Apparatus and method for interfacing processing resources to a telecommunications switching system

• US 6,118,779 A
• Filed: 08/20/1998
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Excel Switching Corp. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Excel Switching Corp. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Madonna, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US09/137,496
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/357, 370/360, 370/362, 370/364, 370/365, 370/375, 370/376, 370/389, 370/400, 370/401, 370/419, 370/420, 370/421, 370/423, 370/424 , 370/463, 340/825.05, 379/268, 379/269
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/43 with synchronous transmission, e.g. time division multiplex [TDM], slotted rings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5612 Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6437 Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6459 Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/105 ATM switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/002 Details
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/909 Alternatives

Abstract

The invention is an interface, and a method for operating the interface, for use in an open, high-speed, high-bandwidth digital communication network that connects multiple programmable telecommunications switches to form a large capacity, non-blocking switching system. The interface resides between the network and one or more processing resources, and operates to provide bi-directional communication between the network and the processing resources. Each interface includes circuitry for transmitting and receiving variable-length, packetized information over the network, and circuitry for transmitting and receiving data between the interface and one or more processing resources. The processing resources associated with one of the interfaces may thus be provided to other telecommunications switches, and ports associated therewith, connected to the high-bandwidth network. The processing resources may also gain direct access to all of the information passing over the network.

Claims

1. In a node of a telecommunications system having a plurality of nodes connected in a communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network that carries network data among the nodes, one or more of the plurality of nodes including one or more ports representing connections to a private or public switched telephone network, an interface for providing processing resources to ports comprising:

A. means for transceiving network data between the interface and the inter-nodal network, whereby the interface is connected in a communicating relationship with the inter-nodal network;

B. means for transceiving processing resource data between the interface and one or more processing resources, whereby the interface is connected in a communicating relationship with the one or more processing resources;

C. means for extracting any inbound processing resource data from the network data, wherein the inbound processing resource data is destined for a preselected one or more of the processing resources; and

D. means for inserting any outbound processing resource data from a node into the network data, wherein the outbound processing resource data is received from one or more processing resources.

2. The interface of claim 1 wherein the node including the interface is connected in a communicating relationship with a host which runs one or more application programs.

3. The interface of claim 1 wherein the network data transceiving means comprises means for transceiving packetized data.

4. The interface of claim 3 wherein the network data transceiving means comprises means for transceiving circuit switched data.

5. The interface of claim 3 wherein the network data transceiving means comprises means for transceiving packet switched data.

6. The interface of claim 1 wherein the network data transceiving means comprises a network data receiver, a network data transmitter, a CPU, and an inter-nodal synchronization circuit.

7. The interface of claim 1 wherein the processing resource data transceiving means comprises one or more switching buses, a processing resource bus interface, and one or more processing resource buses.

8. The interface of claim 1 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least one PEB resource.

9. The interface of claim 1 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least one MVIP resource.

10. The interface of claim 1 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least on MVIP resource and at least one PEB resource.

11. The interface of claim 2 wherein the interface is provided on a single interface card including an ISA bus connector for transceiving control information between the interface and the host over an ISA bus.

12. The interface of claim 1 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise resources for call processing or communications services including one or more of voice mail, interactive voice response, fax mail, voice messaging, enhanced services, or data processing.

13. The node of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of interfaces connected in communicating relationship with respective ones of the processing resources.

14. In a node of a telecommunications system having a plurality of nodes connected in a communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network, one or more of the plurality of nodes including one or more ports representing connections to a private or public switched telephone network, an interface for providing processing resources to ports comprising:

A. one or more ring I/O cards connected in a communicating relationship with the inter-nodal network, and further connected in a communicating relationship with a nodal switch;

B. one or more processing resource bus interfaces connected in a communicating relationship with the nodal switch by one or more switching buses; and

C. one or more processing resource buses for connecting the one or more processing resource bus interfaces in a communicating relationship with one or more processing resources.

15. The interface of claim 14 wherein the nodal switch communicates with the one or more processing resources by time switching data.

16. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more ring I/O cards communicate with the inter-nodal network using packetized data.

17. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more ring I/O cards communicate with the inter-nodal network using circuit switched data.

18. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more ring I/O cards communicate with the inter-nodal network using packet switched data.

19. The interface of claim 14 further comprising an ISA bus connector for transceiving control information between the interface and a host over an ISA bus.

20. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more processing resources include at least on PEB resource.

21. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more processing resources include at least one MVIP resource.

22. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more processing resources include at least one MVIP resource and at least one PEB resource.

23. The interface of claim 14 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise resources for call processing or communications services including one or more of voice mail, interactive voice response, fax mail, voice messaging, enhanced services, or data processing.

24. A method for interfacing one or more processing resources in a processing resource node with a telecommunications system, the telecommunications system having a plurality of nodes connected in a communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network which carries network data, one or more of the plurality of nodes including one or more ports representing connections to a private or public switched telephone network, the interfacing method comprising the steps of:

A. receiving network data over the inter-nodal network from one or more nodes served by the network;

B. extracting any inbound processing resource data from the network data;

C. transmitting the inbound processing resource data to one or more of the processing resources;

D. receiving outbound processing resource data from one or more of the processing resources; and

E. directing the outbound processing resource data to a predetermined destination in one of the processing resource nodes or directing said processing resource data over the inter-nodal network to one or more of the plurality of nodes served by the network.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of transmitting inbound processing resource data further comprises the steps of:

A. time switching the inbound processing resource data onto one or more switching buses;

B. receiving the inbound processing resource data at one or more processing resource data bus interfaces;

C. time-switching the inbound processing resource data onto one or more processing resource buses; and

D. receiving the inbound processing resource data at one or more processing resources.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of receiving outbound processing resource data further comprises the steps of:

A. transmitting the outbound processing resource data from one or more of the processing resources onto one or more processing resource data resource buses;

B. receiving the outbound processing resource data at one or more processing resource data bus interfaces;

C. time switching the outbound processing resource data onto one or more switching buses; and

D. receiving the outbound processing resource data at a nodal switch.

27. A node in an expandable telecommunications system, the node comprising:

A. means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths with respect to various ones of a plurality of ports;

B. means for time switching information to or from the ports;

C. means connected in a communicating relationship with the time switching means for interfacing with one or more public or private networks which represent the ports, the communicating relationship including a bus for carrying data to and from the ports;

D. means for transceiving information over an inter-nodal network, the inter-nodal network for providing communications between the node and other nodes associated with the system; and

E. means, connected in a communicating relationship with the means for transceiving, for interfacing with one or more processing resources for performing call processing or communications services including one or more of voice mail, interactive voice response, fax mail, voice messaging, enhanced services, or data processing, whereby the one or more processing resources are available to the plurality of ports.

28. The node of claim 27 wherein the means for interfacing with processing resources comprises a single card.

29. The node of claim 28 wherein said single card includes an ISA connector for transceiving data between the single card and a host over an ISA bus.

30. The node of claim 27 further comprising a plurality of means for interfacing with processing resources, wherein each means for interfacing with processing resources comprises a single card.

31. The node of claim 27 wherein said one or more processing resources comprise at least one PEB resource.

32. The node of claims 27 wherein said one or more processing resources comprise at least one MVIP resource.

33. A node in an expandable telecommunications system, the expandable telecommunications system including an inter-nodal network for providing communications between the node and other nodes associated with the expandable telecommunications system, the node comprising:

A. one or more ring I/O cards connected in a communicating relationship with the expandable telecommunications system;

B. a nodal switch connected in a communicating relationship with one or more of the one or more ring I/O cards;

C. one or more line/network cards connected via one or more line card I/O cards to one or more public or private networks, and further connected in a communicating relationship with the nodal switch; and

D. one or more processing resources, connected in a communicating relationship with the nodal switch via one or more processing resource bus interfaces, for performing call processing or communications services including one or more of voice mail, interactive voice response, fax mail, voice messaging, enhanced services, or data processing, whereby the processing resources are available to the one or more public or private networks.

34. The node of claim 33 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least one PEB resource.

35. The node of claim 33 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least one MVIP resource.

36. The node of claim 33 wherein the one or more processing resources comprise at least on MVIP resource and at least one PEB resource.