Methods and apparatus to control a flash crowd event in a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network

• US 8,917,721 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, James, Yasrebi, Mehrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US13/711,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20130121333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/412, 370/444, 370/252, 370/235, 370/244
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to control a flash crowd event in a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving at a VoIP border element a VoIP registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a VoIP endpoint, receiving a message from the VoIP endpoint at the VoIP border element, detecting whether a network congestion condition exists, and placing the message received from the VoIP endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the congestion condition is detected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a voice over Internet protocol border element, a voice over Internet protocol registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a voice over Internet protocol endpoint, and having a session initiation protocol 200 OK message;

obtaining a message from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint at the voice over Internet protocol border element;

detecting whether a processing load of a border element signaling processor exceeds a threshold;

placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the threshold is exceeded; and

placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into a default queue when the threshold is not exceeded.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising querying a database based on an Internet protocol address associated with the voice over Internet protocol endpoint to retrieve the priority.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of queues communicatively couple a network processor and the signaling processor of the voice over Internet protocol border element, and the signaling processor is to process a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a registration request message from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint; and

sending the registration request message to a session initiation protocol registrar, wherein the registration response message is obtained from the session initiation protocol registrar.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint comprises a session initiation protocol INVITE message.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into a high priority queue when the endpoint is associated with an emergency service location.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into a high priority queue when the endpoint is associated with a first tier consumer.

8. A voice over Internet protocol border element comprising:

a signaling processor to obtain a voice over Internet protocol registration response message having a field to represent a priority assigned to a voice over Internet protocol endpoint; and

a network processor communicatively coupled to the signaling processor via a plurality of queues, the network processor to obtain a protocol message from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint, the network processor to place the protocol message into one of the plurality of queues based on the priority when a processing load of the signaling processor exceeds a threshold, and when the threshold is not exceeded, the network processor is to place the protocol message into a default queue.

9. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the signaling processor is to provide the priority to the network processor via a command channel.

10. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the network processor comprises:

a database to store the priority in association with a voice over Internet protocol endpoint identifier; and

a queuer to query the database to obtain the priority based on the voice over Internet protocol endpoint identifier assigned to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint, and to place the protocol message into one of the plurality of queues based on the obtained priority.

11. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 10, wherein the voice over Internet protocol endpoint identifier comprises an Internet protocol address.

12. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the signaling processor is to processes a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue.

13. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the network processor is to place the protocol message into a highest priority queue when the endpoint is associated with an emergency service location.

14. A voice over Internet protocol border element as defined in claim 8, wherein the network processor is to place the protocol message into a highest priority queue when the endpoint is associated with a first tier consumer.

15. A tangible machine readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, at a voice over Internet protocol border element, a voice over Internet protocol registration response message having a field representing a priority assigned to a voice over Internet protocol endpoint;

obtaining a message from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint at the voice over Internet protocol border element;

detecting whether a processing load of a border element signaling processor exceeds a threshold;

placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into one of a plurality of queues based on the priority when the threshold is exceeded; and

placing the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into a default queue when the threshold is not exceeded.

16. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to query a database based on an Internet protocol address associated with the voice over Internet protocol endpoint to obtain the priority.

17. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the plurality of queues communicatively couple a network processor and a signaling processor of the voice over Internet protocol border element, and the signaling processor is to process a second message from a highest priority queue before processing a third message from a lower priority queue.

18. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

obtain a registration request message from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint; and

send the registration request message to a session initiation protocol registrar, wherein the registration response message is obtained from the session initiation protocol registrar.

19. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to place the message obtained from the voice over Internet protocol endpoint into a high priority queue when the endpoint is associated with an emergency service location.