Voice over data telecommunications network architecture

• US 7,564,840 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2003
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Shawn M., Terpstra, Rich, Waibel, Ray, Wang, Jin-Gen, Peterson, Jon, Elliott, Isaac K., Baker, Bruce W., Mitchell, Jonathan S., Higgins, Steven P., Stearns, Harold, Zimmerer, Eric, Hernandez, Robert L., Steele, Rick D., Owen, Kraig, Dugan, Andrew John
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US10/366,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-353, 370/356, 370/401, 370/466, 370/522
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• 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 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: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control
• 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

The present invention describes a system and method for communicating voice and data over a packet-switched network that is adapted to coexist and communicate with a legacy PSTN. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The soft switch sites manage the gateway sites to request the set-up and tear-down of calls. The gateway sites originate and terminate calls between calling parties and called parties through the data network. The provisioning and network event component collects call events recorded at the soft switch sites. The network management component includes a network operations center (NOC) for centralized network management.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting media traffic over a packet-switched network, the system comprising:

a first media gateway operable to receive the media traffic from third party networks and initiate transmission of the media traffic over the packet-switched network; and

a soft switch operable to;

receive signaling information associated with media traffic received at the first media gateway and extract therefrom a first identifier corresponding to a particular third party network and a second identifier corresponding to an intended destination for the media traffic;

reference a configuration database using the first identifier in order to select therefrom call processing information specifically defined for the particular third party network, wherein the call processing information specifies provisioning instructions for transmitting media traffic received from the particular third party network across the packet-switched network;

reference a routing database using at least the second identifier to select therefrom routing instructions for use in selecting a second media gateway for egressing the media traffic from the packet-switch network; and

control the first media gateway to initiate the transmission of the media traffic across the packet-switched network in accordance with at least the provisioning instructions and the routing instructions.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the soft switch instructs the first media gateway to transmit the media traffic to the second media gateway.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the soft switch comprises the configuration database.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the soft switch comprises the routing database.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the third party networks comprise a circuit-switched carrier network.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the third party networks comprise a customer network in communication with the first media gateway by a direct access line.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first identifier comprises a trunk identifier.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the routing instructions comprise a sequence of prioritized media gateways capable of egressing the media traffic from the packet-switched network, the second media gateway being included in the sequence of prioritized media gateways.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the routing instructions specify a least cost routing analysis to select the second media gateway out of the prioritized media gateways.

10. The system as in claim 8 further comprising:

a third media gateway capable of egressing the media traffic from the packet-switched network, the third media gateway being included in the sequence of prioritized media gateways; and

wherein the routing instructions are configured to initiate selection of the second media gateway for egressing the media traffic from the packet-switched network when the second media gateway has a higher relative priority than the third media gateway in the sequence of prioritized media gateways.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the soft switch and the first media gateway are in communication via the packet-switched network and the soft switch controls the first media gateway by issuing commands to the first media gateway over the packet-switched network.

12. The system as in claim 1, wherein the soft switch comprises:

logic for determining whether the media traffic received at the media gateway comprises a voice call or a data call.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein the routing instructions comprise:

a command to terminate the call at a modem for transmission over the packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a data call; and

an instruction for the first media gateway to terminate the call at a voice-enabled media gateway via a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) connection over a second packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a voice call.

14. The system as in claim 1, wherein the call processing information includes at least one of class of service restrictions and account code settings specified for each of the third party networks.

15. A method for transmitting media traffic over a packet-switched network comprising:

receiving signaling information associated with media traffic received at a first media gateway, the first media gateway operable to receive the media traffic from third party networks, wherein the signaling information includes a first identifier corresponding to a particular third party network and a second identifier corresponding to an intended destination for the media traffic;

referencing a configuration database using the first identifier in order to select therefrom call processing information specifically defined for the particular third party network, wherein the call processing information specifies provisioning instructions for transmitting media traffic received from the particular third party network across the packet-switched network;

referencing a routing database using at least the second identifier to select therefrom routing instructions for use in selecting a second media gateway for egressing the media traffic from the packet-switch network; and

controlling the first media gateway to initiate, the transmission of the media traffic across the packet-switched network in accordance with at least the provisioning instructions and the routing instructions.

