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 8,009,666 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2009
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Samarasinghe, Harish
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US12/647,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20100098069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 612 Days
• Field of Search: 370259-271, 370351-356, 379 671- 8828, 379/201.01, 379/211.01, 379/220.01, 379/221.08, 379/229, 4554141-4144, 709201-203, 709227-230, 709/238, 709243-244
• 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 provider system to form a multi-media communication path between a first communication device and a second communication device of a plurality of communication devices, comprising:

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

processing the first request message at the call control element to generate a second request message for the multi-media service including predetermined attributes of the first request message;

forwarding the second request message to a service broker;

receiving and processing a first redirect message from the service broker, wherein the first redirect message includes predetermined attributes of the second request message at the call control element for generating a third request message including predetermined attributes of the first redirect message;

forwarding the third request message to an application server, wherein the application server is for generating a second redirect message, wherein the second redirect message includes a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the provider system;

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, 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;

forwarding the fourth request message to 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.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user-entered data at the primary media server;

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

determining whether the user-enter data is valid at the at least one application server, wherein if the user-entered data is determined as valid, the method further includes generating a fifth request message at the at least one 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.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

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

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

forwarding the sixth request message to a network routing element for generating a third redirect message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

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

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

forwarding the seventh request message to 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.

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

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

processing the first request message at the call control element to generate a second request message for the multi-media service including predetermined attributes of the first request message;

forwarding the second request message to a service broker;

receiving and processing a first redirect message from the service broker, wherein the first redirect message includes predetermined attributes of the second request message at the call control element for generating a third request message including predetermined attributes of the first redirect message;

forwarding the third request message to an application server, wherein the application server is for generating a second redirect message, wherein the second redirect message includes a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the provider system;

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, 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; and

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.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forwarding the fourth request message to 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.

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

a call control element located on the provider system for receiving a first request message for a multi-media service from the first communication device, wherein the call control element processes the first request message at the call control element to generate a second request message for the multi-media service including predetermined attributes of the first request message, wherein the call control element forwards the second request message to a service broker, wherein the call control element receives and processes a first redirect message from the service broker, wherein the first redirect message includes predetermined attributes of the second request message at the call control element for generating a third request message including predetermined attributes of the first redirect message, wherein the call control element forwards the third request message to an application server, wherein the application server is for generating a second redirect message, wherein the second redirect message includes a first contact header having address-related information associated with a primary media server located on the provider system and a second contact header having address-related information associated with a secondary media server located on the provider system, wherein the call control element receives and processes 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, 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, wherein the call control element forwards the fourth request message to the primary media server if it is determined that the primary media server includes resources for processing the fourth request message and processes 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.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving user-entered data at the primary media server;

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

determining whether the user-enter data is valid at the at least one application server, wherein if the user-entered data is determined as valid, the method further includes generating a fifth request message at the at least one 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.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

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

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

forwarding the sixth request message to a network routing element for generating a third redirect message.