Session information transparency control

• US 8,825,879 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Peter, Henry Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US13/364,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20130205033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/218, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related

Abstract

Transparency control for session information for a communication network node can be set on a dynamic and/or static basis in relation to properties of a peer, an interface, a trust level, a session or a message. The transparency control can be based on message-related parameters, with the transparency of certain message parts being controlled on a static and/or dynamic basis in relation to transparency control settings. The transparency control can change upon the occurrence of a rerouting event that implicates recalculated transparency control settings. A message can be marked with transparency type settings that are evaluated to determine transparency control for the message. The transparency control can be based on transparency types of topology, dialog, identity, header, body, media, functional or accounting. The transparency control settings can be user selectable to permit transparency behavior tailored to the desires of an operator of the communication network node.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of establishing transparency control for information in a session message at a communication network node, comprising:

defining, for each of a plurality of transparency types, a transparency behavior of operational activities in the communication network node;

receiving, at the communication network node from a first communication network peer, an incoming session message that includes one or more session message properties;

selecting, by a user interface at the communication network node, user selectable settings relating to one or more of a dynamic transparency behavior and a static transparency behavior of the operational activities in the communication network node;

evaluating, by the communication network node, the user selectable settings to at least partially determine the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types;

deriving, by the communication network node, an outgoing session message to be sent to a second communication network peer, the outgoing session message being derived at least in part by applying the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types to the incoming session message; and

sending the outgoing session message from the communication network node to the second communication network peer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the transparency behavior in accordance with one or more of a peer configuration, an interface configuration or a transparency control policy established in the communication network node.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating, by the communication network node, at least one criterion related to at least a first transparency type to determine the transparency behavior associated with the first transparency type based on the evaluation of the user selectable settings indicating the dynamic transparency behavior.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

evaluating the at least one criterion after the session message is rerouted to one or more of a new peer or interface to determine a first new transparency behavior associated with the first transparency type in relation to the new peer or interface.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

evaluating a least another criterion related to at least a second transparency type that is in a dependent relationship with the first transparency type to determine a second new transparency behavior associate with the second transparency type in relation to the new peer or interface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transparency types includes two or more of topology, dialog, identity, header, body, media, accounting, or functional.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

inserting at least one flag in the session message to identify at least one of the transparency types for which the associated transparency behavior is to be applied.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

evaluating one or more of an interface type or a trust level to determine the transparency behavior.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deriving of the outgoing session message to be sent to the second communication network peer includes applying the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types to the incoming session message independent of properties associated with the second communication network peer.

9. A device implementing a network node in a communication network that is operable to establish transparency control for information in a session message processed by the device, comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to;

define, for each of a plurality of transparency types, a transparency behavior of operational activities in the network node;

receive, from a first communication network peer, an incoming session message that includes one or more session message properties;

select, by a user interface at the network node, user selectable settings relating to one or more of a dynamic transparency behavior and a static transparency behavior of the operational activities in the network node;

evaluate the user selectable settings to at least partially determine the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types;

derive an outgoing session message to be sent to a second communication network peer, the outgoing session message being derived at least in part by applying the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types to the incoming session message; and

send the outgoing session message from the communication network node to the second communication network peer.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine the transparency behavior in accordance with one or more of a peer configuration, an interface configuration or a transparency control policy established in the communication network node.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to:

evaluate at least one criterion related to at least a first transparency type to determine the transparency behavior associated with the first transparency type based on the evaluation of the user selectable settings indicating the dynamic transparency behavior.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further operable to:

evaluate the at least one criterion after the session message is rerouted to one or more of a new peer or interface to determine a first new transparency behavior associated with the first transparency type in relation to the new peer or interface.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the processor is further operable to:

evaluate a least another criterion related to at least a second transparency type that is in a dependent relationship with the first transparency type to determine a second new transparency behavior associate with the second transparency type in relation to the new peer or interface.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of transparency types includes two or more of topology, dialog, identity, header, body, media, accounting, or functional.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to:

insert at least one flag in the session message to identify at least one of the transparency types for which the associated transparency behavior is to be applied.

16. The device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further operable to:

evaluate one or more of an interface type or a trust level to determine the transparency behavior.

19. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to:

apply the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types to the incoming session message independent of properties associated with the second communication network peer.

17. A computer implemented method of establishing transparency control for session information at a communication network node, comprising:

defining a transparency behavior of operational activities in the communication network node, the transparency behavior being defined for each of a plurality of transparency types in at least one of a plurality of subsets of transparency behavior types;

identifying at least one criterion associated with a current session;

identifying at least one transparency behavior in at least one of the subsets in accordance with the at least one criterion;

receiving, at the communication network node from a first communication network peer, an incoming session message that is associated with the at least one criterion;

selecting, by a user interface at the communication network node, user selectable settings relating to one or more of a dynamic transparency behavior and a static transparency behavior of the operational activities in the communication network node;

evaluating, by the communication network node, the user selectable settings to at least partially determine the transparency behavior associated with one or more of the plurality of transparency types;

deriving, by the communication network node, an outgoing session message to be sent to a second communication network peer, the outgoing session message being derived at least in part by applying the identified at least one transparency behavior to the incoming session message; and

sending the outgoing session message from the communication network node to the second communication network peer.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the deriving of the outgoing session message to be sent to a second communication network peer includes applying the identified at least one transparency behavior to the incoming session message independent of properties associated with the second communication network peer.