Methods and apparatus for authorizing and allocating outdial communication services

• US 20070115924A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP A Nevada Partnership
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP A Nevada Partnership
• Inventors: Schneider, Marco, Cunetto, Philip, Lemay, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00312 with a digital transmission apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, SMS or ISDN device transmitting or receiving via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network or the internet H04N1/00214; transmission of digital information H04L

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for authorizing and allocating outdial communication services are disclosed. A disclosed system comprises an application server to initiate an outdial communication service, a gateway to transport the outdial communication service from the application server to an access network via a shared communication facility, and a policy server to selectively authorize the initiated outdial service and, if the outdial service is authorized, to allocate a portion of the shared communication facility to the authorized outdial service.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an application server to initiate an outdial communication service;

a gateway to transport the outdial communication service from the application server to an access network via a shared communication facility; and

a policy server to selectively authorize the initiated outdial service and, if the outdial service is authorized, to allocate a portion of the shared communication facility to the authorized outdial service.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a second application server and a second gateway.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outdial communication service is initiated to an endpoint and wherein the endpoint is communicatively coupled to the application server via the gateway, the portion of the shared communication facility and the access network.

4. A system as defined in claim 3, wherein the application server and the endpoint are located in different local access transport areas (LATAs).

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application server and the gateway are located in different local access transport areas (LATAs).

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the access network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the access network is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein an implementation of the policy server is independent of at least one of an application server implementation, a gateway implementation, a proxy server implementation, a softswitch implementation, a softswitch/proxy server implementation, a shared facility type, or an access network implementation.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the policy server comprises:

an outdial authorizer; and

a resource allocator.

10. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outdial service is initiated responsive to an indial communication service.

11. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the indial service is initiated by a first endpoint and the outdial service is initiated to a second endpoint.

12. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outdial service is initiated independent of an indial communication service.

13. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the outdial service is one of a live reply service, a call transfer service, a facsimile print service, a reminder service, a message delivery service, or a call tree call transfer service.

14. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the application server is located in a message center.

15. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a gatekeeper to admit the outdial communication service between the application server and the gateway.

16. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising an operations database to configure at least one of a proxy server, a softswitch, a softswitch/proxy server, a gatekeeper, the gateway or the policy server.

17. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the policy server uses information obtained from an operations database to authorize the initiated outdial communication service.

18. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the policy server uses information obtained from an operations database to allocate the portion of the shared communication facility to the authorized outdial service.

19-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method comprising:

receiving a request to authorize an outdial communication service to an endpoint;

selectively determining whether to authorize the requested outdial communication service;

receiving a request to allocate a resource of a shared communication facility to the outdial communication service; and

determining whether to allocate a resource to the outdial communication service.

27. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein the authorization request and allocation request are made via a single request, and wherein determining to authorize and determining the allocation are done without an intervening request.

28. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein determining to authorize and determining the allocation are performed based on data contained in an operations database.

29. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein a message is used to at least one of receive the authorization request, provide the authorization, receive the allocation request, or provide the allocation.

30. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein selectively determining whether to authorize the requested outdial communication service is performed based on at least one of a regulatory rule, a regulatory law or a business rule.

31. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein determining whether to allocate the resource to the outdial communication service comprises selecting a shared communication path from a gateway to an access network associated with the endpoint.

32. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein determining whether to authorize the requested outdial communication service or determining whether to allocate the resource to the outdial communication service is resource and transport agnostic.

33. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein resource and transport agnostic is not knowing at least one of an application server implementation, a gateway implementation, a shared facility type, or an access network implementation.

34. A policy server comprising:

an outdial authorizer to selectively authorize for a requested outdial communication service; and

a resource allocator to selectively allocate of a portion of a shared communication resource to an authorized outdial communication service.

35. A policy server as defined in claim 34, further comprising a messaging interface to receive a request message and to send a response message.

36. A policy server as defined in claim 34, further comprising a memory to store at least one of configuration data, operations database information, authorization rule information, allocation rule information, allocation configuration information, or current allocation information.

37. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

determine whether to authorize an outdial communication service to an endpoint responsive to an authorization request; and

determine a resource to allocate to an authorized outdial communication service.

38. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 37, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine whether to authorize an outdial communication service in compliance with a regulatory rule or law.

39. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 37, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine a resource to allocate to an authorized outdial communication service by selecting a communication path from a gateway to an access network associated with the endpoint.