execution by the switching system. The fabric application interface also translates signals received at the switching system into generic commands for receipt by the switch processing platform. The ability of the fabric application interface to distribute generic commands to and from the switching systems and to communicate signals received at the switching systems allows the switch processing platform to exercise call control for each switching system regardless of the nature of the call processed thereby, allowing greater flexibility and cost-effective use of application software (both service control and basic call control), and other associated telecommunications network infrastructure such as service circuit equipment.

Claims

1. A telecommunication network that includes a plurality of switching systems, each including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes and a control mechanism for the switching fabric, the improvement comprising:

at least one switch processing platform coupled to each of the switching systems for performing at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions, and for controlling call connection processes performed by the switching fabrics by

a) receiving a request for call processing, and

b) responsive to the call processing request, distributing at least one command to at least one switching system through its control mechanism to command said one switching fabric to perform said call connection process.

2. The network of claim 1 where at least some of the plurality of switching fabrics are different from each other.

3. The network according to claim 2 wherein at least one of said switching fabrics is a packet switching fabric.

4. The network according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the switching fabrics is a circuit switching fabric.

5. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of switching systems, each including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes and a control mechanism for the switching fabric, wherein at least one of the switching fabrics effects call connections in a different manner than at least one other switching fabric,

at least one switch processing platform coupled to each of the switching systems for performing call control functions, including at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions, and the switch processing platform controlling call connection processes performed by the switching fabrics by generating and generic distributing commands to the switching fabrics;

a command translator for translating generic commands into native commands different than the generic commands to cause at least one switching fabric through its associated control mechanism to perform a call connection process;

a resource associated with said one switching fabric;

wherein said switch processing platform is responsive to an indication that one switching fabric requires access to said resource to complete a call connection process and wherein said processor assigns said resource to said requesting switching fabric; and

further comprising at least one path between at least two switching fabrics, and wherein switch processing platform instructs said one switching fabric that requires access to said resource to supply information across said path to said one switching fabric associated with said resource.

6. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of switching systems, each including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes and a control mechanism for the switching fabric, wherein at least one of the switching fabrics effects call connections in a different manner than at least one other switching fabric,

at least one switch processing platform coupled to each of the switching systems for performing at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions, and the switch processing platform controlling call connection processes performed by the switching fabrics by generating and distributing commands that are generic to the switching fabrics; and

a command translator for translating generic commands into native commands different than the generic commands to cause at least one switching fabric through its associated control mechanism to perform a call connection operation.

7. The network of claim 6 further including a resource and wherein said switch processing platform is responsive to a request indicating that one switching fabric requires access to said resource to complete a call processing operation and wherein said switch processing platform assigns said resource to said requesting switching fabric.

8. The network of claim 7 wherein said resource assigned by said switch processing platform is a resource that is not part of said one switching fabric.

9. The network of claim 7 wherein said resource assigned by said control switch processing platform is associated with said one switching fabric.

10. The network of claim 6 including a plurality of switch processing platforms each primarily responsible for a different subset of said plurality of switching fabrics, such that each subset of the switching fabrics is assigned at least one resource by its responsible switch processing platform to assist said subset of switching fabrics in the performance of call connection operations.

11. The network according to claim 7 wherein said resource comprises a service circuit.

12. The network according to claim 6 wherein:

the switching fabrics generate native commands;

the switch processing platform is responsive to generic commands derived from native commands from the switching fabrics;

wherein the switch processing platform has associated therewith a request manager for producing generic commands derived from native commands received from said switching fabrics and for distributing generic commands from the switch processing platform to the switching fabrics; and

wherein the command translator means translates native commands generated by each switching fabric into generic commands for receipt by the request manager and for translating each command from request manager into a native commands for receipt by the switching fabrics through their associated control mechanisms.

13. The network according to claim 6 wherein at least one switching fabric is a packet switching fabric.

14. The network according to claim 6 wherein at least one switching fabric is a circuit switching fabric.

15. The network according to claim 6 wherein at least one switching fabric comprises a wireless switching fabric.

16. The network according to claim 13 wherein a second switching fabric is a circuit switching fabric.

17. A method for processing calls in a distributed communications network comprising the steps of:

providing a switch processing platform that performs at least one of call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions, the switch processor platform coupled to a plurality of switching systems, each including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes and a control mechanism for the switching fabric;

receiving at the switch processing platform a request for call processing and generating at least one a command to instruct at least one switching fabric of at least one switching system through its control mechanism to perform at least one call connection process;

directing to said one switching system said command; and

executing, at said switching system, said command to perform said one call connection operation.

18. The method according to claim 17 further including the step of producing at one switching fabric request for receipt by the switch processing platform to invoke a call connection operation by another switching fabric.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the invoked call connection operation includes digit collection.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the invoked call connection operation includes voice recognition.

21. The method according to claim 18 wherein the invoked call connection operation includes providing an announcement.

22. The method according to claim 18 wherein the invoked call connection operation includes launching a call in another switching fabric.

23. A distributed communications network, comprising:

at least a first and second networks, each comprising;

a plurality of switching systems, each including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes by finding, reserving, and connecting communications paths and a control mechanism for the switching fabric;

at least one switch processing platform for performing at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions and for accepting a request for call processing, and, in response to said request, distributing at least one command to at least one switching system in said one network to command at least one switching fabric to perform said call connection process;

wherein each switch processing platform in each network is connected to at least one switching system in another other network so that each switch processing platform can pass commands to its own -network, as well as to at least one other network.

24. A distributed communications network, comprising:

at least a first and second networks, each comprising;

at least one switching system that includes a switching fabric for performing call connection processes by finding, reserving, and connecting communications paths, and a control mechanism for the switching fabric;

wherein the improvement comprises

at least one switch processing platform for performing at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions and for accepting a request for call processing, and, in response to said request, distributing at least one command to at least one switching system in said one network to command at least one switching fabric to perform said call connection process.

25. The network according to claim 24 wherein at least one of said networks comprises a plurality of interconnected switching systems.

26. The network according to claim 24 wherein the switch processing platform associated with one of the-networks.

27. A method for processing calls in a distributed communications network that includes a switch processing platform that performs at least one of a call processing, service processing, signal message processing, address translation and routing functions, the switch processor platform coupled to a plurality of switching systems, each switching system including a switching fabric for performing call connection processes and a control mechanism for the switching fabric, and an associated telecommunications network infrastructure separate from the switch processing platform, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a request within one of the switch processing platform and the switching systems to obtain information from the telecommunications network infrastructure associated a different switching systems than said one switching system;

distributing the request from the switch processing system to said different switching system;

obtaining from said telecommunications network infrastructure through the different switching system the information sought by the switch processing platform; and

communicating from said different switching system to the switch processing platform the information from said associated telecommunications network infrastructure.