System and method for providing a plurality of multi-media services using a number of media servers to form a preliminary interactive communication relationship with a calling communication device

• US 7,664,102 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Samarasinghe, Harish
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US11/676,443
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370351-356, 4554141-4143, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/21.01, 379/211.01, 379/220.1, 379/221.08, 379/229, 379/201.01, 379/220.01, 709201-203, 709227-230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system and method for processing a plurality of requests for multi-media services received at a call control element (CCE) defined on the system from a calling communication device. The system includes a Network Routing Element, a Service Broker (SB), at least a primary media severs (MS) and at least a secondary MS, a plurality of application servers (ASs) and a plurality of border elements, all of which are coupled to the CCE. The SB is adapted to receive a plurality of requests including parameters for requesting multi-media services, via the CCE, and to selectively redirect the requests to one or more ASs for providing feature processing for the requests. The ASs can instruct either the primary MS or secondary MS, via the CCE, to form a preliminary interactive communication path with the calling communication device for collecting caller-entered data, which can be validated prior to providing the feature processing.

Claims

1. A method of processing multi-media service requests received at a multi-media services provider system to form a multi-media communication path between at least a first communication device and at least a second communication device of a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving at least a first request message for at least one multi-media service at a call control element located on the multi-media services provider system from the first communication device;

processing the first request message at the call control element located on the multi-media services provider system to generate a second request message for the at least one multi-media service including predetermined attributes of the first request message;

receiving and processing the second request message at a service broker located on the multi-media services provider system for generating a first redirect message including predetermined attributes of the second request message;

receiving and processing the first redirect message at the call control element located on the multi-media services provider system for generating a third request message including predetermined attributes of the first redirect message; and

receiving and processing the third request message at one or more application servers located on the multi-media services provider system for generating a second redirect message, wherein the second redirect message includes at least a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the multi-media services provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the multi-media services provider system.

2. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 1, further including receiving and processing the second redirect message at the call control element to generate a fourth request message including a Content-Type header having a multipart/mixed media type.

3. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 2, wherein the fourth request message further includes a first message body portion including session description protocol associated with the first request message and a second message body portion including service related parameters to establish an interactive session with a predetermined caller.

4. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 3, further including:

receiving the fourth request message at the primary media server if it is determined that the primary media server includes resources for processing the fourth request message; and

processing the fourth request message at the primary media server to form an interactive communication path between the primary media server and the first communication device.

5. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 4, further including:

receiving user-entered data at the primary media server;

communicating the user-entered data to at least one application server located on the multi-media services provider system; and

determining whether the user-enter data is valid at the application server, wherein if the user-entered data is determined as valid, the method further includes generating a fifth request message at the application server including address resolution instructions and wherein if the user-entered data is determined as invalid, the method further includes playing a termination announcement to the first communication device.

6. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 5, further including:

receiving and processing the fifth request message at the call control element for generating a sixth request message that includes predetermined routing information.

7. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 6, further including:

receiving and processing the sixth request message at the network routing element for generating a third redirect message.

8. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 7, further including:

receiving and processing the third redirect message at the call control element for generating a seventh request message.

9. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 8, further including:

receiving and processing the seventh request message at the second communication device, wherein the second communication device initiates a predetermined protocol for forming a multi-media communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device.

10. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 3, further including:

querying the secondary media server for determining whether the secondary media server includes resources for processing the fourth request message if it is determined that the primary media server includes insufficient resources for processing the fourth request message.

11. The method for processing multi-media service requests of claim 10, further including:

receiving the fourth request message at the secondary media server; and

processing the fourth request message at the secondary media server to form an interactive communication path between the secondary media server and the first communication device.

12. A system for processing multi-media service requests received at a multi-media services provider system to form a multi-media communication path between at least a first communication device and at least a second communication device of a plurality of communication devices, the system comprising:

a call control element located on the multi-media services provider system adapted to receive at least a first request message for at least one multi-media service from the first communication device and to process the first request message to generate a second request message for at least one multi-media service including predetermined attributes of the first request message;

a service broker located on the multi-media services provider system and being adapted to receive and process the second request message to generate a first redirect message, the call control element receiving and processing the first redirect message to generate a third request message including predetermined attributes of the first redirect message; and

at least one application server located on the multi-media services provider system and being adapted to receive said third request message and generate a second redirect message, wherein the second redirect message includes at least a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the multi-media services provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the multi-media services provider system.

13. The system for processing multi-media service requests of claim 12, wherein the second redirect message further includes address-related information associated with predetermined audio scripts.

14. A method of processing multi-media service requests received at a multi-media services provider system to form a multi-media communication path between at least a first communication device and at least a second communication device of a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving at least one request message for at least one multi-media service sent from a call control element at an application server of a plurality of application servers located on the multi-media services provider system; and

processing the at least one request message at the application server for generating a redirect message, wherein the redirect message includes at least a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the multi-media services provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the multi-media services provider system.