Processing device network

• US 7,197,030 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2001
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Witchalls, Stewart R
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan; Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/905,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20010048678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 370/389, 370/392, 379/88.21, 379/157, 379/413.02, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• 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 network of processing devices is arranged to communicate by packets having an addressing header and a data portion. Within the network, audio telephony is implemented. A signaling packet is sent from a source processing device to a central location identifying a destination processing device. A signaling packet is sent from the central processing location to the destination processing device identifying the source processing device. A packet is supplied from the central location to the sourcing processing device identifying an address for the destination processing device, whereafter packets containing digitized audio signals are transmitted over said network directly between the source processing device and the destination processing device.

Claims

1. In a network of processing devices arranged to communicate over an addressed packet-based data communication medium by using packetized messages having an addressing header and a data portion, a method of implementing an addressed point-to-point packet-based call, said method comprising:

registering at a central location respective information defining telephony service specifications and current busy/free status for the processing devices;

making a new call attempt from a source processing device to a destination processing device by sending a signalling message from that source processing device to the central location identifying that destination processing device;

determining from the registered information for that source processing device and for that destination processing device the further processing of that new call attempt; and

, provided that the service for that source processing device is compatible with the service for that destination processing device and that the current busy/free status of that destination processing device is free,

sending a signalling message from said central location to one of the source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of the source and destination processing devices; and

thereafter conducting an addressed point-to-point packet-based call directly between the source and destination processing devices using the address communicated from the central location; and

at the location, updating the registered information in response to receipt of status signaling messages from the processing devices indicating change in busy/free status.

2. A method as in claim 1, including sending a signalling packet from the central location to that destination processing device identifying that source processing device.

3. In a network of processing devices arranged to communicate over an addressed packet-based data communication medium by using packets having an addressing header and a data portion, a method of implementing an addressed point-to-point packet-based call, said method comprising:

storing at a central location respective information defining transmission data rate capabilities and current call status for the processing devices;

making a new call attempt from a source processing device to a destination processing device by sending a signalling packet from that source processing device to the central location identifying that destination processing device and requesting a particular transmission data rate for that new call attempt;

determining from the requested transmission data rate and the stored information for that source processing device and for that destination processing device the further processing of that new call attempt; and

, provided that the requested transmission data rate is not greater than the transmission data rate capability of that destination processing device and that the current call status of that destination processing device permits that new call attempt,

sending a signalling packet from said central location to one of said source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of said source and destination processing devices; and

thereafter conducting an addressed point-to-point packet-based call directly between said source and destination processing devices using the address communicated from the central location.

4. A method as in claim 3, including sending a signalling packet from the central location to that destination processing device identifying that source processing device.

5. In a network of processing devices arranged to communicate over an addressed packet-based data communication medium by using packets having an addressing header and a data portion, a method of implementing an addressed point-to-point packet-based call, said method comprising:

storing at a central location respective information defining transmission data rate capabilities and current call status of the processing devices;

making a new call attempt from a source processing device to a destination processing device by sending a signalling packet from that source processing device to the central location identifying that destination processing device;

determining from the stored information for that source processing device and for that destination processing device the further processing of that new call attempt; and

, provided that the transmission data rate capability of that source processing device is not greater than the transmission data rate capability of that destination processing device and that the current call status of that destination processing device permits that new call attempt,

sending a signalling packet from said central location to one of said source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of said source and destination processing devices; and

thereafter conducting an addressed point-to-point packet-based call directly between said source and destination processing devices using the address communicated from the central location.

6. A method as in claim 5, including sending a signalling packet from the central location to that destination processing device identifying that source processing device.

