System and method for call routing based on transmission performance of a packet network

• US 8,000,318 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K., Morrill, Robert J., Wiley, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US11/809,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20080279183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/304 Route determination for signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• 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 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities

Abstract

A system and method that establishes a phone call over a packet network. The process may include receiving a call request from an originating call device on a packet network to call a terminating call device. A first transmission path may be determined between the originating and terminating call devices. Status of a terminating segment at a first terminating trunk may be determined and, if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a first range, a call between the originating and terminating call device may be established via the first terminating call trunk. Otherwise, if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a second range, a second transmission path via a second terminating trunk between the originating and terminating call devices may be made.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a phone call over a packet network, said method comprising:

receiving a call request from an originating call device on a packet network to call a terminating call device operating outside of the packet network;

determining a first transmission path between the originating and terminating call devices;

determining status of a terminating segment at a first terminating trunk;

if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a first range, establishing a call between the originating and terminating call device via the first terminating call trunk, otherwise, if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a second range, determining whether a second transmission path via a second terminating trunk between the originating and terminating call devices is available; and

if status of the second terminating call trunk is in the first range, establishing a call via the second transmission path.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk includes accessing a table including status information of node segments associated with the originating and terminating call devices.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein accessing the table includes accessing a centralized table on the packet network.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising rejecting the call request if a second transmission path via a second terminating trunk between the originating and terminating call devices is not available.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within the first range, establishing a call between the originating and terminating call devices via at least one CODEC having a first data rate, otherwise, in response to determining that the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a third range, establishing a call between the originating and terminating call devices via the at least one CODEC having, a second, lower data rate.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining status of a node segment at the originating call device; and

if the status of the node segment at the originating call device is determined to be within a first range, establishing a call between the originating and terminating call devices via at least one CODEC at the terminating trunk at a first data rate, otherwise, if the status of the node segment at the originating call device is determined to be within a third range, establishing a call between the originating and terminating call devices via the at least one CODEC at the terminating trunk at a second, lower data rate.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining status of the first terminating trunk includes accessing data derived from performance information packets being communicated to the first terminating trunk.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising computing status of the first terminating trunk based on network performance information collected at the first terminating trunk from the performance information packets communicated to the first terminating trunk.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining status of the first transmission path includes determining status based on real-time content transmission via network nodes on the first transmission path.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving a call request includes receiving a session initiation protocol (SIP) call request.

11. A system for establishing a telephone call over a packet network, said system comprising:

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate over a network;

a storage unit configured to store network performance information associated with node segments on the packet network;

a processing unit in communication with said I/O unit and said storage unit and configured to;

receive a call request from an originating call device on a packet network to call a terminating call device operating outside of the packet network;

determine a first transmission path between the originating and terminating call devices;

determine status of a terminating segment at a first terminating trunk if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a first range, establish a call between the originating and terminating call device via the first terminating call trunk, otherwise, if the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a second range, determine whether a second transmission path via a second terminating trunk between the originating and terminating call devices is available; and

if status of the second terminating call trunk is in the first range, establish a call via the second transmission path.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit, in determining status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk, is further configured to access a table including status information of node segments associated with the originating and terminating call devices.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said processing unit, in accessing the table, is further configured to access a centralized table on the packet network.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit is further configured to reject the call request if a second transmission path via a second terminating trunk between the originating and terminating call devices is not available.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit is further configured to:

establish a call between the originating and terminating call devices via at least one CODEC having a first data rate in response to determining that the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within the first range, otherwise, establish a call between the originating and terminating call devices via the at least one CODEC having a second, lower data rate in response to determining that the status of the terminating segment at the first terminating trunk is within a third range.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit is further configured to:

determine status of a node segment at the originating call device; and

establish a call between the originating and terminating call devices via at least one CODEC at the terminating trunk at a first data rate if the status of the node segment at the originating call device is determined to be within a first range, otherwise, establish a call between the originating and terminating call devices via the at least one CODEC at the terminating trunk at a second, lower data rate if the status of the node segment at the originating call device is determined to be within a third range.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit, in determining status of the first terminating trunk is further configured to access data derived from performance information packets being communicated to the first terminating trunk.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said processing unit is further configured to compute status of the first terminating trunk based on network performance information collected at the first terminating trunk from the performance information packets communicated to the first terminating trunk.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit, in determining status of the first transmission path, is further configured to determine status based on real-time content transmission via network nodes on the first transmission path.

20. The system according to claim 11, wherein said processing unit, in receiving a call request, is further configured to receive a session initiation protocol (SIP) call request.