Method and system for providing dial-up data sessions with distributed service

• US 7,301,935 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Chaturvedi, Pawan, Senogles, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye; Alexander O.
• Application Number:
  US10/086,017
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/354, 370/353, 370/355, 370/356, 370/328, 370/401, 370/493, 370/389, 370/494, 370/349, 370/338, 370/392, 455/450
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for responding to a request to establish a dial-up data session from a user terminal to a remote destination. Instead of initiating a dial-up data session, the user terminal will initiate a packet-data session with a translation node that serves the remote destination and will provide the translation node with information about initiating the dial-up data session. The translation node will then initiate circuit-data session with the remote destination and will bridge the packet-data session with the circuit-data session, so as to establish an end-to-end data session between the user terminal and the remote destination. Advantageously, by setting up a packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node, the underlying data may be carried over an access link at a higher service level than would normally be provided for a circuit-data session carried over that access link. Further, this can be done transparently to a user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a request to establish a circuit-data session between a user terminal and a specified destination;

(b) responsively (i) setting up a packet-data session between the user terminal and a translation node, (ii) setting up a circuit-data session between the translation node and the specified destination, and (iii) bridging the packet-data session with the circuit-data session,

wherein the translation node is one of multiple translation nodes disposed throughout a packet-switched network, the method further comprising selecting the translation node from the multiple translation nodes based on the specified destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein setting up a packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node comprises (i) setting lip a first packet-data session between the user terminal and a local gateway, (ii) setting up a second packet-data session between the local gateway and the translation node, and (iii) bridging together the first packet-data session and the second-packet data session, whereby packets then flow between the user terminal and the translation node via the local gateway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the translation node from the multiple translation nodes based on the specified destination comprises selecting the translation node from the multiple translation nodes based on proximity of the specified destination to the translation node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the translation node from the multiple translation nodes based on the specified destination comprises referencing translation data that correlates the translation node with the specified destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request at the user terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request defines a telephone number of the specified destination, the method further comprising:

communicating the telephone number to the translation node,

wherein, setting up the circuit-data session between the translation node and the specified destination comprises the translation node placing a circuit-switched call to the telephone number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the request further defines user-account information, the method further comprising:

communicating the user-account information to the translation node;

communicating the user-account information from the translation node to the specified destination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal comprises a mobile station, and the specified destination comprises a dial-up server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein setting up the packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node comprises setting up the packet-data session over a communication path comprising an air interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein setting up the packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node comprises the user terminal sending an origination message over the air interface to a radio access system, the origination message including a packet-data service code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request from a user, the method further comprising:

performing step (b) transparently to the user.

12. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a request to establish a circuit-data session between a user terminal and a specified destination;

(b) responsively (i) setting up a packet-data session between the user terminal and a translation node, (ii) setting up a circuit-data session between the translation node and the specified destination, and (iii) bridging the packet-data session with the circuit-data session,

wherein setting up the packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node comprises (i) setting up a first packet-data session between the user terminal and a local gateway, (ii) setting up a second packet-data session between the local gateway and the translation node, and (iii) bridging the first packet-data session with the second packet-data session, whereby packets then flow between the user terminal and the translation node via the local gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the translation node is one of multiple translation nodes disposed throughout a packet-switched network, wherein the specified destination defines a destination network address, and wherein setting up the packet-data session between the user terminal and the translation node further comprises selecting translation node from among the multiple translation nodes, based on the destination network address.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the translation node defines a translation node network address, and wherein selecting the translation node from among the many translation nodes, based on the destination network address, comprises determining the translation node network address based on the destination network address.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the destination network address comprises a PSTN telephone number, and wherein the translation node network address comprises an IP address.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the translation node network address based on the destination network address comprises:

consulting a translation table that correlates PSTN telephone numbers with translation node network addresses.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the translation node network address based on the destination network address comprises:

providing to a network server an indication of the destination network address; and

thereafter receiving from the network server an indication of the translation node network address.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network server comprises an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting server, wherein the destination network address comprises NPA-NXX information, and wherein providing the network server with an indication of the destination network address comprises providing the network server with the NPA-NXX information.