7. A central switching processor networked to a plurality of user processing devices, the processing devices being capable of sending and receiving packetized messages having an addressing header and a data portion over an addressed packet-based data communication medium directly between themselves, said central switching processor comprising:

means for registering for the processing devices respective information defining service specifications and current busy/idle status and for updating the registered status information in accordance with status signaling messages received from the processing devices as they change status from time to time;

means for registering for the processing devices respective information defining service specification and current busy/idle status and for updating the registered status information in accordance with status signaling messages received from a source processing device identifying a destination processing device for attempting a new call with that destination processing device;

means for determining registered service specification defining, providing that the status of the destination processing device is idle, from the information for the source processing device and for the destination processing device the further processing of the call attempt; and

sending means responsive to a favourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling message via the communication medium to one of said source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of said source and destination processing devices.

8. A central switching processor as in claim 7, wherein said sending means is further responsive to said favourable outcome for sending a signalling packet to that destination processing device identifying that source processing device.

9. A central switching processor as in claim 7, wherein the determining means is arranged to determine whether the service for the source processing device is compatible with the service for the destination processing device;

and

said sending means is responsive to an unfavourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling packet to the source processing device rejecting the new call attempt.

10. A central switching processor networked to a plurality of user processing devices arranged to communicate over an addressed packet-based data communication medium, said central switching processor comprising:

means for storing respective transmission data rate capabilities and current telephony status for the processing devices;

means for receiving a signalling packet from a source processing device identifying a destination processing device for attempting a new call with that destination processing device and requesting a particular transmission data rate for the new telephony call;

means for determining whether the requested transmission data rate is greater than the transmission data rate capability of the destination processing device; and

sending means responsive to a favourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling packet to one of said source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of said source and destination processing devices.

11. A central switching processor as in claim 10, wherein said sending means is further responsive to said favourable outcome for sending a signalling packet from the central location to that destination processing device identifying that source processing device.

12. A central switching processor as in claim 10, wherein said sending means is responsive to an unfavourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling packet to the source processing device rejecting the new call attempt.

13. A central switching processor networked to a plurality of user processing devices arranged to communicate over an addressed packet-based data communication medium, said central switching processor comprising:

means for storing respective transmission data rate capabilities and current call status of the processing devices;

means for receiving a signalling packet from a source processing device to the central location identifying a destination processing device for attempting a new telephony call with that destination processing device;

means for determining whether the transmission data rate capability of the source processing device is greater than the transmission data rate capability of the destination processing device; and

sending means responsive to a favourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling packet to one of said source and destination processing devices identifying an address for the other of said source and destination processing devices.

14. A central switching processor as in claim 13, wherein the sending means is responsive to an unfavourable outcome from the determining means for sending a signalling packet to the source processing device rejecting the new call attempt.

15. A method of conducting a session of an Internet telephone service using packetized telephone frequency signals over an addressed packet-based data communication network between data processing devices connected to the network, the processing devices either having a user interface or being a gateway server giving access to remote communication devices, the processing devices being adapted to send signaling packets to a communications exchange apparatus also connected to the communication network, and the communications exchange apparatus being adapted to maintain a register of the respective network addresses of the processing devices and their respective identities, the method comprising:

a set up phase comprising;

responding by the communications exchange apparatus to receipt from a source processing device of a signaling packet containing an identity for a destination processing device with which the source processing device desires to conduct a session of the Internet telephone service by determining from the register the network address of the identified destination processing device, and

communicating the network address of one of the source processing device and identified destination processing device to the other of the source processing device and the identified destination processing device, and a subsequent session phase comprising;

sending packetized telephone frequency signals of the Internet telephone service directly between the source processing device and the identified destination processing device over the communication network, said one of the source processing device and the identified destination processing device using the network address communicated from the communications exchange apparatus during the set up phase; and

wherein the respective current busy/idle status of each processing device is maintained in the register,

the set up phase further comprises responding by the communications exchange apparatus to receipt from the processing devices of signaling packets containing an indication of a change of busy/idle status by updating the register, and

the communications exchange apparatus also determines from the register the current busy/idle status of the identified destination processing device and communicates the network address only if the current busy/idle status of the identified destination processing device is idle.