System and method for IP telephony paging

• US 8,107,460 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: VoxPath Networks, Inc (IPNav)
• Inventors: Silveira, Alaric, Clement, Dallas
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mais, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/503,584
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/254, 370/400, 370/401, 370/464, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370352-354, 370/522
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022

Abstract

An IP-telephony system including one or more nodes coupled to a session controller. Each node includes a service gateway coupled to one or more terminals. A first terminal conveys a start page request initiating a page activity between itself and one or more terminating terminals. The session controller receives the start page request and in response, conveys first control signals to one or more service gateways, each first control signal containing information identifying which of the terminals associated with a service gateway is a terminating terminal. In response to the first control signal, each service gateway conveys second control signals to its associated terminating terminals. The first terminal conveys a media packet to the first service gateway during a page activity. The first service gateway forwards the media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising:

a session controller; and

one or more nodes coupled to the session controller, wherein each node includes a service gateway coupled to one or more terminals;

wherein each service gateway of the one or more nodes is comprised of at least a reflector, propagator, and control signal distributor, and wherein each service gateway of the one or more nodes includes its own said reflector, own said propagator, and own said control signal distributor;

wherein a first terminal of a first node is configured to convey a media packet to a first service gateway during a page activity;

wherein in response to determining one or more terminating terminals are associated with one or more remote nodes, the first service gateway is configured to propagate the media packet to one or more other service gateways associated with the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein in response to determining one or more terminating terminals are included in the first node, the first service gateway is configured to reflect the media packet back to the one or more terminating terminals included in the first node;

wherein the first terminal of the first node is configured to convey a start page request to the first service gateway to initiate a page activity between the first terminal and one or more terminating terminals, and wherein the first service gateway is configured to convey the start page request to the session controller; and

wherein in response to receiving the start page request from the first service gateway, the session controller is configured to convey one or more first control signals to one or more respective service gateways, wherein each of said respective service gateways is different from the first service gateway.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the start page request includes information identifying the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein each of said first control signals contains information identifying which of the one or more terminals associated with a respective service gateway is a terminating terminal; and

wherein in response to receiving the first control signals, each of said respective service gateways is configured to convey one or more second control signals to its associated terminating terminals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the session controller is configured to store data identifying the service gateway to which each terminal is coupled.

4. The system of claim 2,

wherein the first terminal is configured to convey a media packet to the first service gateway during a page activity;

and

wherein in response to receiving the at least one of said first control signals, the control signal distributor of the first service gateway is configured to;

convey control signals to the reflector indicating which terminals coupled to the first service gateway are to receive media packets during a page activity; and

convey control signals to the propagator indicating which service gateways are to receive media packets targeted to terminals that are not coupled to the first service gateway.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein in response to receiving the second control signal, each terminating terminal is configured to enter an active state;

and

wherein in the active state, each terminating terminal is configured to translate received media packets into telephony signals.

6. The system of claim 2,

wherein the first terminal is configured to convey a media packet to the first service gateway during a page activity;

wherein the first service gateway is configured to forward said media packet to a second service gateway of the one or more respective service gateways; and

wherein information contained in at least one of said first control signals identifies the second service gateway.

7. The system of claim 6,

wherein the second service gateway is configured to forward said media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals;

and

wherein information contained in at least one of said first control signals identifies the designated terminating terminals.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the first terminal is configured to convey an end page request to the first service gateway to terminate a page activity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said session controller comprises a remotely located server hosted by a service provider, and wherein said one or more nodes are coupled to share said session controller via the Internet.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said start page request corresponds to a group including a first terminating terminal associated with the first node, and a second terminating terminal associated with a second node different from the first node.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said page activity comprises conveying voice data from the first terminal to each of the one or more terminating terminals, wherein when said voice data is received by the terminating terminals, each of the terminating terminals automatically provides said voice data via a built-in speakerphone without a user acknowledging the page request.

12. An IP-telephony service gateway comprising:

a reflector;

a propagator;

a packet transceiver unit; and

a control signal distributor;

wherein in response to the service gateway receiving a media packet from a first terminal of a first node during a page activity and the service gateway determining one or more terminating terminals are associated with one or more remote nodes, the propagator is configured to propagate the media packet to one or more other service gateways associated with the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein in response to the service gateway determining one or more terminating terminals are included in the first node, the reflector is configured to reflect the media packet back to the one or more terminating terminals included in the first node;

wherein the service gateway is further configured to;

receive a first start page request from a first terminal, said first start page request initiating a page activity between the first terminal and one or more terminating terminals, and wherein the first start page request includes information identifying the one or more terminating terminals,

forward the first start page request to a session controller; and

receive from the session controller a first control signal containing information identifying which of the one or more terminals associated with the service gateway is a terminating terminal, wherein the first control signal is conveyed by the session controller in response to a second start page request from a different service gateway.

