Providing session-based service orchestration to event-based networks

• US 8,493,913 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle Israel Limited (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Itzkovitz, Ayal, Zoller, Tal, Livyatan, Tzach, Kadosh, Nadav
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US12/788,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20100303059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/127 where the session control protocols comprise SIP and SS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method for communication includes, during a call conducted among two or more subscribers in a circuit-switched network, which operates in accordance with a first communication protocol that manages calls among the subscribers by exchanging discrete events among elements of the circuit-switched network, receiving from the circuit-switched network a sequence of the events related to the call. Based on the sequence of the events, at least one emulated communication session is generated in a packet-switched network that operates in accordance with a second communication protocol. Multiple call services are provided to the call conducted in the circuit-switched network from the packet-switched network by cascading multiple service sessions, each providing a respective one of the call services, in the packet-switched network responsively to the emulated communication session.

Claims

1. A method for providing session-based services to an event-based call over communication networks, the method comprising:

receiving, from a circuit-switched network, a plurality of events generated during a call requesting multiple call services and conducted among two or more subscribers in the circuit-switched network, which operates in accordance with a first communication protocol that manages calls among the subscribers by exchanging discrete events among elements of the circuit-switched network;

generating, based on the plurality of events, at least one emulated communication session representing the call, and multiple service sessions each providing a respective one of the multiple call services in a packet-switched network that operates in accordance with a second communication protocol;

providing the multiple call services to the call, via the at least one emulated communication session, from the packet-switched network, wherein the multiple call services are coordinated by cascading the multiple service sessions, including using the service sessions in series by connecting end points of the service sessions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Intelligent Network (IN) protocol, and wherein the second communication protocol comprises a SIP.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received plurality of events comprises a subset of the events related to the call.

4. The method according to claim 1, and comprising updating a first state machine representing the call in the circuit-switched network responsively to the received events, wherein generating the at least one emulated communication session comprises defining at least one second state machine representing the at least one emulated communication session in the packet-switched network, and synchronizing the first and second state machines with one another.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the call services comprises receiving one or more messages from the packet-switched network, and sending one or more events to the circuit-switched network responsively to the messages received from the packet-switched network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call comprises a multi-leg call conducted in the circuit-switched network, and wherein generating the at least one emulated communication session comprises representing communication on each leg of the multi-leg call using one or more respective emulated communication sessions.

7. A mediation system for providing session-based services to an event-based call over communication networks, comprising:

a first interface for communicating with a circuit-switched network, which operates in accordance with a first communication protocol that manages calls by exchanging discrete events among elements of the circuit-switched network;

a second interface for communicating with a packet-switched network that operates in accordance with a second communication protocol; and

a processor, which is configured to

to receive from the circuit-switched network, during a call requesting multiple call services and conducted among two or more subscribers in the circuit-switched network, a plurality of events related to the call,

generate at least one emulated communication session representing the call, and multiple service sessions each providing a respective one of the multiple call services in the packet-switched network based on the plurality of events,

provide the multiple call services to the call, via the at least one emulated communication session, from the packet-switched network, wherein the multiple call services are coordinated by cascading the multiple service sessions, including using the service sessions in series by connecting end points of the service sessions.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Intelligent Network (IN) protocol, and wherein the second communication protocol comprises a SIP.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the received plurality of events comprises a subset of the events related to the call.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to update a first state machine representing the call in the circuit-switched network responsively to the received events, to define at least one second state machine representing the at least one emulated communication session in the packet-switched network, and to synchronize the first and second state machines with one another.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to receive one or more messages from the packet-switched network, and to send one or more events to the circuit-switched network responsively to the messages received from the packet-switched network.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the call comprises a multi-leg call conducted in the circuit-switched network, and wherein the processor is configured to represent communication on each leg of the multi-leg call using one or more respective emulated communication sessions.

13. A method for providing services to a call among two or more subscribers conducted over a circuit-switched network, comprising:

receiving, from a circuit-switched network, a plurality of events generated during a call requesting multiple call services and conducted among two or more subscribers in the circuit-switched network, which operates in accordance with a first communication protocol that manages calls among the subscribers by exchanging discrete events among elements of the circuit-switched network;

generating, based on the plurality of events, at least one emulated communication session representing the call, and multiple service sessions each providing a respective one of the multiple call services in a packet-switched network;

providing the multiple call services to the call from the packet-switched network via the at least one emulated communication session, wherein the multiple call services are coordinated by cascading the multiple service sessions, including using the service sessions in series by connecting end points of the service sessions;

receiving, in a mediation system, one or more messages from the multiple call services in response to the plurality of events; and

communicating, via an intelligent network (IN) protocol, one or more discrete events to the circuit-switched network in response to the one or more messages from the multiple call services received in the mediation system.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one emulated communication session operates in accordance with a SIP.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the received discrete events comprise an incomplete subset of the events related to the call.

16. The method according to claim 13, and comprising updating a first state machine representing the call in the circuit-switched network responsively to the received events, wherein generating the at least one emulated communication session comprises defining at least one second state machine representing the at least one emulated communication session in the packet-switched network, and synchronizing the first and second state machines with one another.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the call comprises a multi-leg call conducted in the circuit-switched network, and wherein generating the at least one emulated communication session comprises representing communication on each leg of the multi-leg call using one or more respective emulated communication sessions.