Redundancy mechanisms in a push-to-talk realtime cellular network

• US 8,559,940 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Enzmann, Mark J., Hoang, Hung D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US12/646,131
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/423, 455/424, 455/445, 455/450
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13167 Redundant apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

Redundant mechanism in a push-to-talk (PTT) realtime architecture. Redundancy is provided in core delivery systems, which are employed for the emulation of “walkie-talkie” service with circuit switched duplex calls in the carrier network. The disclosed architecture provides for geographic and/or realtime mated redundancy. In one implementation, realtime redundancy is offered in an active-active scenario, although other scenarios are possible. Similarly, redundancy is provided in a roaming gateway implementation of the PTT network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a system comprising a processor, a failure in a first core delivery system associated with a voice over cellular carrier service; and

re-routing, by the system, services associated with the first core delivery system to a second core delivery system in response to detecting the failure in the first core delivery system, wherein the re-routing of the services is facilitated based on synchronizing a first subscriber data store associated with the first core delivery system and a second subscriber data store associated with the second core delivery system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, updates relating to the first subscriber data store by the second core delivery system; and

processing, by the system, data traffic associated with the first core delivery system and the second core delivery system by the second core delivery system in response to the services associated with the first core delivery system being re-routed to the second core delivery system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the system, that the failure in the first core delivery system is resolved wherein the first core delivery system is operational; and

re-routing, by the system, the services, which were associated with the first core delivery system prior to the detecting the failure, from the second core delivery system to the first core delivery system; and

re-synchronizing, by the system, the first subscriber data store and the second subscriber data store.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring, by the system, the first core delivery system to process and deliver data traffic relating to the voice over cellular carrier service;

configuring, by the system, the second core delivery system to interconnect to the first core delivery system, and to process and deliver the data traffic, wherein the first core delivery system and the second core delivery system are configured in an active-active configuration; and

interfacing, by the system, the first core delivery system to the second core delivery system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing, by the system, the first subscriber data store with the second subscriber data store in response to the interfacing of the first core delivery system to the second core delivery system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mating, by the system, the first core delivery system with the second core delivery system to facilitate redundant signal processing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing, by the system, a mobile switching center to facilitate traffic distribution associated with the first core delivery system and the second core delivery system.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

identifying a failure in a first redundant core delivery system associated with voice over a cellular carrier; and

processing data traffic associated with the first redundant core delivery system and a second redundant core delivery system by the second redundant core delivery system in response to services associated with the first redundant core delivery system being re-routed to the second redundant core delivery system after identifying the failure in the first redundant core delivery system.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

re-routing the services associated with the first redundant core delivery system to the second redundant core delivery system in response to the identifying of the failure of the first redundant core delivery system.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving updates relating to a first subscriber data store by the second redundant core delivery system in response to the first redundant core delivery system not being operational.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying that a fault of the first redundant core delivery system is corrected, wherein the correction of the fault is facilitated by the first redundant core delivery system being operational;

re-routing the services, which were associated with the first redundant core delivery system prior to the identifying of the fault, from the second redundant core delivery system to the first redundant core delivery system; and

synchronizing a first subscriber data store and a second subscriber data store.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

synchronizing a first subscriber data store with a second subscriber data store in response to the first redundant core delivery system interfacing with the second redundant core delivery system.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first redundant core delivery system is geographically diverse from the second redundant core delivery system wherein the first redundant core delivery system is in a different city than the second redundant core delivery system.

14. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations comprising;

processing and delivering a portion of first data traffic related to a voice over cellular carrier service that is associated with a first redundant core delivery system; and

processing and delivering second data traffic related to the voice over cellular carrier service that is associated with a second redundant core delivery system, wherein the second redundant core delivery system interconnects to the first core delivery system, wherein stored data is synchronized between the first redundant core delivery system and the second redundant core delivery system, and wherein the second redundant core delivery system processes another portion of the first data traffic associated with the first redundant core delivery system and the second data traffic associated with the second redundant core delivery system in response to a re-routing of services associated with the first redundant core delivery system to the second redundant core delivery system performed in response to identification of a failure in the first redundant core delivery system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first redundant core delivery system and the second redundant core delivery system are in an active-active configuration.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise processing and delivering, by the second redundant core delivery system, other data traffic that was initially associated with the first redundant core delivery system and re-routed to the second redundant core delivery system until at least the failure in the first redundant core delivery system has been identified.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing a first subset of data traffic in a first subscriber data store that is associated with the first redundant core delivery system; and

storing a second subset of the data traffic in a second subscriber data store that is associated with the second redundant core delivery system, wherein the second redundant core delivery system facilitates synchronization of the first subscriber data store with the second subscriber data store in response to the first redundant core delivery system being restored to operation after the failure of the first redundant core delivery system.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

processing and delivering, by a first roaming gateway device, the portion of the first data traffic related to the voice over cellular carrier service; and

processing and delivering, by a second roaming gateway device, the second data traffic related to the voice over the cellular carrier service, wherein the first roaming gateway device and the second roaming gateway device form a mated pair of roaming gateway devices, and the first redundant core delivery system and the second redundant core delivery system form a mated pair of core delivery systems.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating a first signal-transfer-point unit with the first redundant core delivery system;

associating a second signal-transfer-point unit with the second redundant core delivery system, wherein the first signal-transfer-point unit and the second signal-transfer-point unit form a mated pair of signal-transfer-point units;

associating a first gateway signal-transfer-point unit with the first roaming gateway; and

associating a second gateway signal-transfer-point unit with the second roaming gateway, wherein the first gateway signal-transfer-point unit and the second gateway signal-transfer-point unit form a mated pair of gateway signal-transfer-point units.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

interfacing the mated pair of signal-transfer-point units with the mated pair of gateway signal-transfer-point units; and

interfacing the mated pair of gateway signal-transfer-point units with the mated pair of roaming gateways to facilitate traffic distribution between different networks.