Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-05
2001-05-08
Hsu, Alpus H. (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C370S354000, C370S401000, C379S067100, C379S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229803
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to a software interface product and method utilized between a telephony card and a digital communications network.
2. Background
Advanced communications networks are being developed to support a vast array of communications services. These networks are controlled by complex hardware and software platforms referred to as session managers. Users requiring communications sessions from these advanced networks must interface with the session managers to request and receive communications services. Session managers operate using various messages, such as invite messages, reply messages, confirm messages, join messages, and terminate messages.
A class 5 telephone switch communicates with an analog telephone using the analog telephony signals in the well-known analog telephony format. The class 5 telephone switch provides power to the telephone. The class 5 telephone switch detects off-hook current caused by the telephone and provides the telephone with dial tone. The caller generates Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals. The class 5 telephone switch detects the DTMF signals and initiates the call in the network. When the far-end telephone is ringing, the class 5 telephone switch plays a ringback tone to the caller. If the far-end telephone is busy, the class 5 telephone switch plays a busy tone to the caller. On incoming calls, the class 5 telephone switch provides ring current to the telephone.
Telephony cards are being developed to manage multiple telephones in the home. The telephony cards are typically plugged into communications hubs or computers in the residence, and telephones are connected to the telephony card. The telephony cards connect these telephones in the home to a network element in the advanced communications network. This connection between the telephony card and the network element is much different than the traditional analog line to the local switch. This connection is typically an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) connection to an ATM device. ATM signals do not traditionally support analog telephony signals, such as off-hook, dial tone, and busy signals. The telephony cards detect off-hook conditions, on-hook conditions, and digits. In addition, the telephony cards provide the telephones with dial tone, ring current, ringback, and busy signals.
At present, there is not an acceptable software interface method or product for use between the telephony card and the session manager in the network. There is a need for software that can provide an interface between the telephony card and the session manager.
SUMMARY
The invention overcomes these problems with a provider agent that operates as a software interface between the telephony card and the session manager. The provider agent allows users to obtain conventional telephone service from an advanced broadband network. The provider agent is comprised of software objects that are stored on a software storage medium.
In some embodiments, the provider agent is comprised of a plurality of objects including a controller object, port objects, and event objects. The provider agent is executed by a multithreaded processing system and these objects each have a separate processing thread. The provider agent and the telephony card communicate through an Application Programming Interface (API). In some embodiments, the API is specified in the Interface Definition Language (IDL) of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
The invention includes a provider agent software interface for use between a telephony card and a session manager. The telephony card is operational to interwork between analog telephony signals over a plurality of telephony channels and ATM signals over a plurality of ATM virtual connections in response to interwork instructions. The telephony card is operational to detect on-hook events, off-hook events, and digit events and to provide event messages. The telephony card is operational to provide dial tone, ringback, and busy signals in response to tone instructions. The session manager is operational to transmit and receive invite messages, reply messages, join messages, and terminate messages.
The provider agent receives an off-hook event message for a first channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits a dial tone instruction for the first channel to the telephony card. The provider agent receives a plurality of digit event messages for the first channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits an invite message indicating a dialed number for the first channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives a reply message for the first channel from the session manager indicating an alerting condition, and in response, transmits a ringback tone instruction for the first channel to the telephony card. The provider agent receives a join message for the first channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits an add stream message for the first channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives a confirm message for the first channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits a first interwork instruction for the first channel to the telephony card to interwork a telephony signal on the first channel with an ATM signal on a selected virtual channel for the first channel.
In some embodiments of the invention, the provider agent receives an on-hook event message for the first channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits a terminate message for the first channel to the session manager and transmits a second interwork instruction for the first channel to the telephony card to stop interworking the first channel and the selected virtual channel. In other embodiments, the provider agent receives a termination message for the first channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits a second interwork instruction for the first channel to the telephony card to stop interworking the first channel and the selected virtual channel.
In some embodiments of the invention, the provider agent receives an off-hook event message for a second channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits a dial tone instruction for the second channel to the telephony card. The provider agent receives a plurality of digit event messages for the second channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits an invite message for the second channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives a reply message for the second channel from the session manager indicating an alerting condition, and in response, transmits a ringback tone instruction for the second channel to the telephony card. The provider agent receives a join message for the second channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits an add stream message for the second channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives a confirm message for the second channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits a second interwork instruction for the second channel to the telephony card to interwork a telephony signal on the second channel with an ATM signal on a selected virtual channel for the second channel.
In some embodiments of the invention, the provider agent receives an invite message for a second channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits a ring instruction for the second channel to the telephony card and transmits a reply message indicating an alerting condition for the second channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives an off-hook event message for the second channel from the telephony card, and in response, transmits a join message for the second channel to the session manager. The provider agent receives a join stream message for the second channel from the session manager, and in response, transmits a reference information message for th
Barrow Matthew Kung-Wei Jonathan
Bernath Tracey Mark
Bog Abdullah Murat
Turner Steven
Ball Harley R.
Funk Steven J.
Ho Duc
Hsu Alpus H.
Sprint Communications Co. L.P.
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