Gateway for connecting networks of different types and system for charging fees for communication between networks of different types

• US 8,103,798 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2004
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Omura, Michiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/758,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,932 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-229, 709/246, 709/249, 709/230, 370/352, 370464-467
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network

Abstract

A gateway for connecting networks of different types is designed to connect a first network and a second network that uses a signal format and a protocol that are different from those of the first network. The gateway comprises a conversion section, a detection section, and a network-connecting section. When communication is performed between a terminal connected to the first network and a terminal connected to the second network, the conversion section converts a signal used in the first network to a signal to be used in the second network, and a signal used in the second network to a signal to be used in the first network. The detection section detects conversion-process information containing at least one of the time spent to convert the signal and the amount of data converted. The network-connecting section is connected to at least one of the first and second networks and transmits the conversion-process information to a fee-charging system of the first network or a fee-charging system of the second network.

Claims

1. A gateway for connecting a first network and a second network using a signal format different from that of the first network, said gateway comprising an operation unit that comprises:

a conversion section configured to convert a first signal used in the first network to a second signal used in the second network, and the second signal used in the second network to the first signal used in the first network, when communication is performed between a terminal connected to the first network and a terminal connected to the second network;

a detection section configured to detect as conversion-process information a time, after ability exchange is performed, that said conversion section spent to perform CODEC conversion or protocol conversion of the first signal or the second signal; and

a network-connecting section configured to connect to at least one of the first network and the second network and configured to transmit the conversion-process information to a fee-charging system of the first network or to a fee-charging system of the second network,

wherein the gateway is configured to detect the conversion-process information after the terminal of the first network and the terminal of the second network have been connected to each other.

2. The gateway according to claim 1, wherein said conversion section converts at least one of a call-control signal generated by call-connection signaling, an audio signal generated by an audio CODEC and a video signal generated by a video CODEC.

3. The gateway according to claim 2, wherein said conversion section comprises a signaling gateway unit configured to convert the call-control signal and a media gateway unit configured to convert the audio signal and the video signal, wherein said detecting section detects the conversion-process information used in a conversion process in the media gateway unit.

4. The gateway according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the conversion of the call-control signal is conversion between a Q.931 signal and an SIP signal, the conversion of the audio signal is conversion between an AMR bit stream and a G.723.1 signal, and the conversion of the video signal is conversion between an MPEG4 bit stream and an H.263 signal.

5. A system for charging fees for communication between networks of different types, said system comprising:

a first terminal configured to perform a call control, the first terminal being connected to a first network;

a second terminal configured to respond to the call control performed by the first terminal, the second terminal being connected to a second network; and

a gateway comprising an operation unit configured to connect the first network and the second network using a second signal format different from a first signal format used by the first network, the first network comprising a fee-charging system;

the gateway configured to convert a first signal of the first signal format from the first network to a second signal of the second signal format of the second network and to transmit the second signal to the second network, to convert the second signal from the second network to the first signal of the first network and to transmit the first signal to the first network, and to detect as conversion-process information a time, after ability exchange is performed, that is spent by the gateway to perform CODEC conversion or protocol conversion of the first signal or the second signal and to transmit the conversion-process information to the fee-charging system, and

the fee-charging system configured to perform a fee-charging process in accordance with the conversion-process information, to charge a fee for a user of the first terminal,

wherein the gateway is configured to detect the conversion-process information after the terminal of the first network and the terminal of the second network have been connected to each other.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the gateway detects the conversion-process information about at least one of a signal generated by an audio CODEC and a signal generated by a video CODEC.

7. A method of charging fees for communication between networks of different types, comprising the steps of:

connecting a first network and a second network using a signal format different from that of the first network by means of a gateway configured to convert a first signal from a first terminal connected to the first network to a second signal suitable for the signal format of the second network and to convert the second signal from a second terminal connected to the second network to the first signal suitable for the signal format of the first network;

detecting as conversion-process information a time, after ability exchange is performed, that is spent to perform CODEC conversion or protocol conversion of the first or second signal, said first or second signal having been transmitted after the first terminal and the second terminal have been connected to each other by the gateway;

transmitting the conversion-process information to a fee-charging system of the network to which the first terminal or the second terminal that is a calling side is connected, by the gateway; and

charging a fee for a user of a calling-side terminal, the calling-side terminal being one of the first terminal and the second terminal, said fee being fixed or calculated on a basis of communication time based on the conversion-process information by the fee-charging system.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the conversion-process information includes at least one of the time spent to convert signals in an audio CODEC and video CODEC and the amount of data converted therein.