19. A method comprising:

receiving into a user terminal a request to establish a dial-up data session between the user terminal and a dial-up data server, the dial-up data session defining data to be communicated between the user terminal and the dial-up data server;

packetizing outgoing data at the user terminal, to produce outgoing packetized data;

transmitting the outgoing packetized data from the user terminal to a local gateway;

selecting a remote gateway based on proximity of the remote gateway to the dial-up data server;

transmitting the outgoing packetized data from the local gateway to the remote gateway;

placing a circuit-switched call from the remote gateway to the dial-up data server;

translating the outgoing packetized data into an outgoing dial-up data stream at the remote gateway; and

in the call, sending the outgoing dial-up data stream from the remote gateway to the dial-up data server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the outgoing packetized data comprises a sequence of packets and the dial-up data stream comprises a digital bit stream, and wherein translating the outgoing packetized data into an outgoing dial-up data stream comprises:

embedding the packets in the digital bit stream.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the outgoing packetized data comprises a sequence of packets, each including a header and payload, wherein the dial-up data stream comprises a digital bit stream, and wherein translating the outgoing packetized data into an outgoing dial-up data stream comprises:

depacketizing the packets to uncover the payload of each packet; and

including the payload of the packets in the digital bit stream.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in the call, receiving an incoming dial-up data stream at the remote gateway from the dial-up data server;

packetizing the incoming dial-up data stream at the remote gateway, to produce incoming packetized data;

transmitting the incoming packetized data from the remote gateway to the local gateway and, in turn, to the user terminal; and

depacketizing the incoming packetized data at the user terminal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting the incoming packetized data from the remote gateway to the local gateway and, in turn, to the user terminal comprises:

transmitting the incoming packetized data through a home agent of the user terminal.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the request to establish a dial-up data session between the user terminal and a dial-up data server defines a telephone number of the dial-up data server, and wherein placing a circuit-switched call from the remote gateway to the dial-up data server comprises:

placing a circuit-switched call from the remote gateway to the telephone number of the dial-up data server.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

sending the telephone number from the user terminal to the local gateway; and

sending the telephone number from the local gateway to the remote gateway.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising establishing a Telnet session between the local gateway and the remote gateway, wherein sending the telephone number from the local gateway to the remote gateway comprises sending the telephone number as Telnet authentication information from the local gateway to the remote gateway.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the request to establish a dial-up data session between the user terminal and a dial-up data server defines user-account information, the method further comprising:

sending the user-account information from the user terminal to the remote gateway; and

in the call, sending the user-account information from the remote gateway to the dial-up data server.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the user-account information comprises a username and a password.

29. In a network of the type comprising an access link for communicatively coupling user terminals with an access node, wherein the access node provides connectivity with a plurality of destinations including packet-terminated destinations and circuit-terminated destinations, and wherein communications from a user terminal to a packet-terminated destination, when carried over the access link, are carried over the access link at a first service level, and communications from a user terminal to a circuit-terminated destination, when carried over the access link, are carried over the access link at a second service level different than the first service level, a method comprising:

receiving a user request to establish a communication session from a user terminal to a specified circuit-terminated destination; and

in response to the user request, (i) selecting an intermediate packet-terminated destination based on proximity of the intermediate packet-terminated destination to the circuit-terminated destination, (ii) setting up a first session from the user terminal to the intermediate packet-terminated destination via a communication path including the access link, so that the first session is carried over the access link at the first service level, (iii) setting up a second session from the intermediate packet-terminated destination to the specified circuit-terminated destination, and (iv) bridging the first session with the second session to produce an end-to-end session from the user terminal to the specified destination.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the access link comprises an air interface.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the user terminal comprises a mobile station and the access node comprises a base station.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the user terminal further comprises a host device linked with the mobile station.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the first service level comprises a first data rate for communication over the access link, and the second service level comprises a second data rate for communication over the access link, the first data rate being higher than the second data rate.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the user request to establish a communication session from a user terminal to the specified circuit-terminated destination comprises a request to establish a dial-up data connection from the user terminal to a telephone number of the specified circuit-terminated destination.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising receiving the user request at the user terminal.

36. A system comprising:

a mobile user terminal programmed to respond to a request to establish a dial-up data session with a designated endpoint by instead initiating a first packet-data session with a packet gateway, wherein the packet gateway passes packet-data between the mobile user terminal and a local server;

the local server being programmed to query an authentication server to identify a remote server that serves the designated endpoint, and the local server being further programmed to then establish a second packet-data session with the remote server, wherein the local server passes the packet-data between the gateway and the remote server; and

the remote server being programmed to initiate a circuit-data session with the designated endpoint, to translate the packet-data into circuit-data, and to send the circuit-data to the designated endpoint in the circuit-data session.