Telephone system, telephone exchange apparatus, and connection control method used in telephone exchange apparatus

• US 8,565,224 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ebisawa, Yoshimitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tung Q
• Application Number:
  US13/019,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a telephone exchange apparatus includes a connector, a memory, a determination module and a controller. The connector performs a part of the function of the media server and connect a distribution server that distributes an input media packet to the telephone terminals. The memory stores a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID and codec information, when a call connection related to the unicast packet distribution is established. The determination module refers to the connection management table when performing the unicast packet distribution, and determines whether there is a call connection using the same codec information based on reference result of the connection management table. The controller dynamically connects a plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec to a media server via the distribution server.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising:

a plurality of telephone terminals connected to a communication network;

a telephone exchange apparatus configured to make a call connection between the telephone terminals;

a plurality of media servers each of configured to perform unicast packet distribution according to an instruction of the telephone exchange apparatus, wherein the unicast packet distribution distributes a media packet including at least one of video, audio, and data to a requesting telephone terminal; and

a distribution server configured to perform a part of the function of the media server and distribute an input media packet to the telephone terminals,

wherein the telephone exchange apparatus comprises

a memory configured to store a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID and codec information, when a call connection related to the unicast packet distribution is established, wherein the terminal ID that identifies a telephone terminal to be connected, the server ID that identifies the media server, and codec information used between the telephone terminal and the media server to correspond to one another,

a determination module configured to refer to the connection management table when performing the unicast packet distribution, and determine whether there is a call connection using the same codec information based on a reference result of the connection management table, and

a controller configured to switch media packet distribution to a plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec to media packet distribution via the distribution server, and perform media packet distribution the plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec via the distribution server, when there are call connections using the same codec in a plurality of call connections based on the determination result at the determination module.

2. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the controller connects a first and a second telephone terminal to the distribution server and the distribution server to a first media server and frees a second media server, and make the first media server transmit to the first and the second telephone terminal via the distribution server, when the same codec is used between the first telephone terminal and the first media server and between the second telephone terminal and the second media server based on the determination result at the determination module.

3. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID, codec information and packet transmission intervals, at each of a call, wherein the terminal ID that identifies a telephone terminal to be connected, wherein the server ID that identifies the media server, wherein the codec information used between the telephone terminal and the media server, wherein the packet transmission intervals at which the media server sends a media packet to the telephone terminal,

the determination module refers to the connection management table and determines whether there is a call connection using the same codec information and whether there is a call connection at the same packet transmission intervals or at packet transmission intervals that can be converted at a distribution server, based on a reference result of the connection management table, and

the controller uses the same codec in a plurality of call connections based on the determination result at the determination module and changes dynamically to a call connection with a distribution server to go through differing at each of a packet transmission intervals, when the packet transmission intervals cannot be converted at a distribution server.

4. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the distribution server comprises an information change module configured to rewrite information in a header part of the media packet into information that can be processed by the telephone terminal when the media packet includes the header part and a payload part and

a transmitter configured to divide a media packet, combine media packets, and transmit the resulting media packet.

5. A telephone exchange apparatus performing a call connection between telephone terminals connected to a communication network and causing a media server connected to the communication network to perform unicast packet distribution whereby a media packet including at least one of video, audio, and data is distributed to a requesting telephone terminal, the telephone exchange apparatus comprising:

a connector configured to perform a part of the function of the media server and connect a distribution server that distributes an input media packet to the telephone terminals;

a memory configured to store a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID and codec information, when a call connection related to the unicast packet distribution is established, wherein the terminal ID that identifies a telephone terminal to be connected, the server ID that identifies the media server, and codec information used between the telephone terminal and the media server to correspond to one another;

a determination module configured to refer to the connection management table when performing the unicast packet distribution, and determine whether there is a call connection using the same codec information based on reference result of the connection management table; and

a controller configured to switch media packet distribution to a plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec to media packet distribution via the distribution server, and perform media packet distribution the plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec via the distribution server, when there are call connections using the same codec in a plurality of call connections based on the determination result at the determination module.

6. The telephone exchange apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller connects a first and a second telephone terminal to the distribution server and the distribution server to a first media server and frees a second media server, and make the first media server transmit to the first and the second telephone terminal via the distribution server, when the same codec is used between the first telephone terminal and the first media server and between the second telephone terminal and the second media server based on the determination result at the determination module.

7. The telephone exchange apparatus of claim 5, wherein the memory stores a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID, codec information and packet transmission intervals, at each of a call, wherein the terminal ID that identifies a telephone terminal to be connected, wherein the server ID that identifies the media server, wherein the codec information used between the telephone terminal and the media server, wherein the packet transmission intervals at which the media server sends a media packet to the telephone terminal,

the determination module refers to the connection management table and determines whether there is a call connection using the same codec information and whether there is a call connection at the same packet transmission intervals or at packet transmission intervals that can be converted at a distribution server based on a reference result of the connection management table, and

the controller uses the same codec in a plurality of call connections based on the determination result at the determination module and changes dynamically to a call connection with a distribution server to go through differing at each of packet transmission intervals that cannot be converted at a distribution server, when packet transmission intervals cannot be converted at a distribution server.

8. A connection control method used in a telephone exchange apparatus performing a call connection between telephone terminals connected to a communication network and causing a media server connected to the communication network to perform unicast packet distribution whereby a media packet including at least one of video, audio, and data is distributed to a requesting telephone terminal, the connection control method comprising:

performing a part of the function of the media server and connecting a distribution server that distributes an input media packet to the telephone terminals;

storing in a memory a connection management table indicating a correspondence relation between a terminal ID, a server ID and codec information, when a call connection related to the unicast packet distribution is established, wherein the terminal ID that identifies a telephone terminal to be connected, the server ID that identifies the media server, and codec information used between the telephone terminal and the media server to correspond to one another;

referring to the connection management table when performing the unicast packet distribution;

determining whether there is a call connection using the same codec information based on a reference result of the connection management table;

performing a part of the function of the media server and capturing a distribution server that distributes an input media packet to the telephone terminals when there are call connections using the same codec in a plurality of call connections based on the determination result at the determining; and

switching media packet distribution to a plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec to media packet distribution via the distribution server, and performing media packet distribution the plurality of telephone terminals using the same codec via the distribution server.