Method and apparatus for establishing communications between packet-switched and circuit-switched networks

• US 6,347,085 B2
• Filed: 08/14/1997
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NetSpeak Corporation (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Keith C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US08/911,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20010055299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/354, 370/356, 370/401, 370/389, 370/392, 370/475, 370/201, 379/219, 379/220, 379/210, 379/224, 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 455/466, 455/415
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling communication between packet-switched data networks and circuit-switched communication networks utilizes the existing domain name system infrastructure of the Internet to resolve traditional PSTN telephone numbers into domain names, and, using one or more domain name servers, locate the network protocol address of a gateway capable of connecting an executing task on the packet-switched data network to the desired terminating apparatus on the circuit switched communication network. Also disclosed is a gateway architecture capable of performing the cross network connections as well as domain name server architecture which stores the segments of a telephone number, such as country code, area code and exchange, in a hierarchical tree configuration.

Claims

1. In a process executing on a computer system operatively coupled to a packet-switched data network, a method for establishing communication between the process and a terminating apparatus on a circuit switched communication network, the packet switched data network being operatively coupled to the circuit switched communication network by one or more gateway apparatus, the gateway apparatus and executing process being addressable over the packet-switched data network through respective network protocol addresses, the terminating apparatus and gateway apparatus being accessible over the circuit switched communication network through respective telephone numbers having area code, exchange, and subscriber segments, each segment comprising a sequence of numbers, the method comprising:

A. generating a telephone number domain name identifying a telephone number by reversing the order in which the segments of the telephone number were received without modifying the sequence of numbers within each segment;

B. supplying the telephone number domain name to a domain name server operatively coupled to the packet switched network;

C. receiving from the domain name server a network protocol address of a gateway operatively coupled to the packet switched network;

D. supplying the telephone number domain name to the gateway indicated by the network protocol address; and

E. establishing a real-time, point-to-point communication connection through the gateway with the terminating apparatus identified by the telephone number domain name.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number domain name has a plurality of segments at least one of which represents a domain name server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein C comprises:

C.1 forwarding the telephone number domain name to a primary name server on the packet-switched data network; and

C.2 receiving from the primary name server the network protocol address of the gateway.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number domain name comprises a segment representing a PSTN carrier and C comprises:

C.1 obtaining the network protocol address of a carrier name server;

C.2 forwarding the telephone number domain name to the carrier name server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number domain name further comprises a segment representing a country code domain name and wherein C further comprises:

C.1 obtaining the network protocol address of a country code domain name server;

C.2 forwarding the telephone number domain name to the country code domain name server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number domain name further comprises an area code domain name and wherein C further comprises:

C.1 obtaining the network protocol address of an area code domain name server;

C.2 forwarding the telephone number domain name to an area code domain name server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number domain name further comprises a exchange domain name and wherein C further comprises:

C.1 obtaining the network protocol address of an exchange domain name server; and

C.2 forwarding the telephone number domain name to the exchange domain name server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein E further comprises:

E.1 transmitting data to the terminating apparatus through the gateway.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein A comprises:

A.1 receiving user-defined data representing the telephone number.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein A comprises:

A.1 appending a carrier domain name to the telephone number domain name.

11. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system operatively coupled over a packet-switched data network to a domain name server, a connection server and at least one gateway, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium for enabling communication from a task executing on a packet-switched network to a subscriber apparatus connected to a circuit-switched data network, the program code comprising:

program code for receiving data identifying a traditional telephone number associated with a subscriber apparatus, the telephone number comprising area code, exchange, and subscriber segments, each having a sequence of numbers;

program code for reversing the order in which the segments of the telephone number were received, without modifying the sequence of numbers within each segment;

program code for generating from the reordered segments a telephone number domain name;

program code responsive to the telephone number domain name for obtaining the network protocol address of a gateway;

program code, responsive to the network protocol address of the gateway, for forwarding the telephone number domain name to the gateway; and

program code for establishing a real-time, point-to-point communication connection through the gateway with the terminating apparatus identified by the telephone number domain name.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the program code for obtaining the network protocol address of the gateway comprises:

C.1 program code for supplying the telephone number domain name to a domain name server; and

C.2 program code for receiving the network protocol address of a gateway associated with the telephone number domain name.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the program code for obtaining the network protocol address of a gateway comprises:

C.1 program code responsive to the received identifying data for determining whether a domain name identifier of a gateway is contained therein; and

C.2 program code for retrieving the network protocol address of the gateway identified by the domain name identifier from a directory.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the directory containing the network protocol address of the gateway is maintained locally on the computer system on which the computer program product is utilized.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the directory connecting the network protocol address of the gateway is maintained on a connection server operatively coupled to the computer system.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the program code for generating a telephone number domain name comprises:

A.1 program code for receiving user-defined data representing the telephone number.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the program code for generating a telephone number domain name comprises:

A.1 program code for appending a carrier domain name to the telephone number domain name.