Method and system to provide an action control point master gatekeeper

• US 6,374,302 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hope, Edward M., Ramamurthy, Ram S., Galasso, Linda D., Jones, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/052,843
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 709/238, 709/250, 709/220, 709/311, 709/313, 370/352, 370/357, 370/389, 370/401, 379/219, 379/220
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

An action control point master gatekeeper for a communications network creates a hierarchical scalable signaling and transaction infrastructure for supporting carrier level deployment of, for example, IP telephony using H.323 terminals and gateways. The action control point master gatekeeper supports a plurality of H.323 zones in an administrative domain. Action control point master gatekeepers in an administrative domain can signal to other administrative domains via a hierarchical signaling infrastructure. A backup master gatekeeper can also be present in an action control point. A customer database, which can be distributed within zones or centralized within an administrative domain, allows for address resolution between a terminal alias and a terminal address. The customer database can also contain pointers to special purpose processes, such as network control points, to implement service specific transaction services.

Claims

1. An action control point for a communications network, the network having a zone gatekeeper configured to generate an address inquiry, including a terminal alias, comprising:

a customer database associating the terminal alias with a terminal address; and

a master gatekeeper coupled to said customer database, said master gatekeeper being configured to receive the address inquiry, including the terminal alias, and to generate an address reply, including the terminal address, based on the association in said customer database.

2. An action control point according to claim 1, wherein said master gatekeeper is further coupled to a local area network, including the zone gatekeeper, that does not provide a guaranteed quality of service and said master gatekeeper receives the address inquiry from the zone gatekeeper.

3. An action control point according to claim 2, wherein the address inquiry is received prior to the establishment of an Internet protocol telephony call by the zone gatekeeper.

4. An action control point according to claim 1, wherein said master gatekeeper is further configured to send a second address inquiry, including the terminal alias, to a second master gatekeeper if the terminal alias is not in said customer database.

5. An action control point according to claim 1, wherein the address inquiry also includes a requesting terminal identifier, further comprising:

a communications service feature database associating the requesting terminal identifier with a communications service feature attribute;

wherein said master gatekeeper is coupled to said communications service feature database, and the communications service feature is provided based on the association in said communications service feature database.

6. An action control point according to claim 5, wherein the communications service feature attribute indicates whether the requesting terminal identifier is permitted to communicate outside a virtual network.

7. An action control point according to claim 5, wherein the communications service feature is voice mail.

8. An action control point according to claim 5, wherein the communications service feature requires a user to enter a code before a requested communication is established.

9. An action control point according to claim 5, wherein the communications service feature database is a network control point.

10. An action control point according to claim 1, further comprising:

a backup master gatekeeper coupled to said customer database, said backup master gatekeeper being configured to receive the address inquiry, including the terminal alias, and generate an address reply, including the terminal address, based on the association in said customer database when said master gatekeeper is not available.

11. An action control point according to claim 1, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias address and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

12. A master gatekeeper for use in a communications network, the network having a gatekeeper configured to generate an address inquiry, including a terminal alias, comprising:

a communications port configured to receive the address inquiry; and

a processor coupled to said communications port, said processor being configured to generate an address reply, including a terminal address, based on the terminal alias, and further configured to output the address reply through said communications port.

13. A master gatekeeper according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second communications port coupled to said processor, said second communications port being configured to communicate with a second master gatekeeper,

wherein said processor is further configured to send a second address inquiry, including the terminal alias, to the second master gatekeeper when said processor cannot determine the terminal address.

14. A master gatekeeper according to claim 12, further comprising:

a second communications port coupled to said processor, said second communications port being configured to communicate with a second zone gatekeeper,

wherein said processor is further configured to send a second address inquiry, including the terminal alias, to the second zone gatekeeper.

15. A master gatekeeper according to claim 12, wherein the address inquiry also includes a requesting terminal identifier, further comprising:

a second communications port coupled to said processor, said second communication port being configured to communicate with a communications service feature database,

wherein said processor is further configured to access the communications service feature database to determine a communications service feature attribute based on the requesting terminal identifier.

16. A master gatekeeper according to claim 15, wherein the communications service feature database is a network control point.

17. A master gatekeeper according to claim 12, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias address and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

18. A gatekeeper for use in a communications network, comprising:

a first communications port configured to receive a request to communicate, including a terminal alias;

a processor coupled to said first communications port, said processor being configured to generate an address inquiry, including the terminal alias; and

a second communications port coupled to said processor, said second communications port being configured to output the address inquiry and to receive an address reply, including a terminal address associated with the terminal alias.

19. A gatekeeper according to claim 18, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias address and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

20. A communications network, comprising:

a first zone, comprising;

a first terminal having a first address and a first alias, said first terminal being configured to send and receive communications over a first network,

a first gateway coupled to the first network and, said first gateway being configured to send and receive communications for the first network, and

a first gatekeeper coupled to the first network;

a second zone, comprising;

a second terminal configured to send and receive communications over a second network, said second terminal being further configured to generate a request to communicate with said first terminal, the request including the first alias,

a second gateway coupled to the second network and said first gateway, said second gateway being configured to send and receive communications between the first and second networks, and

a second gatekeeper coupled to the second network, said second gatekeeper being configured to receive the request to communicate, and further configured to generate an address inquiry, including the first alias; and

an action control point, comprising;

a customer database associating the first alias with the first address, and

a master gatekeeper coupled to said customer database, said first gatekeeper and said second gatekeeper, said master gatekeeper being configured to receive the address inquiry from said second gatekeeper, and further configured to generate an address reply containing the first address based on the association in said customer database.

21. A communications network according to claim 20, wherein said master gatekeeper is further configured to send a second address inquiry, including the terminal alias, to a second master gatekeeper if the terminal alias is not in said customer database.

22. A communications network according to claim 20, wherein the address inquiry also includes a requesting terminal identifier, further comprising:

a communications service feature database associating the requesting terminal identifier with a communications service feature attribute;

wherein said master gatekeeper is coupled to said communications service feature database, and the communications service feature is provided based on the association in said communications service feature database.

23. A communications network according to claim 22, wherein said communications service feature database is a network control point.

24. A communications network according to claim 20, further comprising:

a backup master gatekeeper coupled to said customer database, said backup master gatekeeper being configured to receive the address inquiry, including the terminal alias, and to generate an address reply, including the terminal address, based on the association in said customer database when said master gatekeeper is not available.

25. A communications network according to claim 20, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias address and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

26. A method of determining a terminal address in a communications network, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a gatekeeper an address inquiry, including a terminal alias, at an action control point;

determining the terminal address associated with the terminal alias; and

sending an address reply, including the terminal address, to the gatekeeper.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of determining comprises the step of accessing a customer database to determine a terminal address associated with the terminal alias.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of determining comprises the step of accessing a second action control point to determine a terminal address associated with the terminal alias.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the address inquiry includes a requesting terminal identifier, further comprising the step of:

providing a communications service feature based on the requesting terminal identifier.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of providing comprises the steps of:

accessing a communications service feature database; and

providing the communications service feature based on an association in said communications service feature database between the requesting terminal identifier and a communications service feature attribute.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein said steps of receiving, determining and sending are performed by a master gatekeeper coupled to a local area network, including the gatekeeper, that does not provide a guaranteed quality of service.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein said steps of receiving, determining and sending are performed prior to the establishment by the gatekeeper of an Internet protocol telephony call.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

determining whether to provide a communications service feature for the telephony call.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the communications service feature is allowing the telephony call to be placed outside a virtual network.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the communications service feature is voice mail.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the communications service feature requires a user to enter a code before the telephony call is established.

38. An apparatus to determine a terminal address in a communications network, comprising:

means for receiving from a gatekeeper an address inquiry, including a terminal alias, at an action control point;

means for determining a terminal address associated with the terminal alias; and

means for sending an address reply, including the terminal address, to the gatekeeper.

39. An apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the terminal alias is an H.323 alias address and the terminal address is an H.323 transport address.

40. A communications network, comprising:

a terminal configured to send and receive communications over the network;

a gateway coupled to the network, said gateway being configured to send and receive communications for the network;

a primary gatekeeper coupled to the network, said primary gatekeeper being configured to provide address translation; and

a backup gatekeeper coupled to the network, said backup gatekeeper being configured to provide address translation when said primary gatekeeper is not available.

41. A communications network according to claim 40, wherein said terminal, said gateway, said primary gatekeeper and said backup gatekeeper are H.323 entities.

42. A communications network according to claim 40, wherein said primary gatekeeper is configured to generate an address inquiry, including a terminal alias, and said backup gatekeeper is a master gatekeeper, comprising:

a communications port configured to receive the address inquiry from said gatekeeper; and

a processor coupled to said communications port, said processor being configured to generate an address reply, including a terminal address, based on the terminal alias, and further configured to output the address reply through said communications port.

43. A hierarchy of master gatekeepers for use in a communications network, the network having a gatekeeper configured to generate a first address inquiry, including a terminal alias, comprising:

a first master gatekeeper configured to receive the first address inquiry and to generate a second address inquiry, including the terminal alias;

a global master gatekeeper coupled to said first master gatekeeper, said global master gatekeeper being configured to receive the second address inquiry and to generate a third address inquiry, including the terminal alias; and

a second master gatekeeper coupled to said global master gatekeeper, said second master gatekeeper being configured to receive the third address inquiry and to generate a first address reply, including a terminal address associated with the terminal alias;

wherein said global master gatekeeper is further configured to receive the first address reply and generate a second address reply, including the terminal address, and said first master gatekeeper is further configured to receive the second address reply and generate a third address reply, including the terminal alias, to resolve the first address inquiry.