Simplified IP service control

• US 6,775,273 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Jesse Eugene, Kung, Fen-Chung, Wang, Spencer, Walker, Hopeton
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/475,667
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352-356, 370/392, 370/230, 370/235, 370/400, 370/401, 370/431, 370/463, 370/467, 370/469, 370/465, 340/88.17, 340/219, 340/220.01, 379/258, 709/218, 709/238, 709/245, 725/111, 725/117
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• 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 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

The present invention includes a number of systems and techniques for service control for a broadband communications system that includes voice, data and multimedia audio and video communication. One variation of the present invention includes service control based on multiple relationships between equipment specific unique media access control (MAC) addresses, system addresses and directory numbers to enable the properly route traffic between the broadband communication system and legacy telephone systems. In this case, one server, for example a dynamic host control protocof (DHCP) server is used to assign system addresses to equipment unique MAC addresses and another server, for example a call manager (CM) server is used to assign directory numbers to the system addresses. Another variation of the present invention includes service control based on multiple relationships between equipment specific unique media access control (MAC) addresses and directory numbers (DNs) to enable the properly route traffic between the broadband communication system and legacy telephone systems. In this case the DHCP server is not needed to assign system addresses to MAC addresses.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communications in an integrated broadband communication system, comprising the steps of:

assigning a directory number to a device which has a media access control name in the broadband communication system by having a direct relationship to said media access control name,

routing packetized information traffic using said media access control name as a destination address; and

receiving a call from a legacy telephone system placing voice information in a packet using said media access control name as a destination address.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing said directory number and said media access control name in a relational database in a memory.

3. A system providing service control in an integrated broadband communication system, including:

an intelligent transceiver located at a system subscriber'"'"'s premises and broadcasting one or more media access control addresses; and

a server assigning a directory number to said intelligent transceiver which directly relates to said one or more media access control addresses.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said server is a call manager.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said intelligent transceiver is a broadband residential gateway including a telephone port.