Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2004-12-07
Pezzlo, John (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C370S230000, C370S401000, C370S410000, C370S465000, C370S395520, C709S218000, C709S249000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829232
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for providing services realized by intelligent networks (IN) to a subscriber using transit telephone service based on an internet protocol (IP) network or to an originating call service from a terminal connected to an IP network in a network architecture in which an intelligent network and an IP network are connected.
2. Description of Related Art
In a public telephone network, various services are provided to the users by using the technique of the IN which can customize the service and provide service as quickly as possible. The IN is standardized by International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). In 1997, the IN capability set 2 was standardized (ITU-T recommendation: Q.1220-1228). The IN has a two-layer structure in which an intelligent layer is provided higher than a transport layer for performing basic call processing via a signalling network.
On the other hand, there is an active move afoot to utilize the IP network as a transit network to realize a cheap transit telephone service. A gateway having the function of converting voice to/from an IP packet and the address translating function of performing translation between telephone number and an IP address is connected between the transport layer and the IP network, thereby enabling voice service to be provided on the IP network. There is a case such that the address translating function exists not on a gateway but an independent server on the IP network.
The methods of providing an independent server on the IP network with the address translating function include the “gatekeeper method specified in H.323” which is in the process of standardization by ITU-T and the “MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol) method” which is in the process of standardization by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) as a standardization organization of internet technologies. Further, a concept of replacing a telephone network itself with the IP network has been announced.
In the transit telephone service realized by the present IP network, however, the address translating function is concentrated on a specific device. Consequently, it is difficult to increase the function. On the other hand, even if the address translating function is dispersed to a plurality of devices, no mechanism of controlling the devices exists in the transit telephone service realized by the present IP network. Thus, networkwide service cannot be provided.
At present, the “Gateway Location Protocol (GLP)” as a method for linking the plurality of address translating servers has been started to be examined. The GLP is a protocol used to reduce a load on a server and exchanges address information so that a plurality of servers hold the same information.
Examination on a method of providing communication service by the cooperation between the service control function of the IN and the IP network has been started by ITU-T. A method of providing a service control gateway function between an IP network and the service control function of a public network, providing a call bearer gateway function between the IP network and switching system of the public network, and providing the IP network with the H323 gatekeeper function has been proposed.
The service providing method using the functions, however, has to be examined further.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, as the variety of communication services increases, it is desired that novel IP network public network linked telephone service realized by the linkage between the service control function of the IN and the IP network is provided.
For example, it is desired that the user can access services such as toll-free telephone service from a terminal using the IP network—public network linked telephone service by utilizing the service control function of the IN. For this purpose, it is necessary to access the IN function at the time of conversion between telephone number and an IP address, so that an apparatus on the IP network has to send a service request to the IN service control function and receive a service request response including a call continuous processing method (destination).
As described above, however, since the present transit telephone service using the IP network cannot provide network-wide service, services realized by the IN cannot be provided for a subscriber of the transit telephone service using the IP network and for an originating call service from a terminal connected to the IP network.
It can be considered that information or function necessary for the service control function of the IN is given to a specific independent server on the IP network having the address translation function. When all the servers on the IP network are provided with the information of the specific server, however, information of all of the servers has to be changed each time the structure of the IP network is changed.
On the other hand, when a specific device (database) is provided with the function, a load on the specific device is concentrated. Consequently, it is difficult to increase the function. It is therefore desirable to disperse the information and functions necessary for the service control functions of the IN to a plurality of specific devices on the IP network.
It is an object of the invention to propose a method of accessing the distributed information.
In the GLP being examined by the IETF at present, all of servers have correspondence information between telephone number and an IP address with respect to basic calls.
In practice, it is devised so that the amount of the correspondence information does not become too large by, for example, putting correspondence information between telephone numbers and IP addresses out of a control domain together. When the control domain is enlarged, however, there may be a server which cannot deal with the correspondence information.
It is another object of the invention to assure the connectability by compensating the server which cannot deal with the correspondence information with the correspondence information which is closer to the perfection of another higher-performance server.
In the invention, a network structure as described hereinbelow is employed.
The structure has: a first telephone network comprised of a first transport layer having a plurality of switching systems to each of which first telephone network subscriber's terminals are connected and a first intelligent layer connected to the first transport layer via an SS7; and a second telephone network comprised of a second transport layer having a plurality of switching systems to each of which a plurality of subscriber's terminals are connected and a second intelligent layer connected to the second transport layer via an SS7.
The first and second transport layers are connected to first and second IP networks via first and second gateways (or a plurality of first gateways and a plurality of second gateways). Each of the first and second gateways has the function of performing conversion between voice and an IP packet. The first and second gateways are controlled by first and second servers, respectively. The first and second IP networks are connected to an IP core network. A third gateway managed by a third server is connected to the IP core network. A third IP network is connected to the third gateway and subscriber's terminals are connected to the third IP network. The subscriber's terminals are managed by the third server.
The first and second intelligent networks have first and second service control points each having a memory for storing service control information of each user. The first and second service control points are connected to the first and second servers via first and second service control gateways, respectively.
Each of the first and second servers stores correspondence information between telephone number and an IP address of a gateway, authentication information, and usable bandwidth information. The third server stores cor
Shimizu Satoshi
Takeda Yukiko
Tanabe Shiro
Yoshimoto Tetsuro
Hitachi , Ltd.
Mattingly Stanger & Malur, P.C.
Nguyen Alan V.
Pezzlo John
LandOfFree
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