Hybrid packet-switched and circuit-switched telephony system

• US 8,780,890 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Lisheng
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US12/339,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-357, 370/401, 370/402, 370/465
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5639 Tariffs or charging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5671 Support of voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6424 Access arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A hybrid telephony system with packet switching as well as circuit switching optimizes utilization of transport networks, and is accessible from any conventional telephone set. A call originating from a circuit-switched network is passed through a gateway computer to a backbone packet-switched network, and then through a second gateway computer to a second circuit-switched network where it terminates. The voice of both the originating party and the terminating party is converted to data packets by the near-end gateway computer and then converted back to voice by the far-end gateway computer. In an alternative scenario, the originating party uses a computer on the packet-switched network, which replaces the originating circuit-switched network and the originating computer. Powered by CPUs, DSPs, ASICs disks, telephony interfaces, and packet network interfaces, the gateway computers may have media conversion modules, speech processing modules and routing resolution modules, and are capable of translating telephony call signaling as well as voice between circuit-switched and packet-switched networks. Optionally, the gateway computers may also have analog trunking modules, MF and DTMF digit modules and special services modules, in order to support analog circuit-switched networks and secure telephone calls.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first gateway device, a destination address of a called device, the destination address being received from a calling device associated with

a first circuit-switched network;

transmitting, by the first gateway device and based on receiving the destination address, a connection request to a second gateway device over a packet-switched network,

the second gateway device being connected to the called device through a second circuit-switched network using the destination address;

establishing, by at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network based on billing information received via out-of-band signaling,

data related to the call connection being routed through the packet-switched network;

storing, by one or more of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, packets received from the packet-switched network,

the packets being related to the call connection; and

rearranging, by the one or more of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, the stored packets to maintain a packet order for the call connection.

2. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device accepts the out-of-band signaling.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating, via the first gateway device, an identifier associated with the calling device prior to transmitting the connection request to the second gateway device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding, via the first gateway device and to the calling device, a ring tone or a busy signal based on a status of the called device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting, by the first gateway device, first data in the first circuit-switched network into data packets for transmission through the packet-switched network,

where the first data and the data packets relate to the call connection.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

converting, by the second gateway device, the data packets to second data in the second circuit-switched network,

where the second data relates to the call connection.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first gateway device, a destination address of a called device, the destination address being received from a calling device over a first

circuit-switched network;

prompting, by the first gateway device, the calling device for information associated with a payment method,

the information associated with the payment method being received via out-of-band signaling;

validating, by the first gateway device, the payment method;

transmitting, by the first gateway device and based on receiving the destination address and validating the payment method, a connection request from the first gateway device to a second gateway device over a packet-switched network

the second gateway device being connected to the called device through a second circuit-switched network using the destination address;

establishing, by at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network based on the second gateway device being connected to the called device; and

routing, by the at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, packets related to the call connection through the packet-switched network.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first gateway device and over a first circuit-switched network, a destination address of a called device from a calling device;

transmitting, by the first gateway device and based on receiving the destination address, a connection request to a second gateway device over a packet-switched network,

the second gateway device being connected to the called device through a second circuit-switched network using the destination address;

establishing, by at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device, a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network based on billing information received via out-of-band signaling;

converting, by the first gateway device, first data, associated with the call connection and received from the calling device, into first data packets;

routing the first data packets through the packet-switched network;

converting, by the second gateway device, second data, associated with the call connection and received from the called device, into second data packets;

routing the second data packets through the packet-switched network;

recovering, via the first gateway device, the second data from the second data packets in the packet-switched network; and

recovering, via the second gateway device, the first data from the first data packets in the packet-switched network.

9. A system comprising:

a first gateway device in communications with a first circuit-switched network and with a packet-switched network,

the first gateway device being to;

receive, over the first circuit-switched network and from a calling device, a destination address of a called device, and

based on the destination address and billing information received via out-of-band signaling, transmit a connection request over the packet-switched network; and

a second gateway device in communications with the packet-switched network and with a second circuit-switched network,

the second gateway device being to;

receive, via the packet-switched network, the connection request from the first gateway device,

establish a connection to the called device through the second circuit-switched network using the destination address, and

after establishing the connection, send an acknowledgement message to the first gateway device,

based on the second gateway device establishing the connection to the called device through the second circuit-switched network, the first gateway device and the second gateway device being further to;

establish a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network, and

route data related to the call connection through the packet-switched network.

10. The system of claim 9, where at least one of the first gateway device or the second gateway device accepts the out-of-band signaling.

11. The system of claim 9, where the first gateway device is further to:

prompt the calling device for information associated with a payment method,

the information associated with the payment method being received via out-of-band signaling; and

validate the payment method prior to transmitting the connection request to the second gateway device.

12. The system of claim 9, where the first gateway device is further to:

convert first data in the first circuit-switched network into data packets for transmission through the packet-switched network,

where the first data and the data packets relate to the call connection, and

where the second gateway device is further to;

convert the data packets from the packet-switched network to second data in the second circuit-switched network,

where the second data relates to the call connection.

13. The system of claim 9, where the first gateway device is further to:

forward, to the calling device, a ring tone or a busy signal based on a status of the called device.

14. The system of claim 9, where the first gateway device is further to:

initiate billing the calling device for the call connection.

15. A system, comprising

a first gateway device in communications with a first circuit-switched network and with a packet-switched network,

the first gateway device being to:

receive, over the first circuit-switched network and from a calling device, a destination address of a called device, and

transmit, over the packet-switched network and based on billing information received via out-of-band signaling, a connection request associated with the destination address; and

a second gateway device in communications with the packet-switched network and with a second circuit-switched network,

the second gateway device being to;

receive, via the packet-switched network, the connection request from the first gateway device, and

connect to the called device through the second circuit-switched network using the destination address,

based on the second gateway device connecting to the called device through the second circuit-switched network, one or more of the first gateway device and the second gateway device being further to;

establish a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network,

route data related to the call connection through the packet-switched network,

store a plurality of packets received from the packet-switched network, the plurality of packets being related to the call connection, and

rearrange the stored plurality of packets to maintain a packet order related to the call connection.

16. A non-transitory memory device to store instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor associated with a first one or more gateway devices, cause the processor to;

receive, from a calling device and over a first circuit-switched network, a destination address of a called device,

transmit, based on the destination address and billing information received via out-of-band signaling, a connection request over a packet-switched network,

establish, based on transmitting the connection request, a connection to the called device through a second circuit-switched network using the destination address,

receive an acknowledgement message based on establishing the connection to the called device through the second circuit-switched network using the destination address,

establish a call connection between the calling device and the called device through the first circuit-switched network, the packet-switched network, and the second circuit-switched network, and

route data associated with the call connection through the packet-switched network.

17. The non-transitory memory device of claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

one or more instructions to;

prompt the calling device for information associated with a payment method,

the information associated with the payment method being received via out-of-band signaling, and

validate the payment method prior to transmitting the connection request.

18. The non-transitory memory device of claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

one or more instructions to;

initiate billing the calling device for the call connection after receiving the acknowledgement message.

19. The non-transitory memory device of claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

one or more instructions to;

store a plurality of packets received from the packet-switched network, the plurality of packets being related to the call connection, and

rearrange the stored plurality of packets to maintain a packet order related to the call connection.

20. The non-transitory memory device of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to establish the call connection further include:

one or more instructions to;

convert first data, from the calling device, into first data packets,

forward, via the packet-switched network, the first data packets toward the called device,

receive, via the packet-switched network, second data packets associated with second data from the called device,

recover the second data from the second data packets, and

forward the second data toward the calling device.