ANS designed for a conference between conference room terminals and network system including the ANS

• US 7,212,500 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2001
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Motobayashi, Ryota, Hayakawa, Fumiyasu, Hara, Mayumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/940,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/264, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 379/202.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.03, 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/201.01, 348/14.08, 348/14.09
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/64 Asynchronous transfer mode [ATM] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

In an ANS used for a television conference between calling and destined conference room terminals accommodated in an ATM network, an address of each conference room terminal is stored in an address database as address resolution data which have no hierarchical structure and which therefore uniquely define each conference room terminal. A priority level of each conference room terminal is also stored in the address database and is referenced on occurrence of congestion so as to determine whether or not a connection is released during a conference. Reservation data may be stored in the ANS together with topology data and connection data.

Claims

1. An ATM name system CANS) exclusively used in a network system which carries out a conference between two conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the conference room terminals comprising a calling conference room terminal for issuing a request for address resolution to the ANS before establishment of a connection between the calling conference room terminal and a destined one of the conference room terminals, the request indicating a room name assigned to the destined conference room terminal that is different from a host name of a hierarchical structure, comprising:

a storage section for storing the room name and an ATM end system address (AESA) of the destined conference room terminal; and

processing means, operated when the ANS is called from the calling conference room terminal and thereafter receives the request for address resolution sent from the calling conference room terminal, for processing the request to resolve the AESA of the destined conference room terminal by referring to the storage by the use of the room name and to send a resolved AESA to the calling conference room terminal and to thereby make the calling conference room terminal establish a connection between the destined conference room terminal by the use of the resolved AESA,

wherein the storage section comprises an address database for storing a priority level corresponding to the room name together with the corresponding AESA, and

wherein the processing means is operable in response to the request to also resolve a priority class of the conference between the calling and the destined conference room terminals with reference to the priority level stored in the address database.

2. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage section further comprises:

a reservation database for storing a reservation that is specified by a start time and an end time of the conference together with the connection.

3. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processing means comprises:

judging means for judging whether or not the conference is reserved by referring to the reservation database to monitor the start and the end times when the reservation is made in connection with the conference.

4. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the judging means further starts the connection at the start time when the reservation is made, so as to hold the conference between the calling and the destined conference room terminals.

5. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the judging means judges whether or not a conference duration between the start and the end times lapses, to send, prior to the end time, a previous announcement of releasing the connection to at least one of the calling and the destined conference room terminals.

6. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the storage section further comprises:

a topology database for storing a topology of each conference room terminal in the network system; and

a connection database for storing a connection relationship between the calling and the destined conference room terminals;

the processing means monitoring the conference with referring to the topology and the connection relationship stored in the topology and the connection databases.

7. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a multipoint conference between a calling conference room terminal and a plurality of destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the calling conference room terminal being for issuing a request for address resolution to the ANS before establishment of connections for the multipoint conference, the ANS being associated with a multipoint conference unit (MCU) and comprising:

processing means, operated when the ANS is called by the calling conference room terminal and thereafter receives the request from the calling conference room terminal, for processing the request from the calling conference room terminal to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) assigned to each of the plurality of the destined conference room terminals when the multipoint conference is indicated by the request;

communication means for carrying out communication between the ANS and the MCU, by sending the resolved AESA of each of the calling and the destined conference room terminals from the ANS to the MCU and by making the MCEJ establish connections between the MCU and the respective conference room terminals attending the multipoint conference; and

a topology database for storing topology data representative of positions of the calling and the destined conference room terminals in the network system and band data representative of bands of transmission channels used in the multipoint conference,

wherein the processing means is for selecting the MCU by referring to the topology database.

8. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processing means selects the MCU by recognizing the positions of the calling and the destined conference room terminals and by predicting occupied bands from the band data.

9. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a multipoint conference between a calling conference room terminal and a plurality of destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the calling conference room terminal being for issuing a request for address resolution to the ANS before establishment of connections for the multi point conference, the ANS being associated with a multipoint conference unit (MCU) and comprising:

processing means, operated when the ANS is called by the calling conference room terminal and thereafter receives the request from the calling conference room terminal, for processing the request from the calling conference room terminal to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) assigned to each of the plurality of the destined conference room terminals when the multipoint conference is indicated by the request;

communication means for carrying out communication between the ANS and the MCU, by sending the resolved AESA of each of the calling and the destined conference room terminals from the ANS to the MCU and by making the MCU establish connections between the MCU and the respective conference room terminals attending the multipoint conference; and

wherein the communication means issues a call setup request to the MCU after the AESA of the MCU is resolved.

