Methods and systems for providing message translation, accounting and routing service in a multi-protocol communications network environment
DCFirst Claim
1. A network routing element capable of receiving, from a first communication network, a first message formatted according to a first transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted according to a first signaling protocol, and subsequently generating a second message formatted according to a second transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted in a second signaling protocol and transmitting the second message to a second communication network, the network element comprising:
- a) a first communication module capable of receiving, from the first communication network, a first message formatted according to the first transport protocol suite and containing information that is formatted according to the first signaling protocol;
b) a second communication module capable of transmitting, to the second communication network, a second message formatted according to the second transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted according to the second signaling protocol;
c) a Multi-protocol Routing Database (MRD) for storing protocol translation and routing information;
d) a multi-protocol routing process for extracting information from the MRD and subsequently directing the first message to a translation process based on the information; and
e) a transport protocol suite process for receiving the second message from the multi-protocol routing process based on the first message and for applying the second transport protocol suite and associated routing instructions to the second message.
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Abstract
A network element that is capable facilitating the routing and accounting of messages between a plurality of network elements that do not share a common signaling application protocol nor a common transport protocol suite. In one embodiment of the present invention, a Multi-Protocol Gateway (MPG) is adapted to receive a signaling message and subsequently translate both the signaling and transport protocol suite prior to message routing. The MPG node is also configured to create and maintain usage and measurements data that may subsequently be used to produce billing records.
220 Citations
61 Claims
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1. A network routing element capable of receiving, from a first communication network, a first message formatted according to a first transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted according to a first signaling protocol, and subsequently generating a second message formatted according to a second transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted in a second signaling protocol and transmitting the second message to a second communication network, the network element comprising:
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a) a first communication module capable of receiving, from the first communication network, a first message formatted according to the first transport protocol suite and containing information that is formatted according to the first signaling protocol; b) a second communication module capable of transmitting, to the second communication network, a second message formatted according to the second transport protocol suite containing information that is formatted according to the second signaling protocol; c) a Multi-protocol Routing Database (MRD) for storing protocol translation and routing information; d) a multi-protocol routing process for extracting information from the MRD and subsequently directing the first message to a translation process based on the information; and e) a transport protocol suite process for receiving the second message from the multi-protocol routing process based on the first message and for applying the second transport protocol suite and associated routing instructions to the second message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for routing signaling messages between networks with differing signaling protocols and differing transport protocol suites, the method comprising:
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a) receiving, from a first communications network that employs a first transport protocol suite, a first message formatted according to a first signaling protocol; b) determining where to route the first message; c) determining whether the first message requires a signaling protocol translation; d) in response to determining that the first message requires a signaling protocol translation, directing the first message to a signaling protocol translation process for translation into an equivalent second message that is formatted in a second signaling protocol; e) applying a second transport protocol suite to the second message; and f) transmitting the second message into a second communication network. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:
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a) receiving a first message formatted according to a first transport protocol suite and containing information formatted according to a first signaling protocol; b) performing a lookup in a multiprotocol routing database to determine protocol translation instructions for the first message; c) directing the first message to a translation process for generating a second message formatted according to second signaling protocol based on results from the lookup in the multiprotocol routing database; d) applying a second transport protocol suite to the second message; and e) transmitting the second message over a second network. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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Specification