Media route optimization in network communications

• US 7,974,270 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gallagher, Michael D., Goel, Puneet
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarwar; Babar
• Application Number:
  US11/222,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/421, 455/450, 455/509, 455/502, 455/67.11, 455/456.1, 455/437, 455/435.1, 370/341, 370/329, 370/352, 370/437, 370/338, 370/401, 370/466
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Media routes may be optimized in network communications, such a radio telephony communications networks. In one embodiment, the description includes identifying a first network controller corresponding to a first media communications client, identifying a second network controller corresponding to a second media communications client, determining whether the first and second network controller coincide, and if the first and second network controller coincide, then establishing a direct media communications connection between the first and the second client.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a communication channel between first and second media communications clients in a wireless network, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling a licensed wireless first communication network comprising a mobile switching center (MSC) and a second communication network comprising a plurality of network controllers, wherein each of the plurality of network controllers comprises a media gateway;

through the MSC and a media gateway of a network controller, establishing a call between the first media communications client and the second media communications client;

at the MSC, determining that the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller;

sending, from the MSC to the network controller, a set of route optimize messages when the first and second media communications clients are determined to be hosted by the network controller, the set of route optimize messages comprising identities of the first and second media communications clients, the set of route optimize messages indicating that the network controller has to bypass the media gateway;

sending, from the network controller, channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to modify the communication channel between the first and second media communications clients to establish a direct media communications connection between the first and second media communications clients through the network controller, wherein the direct media communications connection bypasses the media gateway of the network controller; and

receiving, at the MSC, a set of route optimize complete messages from the network controller after the direct media communications connection is established.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said establishing the direct media communications connection comprises sending session description parameters to the first media communications client that identify the second media communications client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the session description parameters comprise an Internet Protocol (IP) port and address of the second media communications client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said establishing the direct media communications connection comprises establishing a peer to peer connection between the first and second media communications clients.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the direct media communications connection comprises modifying an existing channel between the first and second media communications clients through the media gateway to a direct channel between the first and second media communications clients.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second media communications clients communicate with each other through a security gateway and wherein establishing the direct media communications connection comprises establishing a connection between the first and second media communications clients at the security gateway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second media communications clients communicate with each other through a security gateway and wherein establishing the direct media communications connection comprises modifying a connection at the security gateway to exclude the media gateway.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein said non-transitory machine-readable medium does not comprise carrier signals, the computer program comprising sets of instructions which when executed by a mobile switching center (MSC) causes the MSC to perform operations for optimizing a communication channel between first and second media communications clients in a wireless network, the sets of instructions for:

communicatively coupling a licensed wireless first communication network comprising the MSC and a second communication network comprising a plurality of network controllers, wherein each of the plurality of network controllers comprises a media gateway;

establishing a call between the first media communications client and the second media communications client through the MSC and a media gateway of a network controller;

determining that the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller; and

sending to the network controller a set of route optimize messages when the first and second media communications clients are determined to be hosted by the network controller, the set of route optimize messages comprising identities of the first and second media communications clients, the set of route optimize messages indicating that the network controller has to bypass the media gateway, the set of route optimize messages causing the network controller to send channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to modify the communication channel between the first and second media communication to establish a direct media communications connection between the first and second media communications clients through the network controller, wherein the direct media communications connection bypasses the media gateway of the network controller.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the set of route optimize messages prompts the network controller to send session description parameters to the first media communications client that identify the second media communications client.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for receiving a set of route optimize complete messages from the network controller after the direct media communications connection is established.

11. A switching center of a licensed wireless first communication network comprising:

an interface to a network controller of a second communication network corresponding to first and second media communications clients;

a call server configured to;

determine that the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller;

send a set of route optimize messages when the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller, the set of route optimize messages comprising identities of the first and second media communications clients, the set of route optimize messages indicating that the network controller has to bypass a media gateway of the network controller, the set of route optimize messages causing the network controller to send channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to modify the communication channel between the first and second media communications clients to establish a direct media communications connection between the first and second media communications clients through the network controller, wherein the direct media communications connection bypasses a media gateway of the network controller; and

receive a set of route optimize complete messages from the network controller after the direct media communications connection is established.

12. The switching center of claim 11, wherein a media communications connection is established through the media gateway for communicating media between the first and second media communications clients and wherein sending the set of route optimize messages comprises sending a message to cause the network controller to reroute the media communications connection to exclude the media gateway.

13. A network controller of a first communication network comprising:

a first interface to a first media communications client;

a second interface to a second media communications client;

a third interface to a mobile switching center (MSC) of a wireless second communication network to carry media communications connections between the first and second media communications clients;

a media gateway configured to communicate media between the first and second media communications clients;

a control server configured to;

(i) receive a set of route optimize messages from the MSC, the set of route optimize messages comprising identities of the first and second media communications clients, the set of route optimize messages indicating that the network controller has to bypass the media gateway, the set of route optimize messages received when the MSC detects that the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller;

(ii) send channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to modify a communication channel between the first and second media communications clients and to command the first and second media communications clients to establish a direct media communications connection through the network controller, wherein the direct media communications connection bypasses the media gateway of the network controller; and

(iii) send a set of route optimize complete messages to the MSC after the direct media communications connection is established.

14. The network controller of claim 13, wherein the network controller establishes the direct media communications connection in response to the set of route optimize messages from the MSC.

15. The network controller of claim 13, wherein a media communications connection is established through the media gateway for communicating media between the first and second media communications clients and wherein establishing the direct media communications connection comprises sending channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to reroute the media communications connection to exclude the media gateway.

16. The network controller of claim 13, wherein the network controller establishes the direct media communications connection by modifying an existing channel between the first and second media communications clients through the media gateway to a direct channel between the first and second media communications clients that excludes the media gateway.

17. The network controller of claim 13 further comprising a security gateway for communicating messages between the first and second media communications clients and wherein the network controller establishes the direct media communications connection by establishing a connection between the first and second media communications clients at the security gateway.

18. The network controller of claim 13 further comprising a security gateway for communicating messages between the first and second media communications clients and wherein the network controller establishes the direct media communications connection by modifying a connection at the security gateway to exclude the media gateway.

19. A method for optimizing a communication channel between first and second media communications clients in a wireless network, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling a licensed wireless first communication network comprising a mobile switching center (MSC) and a second communication network comprising a plurality of network controllers, wherein each of the plurality of network controllers comprises a media gateway;

through a media gateway of a network controller and the MSC, establishing a call between the first media communications client and the second media communications client;

receiving, at the network controller, a set of route optimize messages from the MSC, the set of route optimize messages comprising identities of the first and second media communications clients, the set of route optimize messages indicating that the network controller has to bypass the media gateway, the set of route optimize messages received when the MSC detects that the first and second media communications clients are hosted by the network controller;

sending, from the network controller, channel mode modify requests to both the first and second media communications clients to modify the communication channel between the first and second media communications clients and to command the first and second media communications clients to establish a direct media communications connection through the network controller, wherein the direct media communications connection bypasses the media gateway of the network controller; and

sending, from the network controller, a set of route optimize complete messages to the MSC after the direct media communications connection is established.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the channel mode modify request to the first media communications client comprises a first request for the first media communications client to connect directly with the second media communications client, the first request comprising a session description protocol for the second media communications client, and wherein the channel mode modify request to the second media communications client comprises a second request for the second media communications client to connect directly with the first media communications client, the second request comprising a session description protocol for the first media communications client.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the session description protocols of the first and second media communications clients are stored by the network controller.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the session description protocol of a media communications client comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) port and address of the media communications client.