16. The method as in claim 15 further comprising:

receiving the media traffic in a circuit-switched media format; and

converting the media traffic from the circuit-switched media format to a packet-switched media format.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein controlling the first media gateway to initiate the transmission of the media traffic across the packet-switched network comprises:

issuing a command to the first media gateway, the command identifying a network address of the second media gateway on the packet-switched network, wherein the first media gateway uses the network address to prepare the media traffic for transmission across the packet-switched network to the second media gateway.

18. The method as in claim 15 further comprising:

interpreting the routing instructions to comprise a sequence of prioritized media gateways capable of egressing the media traffic from the packet-switched network, the second media gateway being included in the sequence of prioritized media gateways.

19. The method as in claim 18 further comprising:

interpreting the routing instructions to specify a least cost routing analysis for selecting the second media gateway out of the prioritized media gateways.

20. The method as in claim 15 further comprising:

determining whether the media traffic received at the first media gateway comprises a voice call or a data call.

21. The method as in claim 20 further comprising:

interpreting the routing instructions to initiate termination of the call at a modem for transmission over the packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a data call; and

interpreting the routing instructions to initiate termination of the call at a voice-enabled media gateway via a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) connection over a second packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a voice call.

22. The method as in claim 15, wherein the call processing information includes at least one of class of service restrictions and account code settings specified for each of the third party networks.

23. A soft switch for controlling transmission of data across a packet-switched network, the soft switch comprising:

a signaling network interface operable to receive signaling information associated with media traffic received at a first media gateway, the first media gateway configured to receive the media traffic from third party networks, wherein the signaling information includes a first identifier corresponding to a particular third party network and a second identifier corresponding to an intended destination for the media traffic;

a processor configured to perform the operations of;

referencing a configuration database using the first identifier in order to select therefrom call processing information specifically defined for the particular third party network, wherein the call processing information specifies provisioning instructions for transmitting media traffic received from the particular third party network across the packet-switched network;

referencing a routing database using at least the second identifier to select therefrom routing instructions for use in selecting a second media gateway for egressing the media traffic from the packet-switch network; and

a data network interface in communication with the packet-switched network, wherein a command message is transmitted from the data network interface to the first media gateway device to initiate the transmission of the media traffic across the packet-switched network in accordance with at least the provisioning instructions and the routing instructions.

24. The soft switch as in claim 23 further configured to:

receive the media traffic in a circuit-switched media format; and

convert the media traffic from the circuit-switched media format to a packet-switched media format.

25. The soft switch as in claim 23, wherein the command identifies a network address of the second media gateway on the packet-switched network for use by the first media gateway to prepare the media traffic for transmission across the packet-switched network to the second media gateway.

26. The soft switch as in claim 23, wherein the routing instructions comprise a sequence of prioritized media gateways capable of egressing the media traffic from the packet-switched network, the second media gateway being included in the sequence of prioritized media gateways.

27. The soft switch as in claim 26, wherein the routing instructions specify a least cost routing analysis for selecting the second media gateway out of the prioritized media gateways.

28. The soft switch as in claim 23 further configured to determine whether the media traffic received at the first media gateway comprises a voice call or a data call.

29. The soft switch as in claim 28, wherein the routing instructions are configured to initiate termination of the call at a modem for transmission over the packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a data call;

and

wherein the routing instructions are configured to initiate termination of the call at a voice-enabled media gateway via a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) connection over a second packet-switched network if the call is determined to be a voice call.

30. The soft switch as in claim 23, wherein the call processing information includes at least one of class of service restrictions and account code settings specified for each of the third party networks.

31. The soft switch as in claim 23, wherein at least one of the first media gateway, the configuration database, and the routing database are collocated with the soft-switch.