Voice over data telecommunications network architecture

• US 8,270,421 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elliott, Isaac K., Higgins, Steven P., Dugan, Andrew John, Peterson, Jon, Hernandez, Robert L., Steele, Rick D., Baker, Bruce W., Terpstra, Rich, Mitchell, Jonathan S., Wang, Jin-Gen, Stearns, Harold, Zimmerer, Eric, Waibel, Ray, Owen, Kraig, Lewis, Shawn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US13/341,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20120177195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 263 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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 permits packet switching of voice calls and data calls through a data network from and to any of a LEC, a customer facility or a direct IP connection on the data network. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The system interfaces with customer facilities (e.g., a PBX), carrier facilities (e.g., a LEC) and legacy signaling networks (e.g., SS7) to handle calls between any combination of on-network and off-network callers.

Claims

1. A method for registering circuits in a telecommunications network comprising:

at a softswitch, receiving a registration message from a trunking gateway indicating circuits associated with the trunking gateway that should be serviced by the softswitch; and

registering the circuits with a Signaling System 7 (SS7) registration point for servicing calls associated with the circuits.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registering step further comprises:

causing the SS7 registration point to map the circuits associated with the trunking gateway to the softswitch.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registering step further comprises:

sending a registration request to the SS7 registration point, wherein the registration request indicates whether the softswitch is a primary servicing point for calls associated with the circuits or a backup servicing point for calls associated with the circuits.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registering step further comprises:

sending a registration request to the SS7 registration point, wherein the registration request comprises at least one of a an originating point code (OPC), a destination point code (DPC), and a circuit identification code (CIC) associated with the circuits.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registration message is communicated to the softswitch via Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) protocol.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the SS7 registration point is an SS7 gateway.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the trunking gateway sends the registration message upon booting up.

8. A softswitch operable to:

receive a registration message from a trunking gateway indicating circuits associated with the trunking gateway that should be serviced by the softswitch; and

register the circuits with a Signaling System 7 (SS7) registration point for servicing calls associated with the circuits.

9. The softswitch as recited in claim 8, further operable to:

cause the SS7 registration point to map the circuits associated with the trunking gateway to the softswitch.

10. The softswitch as recited in claim 8, further operable to:

send a registration request to the SS7 registration point, wherein the registration request indicates whether the softswitch is a primary servicing point for calls associated with the circuits or a backup servicing point for calls associated with the circuits.

11. The softswitch as recited in claim 8, further operable to:

send a registration request to the SS7 registration point, wherein the registration request comprises at least one of an originating point code (OPC), a destination point code (DPC), and a circuit identification code (CIC) associated with the circuits.

12. The softswitch as recited in claim 8, wherein the trunking gateway sends the registration message upon booting up.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the SS7 registration point is an SS7 gateway.

14. The softswitch as recited in claim 8, wherein the registration message is communicated to the softswitch via Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) protocol.