10. An ATM name system CANS) for use in a network system which carries out a multipoint conference between a calling conference room terminal and a plurality of destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the calling conference room terminal being for issuing a request for address resolution to the ANS before establishment of connections for the multipoint conference, the ANS being associated with a multipoint conference unit (MCU) and comprising:

processing means, operated when the ANS is called by the calling conference room terminal and thereafter receives the request from the calling conference room terminal, for processing the request from the calling conference room terminal to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) assigned to each of the plurality of the destined conference room terminals when the multipoint conference is indicated by the request;

communication means for carrying out communication between the ANS and the MCU, by sending the resolved AESA of each of the calling and the destined conference room terminals from the ANS to the MCU and by making the MCU establish connections between the MCU and the respective conference room terminals attending the multipoint conference; and

a connection database for storing each occupied band of currently used transmission channels and a reserved state;

the processing means comprising;

judging means for judging whether or not the connections are established by referring to each occupied band and the reserved state of the connection database.

11. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the judging means also refers to an occupied state of the MCU so as to establish the connections.

12. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a multipoint conference between a calling conference room terminal and a plurality of destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the calling conference room terminal being for issuing a request for address resolution to the ANS before establishment of connections for the multipoint conference, the ANS being associated with a multipoint conference unit (MCU) and comprising:

processing means, operated when the ANS is called by the calling conference room terminal and thereafter receives the request from the calling conference room terminal, for processing the request from the calling conference room terminal to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) assigned to each of the plurality of the destined conference room terminals when the multipoint conference is indicated by the request;

communication means for carrying out communication between the ANS and the MCU, by sending the resolved AESA of each of the calling and the destined conference room terminals from the ANS to the MCU and by making the MCU establish connections between the MCU and the respective conference room terminals attending the multi point conference; and

means for storing a priority level of each conference room terminal;

the processing means comprising;

means for determining the connections with reference to the priority level so as to preferentially establish the connections related to the conference room terminal of a higher priority level, when any congestion takes place in the network system.

13. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processing means comprises:

means for forcibly releasing an existing connection in consideration of an occupied state of the transmission channels and the MCU.

14. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing means comprises:

means for transmitting an indication of forcibly releasing to conference room terminals to be released.

15. An ATM name system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processing means further comprises:

means for informing the calling conference room terminal of impossibility of connections in response to the request for address resolution when the connections cannot be established.

16. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a conference between calling and destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the ANS being located in an additional network different from the ATM network and comprising:

a connector between the calling conference room terminal and the ANS; and

processing means for processing a request for address resolution sent from the calling conference room terminal through the additional network to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) related to the destined conference room terminal on the ATM network and to thereby make the calling conference room terminal establish a connection between the destined conference room terminal by the use of the resolved AESA,

wherein the additional network is an intranet.

17. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a conference between calling and destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the ANS being located in an additional network different from the ATM network and comprising:

a connector between the calling conference room terminal and the ANS; and

processing means for processing a request for address resolution sent from the calling conference room terminal through the additional network to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) related to the destined conference room terminal on the ATM network and to thereby make the calling conference room terminal establish a connection between the destined conference room terminal by the use of the resolved AESA,

wherein the processing means resolves the AESA assigned to the destined conference room terminal.

18. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a conference between calling and destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the ANS being located in an additional network different from the ATM network and comprising:

a connector between the calling conference room terminal and the ANS; and

processing means for processing a request for address resolution sent from the calling conference room terminal through the additional network to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) related to the destined conference room terminal on the ATM network and to thereby make the calling conference room terminal establish a connection between the destined conference room terminal by the use of the resolved AESA,

wherein the processing means resolves the AESA assigned to a multipoint conference unit (MCU).

19. An ATM name system (ANS) for use in a network system which carries out a conference between calling and destined conference room terminals through an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, the ANS being located in an additional network different from the ATM network and comprising:

a connector between the calling conference room terminal and the ANS; and

processing means for processing a request for address resolution sent from the calling conference room terminal through the additional network to resolve an ATM end system address (AESA) related to the destined conference room terminal on the ATM network and to thereby make the calling conference room terminal establish a connection between the destined conference room terminal by the use of the resolved AESA,

wherein the calling and the destined conference room terminals are connected by SVC (Switched Virtual Connection).

20. A network system comprising an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, a plurality of conference room terminals accommodated in the ATM network, and an ATM name system (ANS), wherein the ANS is used for a conference between the conference room terminals and comprises:

a storage for storing address resolution data concerned with the conference room terminals attending the conference to resolve a channel number, a VPI, and VCI; and

processing means for processing a request for address resolution issued from either one of the conference room terminals by resolving the channel number, the VPI, and the VCI and by referring to the address resolution data stored in the storage,

wherein the ANS is connected to each conference room termal through a LAN (Local area network) different from the ATM network.