Computer program products, methods, and protocol for interworking services between a public telephone network, intelligent network, and internet protocol network

• US 6,529,524 B1
• Filed: 07/23/1999
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Le, Liem, Tummala, Rambabu, Wurch, Donald, Liao, Monling, Qaddoura, Emad
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/360,864
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 709/236, 709/230, 709/232, 370/466, 370/467
• US Class Current: 370/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/066 where the auxiliary connection is via an Internet Protocol network interworking of signalling system number 7 (SS7) with Internet Protocol-based session control protocols H04M7/1265, H04M7/127
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/127 where the session control protocols comprise SIP and SS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

Computer program products, related methods, and a protocol for interworking services between a public telephone network, including an Intelligent Network, and an internet protocol network are provided. A public telephone network transports a TCAP message in an SS7 protocol format, and an internet protocol network, or IP network, transports an encapsulated TCAP message in an IP protocol format. A STIPP (Simple TCAP-IP Interworking Protocol) protocol, represented as a computer data signal including a plurality of bits, is used for exchanging TCAP messages between IP network entities. The computer data signal comprises an internet protocol portion, a transport portion, and a STIP (Simple TCAP Interworking Part) portion. The STIP portion includes a STIP header for encapsulating the TCAP message therein for transmission between IP network entities. Various computer data signal embodiments are provided. A computer program product for an interworking gateway exchanging TCAP messages with a public telephone network and encapsulated TCAP messages with an internet protocol network is provided. Further, a computer program product for an IP network entity exchanging encapsulated TCAP messages with an internet protocol network is provided. Message encapsulation, extraction, and decapsulation are provided. Various embodiments and functions are included for each computer program product. A method for exchanging TCAP messages between a public telephone network and an internet protocol network for services interworking is included. Further, a method for exchanging encapsulated TCAP messages with an internet protocol network, such that TCAP messages can ultimately be exchanged with a public telephone network through an internet protocol network is provided.

Claims

1. A computer data signal embodied in an electrical signal represented as a plurality of bits for exchanging an encapsulated message between two internet protocol network entities, comprising:

an internet protocol portion including supporting physical layer functions, datalink layer functions, and network layer functions compatible with an internet protocol network;

a transport portion operably connected to said internet protocol portion, said transport portion supporting transport layer functions compatible with the internet protocol network; and

a STIP portion operably connected to said transport portion, said STIP portion adapted to exchange the encapsulated message between the two internet protocol network entities, such that services interworking is supported therebetween.

2. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein said STIP portion comprises a STIP header for transporting the encapsulated message therein.

3. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein said STIP portion comprises a version field, such that the version of the STIP portion may be identified to at least one internet protocol network entity.

4. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein the STIP portion comprises a message type field, such that the message type of the encapsulated message may be identified to at least one internet protocol entity.

5. The computer data signal according to claim 4, wherein the message type field comprises at least one protocol message type selected from the group consisting of a login message type, a login acknowledgement message type, a security packet message type, and a status message type.

6. The computer data signal according to claim 4, wherein the message type field comprises at least one data message type selected from the group consisting of a TCAP data message type and a TCAP data error message type.

7. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein the STIP portion comprises a message length field, such that information relating to at least part of the length of the STIP portion may be provided to at least one internet protocol entity.

8. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein the STIP portion comprises a data offset field, such that information indicating the data offset of the message within the STIP portion may be provided to at least one internet protocol entity.

9. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein said STIP portion comprises at least one attribute field, such that information relative to the type of message may be provided to at least one internet protocol network entity.

10. The computer data signal according to claim 9, wherein each attribute field further comprises a type subfield, such that information relative to the type of attribute may be provided to at least one internet protocol network entity.

11. The computer data signal according to claim 10, wherein the type subfield comprises at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a system name, primary/backup system identifier, subsystem number, encryption index, address mapping option identifier, message encryption parameter, TIPG status, IP entity status, additional status, protocol type identifier, IP address, calling/called party address, sequential number identification value, and an error reason.

12. The computer data signal according to claim 9, wherein each attribute field further comprises a value subfield, such that information relative to the attribute may be provided to at least one internet protocol network entity.

13. The computer data signal according to claim 9, wherein each attribute field further comprises a length subfield, such that information relative to the length of the value subfield may be provided to at least one internet protocol network entity.

14. The computer data signal according to claim 1, wherein the STIP portion comprises a data field, such that the encapsulated message may be exchanged between internet protocol network entities.

15. The computer data signal according to claim 14, wherein the data field comprises an encapsulated TCAP message, such that the encapsulated TCAP message and/or command message may be exchanged between internet protocol network entities.

16. A computer program product for a gateway exchanging TCAP messages in an SS7 protocol format with a public telephone network and exchanging encapsulated TCAP messages in an IP protocol format with an internet protocol network, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising;

computer instruction means for receiving a TCAP message in the SS7 protocol format from the public telephone network and extracting the TCAP message and associated addressing and routing information therefrom;

computer instruction means for converting the associated addressing and routing information for the IP protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message in the IP protocol format with the converted addressing and routing information; and

computer instruction means for transmitting the encapsulated TCAP message with the converted addressing and routing information to the internet protocol network for delivery to an IP network entity therein.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises:

computer instruction means for receiving an encapsulated TCAP message in the IP protocol format from the internet protocol network and extracting the TCAP message and associated addressing and routing information therefrom;

computer instruction means for converting the associated addressing and routing information for the SS7 protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message into the SS7 protocol format with the converted addressing and routing information; and

computer instruction means for transmitting the TCAP message with the converted addressing and routing information to the public telephone network for delivery to an SS7 network entity therein.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein both said computer instruction means for converting further comprise STIP computer instruction means for processing encapsulated TCAP messages with the addressing and routing information in the IP protocol format exchanged with the internet protocol network.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for emulating SCCP flow control commands and functions for IP network entities in the internet protocol network represented to the public telephone network.

20. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for decapsulating the TCAP message received in the SS7 protocol format from the public telephone network, and encapsulating the TCAP message in the IP protocol format for transmission to the internet protocol network.

21. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for decapsulating the TCAP message received in the IP protocol format from the internet protocol network, and encapsulating the TCAP message in the SS7 protocol format for transmission to the public telephone network.

22. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for interacting with the IP network entity and the internet protocol network through a STIPP protocol stack in the IP protocol format.

23. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for performing address mapping and translation, such that the IP network entity can be addressed by a point code and subsystem number to the public telephone network and by an IP address and a port number to the internet protocol network.

24. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for performing extended global title translation, such that a destination node in the public telephone network is identified by at least one of a point code and a subsystem number of an application entity within the destination node, and such that a destination node in the internet protocol network is identified by an IP address and a port number.

25. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for performing protocol discrimination for the TCAP message received from the public telephone network, such that at least one of the TCAP standard and the upper layer messaging protocol associated with the TCAP message can be identified.

26. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing security functions to authenticate the IP network entity before TCAP messages are exchanged with the IP network entity.

27. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing CHAP security functions to authenticate the IP network entity before TCAP messages are exchanged with the IP network entity.

28. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing mediation functions to ensure that information is accessed and modified only by one of an authorized IP network entity and a public telephone network entity.

29. A computer program product for an IP network entity exchanging encapsulated TCAP messages in an IP protocol format with an internet protocol network such that TCAP messages can therethrough be exchanged with a public telephone network, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising;

computer instruction means for receiving a TCAP message encapsulated in the IP protocol format from the internet protocol network, wherein the TCAP message originated in the public telephone network;

computer instruction means for extracting the TCAP message and the associated addressing and routing information from the encapsulated TCAP message received; and

computer instruction means for processing the TCAP message originating in the public telephone network and received by the IP network entity.

30. The computer program product according to claim 29, wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises:

computer instruction means for encapsulating a TCAP message in the IP protocol format for the internet protocol network, wherein the TCAP message originated in the IP network entity; and

computer instruction means for transmitting the TCAP message through the internet protocol network to an SS7 network entity in the public telephone network.

31. The computer program product according to claim 30, further comprising STIP computer instruction means for encapsulating and decapsulating TCAP messages with the addressing and routing information in the IP protocol format exchanged with the internet protocol network.

32. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for interacting with the internet protocol network through a STIPP protocol stack in the IP protocol format.

33. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for analyzing the TCAP message received to determine whether data incorporated therein can be processed by the IP network entity and whether a data error message should be returned to the originating public telephone network.

34. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing security functions to authenticate the IP network entity before TCAP messages are exchanged with the IP network entity.

35. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing CHAP security functions to authenticate the IP network entity before TCAP messages are exchanged with the IP network entity.

36. The computer program product according to claim 31, wherein said STIP computer instruction means further comprises computer instruction means for providing functions of SCCP primitives, such that SCCP primitives can be provided to the TCAP software application in order to send and receive TCAP messages therewith.

37. A method for exchanging TCAP messages bet ween a public telephone network and an internet protocol network for providing services interworking, comprising the steps of:

receiving a TCAP message and associated addressing and routing information in an SS7 protocol format from the public telephone network;

extracting the TCAP message and associated addressing and routing information from the TCAP message received;

converting the associated addressing and routing information for an IP protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message in the IP protocol format with the converted addressing and routing information; and

transmitting the encapsulated TCAP message with the converted addressing and routing information to the internet protocol format network for delivery to an IP network entity therein.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an encapsulated TCAP message in the IP protocol format from the internet protocol network and extracting the TCAP message and associated addressing and routing information therefrom;

converting the associated addressing and routing information for the SS7 protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message into the SS7 protocol format with the converted addressing and routing information; and

transmitting the TCAP message with the converted addressing and routing information to the public telephone network for delivery to an SS7 network entity therein, after said transmitting step.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the converting and encapsulating for the IP protocol step comprises extracting the TCAP message from the SS7 protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message in a STIP protocol header in the IP protocol format, and wherein the converting and encapsulating for the SS7 protocol step comprises extracting the TCAP message from the STIP protocol header in the IP protocol format and encapsulating the TCAP message in the SS7 protocol format.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein both converting steps further comprise the step of performing at least one translation selected from the group consisting of an address translation and a global title translation on the respective TCAP message received.

41. A method for exchanging encapsulated TCAP messages with an internet protocol network such that TCAP messages can therethrough be exchanged with a public telephone network, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a TCAP message encapsulated in an IP protocol format from the internet protocol network, wherein the TCAP message originated in the public telephone network;

extracting the TCAP message and the associated addressing and routing information from the encapsulated TCAP message received; and

processing the TCAP message originating in the public telephone network and received by the IP network entity.

42. The method according to claim 41, further comprising the steps of:

encapsulating a TCAP message in the IP protocol format from the internet protocol network, wherein the TCAP message originated in the IP network entity; and

transmitting the TCAP message through the internet protocol network to an SS7 network entity in the public telephone network.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising the step of interacting with the internet protocol network through a STIPP protocol stack in the IP protocol format.