Method of and system for providing intelligent network control services in IP telephony

• US 6,636,596 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Donovan, Steven R., Gallant, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/405,409
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220, 379/230, 379/88.17, 379/221.02, 379/201.01, 379/900, 455/414, 370/352, 370/389
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A method and system for providing intelligent network control services in IP telephony, wherein the system includes a location manager and an IP telephony proxy server. The location manager includes an interface to a legacy telephony service control entity and the IP telephony proxy server includes an IP interface to the location manager. If the IP telephony proxy server requires intelligent network services, then the IP telephony proxy server sends an IP telephony session initiation request to the called party at the location manager. The location manager uses the information to query the legacy telephony service control entity for routing information. When the location manager receives a routing response from the service control entity, the location manager maps the response to an IP telephony session control message back to the IP telephony proxy server.

Claims

1. An IP telephony system for use with a legacy telephony system, the IP telephony system further comprising:

a location manager for accessing intelligent network service information, the location manager including an interface to a service control point (SCP) located within the legacy telephony system; and

an IP telephony proxy server, the proxy server including an interface to the location manager wherein the location manager sends a response to an IP telephony session request to the IP telephony proxy server.

2. The IP telephony system of claim 1 wherein the location manager comprises means for requesting subscriber data from the service control point.

3. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location manager comprises means for requesting intelligent network service information from the service control point.

4. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means for requesting intelligent network service information comprises means for mapping a call control request received from the IP telephony proxy server to a service control query to the service control point.

5. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location manager comprises means for providing intelligent network service information to the IP telephony proxy server.

6. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for providing intelligent network service information comprises means for mapping intelligent network service information to an IP address.

7. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for providing intelligent network service information comprises means for mapping service control information received from the service control point to an IP address.

8. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IP telephony proxy server comprises means for processing IP telephony session control messaging.

9. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the means for processing IP telephony session control messaging comprises means for determining if intelligent network service control is needed to initiate a session.

10. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means for processing IP telephony session control messaging comprises means for sending an IP telephony session control message to the location manager if intelligent network service control is needed to initiate the session.

11. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the location manager comprises means for mapping IP telephony session control messages received from the IP telephony proxy server to service control point queries.

12. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the location manager comprises means for mapping service control point query responses to IP telephony session control messages.

13. The LP telephony system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the means for processing IP telephony session control messaging comprises means for bi-directionally translating session control messaging from a first protocol to a second protocol.

14. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of the protocols is H.323 and the other of the protocols is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

15. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location manager comprises means for processing IP telephony service control messaging.

16. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the means for processing IP telephony service control messaging comprising means to mapping IP telephony session control messages to service control point queries.

17. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the means for processing IP telephony service control messaging comprises means to mapping service control point query responses to IP telephony session control messages.

18. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IP telephony proxy server comprises an H.323 gatekeeper.

19. The IP telephony system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IP telephony proxy server comprises a Session Initiation Protocol proxy server.

20. A method of providing IP telephony services comprising the steps of:

receiving an IP telephony session initiation request to a called party at an IP telephony proxy server;

sending an intelligent network service control query to a service control point in response to receiving the IP telephony session initiation request at a location manager;

determining if intelligent network service information is necessary to initiate the IP telephony session; and

if intelligent network service information is necessary, sending an IP telephony session initiation request to the called party at a location manager which accesses the intelligent network service information and sends a response to the IP telephony session initiation request to the IP telephony proxy server.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, comprising the step of sending an intelligent network service control query to a legacy telephony service control entity in response to receiving the IP telephony session initiation request at the location manager.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, comprising the step of sending an IP session control message to the IP telephony proxy server in response to receiving a response to the intelligent network service control query.

23. A location manager for use in an IP telephony system, comprising:

means for receiving a routing request from a call control entity located in the IP telephony system;

means for obtaining routing information from a service control point located in a legacy telephony system; and

means for sending a routing response to the call control entity based upon the information obtained from the service control point to enable a call to be placed via the IP telephony system.

24. The location manager of claim 23, wherein the call control entity comprises a proxy server.

25. The location manager of claim 23, wherein the received request is employed utilizing a session initiation protocol (SIP).

26. The location manager of claim 23, wherein the received request is employed utilizing an H.323 protocol.

27. The location manager of claim 23, wherein the routing request comprises an identifier of the party to be contacted .

28. The location manager of claim 23, wherein the routing response comprises an address of the party to be contacted.