System and method for a virtual telephony intermediary

• US 7,006,494 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bell, Robert T., Tighe, James R., Higgins, Ronald D., Platt, Richard B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Steven
• Application Number:
  US09/477,297
• Time in Patent Office: 2,247 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/356, 370/389, 370/401, 379/80
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A virtual telephony intermediary is provided that includes a first logical port associated with a first telephony device and a second logical port associated with a second telephony device. The virtual telephony intermediary also includes a data manipulation module that manipulates telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet received from the first telephony device at the second logical port. The virtual telephony intermediary further includes a transmission module operable to communicate the manipulated telecommunication data to the second telephony device.

Claims

1. A method for providing a virtual telephony intermediary between a first telephony device and a second telephony device, comprising:

associating a first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary with the first telephony device;

associating a second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary with the second telephony device;

receiving telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet sent from a first telephony device at the second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary;

manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device;

modifying source address information associated with telecommunication data received at the second logical port from the first telephony device to specify the first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary; and

communicating the manipulated telecommunication data with the modified source address information to the second telephony device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying source address information in the telecommunication data comprises modifying a source IP address and port information in a header of an Internet Protocol (IP) packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the first and second logical ports of the virtual telephony intermediary with the first and second telephony devices comprises associating a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) logical port with each telephony device to enable the streaming of IP packets to each telephony device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises duplicating the telecommunication data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises converting the telecommunication data from a first data format compatible with the first telephony device to a second data format compatible with the second telephony device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises replacing the telecommunication data with substitute telecommunication data.

7. A virtual telephony intermediary, comprising:

a first logical port associated with a first telephony device;

a second logical port associated with a second telephony device;

a data manipulation module operable to manipulate telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet received from the first telephony device at the second logical port;

a transmission module operable to communicate the manipulated telecommunication data to the second telephony device; and

an address translation module operable to modify source address information associated with the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device to specify the first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary.

8. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 7, wherein the first and second logical ports are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) logical ports.

9. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 7, wherein the address translation module is further operable to modify a source IP address and port information in a header of an IP packet.

10. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 7, wherein the data manipulation module is operable to duplicate the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device.

11. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 7, wherein the data manipulation module is operable to convert the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device from a first data format compatible with the first telephony device to a second data format compatible with the second telephony device.

12. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 11, wherein the first and second data formats are audio encoding formats.

13. The virtual telephony intermediary of claim 7, wherein the data manipulation module is operable to replace the telecommunication data with substitute telecommunication data.

14. A communication network, comprising:

a first telephony device;

a second telephony device; and

a virtual telephony intermediary logically inserted between the first and second telephony devices, the virtual telephony intermediary including;

a first logical port associated with the first telephony device;

a second logical port associated with the second telephony device;

a data manipulation module operable to manipulate telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet received from the first telephony device at the second logical port;

a transmission module operable to communicate the manipulated telecommunication data to the second telephony device; and

an address modification module operable to modify source address information in the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device to specify the first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary.

15. The communication network of claim 14, further comprising a call manager operable to:

generate the virtual telephony intermediary; and

establish a communication link between the first telephony device and the second telephony device using the virtual telephony intermediary.

16. The communication network of claim 14, wherein the data manipulation module of the virtual telephony intermediary is operable to duplicate the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device.

17. The communication network of claim 14, wherein the data manipulation module of the virtual telephony intermediary is operable to convert the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device from a first data format compatible with the first telephony device to a second data format compatible with the second telephony device.

18. The communication network of claim 17, wherein the first and second data formats are audio encoding formats.

19. The communication network of claim 14, wherein the data manipulation module of the virtual telephony intermediary is operable to replace the telecommunication data with substitute telecommunication data.

20. Virtual telephony intermediary software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to perform the following steps:

associating a first logical port of a virtual telephony intermediary with a first telephony device;

associating a second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary with a second telephony device;

receiving telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet sent from the first telephony device at the second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary;

manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device;

modifying source address information associated with telecommunication data received at the second logical port from the first telephony device to specify the first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary; and

communicating the manipulated telecommunication data with the modified source address information to the second telephony device.

21. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 20, wherein modifying source address information in the telecommunication data comprises modifying a source IP address and port information in a header of an Internet Protocol (IP) packet.

22. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 20, wherein associating the first and second logical ports of the virtual telephony intermediary with the first and second telephony devices comprises associating a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) logical port with each telephony device to enable the streaming of IP packets to each telephony device.

23. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 20, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises duplicating the telecommunication data.

24. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 20, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises converting the telecommunication data from a first data format compatible with the first telephony device to a second data format compatible with the second telephony device.

25. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 24, wherein the first and second data formats are audio encoding formats.

26. The virtual telephony intermediary software of claim 20, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device comprises replacing the telecommunication data with substitute telecommunication data.

27. A method for providing a virtual telephony intermediary between a first telephony device and a second telephony device, comprising:

associating a first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary with the first telephony device;

associating a second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary with the second telephony device;

receiving telecommunication data in a payload section of a packet sent from a first telephony device at the second logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary;

manipulating the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device, wherein manipulating the telecommunication data comprises at least one of;

(i) converting the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device from a first audio encoding format compatible with the first telephony device to a second audio encoding format compatible with the second telephony device,

(ii) converting the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device from a first data compression format compatible with the first telephony device to a second data compression format compatible with the second telephony device, or

(iii) converting the telecommunication data received from the first telephony device from a first signaling protocol compatible with the first telephony device to a second signaling protocol compatible with the second telephony device;

modifying source address information associated with telecommunication data received at the second logical port from the first telephony device to specify the first logical port of the virtual telephony intermediary; and

communicating the manipulated telecommunication data with the modified source address information to the second telephony device.