Technique for providing translation between the packet environment and the PSTN environment

• US 7,630,359 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fellingham, Paul J, Michelson, Steven M, Ehlinger, James, Gudelis, Marius Jonas, Yatsko, James, Cherchali, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jayanti K
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOL, ANTHONY M
• Application Number:
  US09/966,492
• Time in Patent Office: 2,993 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/410, 370/463, 370/466, 370/467, 370/493, 370/524, 455/417
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls received in a Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) network (12) maintained by a provider of HFC VoIP telephony services are advantageously translated into a Time-Division Multiplex (TDM) format by an Internet Protocol Device Terminal (IPDT) (26) in the HFC network. Once translated into a TDM format, the call passes to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (28) for call processing to afford the call features subscribed to by the called party, such as caller-ID and call waiting. Once processed, the PSTN routes the call to the destination. Likewise, a call destined for an HFC VoIP customer can be processed within the PSTN to afford the call features subscribed to by the HFC VoIP customer. In this way, the HFC VoIP telephony service can offer full-featured VoIP cable telephony without the need to perform call processing in its own network.

Claims

1. A method for providing full-featured Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony service, comprising the steps of:

receiving in a first network a packet-based VoIP call, wherein the first network is a Hybrid-Fiber Coax network;

translating, within the first network, the VoIP call into a Time-Division Multiplexed (TDM) call compatible with a second network having a capability of processing TDM calls and providing at least one feature for the TDM call, the translating comprises sub-steps of (1) performing required signal processing protocols in the first network to allow the VoIP call to interact with the first network as if the first network was performing switch-based processing functions and (2) mapping IP signaling information developed in the first network into a format suitable for processing by the second network;

routing the TDM call to the second network;

processing the TDM call in the second network; and

routing the TDM call to its intended destination.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the translating step includes translating the VoIP call into a bearer portion and a signaling portion.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the IP signaling information is mapped into a GR-303 format to include performance as well as functional call aspects to allow full-featured processing by the second network.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the IP signaling information includes on-hook and off-hook line status of customer premises equipment (CPE) on which the packet-based VoIP call originated, and the GR-303 format includes ABCD signaling bits, wherein the line status in the IP signaling information is mapped to an equivalent line status in the ABCD signaling bits.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the IP signaling information includes a power ringing indication, and the GR-303 format includes the ABCD signaling bits, wherein the power ringing indication received via the ABCD signaling bits is mapped to an equivalent power ringing indication in the IP signaling information.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second network is a public switched telephone network.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one feature includes at least one of:

a CLASS feature, a custom calling feature, or a Centrex feature.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the routing step includes translating the TDM call back to a VoIP call if the destination lies in the first network.

9. A method for providing full-featured Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony service, comprising the steps of:

receiving in a first network a packet-based VoIP call and a plurality of non-voice packets, wherein the first network is a Hybrid-Fiber Coax network;

separating the non-voice packets from the VoIP call;

routing the non-voice packets to a data network;

translating, within the first network, the VoIP call into a Time-Division Multiplexed (TDM) call compatible with a second network having a capability of processing TDM calls and providing at least one feature for the TDM call, the translating comprises sub-steps of (1) performing required signal processing protocols in the first network to allow the VoIP call to interact with the first network as if the first network was performing switch-based processing functions and (2) mapping IP signaling information developed in the first network into a format suitable for processing by the second network;

routing the TDM call to the second network;

processing the TDM call in the second network; and

routing the TDM call to its intended destination.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the translating step includes translating the VoIP call into a bearer portion and a signaling portion.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the IP signaling information includes a power ringing indication, and a GR-303 format that includes ABCD signaling bits, wherein the power ringing indication received via the ABCD signaling bits is mapped to an equivalent power ringing indication in the IP signaling information.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein the IP signaling information includes on-hook and off-hook line status of customer premises equipment (CPE) on which the packet-based VoIP call originated, and the GR-303 format includes ABCD signaling bits, wherein the line status in the IP signaling information is mapped to an equivalent line status in the ABCD signaling bits.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein the IP signaling information is mapped into a GR-303 format so as to include performance as well as functional call aspects to allow full-featured processing by the second network.

14. The method according to claim 9 wherein the second network is a public switched telephone network.

15. The method according to claim 9 wherein the at least one feature includes at least one of:

a CLASS feature, a custom calling feature, or a Centrex feature.

16. The method according to claim 9 wherein the routing step includes translating the TDM call back to a VoIP format if the destination lies in the first network.