Apparatus and method for providing transporting for a control signal

• US 6,427,071 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1998
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adams, John, Ruby, Robert A., Zaffino, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): West, Lewis G.
• Application Number:
  US09/207,370
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 379/229, 379/230, 370/373, 370/401, 370/410, 370/522, 370/352, 370/466, 370/467, 370/356, 455/403
• US Class Current: 455/403
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus facilitate secure communication between a controller and a signaling network. The controller generates messages corresponding to a protocol of the signaling network and wraps them in a second protocol. The wrapped message is carried via a second network to a gateway that unwraps the message and provides it to the signaling network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for interfacing a customer premises wireless office system to a remote signaling network, the apparatus comprising:

a digital switch; and

a controller, coupled to the digital switch and including a wide area network interface, adaptively configured to;

generate a signaling message conforming to a remote signaling network protocol, and

wrap the signaling message within a wide area network protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control message processor is IS-41 compatible.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the digital switch includes at least one of a base station interface and a PBX interface.

4. A method for facilitating access from a customer premises wireless office system to a remote signaling network, the method comprising the steps of:

generating, at a customer premises wireless office system controller, a first message compatible with a protocol of said remote signaling network;

wrapping, at the customer premises wireless office system controller, said first message in a wide area network protocol, including an address associated with a gateway to said remote signaling network; and

transmitting the wrapped message from the customer premises wireless office system controller to a wide area network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said first message is compatible with an IS-41 format and said wide area network protocol includes TCP/IP.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising the further steps of:

receiving a return message including a wrapped second message from the wide area network, said second message being compatible with said protocol of said signaling network; and

retrieving said second message from the received return message.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said first message is compatible with an IS-41 format and said wide area network protocol includes TCP/IP.

8. A method for routing signaling messages between a customer premises wireless office system and a remote signaling network, comprising:

generating a signaling message at a customer premises wireless office system controller;

encapsulating the signaling message in a wide area network protocol message; and

transmitting the encapsulated message to a gateway over a wide area network.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

unwrapping the signaling message from the encapsulated message; and

transmitting the signaling message to a signaling network device over the signaling network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a signaling message response at the signaling network device;

transmitting the signaling message response to the gateway over the signaling network;

encapsulating the signaling message response in a wide area network protocol message response;

transmitting the encapsulated message response to the customer premises wireless office system controller over a wide area network; and

unwrapping the signaling message response from the encapsulated message response.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wide area network protocol is an encrypted multilayered protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wide area network protocol includes at least one of SSL, TCP/IP, and Ethernet.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote signaling network is an SS7 network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the signaling message is consistent with at least one of IS-41 and GSM MAP protocols.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the signaling network device is one of a mobile switching center, a home location register, and a signal transfer point.