Voice over data telecommunications network architecture

• US 8,693,347 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elliott, Isaac K., Higgins, Steven P., Dugan, Andrew John, Peterson, Jon, Hernandez, Robert L., Steele, Rick D., Baker, Bruce W., Terpstra, Rich, Mitchell, Jonathan S., Wang, Jin-Gen, Stearns, Harold, Zimmerer, Eric, Waibel, Ray, Owen, Kraig, Lewis, Shawn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US13/617,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20130070757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 : Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

The present invention describes a system and method for communicating voice and data over a packet-switched network that is adapted to coexist and communicate with a legacy PSTN. The system permits packet switching of voice calls and data calls through a data network from and to any of a LEC, a customer facility or a direct IP connection on the data network. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The system interfaces with customer facilities (e.g., a PBX), carrier facilities (e.g., a LEC) and legacy signaling networks (e.g., SS7) to handle calls between any combination of on-network and off-network callers.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a softswitch operable in a telecommunications network to convert telecommunications calls from a first format to a second format;

at least one regional network event collection point (RNECP);

a master network event database (MNEDB) comprising a first MNEDB server and a secondary MNEDB server;

wherein the softswitch is further operable to;

capture call events from a plurality of network elements;

generate call event data from the captured call events; and

provide the call event data to the at least one RNECP;

wherein the at least one RNECP is operable to route the call event data to the MNEDB; and

wherein the MNEDB is operable to;

receive the call event data from the at least one RNECP;

correlate the received call event data; and

forward the correlated call event data to one or more downstream systems selected from the group consisting of a browser system, a fraud database client system, a carrier access billing system, a statistics database client, and a mediation database client.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RNCEP routes the call event data to the MNEDB via a virtual private network (VPN).

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a service control point, an intelligent peripheral, an access gateway, a trunking gateway, a signal transfer point, a service switching point, and off-switch service control point.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the MNEDB forwards the correlated call event data to the fraud database client system in real-time thereby enabling the fraud database client system to detect fraudulent activities while the fraudulent activities are occurring.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the MNEDB forwards the correlated call event data to the carrier access billing system thereby enabling the carrier access billing system to bill local exchange carriers for usage of the telecommunications network.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the MNEDB forwards the correlated call event data to the carrier access billing system thereby enabling the carrier access billing system to bill interexchange carriers for usage of the telecommunications network.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the MNEDB forwards the correlated call event data to the statistics database client thereby enabling the statistics database client to assist in traffic engineering and capacity forecasting.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the MNEDB forwards the correlated call event data to the mediation database client thereby enabling the mediation database client to normalize the call event data and provide a data feed to a billing system in approximate real-time.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the generated call event data comprises mandatory call event blocks generated during an initial point-in-call analysis, wherein the initial point-in-call analysis comprises at least one of call setup, going off-hook, and initial digital analysis.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the generated call event data further comprise augmenting call event blocks operable to augment the mandatory call event blocks, the augmenting call event blocks comprising data associated with at least one of a route determination, an answer indication, and a service control point transaction.