Access independent common architecture for real-time communications services for networking environments

• US 7,797,459 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roy, Radhika R., Russell, Larry Arnise, Cuevas, Enrique G., Fisher, Steve, Kittredge, Barbara J., Nassar, Magda K., Afshar, Siroos K., Faryar, Alireza, McGregor-Barnes, Karen A., Croak, Marian R., Glazer, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US10/748,707
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 709/238, 709/249, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols

Abstract

An access architecture for real-time communications is described. The architecture includes an inter-architecture network utilizing a single protocol, a plurality of border elements in communication with the inter-architecture network and with an external network, and one or more call control elements in communication with said inter-architecture network. The external network utilizes any of a variety of known networking technologies and protocols. The inter-architecture network utilizes a single protocol such as SIP. The present architecture provides a single common infrastructure for offering real-time communications services independent of call control protocols and networking technologies.

Claims

1. An access architecture for real-time communications, comprising:

an inter-architecture network in communication with a plurality of external networks, wherein each one of the plurality of external networks uses a different access protocol;

a plurality of border elements, each of the border elements deployed in the inter-architecture network and each of the border elements in communication with a respective external network of the plurality of external networks, wherein each of the border elements converts the different access protocol of the respective external network to a single protocol, wherein the single protocol comprises session initiated protocol;

a plurality of call control elements, each of the call control elements deployed in the-inter-architecture network; and

an emergency 911 server deployed in the inter-architecture network.

2. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of media servers, each of the plurality of media servers deployed in the inter-architecture network.

3. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising a network function element deployed in the inter-architecture network.

4. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising a communications assistance for law enforcement server deployed in the inter-architecture network.

5. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising an application server in communication with at least one of the plurality of call control elements.

6. The architecture of claim 5 further comprising a network resource in communication with the application server.

7. The architecture of claim 1 further comprising a peer network border element deployed in the inter-architecture network.

8. The architecture of claim 3 wherein the network function element includes at least one of:

a call admission control element, a network routing engine, a user profile engine or a service broker.

9. The architecture of claim 1 wherein each external network comprises a network technology selected from a group comprising of internet protocol, ethernet, time division multiplexing, frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode.

10. The architecture of claim 1 wherein each external network comprises a network utilizing a protocol selected from a group comprising of:

session initiated protocol, ISDN User Part (ISUP) and H.323.