Tunnelling voice over the internet protocol in a cellular network

• US 6,751,207 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jau Young, Lee, William C. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US09/620,639
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356, 370/395.52, 370/400, 370/401, 370/403, 370/389, 370/392, 370/341, 370/349, 370/329, 370/354, 370/402, 455/432, 455/433, 455/455, 455/555, 455/556
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A method for tunneling voice over the Internet Protocol (IP) in a cellular network. A Mobile Identification Number (MIN) of a non-IP-enabled handset is mapped to the IP address of a component of a cellular network in communication with that handset. A sub-index is assigned to the handset by the component, wherein the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the component, so that a non-IP-enabled handset can be correctly identified within the cellular network.

Claims

1. A method for tunneling data over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, comprising:

(a) mapping a mobile identification number of a cellular transceiver in a cellular network to a dynamic pseudo-IP address, wherein the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of a component of the celluar network in communication with the cellular transceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular network; and

(b) facilitating communication between the cellular transceiver in the cellular network and another device on the IP network by tunneling the dynamic pseudo-IP address of the cellular transceiver to an IP address for the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular transceiver is not IP-enabled.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising re-mapping the mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver to another dynamic pseudo-IP address when the cellular transceiver is communicating with another component of the cellular network, wherein the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of the other component of the cellular network in communication with the cellular transceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the other component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the other component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapped mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver is stored in a table maintained by a gatekeeper.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the gatekeeper stores the IP address for the device in the table with the mapped mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating the table as required.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is effected by using an IP header, and the method further comprises storing the sub-index in the IP header.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein multiple sub-indexes are stored in the IP header, so that data associated with multiple cellular transceivers can be transferred using one IP header.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the sub-indexes stored in the IP header identify a corresponding data packet associated with the IP header.

10. A system for tunneling data over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, comprising:

(a) means for mapping a mobile identification number of a cellular transceiver in a cellular network to a dynamic pseudo-IP address, wherein the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of a component of the cellular network in communication with the cellular transceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular network; and

(b) means for facilitating communication between the cellular transceiver in the cellular network and another device on the IP network by tunneling the dynamic pseudo-IP address of the cellular transceiver to an IP address for the device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the cellular transceiver is not IP-enabled.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for re-mapping the mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver to another dynamic pseudo-IP address when the cellular transceiver is communication with another component of the cellular network, wherein the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of the other component of the cellular network in communication with the cellular tansceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the other component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the other component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the mapped mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver is stored in a table maintained by a gatekeeper.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the gatekeeper stores the IP address for the device in the table with the mapped mobile identification number of the cellular transceiver.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for updating the table as required.

16. The system of clam 10, wherein the communication is effected by using an IP header, and the method further comprises storing the sub-index in the IP header.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein multiple sub-indexes are stored in the IP header, so that data associated with multiple cellular transceivers can be transferred using one IP header.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the sub-indexes stored in the IP header identify a corresponding data packet associated with the IP header.

19. A system for communicating between cellular phones and Internet Protocol (IP) enabled devices, comprising:

a cellular communications system coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) network, wherein the cellular communications system transmits and receives communications to and from cellular transceivers, and the IP network transmits and receives communications to and from IP-enabled devices; and

a gatekeeper device, in communication with the cellular communications system, for facilitating communications between the cellular transceivers and the IP-enabled devices, wherein the gatekeeper device maps a mobile identification number (MIN) of the cellular transceiver to a dynamic pseudo-IP address, the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of a component of the cellular communications system in communication with the cellular transceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular communication system and communicate with the IP-enabled device in the IP network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the gatekeeper device re-maps the MIN of the cellular transceiver to another dynamic pseudo-IP address when the cellular transceiver is communicating with another component of the cellular communication systems, wherein the dynamic pseudo-IP address comprises an IP address of the other component of the cellular communications system in communication with the cellular transceiver and a sub-index assigned to the cellular transceiver by the other component, and the sub-index acts as an extension to the IP Address of the other component, so that the cellular transceiver can be identified within the cellular communication system and communicate with the IP-enabled device in the IP network.