Public IP transport network
First Claim
1. In a public switched telephone network (PSTN) having a plurality of PSTN multiport nodes located respectively in a plurality of served geographical areas, said multiport nodes connected to a PSTN data network having port numbers corresponding to virtual numbers associated with respective internet service providers subscribing to PSTN service through said multiport nodes via said PSTN data network, a method for routing a data call, placed to one of said virtual numbers from a calling station location in said PSTN, to a respective one of said plurality of multiport nodes predesignated to serve the geographical area containing the location of the calling station, comprising the steps of:
- determining the identification of the calling station;
accessing a first database having content relating the identification of the calling station to an indicia code of the calling station'"'"'s geographical location to obtain the calling station'"'"'s corresponding indicia code;
accessing a second database having content relating the calling station'"'"'s indicia code to a number of the internetwork service provider subscriber node port serving the geographical area of the calling station to obtain a related node port number; and
routing the call to the node associated with the port number obtained in said step of accessing said second database.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for providing IP transport and Internet services using a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and providing equal access. The system provides a wide area communications network serving a plurality of defined geographic areas such as LATAs, served by a switched telephone network having a plurality of central office switching systems in the telephone network in each geographic area connected to a plurality of terminals in premises served by said switching systems in those geographic areas. A switched multimegabit data service (SMDS) network spans the geographic areas and a plurality of Internet service providers (ISPs) are connected to the SMDS network. At least one data hub node is provided in each geographic area and each hub node is connected to the SMDS network. Each data hub node includes a gateway router connected via a packet switch and at least one multi-port access server to one of the central office switching systems for switched connection to selected ones of the premises. The PSTN is controlled by an advanced intelligent network having service switching points, service transfer points, and a service control point having databases associated therewith. The ISPs are provided with virtual numbers and subscribe to multiple ports on the terminal access servers. One of the databases associated with the service control point provides a translation from the virtual number to the identity of an ISP. Another of the databases provides a translation based on the identity of the ISP and the calling station to a port. Connection is made between the calling station and the ISP via the port, router, and SMDS network.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. In a public switched telephone network (PSTN) having a plurality of PSTN multiport nodes located respectively in a plurality of served geographical areas, said multiport nodes connected to a PSTN data network having port numbers corresponding to virtual numbers associated with respective internet service providers subscribing to PSTN service through said multiport nodes via said PSTN data network, a method for routing a data call, placed to one of said virtual numbers from a calling station location in said PSTN, to a respective one of said plurality of multiport nodes predesignated to serve the geographical area containing the location of the calling station, comprising the steps of:
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determining the identification of the calling station; accessing a first database having content relating the identification of the calling station to an indicia code of the calling station'"'"'s geographical location to obtain the calling station'"'"'s corresponding indicia code; accessing a second database having content relating the calling station'"'"'s indicia code to a number of the internetwork service provider subscriber node port serving the geographical area of the calling station to obtain a related node port number; and routing the call to the node associated with the port number obtained in said step of accessing said second database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing internetwork data services via a public switched telecommunications network (PSTN) spanning a plurality of geographical areas and having central office switching systems serving premises in each of said geographical areas via links between said central office switching systems and said premises and having a separate common channel signaling control system and controller spanning said plurality of geographical areas and including databases associated with said controller;
- said method comprising the steps of;
providing in each of a plurality of said geographical areas a multiport data network node connected to said PSTN and having routing and data switching capabilities; and routing a data call dialed to a virtual number from one of said premises via a central office switching system to which said one premise is connected by one of said links from said central office switching system to a port in one of said data network nodes in the geographical area in which said one premise and said central office switching system to which said one premise is connected are located; wherein said routing step comprises; selecting said port based on the virtual number and on the identity of said one premise, and directing said call via the selected port through the data network node in which said port is located to a switched multimegabit data service network and via said switched multimegabit data service network to an internetwork service provider connected to said switched multimegabit data service network; and selecting said internetwork service provider in response to a signal from said controller, wherein the information in said signal is at least partially based on a search of one of said databases associated with said controller. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- said method comprising the steps of;
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16. A wide area internetwork including a public switched telecommunications network serving multiple geographic areas and comprising in combination:
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a switched telecommunications network (PSTN) having trunked central office switching systems connected by local links to end user subscribers premises stations in said geographic areas and associated with service switching points, said PSTN being controlled by a separate common channel signaling network having service transfer points connected by data links to said service switching points and connected to a service control point having databases associated therewith; a switched data service network having internetwork service provider subscribers to said PSTN connected thereto for providing internetwork service to at least some of said end user subscribers; at least one hub node having routing and switching capabilities located in each of said geographical areas and connected to said switched data service network; said at least one hub node including a router connected to said switched data service network and a packet switch connected to said router, said packet switch being connected via a multiport server to a central office switching system comprising or associated with one of said service switching points, said service provider subscribers having subscriptions to selected ports in said servers; said ports in said servers being connected to at least some of said end user subscriber premises stations via said local links; said databases associated with said service control point including one or more databases for translating virtual numbers assigned to said internetwork service provider subscribers to actual numbers and to identifications of ports in said servers under subscription to said internetwork service provider subscribers; said last named databases being used by said service control point to connect end user subscribers calling virtual numbers assigned to said internetwork service provider subscribers to said internetwork service provider subscribers via said local links, servers, packet switches, routers, and said switched data service network. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification