Telecommunication arrangement and procedures to establish a RTC connection between a first and second endpoint

• US 10,813,105 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2019
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Tietsch, Michael, Klaghofer, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US16/580,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20200022153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 370241, 3702411, 370252, 370253, 370254, 370329, 370330
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

A telecommunication system and a method for generating a real time connection between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in an IP network using an ICE STUN connectivity check follow a procedure that includes the steps of generating a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint, establishing a respective priority for each possible connection path included in the list, and generating the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint. During this procedure first there is an attempt to generate the real time connection using the highest-priority connection path. If this is not possible, then the system attempts to establish the real connection using the connection path with the next highest priority, until the real time connection is actually established. Furthermore, for each possible connection path, its respective quality-of-service value is determined and is considered when establishing its priority on the list.

Claims

1. A method for generating a real time connection in a communication system between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure that comprises:

generating a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

predicting a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list;

modifying the list of possible connection paths so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list; and

facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list, wherein the facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list comprises;

first attempting to generate the real time connection using the highest-priority connection path identified in the modified list and, if this is not possible, then attempting to establish the real time connection using the connection path with a next highest priority in the modified list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list also comprises:

generating the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list to actually establish the real time connection.

3. The method of claim 1, also comprising:

the first endpoint transmitting predicted QoS values for possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint to other endpoints of the network using STUN messages so that the QoS values can be stored by the other endpoints.

4. The method of claim 1, also comprising considering QoS values from previously established connections for modifying the list of possible connection paths.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a central point of the network is selected to deliver the QoS values to a controlling endpoint for use in modifying the list.

6. The method of claim 5 where the central point is a gateway, a session-border controller or a media server.

7. A method for generating a real time connection in a communication system between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure that comprises:

generating a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

predicting a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list;

modifying the list of possible connection paths so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list;

facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list;

network infrastructure elements inserting QoS values into STUN connectivity check messages sent to at least one of the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

wherein the predicting the QoS for the possible connection paths identified in the list comprises;

using the QoS values received from the STUN connectivity check messages to predict the QoS for each possible connection path; and

wherein the modifying of the list is performed such that QoS values received from the STUN connectivity check messages are used to predict a QoS for each possible connection path for modifying the list.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the network infrastructure elements are routers.

9. A method for generating a real time connection in a communication system between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure that comprises:

generating a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint,

predicting a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list,

modifying the list of possible connection paths so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list,

facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list, and

defining groups for predicting QoS, each group comprising a plurality of endpoints within a same subnet of the network and having a same connection path from the first endpoint to that subnet of the network, each group assigned a group QoS value that applies to each and every endpoint within the group such that each of the endpoints within the group has the group QoS value assigned as the predicted QoS for the endpoint during the predicting of the QoS for each and every possible connection path identified in the list.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the group QoS value is determined from at least one of completed connections and existing connections.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

determining predicted QoS values for the possible connection paths and storing the predicted QoS values in a central instance to make the determined predicted QoS values accessible to all endpoints of the network.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage media containing instructions that are executable by a communication device of a communications network which when implemented result in the communication device performing a method comprising:

generating a list of possible connection paths between a first endpoint and a second endpoint,

predicting a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list,

modifying the list of possible connection paths so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list, and

facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list;

wherein the facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list comprises;

first attempting to generate the real time connection using the highest-priority connection path identified in the modified list and, if this is not possible, then attempting to establish the real time connection using the connection path with a next highest priority.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the facilitating establishment of the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list also comprises:

generating the real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list to actually establish the real time connection.

14. A telecommunication system for generating a real time connection between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure, the telecommunications system comprising:

a first endpoint connectable to a second endpoint via a network,

wherein the first endpoint is configured such that a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint is generatable, a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list is predictable, and the list of possible connection paths is modifiable so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list for facilitating establishment of a real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list;

wherein the list of possible connection paths is modifiable so that the real time connection is attempted to be established by first attempting to generate the real time connection using the highest-priority connection path identified in the modified list and, if this is not possible, then attempting to establish the real time connection using the connection path with a next highest priority.

15. A telecommunication system for generating a real time connection between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure, the telecommunications system comprising:

a first endpoint connectable to a second endpoint via a network,

wherein the first endpoint is configured such that a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint is generatable, a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list is predictable, and the list of possible connection paths is modifiable so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list for facilitating establishment of a real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list;

network infrastructure elements within the network, each of the network infrastructure elements configured to insert QoS values into STUN connectivity check messages sent to at least one of the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

wherein predicting the QoS for each and every possible connection path identified in the list comprises uses the QoS values received from the STUN connectivity check messages to predict the QoS for each possible connection path; and

wherein modification of the list is performed such that QoS values received from the STUN connectivity check messages are used to predict a QoS for each possible connection path for modifying the list.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the network infrastructure elements are comprised of routers.

17. A telecommunication system for generating a real time connection between a first endpoint and a second endpoint in a network using a connectivity check procedure, the telecommunications system comprising:

a first endpoint connectable to a second endpoint via a network,

wherein the first endpoint is configured such that a list of possible connection paths between the first endpoint and the second endpoint is generatable, a quality of service (QoS) for the possible connection paths identified in the list is predictable, and the list of possible connection paths is modifiable so that a highest-priority connection path is identified as a first possible connection path in the list has a highest predicted QoS and such that possible connection paths that are predicted as providing reductions in QoS are assigned a lower priority and placed at an end of the list for facilitating establishment of a real time connection between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the modified list; and

wherein the first endpoint is configured to define groups for predicting QoS, each group comprising a plurality of endpoints within a same subnet of the network and having a same connection path from the first endpoint to that subnet of the network, each group assigned a group QoS value that applies to each and every endpoint within the group such that each of the endpoints within the group has the group QoS value assigned as the predicted QoS for the endpoint during the predicting of the QoS for each and every possible connection path identified in the list.