Method and apparatus for dynamic allocation of conferencing resources in a telecommunications system

• US 7,035,229 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2000
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Squires, Robert H., Lynch, John T., Weller, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/544,735
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370261-266, 370/437, 370/432, 370/348, 370/442, 370/400, 370352-356, 370/424, 379/202.01, 379/157, 379/158, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamic allocation of conferencing resources in a telecommunications system is provided. The method and apparatus provide for dynamic allocation of conferencing resources in two forms, first a predefined order of allocation of time slots for use in conferencing is described. This predefined order of allocation minimizes the risk that a conference will be interrupted if additional line cards are added to the system while the conference is in progress. The second form of dynamic allocation of resources involves locating and selecting the digital signal processing (DSP) resources to perform the conferencing function. For this allocation, the conference type is first identified. The conference will be determined to be a static, dynamic or critical conference by the CPU/Matrix card. Based upon this determination, the DSP circuit with the appropriate resources for that conference type is selected. For example, if the conference is determined to be dynamic, i.e., it is likely to change in size, then a DSP with additional available channels will preferably be selected. If a conference is critical, then the same type of DSP is selected, but further conferences are blocked from being added to that DSP. A static conference will be allocated to a DSP on a best-fit basis.

Claims

1. A method of providing conferencing resources in an expandable telecommunications system having a plurality of nodes, and a host coupled to at least one node of the plurality of nodes for controlling the system in which conferencing resources are utilized by one or more of said plurality of nodes that are participating in a conference, the method including the steps of:

(A) providing the plurality of nodes with means for connecting and disconnecting communications paths between a plurality of ports having digital network/line interfaces that couple the plurality of nodes with a PSTN and private network, said plurality of nodes including switching nodes that can switch communications to any port connected to the system, and at least two of said switching nodes being conferencing nodes, said conferencing nodes including individual digital signal processing (DSP) circuits programmed to perform a conference between three or more participants who are callers connected at any port in the system, and said switching nodes having switching buses on which each node of said plurality of nodes is assigned time slots for transmitting and receiving data and control information and said switching nodes being connected in communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network;

(B) defining a requested conference as being of one of a dynamic conference type, a critical conference type and a static conference type, including determining conference type by employing statistical analysis and/or historical data about past system conference behavior in said statistical analysis to predict conference type;

(C) identifying a DSP circuit within a conferencing node that has available resources for performing a conferencing function for a conference of that type as requested in the system; and

(D) after said DSP circuit within a conferencing node that has available resources has been identified, determining whether the conferencing node in which said identified DSP circuit is located has sufficient available time slots on its switching bus to manage the data to and from all of the participants in the requested conference.

2. The method of providing conferencing resources as defined in claim 1, including the further step of employing user-defined parameters to determine conference type.

3. The method of providing conferencing resources as defined in claim 1, including the further step of using historical information about an average conference generally handled by a particular system and handled at a particular port to predict conference type.

4. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 1, including the further step of defining as said dynamic conference a conference that is likely to change in size based upon predetermined criteria.

5. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 4, including the further step of assigning a DSP circuit within a conferencing node having the maximum available capacity for a conference which has been identified as a dynamic conference.

6. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 5, including the further step of selecting for a dynamic conference a DSP circuit within a conferencing node in the system having as many channels as possible such that a conference can grow as large as possible and that channels remain available for participants who join the conference while in progress.

7. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 1 including the further step of defining as said critical conference a conference that requires the maximum opportunity for growth in the system.

8. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 7 including the further step of selecting, for establishing a critical conference, a DSP circuit within a conferencing node with the maximum available capacity and instructing said DSP circuit with said maximum available capacity to reserve these conference resources and to establish the critical conference, and further instructing the said DSP circuit to block other conferences from being assigned to that DSP circuit such that capacity remains available for that critical conference, for the life of that critical conference.

9. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 8 including the further step of revealing blocked channels for use by the DSP circuit within the conferencing node with the maximum available capacity, after the critical conference is finished.

10. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 1, including the further step of defining as said static conference a conference in which the number of participants will remain substantially constant.

11. The method of providing conferencing services as defined in claim 10, including the further step of assigning a static conference to a DSP circuit within a conferencing node on a “

best fit”

basis.

12. A method of providing conferencing resources in an expandable telecommunications system having a plurality of nodes, and a host coupled to at least one node of a plurality of nodes for controlling the system in which conferencing resources are utilized by one or more nodes of said plurality of nodes that are participating in a conference, the method including the steps of:

(A) providing said telecommunications system with a line-to-switch (LSD) data bus comprised of multiple individual bus conductors, each bus conductor carrying time slots coming into a node of said plurality of nodes from line cards, including T1 line cards, and said system further including a switch-to-line (SLD) data bus comprised of multiple individual bus conductors that carry time slots of PCM-encoded data from a nodal switch in the node back out to a destination line card;

(B) defining a requested conference as being of one of a dynamic conference type, a critical conference type and a static conference type;

(C) identifying a DSP circuit within a conferencing node that has available resources for performing a conferencing function for a conference of the type requested; and

(D) identifying a zone of time slots having the lowest order of allocation such that it is least likely to be taken when a new T1 card is inserted into the system during operation, and assigning a conferencing node to use these lowest orders of allocation time slots for a requested conference.

13. The method of providing conferencing resources as defined in claim 12, including the step of:

(a) allocating zones of time slots in such a manner that 192 time slots of a T1 span are divided into the following segments;

time slots 0–

191 are in the regular T1 channel;

time slots 192–

215 are the lower dead zone;

time slots 216–

223 are in the lower small dead zone;

time slots 224–

247 are in the upper large dead zone; and

time slots 248–

255 are in the upper small dead zone; and

(b) assigning time slots in the lower and upper small dead zones of the individual bus conductors to conferences.

14. An expandable telecommunications system having means for conferencing three or more participants interfaced with the system, the system comprising:

(A) a plurality of nodes for performing telecommunications switching, each node of said plurality of nodes including means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths with respect to various ones of a plurality of ports, means for time switching information to or from said plurality of ports, means for coupling each node of the plurality of nodes with a PSTN and private networks via digital network/line interfaces, said plurality of nodes including switching nodes that can switch communications to any port connected to the system via said PSTN and private networks, and means for transmitting and receiving information in packetized form, and means connected in communicating relationships including a bus for carrying data to and from said ports;

(B) a host connected in communicating relationship with at least one of said switching nodes, said host controlling predetermined operations of the system;

(C) means in said switching nodes for generating and sending a message requesting establishment of a conference call for at least three conferees connected to one or more of said plurality of nodes;

(D) means for interconnecting said switching nodes in communicating relationships and operable in conjunction with said transmitting and receiving means to transfer said packetized information such that information which originates from any port in the switching nodes is substantially continuously communicable to any node interfaced with said interconnecting means;

(E) at least one conferencing node for providing conferencing services, said at least one conferencing node interfaced with said interconnecting means and including individual DSP circuits, said conferencing node also having means for switching communications, including conferenced output to any other port interfaced with the system from the PSTN and private networks; and

(F) means for allocating conferencing resources including;

1. means for determining whether a DSP circuit in a conferencing node has available conferencing resources to perform a requested conference; and

2. means for determining whether a conferencing node has sufficient available time slots on its switching buses to manage the data to and from the conferences or a particular requested conference

(G) a DSP card in said conferencing node, including;

1. a DSP module which contains a plurality of DSP circuits; and

2. a CPU including means for receiving messages about conferences to be established, and means for routing voice information to a DSP chip identified for a particular conference; and

(H) line-to-switch (LSD) data bus interfaced with line cards which connect ports in the system, and which carries a PCM-encoded voice information from the line cards to said DSP cards.

15. The expandable telecommunications system as defined in claim 14 wherein said voice information for paid conference arrives at a port coupled with one or more of the following:

a. a landline telephone;

b. the PSTN;

c. a private network;

d. a wireless network; and

e. the Internet.