Telecommunication resource allocation system and method

• US 6,904,139 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: T-Netix, Inc. (Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.)
• Inventors: Hogg, Jr., John S., Brown, Barry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US10/421,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20030194073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 379/201.01, 379/201.05, 379/201.12, 379/207.02, 379/220.01, 379/229, 379/230, 379/242, 379/268, 379/269, 718/104
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0018 Computer Telephony Resource Boards
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13144 Searching path through number of switching stages or nodes, e.g. revertive blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54516 Initialization, software or data downloading G06F9/445 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

A telecommunication system includes telecommunication resources, points, and a connection manager. The connection manager is configured to establish connections between the telecommunications resources and the points in response to a request from an application. The connection manager uses routing tables to select the most efficient route from the available routes between a telecommunications resource and a point. The routing tables establish the connection by sending a request to allocate a telecommunications resource to a session manager.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system, a connection manager for establishing connections between a plurality of telecommunications resources and a plurality of points in the telecommunications system, the connection manager comprising:

a mapping table for identifying a plurality of routes between the plurality of telecommunications resources and the plurality of points;

a plurality of routing tables for, in response to a request route signal from an application, determining a one or more routes from the plurality of routes between a first telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources and a point from the plurality of points; and

an application response unit for notifying the application that a connection between the first telecommunication resource and the point has been established.

2. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routing tables includes a primary routing table for determining a most efficient route from the one or more routes.

3. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routing tables includes a re-route table for re-routing an existing connection to accommodate a new connection.

4. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the application response unit further comprises notifying the application with a verification signal in response to successfully establishing a connection, and notifying the application with an unable to verify signal in response to an unsuccessful attempt to establish a connection.

5. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunications resource is disposed on a first mezzanine bus and a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources is disposed on a second mezzanine bus.

6. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of telecommunications resources includes a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources on an external telecommunications resource system.

7. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the point is one from a group consisting of a standard telephony equipment, a public switched telephone network, and a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources.

8. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunications resource is a line card.

9. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routes includes a data path and a voice path.

10. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routing tables includes a connection mapping table for storing established connections between the plurality of telecommunications resources, and the plurality of routing tables further comprises accessing the connection mapping table in determining the one or more routes.

11. The connection manager of claim 1, wherein the plurality of routing tables further comprises establishing the connection between the first telecommunications resource and the first point on one of the one or more routes.

12. The connection manager of claim 11, wherein the plurality of routing tables establishes the connection by sending an allocation request to a session manager for allocating and deallocating the plurality of telecommunications resources.

13. The connection manager of claim 12, wherein the plurality of routing tables further comprises terminating a connection by sending a deallocation request to the session manager.

14. In a telecommunications system, a method for establishing connections between a plurality of telecommunications resources and a plurality of points in the telecommunications system, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of routes between the plurality of telecommunications resources and the plurality of points;

in response to receiving a request signal from an application, determining a one or more routes from the plurality of routes between a first telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources and a point from the plurality of points; and

notifying the application that a connection between the first telecommunication resource and the point has been established.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the one or more routes includes determining a most efficient route from the one or more routes.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the one or more routes includes re-routing an existing connection to accommodate a new connection.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the notifying the application further comprises verifying the connection in response to a successfully established connection, and notifying the application of an unsuccessful attempt in response to an inability to establish a connection.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first telecommunications resource is disposed on a first mezzanine bus and a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources is disposed on a second mezzanine bus.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of telecommunications resources includes a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources on an external telecommunications resource system.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the point is one from a group consisting of a standard telephony equipment, a public switched telephone network, and a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the first telecommunications resource is a line card.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of routes includes a data path and a voice path.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the one or more routes includes storing established connections between the plurality of telecommunications resources, and accessing the established connections in determining the one or more routes.

24. The connection manager of claim 14, wherein the determining the one or more routes further comprises establishing the connection between the first telecommunications resource and the first point on one of the one or more routes.

25. The connection manager of claim 14, further comprising establishing the connection by sending an allocation request, and allocating the telecommunications resource from a pool of available telecommunications resources in response to the allocation request.

26. The connection manager of claim 25, wherein the determining the one or more routes further comprises terminating a connection by sending a deallocation request and deallocating the telecommunications resource to a pool of available telecommunications resources in response to the deallocation request.

27. In a telecommunications system, an apparatus for establishing connections between a plurality of telecommunications resources and a plurality of points in the telecommunications system, the apparatus comprising:

mapping means for identifying a plurality of routes between the plurality of telecommunications resources and the plurality of points;

routing means for, in response to a request route signal from an application, determining a one or more routes from the plurality of routes between a first telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources and a point from the plurality of points; and

application response means for notifying the application that a connection between the first telecommunication resource and the point has been established.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the routing means includes a primary routing means for determining a most efficient route from the one or more routes.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the routing means includes a re-routing means for re-routing an existing connection to accommodate a new connection.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the routing means is a plurality of routing tables.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first telecommunications resource is disposed on a first mezzanine bus and a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources is disposed on a second mezzanine bus.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of telecommunications resources includes a second telecommunications resource from the plurality of telecommunications resources on an external telecommunications resource system.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the mapping means is a mapping table.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the application response means is an application response unit.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the routing means establishes the connection by sending an allocation request to a session means for allocating and deallocating the plurality of telecommunications resources.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the routing means further comprises terminating a connection by sending a deallocation request to the session means, wherein the session means is a session manager.