13. The service gateway of claim 12, wherein the control signal distributor is configured to:

convey control signals to the reflector indicating which terminals coupled to the first service gateway are to receive media packets during a page activity;

convey control signals to the propagator indicating which service gateways are to receive media packets targeted to terminals that are not coupled to the first service gateway; and

convey a second control signal to each of the terminating terminals in response to receiving the first control signal.

14. A method of paging in an IP-telephony system, the method comprising:

conveying a media packet from a first terminal of a first node to a first service gateway during a page activity;

wherein in response to determining one or more terminating terminals are associated with one or more remote nodes, propagating the media packet from the first service gateway to one or more other service gateways associated with the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein in response to determining one or more terminating terminals are included in the first node, reflecting the media packet from the first service gateway back to the one or more terminating terminals included in the first node;

receiving a start page request at the first service gateway initiating a page activity between a first terminal and one or more terminating terminals;

forwarding the start page request from the service gateway to a session controller; and

in response to receiving the start page request, the session controller conveying one or more first control signals to one or more respective service gateways, wherein each of said respective service gateways is different from the first service gateway.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein the start page request includes information identifying the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein each of said first control signals contains information identifying which of the one or more terminating terminals is associated with a respective service gateway, the method further comprising

each service gateway conveying one or more second control signals to each of its associated terminating terminals in response to the first control signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the first terminal conveying a media packet to the first service gateway of the one or more service gateways during a page activity; and

the first service gateway forwarding said media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals, wherein information contained in at least one of said first control signals identifies the designated terminating terminals.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising each terminating terminal entering an active state in response to receiving the second control signal, wherein in the active state, each terminating terminal is configured to translate received media packets into telephony signals.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the first terminal conveying a media packet to the first service gateway of the one or more service gateways during a page activity; and

the first service gateway forwarding said media packet to a second service gateway of one of the one or more service gateways, wherein information contained in at least one of said first control signals identifies the second service gateway.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the second service gateway forwarding said media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals, wherein information contained in at least one of said first control signals identifies the designated terminating terminals.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the first terminal conveying an end page request to terminate a page activity.

21. A method of coordinating paging in an IP-telephony service gateway, the method comprising:

wherein a first terminal of a first node is configured to convey a media packet to the service gateway during a page activity;

wherein in response to the service gateway receiving a media packet and the service gateway determining one or more terminating terminals are associated with one or more remote nodes, the propagator is configured to propagate the media packet to one or more other service gateways associated with the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein in response to the service gateway determining one or more terminating terminals are included in the first node, the reflector is configured to reflect the media packet back to the one or more terminating terminals included in the first node;

receiving a first start page request from a first terminal, said first start page request initiating a page activity between the first terminal and one or more terminating terminals;

forwarding the first start page request to a session controller; and

receiving from the session controller a first control signal containing information identifying which of the one or more terminals associated with the service gateway is a terminating terminal, wherein the first control signal is conveyed by the session controller in response to a second start page request from a different service gateway.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

conveying a second control signal to each of the terminating terminals in response to receiving the first control signal;

conveying control signals to a reflector indicating which terminals coupled to the service gateway are to receive media packets during a page activity; and

conveying control signals to a propagator indicating which service gateways are to receive media packets targeted to terminals that are not coupled to the service gateway;

receiving a media packet from the first terminal during a page activity;

forwarding said media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals, wherein information contained in the first control signal identifies the designated terminating terminals; and

forwarding said media packet to one or more additional service gateways, wherein information contained in the first control signal identifies the one or more additional service gateways.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the start page request includes information identifying the one or more terminating terminals.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor in an IP-telephony service gateway, enable the gateway to:

wherein in response to receiving a media packet from a first terminal of a first node during a page activity and determining one or more terminating terminals are associated with one or more remote nodes, propagate the media packet to one or more other service gateways associated with the one or more terminating terminals;

wherein in response to determining one or more terminating terminals are included in the first node, reflect the media packet back to the one or more terminating terminals included in the first node;

receive a first start page request from a first terminal, said first start page request initiating a page activity between the first terminal and one or more terminating terminals;

forward the first start page request to a session controller; and

receive from the session controller a first control signal containing information identifying which of the one or more terminals associated with the service gateway is a terminating terminal, wherein the first control signal is conveyed by the session controller in response to a second start page request from a different service gateway.

25. The medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the gateway to:

convey a second control signal to each of the terminating terminals in response to receiving the first control signal;

convey control signals to a reflector indicating which terminals coupled to the gateway are to receive media packets during a page activity;

convey control signals to a propagator indicating which other service gateways are to receive media packets targeted to terminals that are not coupled to the gateway;

receive a media packet from the first terminal during a page activity;

forward said media packet to one or more designated terminating terminals, wherein information contained in the first control signal identifies the designated terminating terminals; and

forward said media packet to one or more additional service gateways, wherein information contained in the first control signal identifies the one or more additional service gateways.