Method of communicating packet multimedia to restricted endpoints
First Claim
1. A method, performed by a network element, for communicating packet multimedia data between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the method comprising:
- receiving an outbound multimedia signaling packet;
determining if the outbound multimedia signaling packet originated from a first endpoint that is logically behind a security device;
determining and storing information identifying a logical pinhole in the security device, wherein the logical pinhole is associated with expected inbound multimedia data packets directed to the first endpoint;
performing an action that keeps the logical pinhole open for future communication with the first endpoint by (i) determining that the first endpoint has a keep-alive timeout value that is configurable and (ii) configuring the pinhole keep-alive value of the first endpoint to modify a frequency at which the first endpoint generates periodic messages towards a signaling controller in order to keep the logical pinhole open, wherein configuring the pinhole keep-alive value comprises sending, at a particular time before a keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint has been reached, an inquiry message to the first endpoint, determining whether the inquiry message was received;
sending a command to the first endpoint that increases the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint based on a determination that the inquiry message was received, and sending, in response to determining that the inquiry message was not received, a second command to the first endpoint that sets the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint to a smaller value; and
forwarding inbound multimedia signaling messages directed towards the first endpoint via the logical pinhole.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, performed in a network element, for communicating packet multimedia data between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of receiving an outbound multimedia data packet; determining if the outbound multimedia data packet originated from a first endpoint that is logically behind a security device; determining and storing information identifying a logical pinhole in the security device, wherein the logical pinhole is associated with expected inbound multimedia data packets directed to the first endpoint; performing an action that keeps the logical pinhole open during all of a communication session between the first endpoint and the second endpoint; and forwarding inbound multimedia data packets directed from the second endpoint to the first endpoint via the logical pinhole.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method, performed by a network element, for communicating packet multimedia data between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the method comprising:
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receiving an outbound multimedia signaling packet; determining if the outbound multimedia signaling packet originated from a first endpoint that is logically behind a security device; determining and storing information identifying a logical pinhole in the security device, wherein the logical pinhole is associated with expected inbound multimedia data packets directed to the first endpoint; performing an action that keeps the logical pinhole open for future communication with the first endpoint by (i) determining that the first endpoint has a keep-alive timeout value that is configurable and (ii) configuring the pinhole keep-alive value of the first endpoint to modify a frequency at which the first endpoint generates periodic messages towards a signaling controller in order to keep the logical pinhole open, wherein configuring the pinhole keep-alive value comprises sending, at a particular time before a keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint has been reached, an inquiry message to the first endpoint, determining whether the inquiry message was received;
sending a command to the first endpoint that increases the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint based on a determination that the inquiry message was received, and sending, in response to determining that the inquiry message was not received, a second command to the first endpoint that sets the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint to a smaller value; andforwarding inbound multimedia signaling messages directed towards the first endpoint via the logical pinhole. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for communicating packet multimedia data between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the apparatus comprising:
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means for receiving an outbound multimedia signaling packet; means for determining if the outbound multimedia signaling packet originated from a first endpoint that is logically behind a security device; means for determining and storing information identifying a logical pinhole in the security device, wherein the logical pinhole is associated with expected inbound multimedia signaling packets directed to the first endpoint; means for performing an action that keeps the logical pinhole open for future signaling messages sent towards the first endpoint by (i) sending, at a particular time before a keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint has been reached, an inquiry message to the first endpoint and (ii) based on a determination of whether the inquiry message was received, sending a command to the first endpoint that increases the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint, wherein the means for performing the action that keeps the logical pinhole open for future communication further comprises means for sending, in response to determining that the inquiry message was not received, a second command to the first endpoint that sets the keep-alive timeout value of the first endpoint to a smaller value; and means for forwarding inbound multimedia signaling packets directed from the second endpoint to the first endpoint via the logical pinhole. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification