Full PBX telephony feature preservation across a voice over packet network

• US 7,082,119 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tamsil, Yosef Rizal
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shand, Roberta A.
• Application Number:
  US09/606,788
• Time in Patent Office: 2,218 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370353-355, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/465, 370/466
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A method for providing supplementary services in a packet voice network. The method includes the steps of receiving a list of information elements from a sending station and then inserting the list into a call control message. The message is inserted in such a manner as to ensure that any supplementary services information included in the information elements is preserved. In addition locally significant messages are included in a globally significant message so any supplementary services information in the locally significant messages is preserved. After the supplementary services information is preserved, the messages are sent to a receiving station. A network device operable to provide this functionality is also discussed.

Claims

1. A method for providing supplementary services in a packet voice network, the method comprising:

receiving a list of information elements from a sending station in a private branch exchange network;

inserting the list into a call control message such that any supplementary services information included in the information elements is preserved, wherein supplementary services are services that rely upon the presence of another service to operate;

mapping a locally significant message into a globally significant message in a private branch exchange network wherein any supplementary services information in the locally significant messages is preserved, wherein a locally significant message is a message that is otherwise not transmitted to other stations on a network; and

sending the call control message and the globally significant message to a receiving station in the private branch exchange network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of information elements are received as a Q.931 message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the inserting the list further comprises appending the information elements to a call control message for a voice over packet network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the inserting the list further comprises mapping the information elements into the user information element of an H.225 message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet voice network further comprises one of the group comprising:

Voice over FR, Voice over IP and Voice over ATM.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the locally significant message further comprises a RELEASE message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the locally significant message further comprises a RELEASE COMPLETE message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the globally significant message further comprises a DISCONNECT message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the globally significant message further comprises a FACILITY message.

10. A network device for providing supplementary services in a packet voice network, comprising:

a first communication device operable to communicate with a sending node;

a second communication device operable to communicate with a receiving node; and

a tandem node operable to transfer supplementary services information from the first communication device to the second communication device such that the supplementary services information is transferred to the receiving node after the sending node sends a disconnect message thereby providing private branch exchange services, wherein the supplementary services information is acquired from a locally significant message not otherwise transmitted past the first communication device and mapped into a globally significant message.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second communication devices further comprise routers.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second communication devices are part of one router.

13. A computer readable medium containing software code, said code including:

code operable to receiving supplementary services information from a sending station in a private branch exchange network, wherein supplementary services are services that rely upon the presence of another service to operate;

code operable to insert the supplementary services information into a call control message;

code operable to map a locally significant message into a globally significant message, wherein a locally significant message is a message that is otherwise not transmitted to other stations on the network; and

code operable to send the call control message and the globally significant message to a receiving station in a private branch exchange network.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the software code is a downloadable file distributed across a network.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the software code is a computer file transferred from a directly connected computing device.

16. A network device operable to provide supplementary services information, comprising:

a first means for communicating with a sending node;

a second means for communication with a receiving node; and

means for mapping a locally significant message to a globally significant message from the first means to the second means such that private branch exchange services are transferred, wherein the locally significant message is a message not otherwise transmitted past the first means.

17. A network device operable to provide supplementary services information, comprising:

a first communication device operable to communicate with a sending node;

a second communication device operable to communication with a receiving node; and

the first communication device is operable to map supplementary to services information from a locally significant message otherwise not transmitted base the first communication device directly to the second communication device into a globally significant message such that the supplementary services information is transferred to the receiving node after the sending node sends a disconnect message thereby providing private branch exchange services.