Architecture to support public voice VPN services over an IP network

• US 7,983,269 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Fang, Wunderlich, Eberhard F., Fung, Kwok T., Ko, Denny, Sam, Emmanuel K.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/397,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/352, 370/200, 370/260, 726/15, 713/154, 379/114
• US Class Current: 370/395.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/901 Virtual networks or virtual private networks

Abstract

The presently disclosed architecture enables a service provider to support public voice VPN services over an IP VPN network. The architecture utilizes a customer VPN, a designated gateway for the customer VPN, an IP VPN transport network, and a Call Control Element/router Complex which uses IP technology to map between the IP VPN and the voice VPN. With such an arrangement, the customer VPN is extended to the gatekeeper of the Call Control Element/router Complex, thereby enabling the provision of voice VPN services over an IP network.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a telecommunications carrier to provide a virtual private network service over an internet protocol virtual private network, comprising:

receiving a call in the internet protocol virtual private network that originated from a customer virtual private network;

routing the call to a gatekeeper along with a number for an autonomous system that uniquely identifies the customer virtual private network; and

mapping at the gatekeeper the autonomous system into a connection group to facilitate routing of the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed through an internet protocol subnet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing is performed through a permanent virtual circuit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing is performed using an internet protocol tunneling protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the internet protocol tunneling protocol comprises a layer 2 tunneling protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping is performed to a per-virtual private network management information base.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises a multiprotocol label switching over frame relay.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual private network service comprises H.323.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises an internet protocol network with diffserv.

11. An apparatus for enabling a telecommunications carrier to provide a virtual private network service over an internet protocol virtual private network, comprising:

means for receiving a call in the internet protocol virtual private network that originated from a customer virtual private network;

means for routing the call to a gatekeeper along with a number for an autonomous system autonomous system that uniquely identifies the customer virtual private network; and

means for mapping at the gatekeeper the autonomous system into a connection group to facilitate routing of the call.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receiving means receives the call through an internet protocol subnet.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the routing means routes the call through a permanent virtual circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the routing means routes the call using an internet protocol tunneling protocol.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the internet protocol tunneling protocol comprises a layer 2 tunneling protocol.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the mapping means maps the autonomous system to a per-virtual private network management information base.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises a multiprotocol label switching over frame relay network.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the virtual private network service comprises H.323.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the internet protocol virtual private network comprises an internet protocol network with diffserv.