Method for routing in a central conferencing routing server

• US 9,178,918 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Broadworth, Andrew James, Behmlander, Darren James, Uzelac, Adam C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Eric P
• Application Number:
  US13/708,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• 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 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, computer program products, and the like, for collaboration conferencing with multiple participants over a communications network, and more specifically for a conferencing routing service for managing and routing collaboration participants. A collaboration conferencing routing server may provide configurability in routing a collaboration conference to a conference bridge based on any number of criteria and information about the requester and the communications network on which the conference occurs.

Claims

1. A telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers comprising a master conferencing routing server executing a master control engine application and at least one non-master conferencing routing server, wherein each of the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers comprises a database configured to store a state of at least one initiated collaboration conference on the telecommunications network; and

a plurality of conference bridges configured to host the at least one collaboration conference connected to the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers;

wherein the master control engine is configured to perform the operations of;

receiving a collaboration conference access request from a requester to initiate a collaboration conference;

associating an identification number with the collaboration conference access request, the identification number associated with a customer of a telecommunications network, wherein at least one collaboration conferencing routing server of the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers stores the identification number of the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server;

selecting a hosting conference bridge from the plurality of conference bridges, the selection occurring in response to the collaboration conference access request and the identification number; and

transmitting one or more conference state messages to the at least one non-master conferencing routing server, wherein the one or more conference state messages include an active state of the at least one initiated collaboration conference and an indication of the selected conference bridge;

wherein the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server of the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers determines a number of the plurality of conference bridges to which the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server is locally connected and stores the number of locally connected conference bridges in the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server database;

wherein the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server of the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers performs the operations of;

receiving the number of locally connected conference bridges from at least one other collaboration conferencing routing server of the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers; and

calculating a total number of locally connected conference bridges for the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers and storing the total number of locally connected conference bridges for the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers in the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server database;

a master control engine determination module configured to designate the master conferencing routing server from the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers;

wherein the master control engine determination module is further configured to retrieve the identification number of the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server, the number of the plurality of conference bridges the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server is locally connected to and the total number of locally connected conference bridges for the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers from the database of the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the request is routed to the master conferencing routing server from the at least one non-master conferencing routing server.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the selecting operation comprises:

storing a temporary state associated with the identification number in the database of the master conferencing routing server;

transmitting a request for open communication ports to the hosting conference bridge; and

receiving an acknowledgement message from the hosting conference bridge indicating that the requested communication ports are available.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the master control engine is configured to perform the operation of transmitting one or more routing messages to the telecommunications network, wherein the one or more routing messages include the indication of the selected conference bridge.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the master control engine determination module designates the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server as the master conferencing routing server based on the total number of locally connected conference bridges for the plurality of collaboration conferencing routing servers.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the master control engine determination module designates the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server as the master conferencing routing server based on the number of locally connected conference bridges for the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the master control engine determination module designates the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server as the master conferencing routing server based on the identification number of the at least one collaboration conferencing routing server.