Methods and systems for global title translation using message origination information

• US 20040141493A1
• Filed: 03/26/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec Global, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Eichler, Todd, Delaney, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,260,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

Methods and systems for message-origination-based global title translation include receiving a signaling message and determining whether global title translation is required. In response to determining that global title translation is required, a lookup is performed in the global title translation database. The lookup is based on the called party address and the originating point code in the signaling message. The destination point code from the global title translation is inserted in the signaling message. The signaling message is then routed to its intended destination based on the destination point code and optionally the originating point code in the signaling message.

Claims

1. A method for global title translation in a telecommunications network comprising:

(a) receiving a signaling message;

(b) determining whether the signaling message requires global title translation; and

(c) in response to determining that the signaling message requires global title translation, performing a lookup in a global title translation database, wherein performing the lookup in the global title translation database includes performing the lookup based on a called party address and an originating point code extracted from the signaling message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signaling message includes receiving an SS7 signaling message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signaling message includes receiving a signaling message requiring intermediate global title translation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signaling message includes receiving a signaling message requiring final global title translation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the signaling message requires global title translation includes analyzing a signaling connection control part of the signaling message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein performing a lookup in the global title translation database based on the called party address and the originating point code includes selecting among multiple entries in the global title translation database having the same called party address using the originating point code.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising extracting a destination point code from the global title translation database based on the called party address and the originating point code and inserting the destination point code in the signaling message.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising routing the signaling message to a destination based on the destination point code.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising selecting among multiple entries in the global title translation database having the same global title address using the originating point code, inserting a destination point code from the selected entry in the signaling message, and selecting an outbound signaling linkset to the destination point code based on the destination point code and the originating point code.

10. A method for controlling message processing between telecommunications service providers, the method comprising:

(a) establishing a first agreement between telecommunications service providers such that signaling messages addressed to a first global title address and originating from a first network are global title translated to a destination address in a second network;

(b) establishing a second agreement between the telecommunications service providers such that signaling messages addressed to the first global title address and originating from a third network are global title translated to a destination address in a fourth network; and

(c) provisioning a global title translation database at a node between the first and third networks and the second and fourth networks to implement the first and second agreements.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the signaling messages include SS7 messages requiring database services.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the destination addresses in the second and fourth networks comprise addresses of final destinations for the signaling messages.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the destination addresses in the second and fourth networks comprise addresses of nodes configured to perform final global title translation for the signaling messages.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein provisioning a global title translation database at a node between the first and third networks and the second and fourth networks includes provisioning the global title translation database at a signal transfer point.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein provisioning a global title translation database at a node between the first and third networks and the second and fourth networks includes provisioning the global title translation database at an SS7/IP gateway signal transfer point.

16. The method of claim 10 provisioning a global title translation database at a node between the first and third networks and the second and fourth networks includes provisioning the global title translation database at a service control point.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein provisioning the global title translation database to implement the first and second agreements includes provisioning address translations in the database such that signaling messages having originating point codes corresponding to the first network and having the first global title address translate to a destination point code in the second network and such that signaling messages having originating point codes corresponding to the third network and having the first global title address translate to a destination point code in the fourth network.

18. The method of claim 10 comprising provisioning a routing table in the node such that signaling messages addressed to the same destination are forwarded over different linksets to the destination based on originating addresses in the signaling messages.

19. A system for global title translation in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

(a) a communications link module for sending signaling messages to and receiving signaling messages from a network;

(b) a discrimination application operatively associated with the communications link module for identifying messages requiring further processing; and

(c) a global title translation engine operatively associated with the discrimination module for receiving the messages requiring further internal processing, for determining whether global title translation is required for the messages, and for performing a lookup in a global title translation database based on a called party address and an originating point code in each of the signaling messages for which GTT is required.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the communications link module comprises an SS7 link interface module.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the discrimination application is adapted to examine a destination point code in the signaling messages to determine whether further processing is required.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the global title translation engine is adapted to select among multiple entries in the global title translation database having the same global title address based on the originating point code.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the global title translation engine is adapted to insert the destination point code from the selected entry in each signaling message for which GTT is required.

24. The system of claim 22 comprising a routing engine for routing the message to its intended destination based on the destination point code.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the routing engine is adapted to select an outbound linkset to the destination point code for each signaling message for which GTT is required based on the destination point code and the originating point code in each signaling message.