Data and voice messaging system

• US 8,102,861 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cunetto, Philip C., Adams, Thomas L., Lemay, John, Lu, Chien-Chun, Schroeder, Timothy P., Schneider, Marco, Ho, Melody
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDA, ADAM K
• Application Number:
  US12/242,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/401, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/201.12, 379/201.02, 379/201.052, 379/265.09, 705/14, 705/206, 705/224, 705/228
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/08 Indicating faults in circuits or apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0084 Network monitoring; Error detection; Error recovery; Network testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A data messaging system includes a first Internet Protocol (IP) switch that includes a processor. The data messaging system also includes a first gateserver coupled to the first IP switch and coupled to a second IP switch. The data messaging system includes a second gateserver that is coupled to the first IP switch and to the second IP switch. The data messaging system further includes a first gatekeeper coupled to the first IP switch. The first gatekeeper is adapted to detect a failure of the first gateserver and to route data to the second gateserver in response to detecting the failure.

Claims

1. A data messaging system comprising:

a first Internet Protocol switch that includes a processor;

a first gateserver coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch, the first gateserver further coupled to a second Internet Protocol switch;

a second gateserver coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch;

a first gatekeeper coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch;

a first voice gateway coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol Switch; and

a second voice gateway coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch;

wherein the first gatekeeper is adapted to detect a failure of the first gateserver and to route data to the second gateserver in response to detecting the failure, and

wherein the first voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet protocol switch via a first virtual local area network and the first voice gateway is coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch via a second virtual local area network.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein a loop-back address is associated with the first voice gateway and the second voice gateway.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein when a data connection from one of the first Internet Protocol switch and the second Internet Protocol switch to the first voice gateway is not available, the loop-back address is used to route data to the second voice gateway.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when the first voice gateway fails, voice calls are routed to the second voice gateway via hunt group capabilities of a class five switch.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gateway and the second gateway are each responsive to voice communications over a voice traffic interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the voice traffic interface is a primary rate interface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch via the second virtual local area network and the first voice gateway is coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch via the first virtual local area network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein when a data connection from one of the first Internet Protocol switch and the second Internet Protocol switch to the first gateserver is not available, a virtual address is used to route data to the second gateserver.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first text-to-speech server coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second text-to-speech server coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gatekeeper provides enforcement of call admission policy and call routing.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gatekeeper is active and the second gatekeeper is in a standby mode.

13. The data messaging system of claim 1, further comprising a second gatekeeper coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

detect a failure of a first gateserver coupled to a first Internet Protocol switch, wherein the first gateserver is also coupled to a second Internet Protocol switch;

route data to a second gateserver in response to detecting the failure; and

re-route voice data that is unable to be routed to a first voice gateway to a second voice gateway, wherein the first voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch, wherein the second voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch,

wherein the second gateserver is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and the second gateserver is also coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch, and wherein the first voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch via a first virtual local area network and the first voice gateway is coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch via a second virtual local area network.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the re-routing is performed using a loop-back address that is associated with the first voice gateway and with the second voice gateway.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions to route the data to the second gateserver via a virtual address when a data connection from one of the first Internet Protocol switch and the second Internet Protocol switch to the first gateserver is not available.

17. A method of routing data, the method comprising:

detecting, by a first gatekeeper, a failure of a first gateserver coupled to a first Internet Protocol switch, wherein the first gateserver is also coupled to a second Internet Protcol switch;

routing data to a second gateserver in response to detecting the failure; and

re-routing voice data that is unable to be routed to a first voice gateway to a second voice gateway, wherein the first voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch, wherein the second voice gateway is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch,

wherein the second gateserver is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch and the second gateserver is also coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch, and wherein the first voice atewa is coupled to the first Internet Protocol switch via a first virtual local area network and the first voice gateway is coupled to the second Internet Protocol switch via a second virtual local area network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the re-routing is performed using a loop-back address that is associated with the first voice gateway and with the second voice gateway.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising routing data to the second gateserver via a virtual address when a data connection from one of the first Internet Protocol switch and the second Internet Protocol switch to the first gateserver is not available.