High availability VoIP subsystem

• US 7,664,014 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intervoice Incorporated
• Inventors: Broughton, Justin, Schoeneberger, Carl, Dimitroff, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Juntima; Nittaya
• Application Number:
  US11/295,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 370217-219, 370/221, 370/352, 370/401, 714/1, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/404 Collaboration among agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]
• 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

A high availability VoIP system interfacing with a PSTN or other TDM network to provide higher availability and better failure recovery wherein the high availability VoIP system includes a plurality of gateways coupled to at least one hub and a proxy table and a call restoration table configured in each of the plurality gateways. Further, the present invention is a method of providing a high availability VoIP system wherein the method includes configuring a plurality of gateways between a PSTN and at least one hub of the system, implementing a proxy table and a call restoration table in each of the plurality of gateways, wherein when a call is received by a gateway in the plurality of gateways from the PSTN, the call is divided into a session initiation protocol (SIP) portion and a real time protocol (RTP) portion, and further wherein the SIP portion is sent to a proxy server and the RTP portion is sent to a media server, both being located in the at least one hub and further routed to an endpoint such as a SIP controlled softphone. A further method of the present invention includes routing SIP voice calls through the plurality of gateways using a proxy server priority table.

Claims

1. A method of routing a session initiation protocol voice call through a plurality of gateways using a proxy server priority table, comprising:

setting a proxy server priority level to a first level;

contacting, by a gateway, a designated proxy server if the proxy server priority level includes a proxy server associated with a pointer value;

sending the session initiation protocol voice call through the designated proxy server if the designated proxy server responds before a time out value associated with the designated proxy server;

contacting a highest priority proxy server in the proxy server priority level if the proxy server priority level does not include a proxy server associated with a pointer value;

sending the session initiation protocol voice call through the highest priority proxy server in the proxy server priority level when the highest priority proxy server in the proxy server priority level responds before a time out value associated with the highest priority proxy server in the first level; and

setting the proxy server priority level to a second level when a next lower priority proxy server does not exist in the first level.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising contacting a next lower priority proxy server in the proxy server priority level if the highest priority proxy server in the proxy server priority level does not respond before the first time out value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising incrementing the pointer value to the next proxy address in the first level.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising incrementing the pointer value to an incremented pointer value when the designated proxy server does not respond before the second time out value, wherein the incremented pointer value corresponds to an incremented designated proxy server.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising contacting the incremented designated proxy server, the incremented pointer value corresponding to the incremented designated proxy server.

6. A method of routing a session initiation protocol voice call through a plurality of gateways using a proxy server priority table, comprising:

setting a proxy server priority level;

identifying, by a gateway, proxy servers included in the proxy server priority level;

determining a highest level available proxy server in the proxy server priority level, wherein the determining is based in part on whether a proxy address in the proxy server priority table is associated with a pointer value;

sending the session initiation protocol voice call through the highest level available proxy server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the determining a highest level available proxy server comprises determining a first priority proxy server.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the determining a first priority proxy server comprises determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a preferred proxy server, wherein a proxy address associated with the preferred proxy server is associated with the pointer value.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising associating the pointer value with a proxy address in the proxy server priority table.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining whether the proxy server priority table includes a lower priority level than the proxy server priority level.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising advancing the proxy server priority level if the proxy server priority table includes a lower priority level.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising terminating the session initiation protocol voice call if the proxy server priority table does not include a lower priority level.

13. A method of routing a session initiation protocol voice call through a plurality of gateways using a proxy server priority table, comprising:

setting a proxy server priority level;

identifying, by a gateway, proxy servers included in the proxy server priority level;

determining a highest level available proxy server in the proxy server priority level, wherein the determining a highest level available proxy server comprises;

determining a first priority proxy server, wherein the determining a first priority proxy server comprises determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a preferred proxy server;

contacting the first priority proxy server; and

listening for a response from the first priority proxy server for a time out period associated with the first priority proxy server; and

sending the session initiation protocol voice call through the highest level available proxy server.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the determining a highest level available proxy server further comprises:

determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a next lower priority proxy server;

contacting the next lower priority proxy server;

listening for a response from the next lower priority proxy server for a time out period associated with the next lower priority proxy server.

15. A high availability voice over internet protocol system configured to route a session initiation protocol voice call comprising:

one or more gateways, each with its own proxy server priority table, comprising means for identifying the proxy servers included in a proxy server priority level and means for determining a highest level available proxy server in the proxy server priority level, wherein the determining is based in part on whether a proxy address in the proxy server priority table is associated with a pointer value.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said means for determining a highest level available proxy server comprises means for determining a first priority proxy server.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said means for determining a first priority proxy server comprises means for determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a preferred proxy server, wherein a proxy address associated with the preferred proxy server is associated with a pointer value.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising means for associating a pointer value with a proxy address in the proxy server priority table.

19. A high availability voice over internet protocol system configured to route a session initiation protocol voice call comprising:

one or more gateways, each with its own proxy server priority table, comprising means for identifying the proxy servers included in a proxy server priority level and means for determining a highest level available proxy server in the proxy server priority level, wherein said means for determining a highest level available proxy server comprises means for determining a first priority proxy server, wherein said means for determining a first priority proxy server comprises means for determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a preferred proxy server, wherein a proxy address associated with the preferred proxy server is associated with a pointer value, and wherein said means for determining a highest level available proxy server further comprises;

means for contacting the first priority proxy server; and

means for listening for a response from the first priority proxy server for a time out period associated with the first priority proxy server.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said means or determining a highest level available proxy server further comprises:

means for determining whether the proxy server priority level includes a next lower priority proxy server;

means for contacting the next lower priority proxy server;

means for listening for a response from the next lower priority proxy server for a time out period associated with the next lower priority proxy server.