Method for routing in a central conferencing routing server

• US 9,692,798 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• 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, Uzelac, Adam C., Behmlander, Darren James
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCALLUM, LATRESA A
• Application Number:
  US14/930,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• 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 method for routing one or more collaboration conference access requests, the method comprising:

receiving a collaboration conference access request from a requester'"'"'s communication device at a master conferencing routing server designated from a plurality of conferencing routing servers, each conferencing routing server of the plurality of conferencing routing servers having capability of being designated as the master conferencing routing server and executing a master control engine application, wherein the designated master conferencing routing server executes the master control engine application;

requesting operational information of the plurality of conference bridges, the operational information comprising at least an available capacity for the plurality of conference bridges, wherein the operational information of the plurality of conference bridges further comprises at least one technical feature and the master control engine application is further configured to analyze the at least one technical feature of the plurality of conference bridges;

associating an identification number with the collaboration conference access request, the identification number associated with a customer of a telecommunications network;

selecting a hosting conference bridge from a plurality of conference bridges connected to the plurality of conferencing routing servers, the hosting conference bridge configured to host a collaboration conference, the selection by the designated master conferencing routing server of the plurality of conferencing routing servers and occurring in response to the collaboration conference access request and the identification number;

transmitting one or more routing messages to the telecommunications network, wherein the one or more routing messages include an indication of the selected conference bridge;

transmitting a request for a plurality of open communication ports to the selected conference bridge;

receiving an acknowledgement message from the selected conference bridge indicating that the plurality of requested communication ports are available; and

broadcasting one or more conference state messages to the plurality of conferencing routing servers indicating an active state of an initiated collaboration conference and the indication of the selected conference bridge.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a temporary state associated with the collaboration conference access request in a database connected to the master conferencing routing server.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing an active state associated with the collaboration conference access request in the database connected to the master conferencing routing server.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least one conference bridge of the plurality of conference bridges is a session initiation protocol (SIP) based telecommunication device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the acknowledgement message from the selected hosting conference bridge comprises at least an IP address of the selected conference bridge.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting operation comprises:

accessing a priority list of the plurality of conference bridges, the priority list configured to list the plurality of conference bridges in an order of preference based on the identification number.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the master conferencing routing server is designated based on a determined number of conference bridges of the plurality of conference bridges to which each conferencing routing server of the plurality of conferencing routing servers is locally connected.