Advanced voice communication feature transparency in a telecommunications network

• US 7,113,504 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Volftsun, Lev, Rednor, Fred R., West, Andrew, Neighbors, Clay H., Rabinovitch, Mikhail, Kingston, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US10/662,019
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-358, 370/373, 370/384, 370/386, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/395.2, 370/395.5
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

An auxiliary communication network is introduced into a virtual private network for passing signaling messages that present features not supported by the public, primary communication network portion of the virtual private network. Protocol converters are positioned within the virtual private network to intercept signaling messages, establish a connection through the auxiliary network, determine whether the intercepted messages present unsupported features, and, in which case, route corresponding feature requested through the auxiliary communication network. Preferably, the auxiliary network connection is established in a direction reverse to and in response to the primary network connection.

Claims

1. In a virtual private network that provides voice and data communications, the virtual private network including a first private network and a second private network connected by a first communication network that supports voice communications and does not support at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, a method of providing the advanced voice communication feature for a call from the first private network to the second private network, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network that supports the advanced voice communication feature;

determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature;

converting the signaling message in a first protocol to a second signaling message in a second protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature;

transmitting the second signaling message between the first private network and the second private network through the auxiliary communication network;

prior to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network, establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network; and

wherein the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network is established from the second private network in response to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary communication network supports voice communications and data communications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication network comprises a public switched telephone network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication network supports data communications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network includes establishing the connection in response to determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

intercepting, from the first private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the first private network is the private network from which the call originates.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

intercepting, from the second private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the second private network is the private network at which the call terminates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the advanced voice communication feature is a custom calling feature from a group consisting of call-waiting, call-forwarding, and three-way-calling.

9. An apparatus that interconnects a first private network to a second private network through a first communication network that supports voice communications and does not support at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, and that interconnects the first private network to the second private network through a second communication network that supports voice communications and data communications and supports the at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, the apparatus comprising:

a first communications interface coupled between the first private network and the first communication network so as to communicate information therebetween;

a second communications interface coupled between the first private network and the second network so as to communicate messages in a protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature wherein the second communications interface couples the first and the second private networks through the second communication network that supports the advanced voice communication feature;

a processor coupled to the first communications interface and the second communications interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network;

determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature;

converting the signaling message in a first protocol to a second signaling message in the protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature; and

transmitting the second signaling message between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network wherein the establishing a connection between the first and second private networks through the second communication network is performed with the second communications interface in response to the determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature and upon initiating, with the first communications interface, a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first communication network comprises a public telephone network.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first communication network supports data communications.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the step of establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network includes establishing the connection in response to determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the step of:

intercepting, from the first private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the first private network is the private network from which the call originates.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the step of:

intercepting, from the second private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the second private network is the private network at which the call terminates.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the advanced voice communication feature is a custom calling feature from a group consisting of call-waiting, call-forwarding, and three-way-calling.

16. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for providing an advanced voice communication feature for a call from a first private network to a second private network that is interconnected to the first private network through a first communication network that supports voice communications and does not support at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network and that is interconnected to the first private network through a second communication network that supports voice communications and data communications and supports the at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network;

determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature;

converting the signaling message in a first protocol to a second signaling message in a protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature; and

transmitting the second signaling message between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network;

prior to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network, establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network; and

wherein the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network is established from the second private network in response to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network.

17. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the first communication network comprises a public telephone network.

18. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the first communication network supports data communications.

19. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the step of establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network includes establishing the connection in response to determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature.

20. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

intercepting, from the first private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the first private network is the private network from which the call originates.

21. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

intercepting, from the second private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the second private network is the private network at which the call terminates.

22. The computer-readable of claim 16, wherein the advanced voice communication feature is a custom calling feature from a group consisting of call-waiting, call-forwarding, and three-way-calling.

23. An apparatus that interconnects a first private network to a second private network through a first communication network supports voice communications and does not support at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, and that interconnects the first private network to the second private network through a second communication network that supports voice communications and data communications and supports the at least one advanced voice communication feature that is supported by the first private network and the second private network, the apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network;

means for determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature;

means for converting the signaling message in a first protocol to a second signaling message in a protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature;

means for transmitting the second signaling message between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network wherein the establishing means function in response to the function of the determining means and upon initiating a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network includes means for establishing the connection in response to determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for intercepting, from the first private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the first private network is the private network from which the call originates.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for intercepting, from the second private network, the signaling message that invokes the advanced voice communication feature, wherein the second private network is the private network at which the call terminates.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the advanced voice communication feature is a custom calling feature from a group consisting of call-waiting, call-forwarding, and three-way-calling.

24. A system comprising:

a first private network that supports an advanced voice communication feature;

a first protocol converter coupled to the first private network;

a first communication network coupled to the first protocol converter and employing a protocol that is not supports the advanced voice communication feature;

a second protocol converter coupled to the first communication network;

a second private network that supports the advanced voice communication feature and supports data communications and that is coupled to the second protocol converter; and

a second communication network that supports the advanced voice communication feature and that is coupled to the first protocol converter and the second protocol converter, the second communication network for transmitting a converted signaling message, between the first protocol converter and the second protocol converter, in a protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature;

wherein the first protocol converter comprises a first communications interface coupled between the first private network and the first communication network so as to communicate information therebetween;

a second communications interface coupled between the first private network and the second network so as to communicate message in a protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advanced voice communication feature;

a processor coupled to the first communications interface and the second communication interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the second communication network;

determining that a signaling message from the first private network invokes the advanced voice communication feature;

converting the signaling message in a first protocol to a second signaling message in the protocol for handling messages that pass enough information to implement the advance voice communication feature;

transmitting the second signaling message between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network;

prior to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network, establishing a connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network; and

wherein the connection between the first private network and the second private network through an auxiliary communication network is established from the second private network in response to establishing the connection between the first private network and the second private network through the first communication network.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first communication network comprises a public telephone network.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the first communication network supports data communications.