Network, private branch exchange, and multi protocol communication terminal control method for use in the exchange

• US 7,660,293 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kimata, Shinobu, Itagaki, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Samuel; Dewanda
• Application Number:
  US10/968,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20050083916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 370/300, 370/401, 370/467, 370/230, 370/260, 370/271, 370/299, 370/385, 370/386, 370/410, 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1307 Call setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13405 Dual frequency signaling, DTMF

Abstract

There is disclosed a private branch exchange in which an SIP terminal is capable of receiving great variety of services provided by the private branch exchange without upgrading version of software of the SIP terminal itself. A standard SIP protocol control module 16, an expanded SIP protocol a control module 17, and an expanded SIP protocol b control module 18 are disposed for SIP system protocol corresponding terminals, convert signals (requests) from the SIP system protocol corresponding terminals into signals of a protocol inside an IP-PBX 1 to transmit the signals to a PBX basic connection process providing module 12, and convert a signal (responses to the request, or a request to the SIP system protocol corresponding terminal) from the PBX basic connection process providing module 12 into a signal of an SIP system protocol to transmit the signal to the SIP system protocol corresponding terminal.

Claims

1. A network including:

at least a session initiation protocol (SIP) terminal which performs communication by an SIP for realizing connection type communication to perform the communication while confirming connection to a target in an Internet protocol (IP) network; and

a private branch exchange which performs a call connection process between the terminals, the network comprising;

an SIP system protocol control module incorporated as one of component groups of the private branch exchange and constituted into the module using a mechanism of a back to back user agent (B2BUA) which operates as an acting user agent of a process of the SIP;

an additional service providing module which is incorporated as one of the component groups of the private branch exchange and which provides additional services of the private branch exchange in response to a key operation of the SIP terminal;

a PBX basic connection process providing module;

a first SIP protocol common process module that is communicatively connected between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the additional service providing module, the first SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the SIP system protocol control module;

a second SIP protocol common process module that is communicatively connected between the IP network and the additional service providing module, the second SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the IP network and the SIP system protocol control module; and

a table connected to the PBX basic connection processing providing module,

wherein the PBX basic connection process providing module is communicatively provided between the additional services providing module and the SIP system protocol control module, and

wherein the additional services include each of call back service, extension interruption service, and third party control service.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein the SIP is a communication protocol for use in starting or ending a multimedia communication using data in the form of an IP packet.

3. The network according to claim 2, wherein the SIP system protocol control module is disposed for a plurality of SIP terminals having different protocols.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein the private branch exchange provides at least mutual connection and additional service to each protocol group constituted into the module.

5. The network according to claim 1, wherein exchanging of a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) signal transmission/reception capability between terminals is realized via the private branch exchange.

6. The network according to claim 5, wherein the private branch exchange transmits the DTMF signal instead of a terminal incapable of exchanging the DTMF signal transmission/reception capability.

14. The network according to claim 5, wherein the SIP system protocol module converts a signal from a private branch exchange (PBX) basic connection process providing module into a connection request of a SIP system protocol, and transmits the connection request to the SIP terminal in a communication control of the SIP system protocol.

17. The network according to claim 1, wherein the PBX basic connection process providing module accesses the table to determine a protocol of a corresponding terminal held for each assigned port number or IP address, so as to judge the protocol from the assigned port number or the IP address.

19. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first SIP protocol common process module includes a registrar module for registering contact information, and wherein the second SIP protocol common process module does not include a registrar module.

7. A private branch exchange which performs a call connection process between terminals, wherein an SIP system protocol control module obtained by constituting a process of a session initiation protocol (SIP) for realizing a connection type communication to perform the communication while confirming connection to a target in an Internet protocol (IP) network into the module using a mechanism of a back to back user agent (B2BUA) which operates as an acting user agent is incorporated as one of component groups, the private branch exchange further comprising:

a PBX basic connection process providing module;

a first SIP protocol common process module that is communicatively connected between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the additional service providing module, the first SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the SIP system protocol control module;

a second SIP protocol common process module that is communicatively connected between the IP network and the additional service providing module, the second SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the IP network and the SIP system protocol control module; and

a table connected to the PBX basic connection processing providing module,

wherein the PBX basic connection process providing module is communicatively provided between the additional services providing module and the SIP system protocol control module,

wherein at least one of mutual connection and additional service is provided to each protocol group constituted into the module, and

wherein the additional service include each of call back service, extension interruption service, and third party control service.

8. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, wherein the SIP is a communication protocol for use in starting or ending a multimedia communication using data in the form of an IP packet.

9. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, wherein the SIP system protocol control module is disposed for a plurality of SIP terminals having different protocols.

10. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, which provides at least one of mutual connection and additional service to each protocol group constituted into the module.

11. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, which realizes exchanging of a dial tone multi frequency (DTMF) signal transmission/reception capability between terminals.

12. The private branch exchange according to claim 11, which transmits the DTMF signal instead of a terminal incapable of exchanging the DTMF signal transmission/reception capability.

15. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, wherein the SIP system protocol module converts a signal from a private branch exchange (PBX) basic connection process providing module into a connection request of a SIP system protocol, and transmits the connection request to the SIP terminal in a communication control of the SIP system protocol.

20. The private branch exchange according to claim 7, wherein the first SIP protocol common process module includes a registrar module for registering contact information, and wherein the second SIP protocol common process module does not include a registrar module.

13. A multi protocol communication terminal control method of a network including:

at least a session initiation protocol (SIP) terminal which performs communication by an SIP for realizing connection type communication to perform the communication while confirming connection to a target in an Internet protocol (IP) network; and

a private branch exchange which performs a call connection process between the terminals, the method comprising the steps of;

allowing an SIP system protocol control module constituted into the module using a mechanism of a back to back user agent (B2BUA) which operates as an acting user agent and incorporated as one of component groups of the private branch exchange to perform a process of the SIP; and

determining, based on accesses to a table that is connected to a PBX basic connection process providing module, a protocol of a corresponding terminal held for each assigned port number or IP address, in which the protocol is determined from the table based on the assigned port number or the IP address;

communicatively connecting a first SIP protocol common process module between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the additional service providing module, the first SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the PBX basic connection process providing module and the SIP system protocol control module; and

communicatively connecting a second SIP protocol common process module between the IP network and the additional service providing module, the second SIP protocol common process module also being communicatively connected between the IP network and the SIP system protocol control module,

wherein at least one of mutual connection and additional service is provided to each protocol group constituted into the module, and

wherein the additional service include each of call back service, extension interruption service, and third party control service.

16. The multi protocol communication terminal control method according to claim 13, wherein the SIP system protocol module converts a signal from a private branch exchange (PBX) basic connection process providing module into a connection request of a SIP system protocol, and transmits the connection request to the SIP terminal in a communication control of the SIP system protocol.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the PBX basic connection process providing module accesses the table to determine a protocol of a corresponding terminal held for each assigned port number or IP address, in which the protocol is determined from the table based on the assigned port number or the IP address.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first SIP protocol common process module includes a registrar module for registering contact information, and wherein the second SIP protocol common process module does not include a registrar module.