Communication terminal equipment and communication system incorporating the same and communication management method therefor

• US 7,305,000 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Horiba, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sefcheck; Gregory B.
• Application Number:
  US10/369,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• 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

Contents of a self-terminal information table are compared with the contents of a registered self-terminal information table at or upon start-up after power-on and if a match is not met therebetween registration is made to the gatekeeper equipment after performing unregister operation thereto, thus ensuring advantageously that the contents of the self-terminal information table used in a self-terminal always match the contents registered in the gatekeeper equipment thereby to enable any associated terminal equipment to use the gatekeeper equipment appropriately.

Claims

1. A communications terminal apparatus which performs a predetermined communications operation by using a packet transmission network as a communication line and uses services provided by a communications management terminal connected to said packet transmission network, said communications terminal apparatus comprising:

means for communicating predetermined communications management messages with said communications management terminal;

first storing means for storing data of a first information table representing registration information of said apparatus to be registered in said communications management terminal;

second storing means for storing data of a second information table for representing registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal; and

control means operating at or upon start-up for comparing registration information of said first information table with registration information of said second information table, sending a first message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said second information table to cause said communications management terminal to delete registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal when the registration information of said first information table differs from the registration of said second information table, sending a second message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said first information table to cause said communications management terminal to newly register the registration information of said first information table, and saving the registration information of said first information table into said second information table.

2. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined communications operation includes a communications operation conforming to TTC JT-H323 Standard, said communications management terminal includes a gatekeeper, said predetermined communications management messages include a RAS message, said first message includes a predetermined URQ message, and said second message includes a predetermined RRQ message.

3. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registration information includes information of a call signaling channel port number.

4. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registration information includes information of an alias registered in or assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.

5. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registration information includes an IP address of said gatekeeper.

6. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registration information includes information of a UDP port number for communicating the RAS message with said gatekeeper.

7. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registration information includes an IP address assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.

8. A communications system comprising:

a communications management terminal connected to a packet transmission network; and

a plurality of communications terminal apparatuses using the packet transmission network as a communication line and services provided by said communications management terminal, wherein, each of said plurality communications terminal apparatuses comprises;

means for communicating predetermined communications management messages with said communications management terminal;

first storing means for storing data of a first information table representing registration information of said apparatus required to be registered in said communications management terminal;

second storing means for storing data of a second information table representing registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal; and

control means operating at or upon start-up for comparing registration information of said first information table with registration information of said second information table, sending a first message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said second information table to cause said communications management terminal to delete registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal when the registration information of said first information table differs from the registration information of said second information table, sending a second message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said first information table to cause said communications management terminal to newly register the registration information of said first information table, and saving the registration information of said first information table into said second table, and wherein said communications management terminal comprises;

registration information management means for deleting registration information of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses previously registered therein, upon receiving said first message from one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses, and registering registration information of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses using information contained in said second message upon receiving said second message from said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses.

9. A communications terminal apparatus which performs a predetermined communications operation by using a packet transmission network as a communications line and uses services provided by a communications management terminal connected to said packet transmission network, said communications terminal apparatus comprising:

a communications mechanism configured to communicate predetermined communications management messages with said communications management terminal;

a first memory storing data of a first information table representing registration information of said apparatus to be registered in said communications management terminal;

a second memory storing data of a second information table representing registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal; and

a controlling mechanism operating at or upon start-up to compare registration information of said first information table with registration information of said second information table, to send a first message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said second information table to cause said communications management terminal to delete registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal when the registration information of said first information table differs from the registration information of said second information table, to send a second message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said first information table to cause said communications management terminal to newly register the registration information of said first information table, and to save the registration information of said first information table into said second information table.

10. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined communications operation includes a communications operation conforming to TTC JT-H323 Standard, said communications management terminal includes a gatekeeper, said predetermined communications management messages include a RAS message, said first message includes a predetermined URQ message, and said second message includes a predetermined RRQ message.

11. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said registration information includes information of a call signal channel port number.

12. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said registration information includes information of an alias registered in or assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.

13. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said registration information includes an IP address of said gatekeeper.

14. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said registration information includes information of a UDP port number for communicating the RAS message with said gatekeeper.

15. The communications terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said registration information includes an IP address assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.

16. A communications system, comprising;

a communications management terminal connected to a packet transmission network; and

a plurality of communications terminal apparatuses using the packet transmission network as a communication line and having a function for using services provided by said communications management terminal, wherein each of said plurality communications terminal apparatuses comprises;

a communications mechanism configured to communicate predetermined communications management messages with said communications management terminal;

a fist memory storing data of a first information table representing registration information of said apparatus required to be registered in said communications management terminal;

a second memory storing data of a second information table representing registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal; and

a controlling mechanism operating at or upon start-up to compare registration information of said first information table with registration information of said second information table, send a first message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information of said second information table to cause said communications management terminal to delete registration information of said apparatus previously registered in said communications management terminal when the registration information of said first information table differs from the registrations information of said second information table;

send a second message to said communications management terminal with reference to the registration information of said first information table to cause said communications management terminal to newly register the registration information of said first information table, and save the registration of said first information table in said second table, and wherein said communications management terminal comprises;

registration information management means for deleting registration information of said one of plurality of communications terminal apparatuses previously registered therein, upon receiving said first message front one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses, and registering registration information of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses using information contained in said second message upon receiving said second message from said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses.

17. A communications management method for a communication system which includes a communications management terminal connected to a packet transmission network and a plurality of communications terminal apparatuses which perform a predetermined communications operation and use the packet transmission network as a communication line and services provided by said communications management terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

storing into a first memory registration information of one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses;

registering previously in said communications management terminal said registration information of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses stored in said first memory by said storing step;

saving into a second memory said registration information of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses registered in said communications management terminal;

updating the registration in formation of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses stored in said first memory by said storing step; and

performing the following at or upon start-up of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses;

comparing the registration information stored in said first memory by said storing step with the registration information saved in said second memory by said saving step;

sending a first RAS message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information saved in said second memory by said saving step when said registration information stored in said first memory by said storing step differs from the registration information saved in said second memory by said saving step;

deleting the registration information of said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses previously registered in said communications management terminal upon a receipt of said first RAS message from said one of plurality of communications terminal apparatuses by said communications management terminal;

transmitting a second RAS message to said communications management terminal containing the registration information in said first memory updated by said updating step;

updating the registration information of said second memory with the registration information of said first memory updated by said updating step; and

registering newly the registration information of said one of communications terminal apparatuses contained in the second message transmitted from said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses upon receipt of said second RAS message from said one of said plurality of communications terminal apparatuses by said communications management terminal.

18. The communications management method according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined communications operation includes a communications operation conforming to TTC JT-H323 Standard, said communications management terminal includes a gatekeeper, said first RAS message includes a predetermined URQ message, and said second RAS message includes a predetermined RRQ message.

19. The communications management method according to claim 18, wherein said registration information includes information of a call signaling channel port number.

20. The communications management method according to claim 18, wherein said registration information includes information or an alias registered in or assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.

21. The communications management method according to claim 18, wherein said registration information includes an IP address of said gatekeeper.

22. The communications management method according to claim 18, wherein said registration information includes information of a UDP port number for communicating the RAS message with said gatekeeper.

23. The communications management method according to claim 18, wherein said registration information includes an IP address assigned to said communications terminal apparatus.