Wan-based gateway

• US 6,339,594 B1
• Filed: 11/06/1998
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Saksena, Vikram R., Coffield, Don Richard, Civanlar, Seyhan, Mansell, James J., Leighton, William J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/187,351
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/401, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/522, 370/410, 370/384, 370/377, 370/354, 370/355, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5618 Bridges, gateways [GW] or interworking units [IWU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5619 Network Node Interface, e.g. tandem connections, transit switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5645 Connectionless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5667 IP over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/567 Frame Relay over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 : Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 : Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 : Interworking of session control protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 : Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 : Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus is provided for establishing a communication session between first and second terminals in communication over a plurality of networks that employ differing transmission standards. The plurality of networks are selected from among a circuit switched network (e.g., a telephony network), a connectionless packet switched network (e.g., the Internet) and a connection-oriented packet switched network (e.g., an ATM or frame relay network). The apparatus includes a call set-up translator for translating among call set-up protocols associated with the circuit switched network, the connectionless packet switched network and the connection-oriented packet switched network. An encoding format translator is provided for translating among encoding protocols associated with the circuit switched network, the connectionless packet switched network and the connection-oriented packet switched network. Also provided is an address database for storing a plurality of addresses in different formats for each registered terminal, which includes the first and second terminals. The apparatus also includes a session manager for storing control information relating to the first and second terminals. The control information includes an identification of the first and second terminals that participate in the communication session.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication session between at least a first terminal in a first network and a second terminal in a second network, where said first network and said second network are members of a set of networks that employ differing transmission standards, said set of networks including a circuit switched network, a connectionless packet switched network and a connection-oriented packet switched network, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call set-up request from said first terminal in accordance with a call set-up protocol associated with said first network, said call set-up request specifying said second terminal;

ascertaining said second network and identifying type of said second network, the type being one of the types of networks that belong to said set of networks;

translating said call set-up request into a call set-up signal in conformance with a protocol associated with said second network;

translating information received from said first terminal from a first encoding format to a second encoding format;

transmitting said information in the second encoding format to the second terminal;

storing control information relating to the first and second terminals, said control information including an identification of the first and second terminals participating in the communication session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of translating said call set-up request includes the step of retrieving at least one address from an address database of said second terminal in a format different from a format in which it is received from the first terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said control information includes dynamically alterable control information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said dynamically alterable control information includes data formats.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said dynamically alterable control information includes encoding formats.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said circuit-switched network is a telephony network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said connectionless packet switched network is the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said connection-oriented packet switched network is an ATM network.