Multiplex communications – Data flow congestion prevention or control – Control of data admission to the network
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-20
2001-04-10
Ngo, Ricky (Department: 2664)
Multiplex communications
Data flow congestion prevention or control
Control of data admission to the network
C370S236000, C379S221050, C379S219000, C379S211010, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215770
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method of establishing a connection, an exchange of a communications network, a service computer for one or more communications networks, and a communications network.
2. Description of Related Art
Strategies for establishing connections under overload conditions of a communications network are known above all from the field of private communications.
The invention starts with a conventional generic method of establishing a connection, such as is used in private branch exchange networks, for example in company networks which have several network accesses to a public telephone network. This method is described for example in the article “Cross-linked TK installations without boundaries” by Hilmar Dehlen, ntz, Volume 45 (1992) on pages 714 to 720 of Brochure 9.
The private communications network is formed of several private branch exchange switching units which are intermeshed by groups of transverse lines. Each individual private branch exchange switching unit has access to the public telephone network. If a private branch exchange switching unit receives a call request for a connection to a terminal of another private branch exchange switching unit in the private network, and if a bottleneck in the private network delays the establishment of the requested connection via the private network, an automatic overflow into the public telephone network takes place, i.e. the private branch exchange switching unit reroutes the call request to the public telephone network, thereby establishing a connection to the requested terminal via the public telephone network.
This method of establishing a connection has the disadvantage that considerable costs are incurred by using the public telephone network in the case of an overload, and that there is no possibility of achieving a more uniform utilization of the private communications network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The task of the invention is to offer a method of establishing a connection for an overloaded network which allows optimization of routing guidance cost and traffic in case of an overload.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of establishing a connection wherein a requesting terminal signals a call request to a control unit of a first communications network, and wherein the control unit determines whether sufficient capacity is available in the first communications network for establishing the connection requested by the call request, is characterized in that in an absence of sufficient capacity, the control unit sends an overload message to the requesting terminal, and initiates an alternative establishment of the requested connection through another, second communications network only upon reception of an acknowledge message from the requesting terminal.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an exchange of a first communications network, comprising means for transmitting messages to and receiving messages including a call request from a requesting terminal, and a control unit for determining whether sufficient capacity is available in the first communications network for establishing a requested connection in response to the call request, is characterized in that the control unit initiates a transmission of an overload message to the requesting terminal if insufficient capacity is determined, and initiates an alternative establishment of the requested connection through another, second communications network only upon reception of an acknowledge message from the requesting terminal.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a service computer for a first communications network or for two or more communications networks, comprising means for transmitting messages to and receiving messages including a call request from a requesting terminal, and a control unit for determining whether sufficient capacity is available in the first communications network or in a first of the two or more communications networks for establishing a requested connection in response to the call request, is characterized in that the control unit initiates a transmission of an overload message to the requesting terminal if insufficient capacity is determined, and initiates an alternative establishment of the requested connection through another, second communications network only upon reception of an acknowledge message from the requesting terminal.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a communications network for establishing a connection in response to a requesting terminal of the communications network signaling a call request to a control unit of the communications network for determining whether sufficient capacity is available in the communications network for establishing the connection requested by the call request, wherein in an absence of sufficient capacity, the control unit sends an overload message to the requesting terminal and initiates an alternative establishment of the requested connection through another communications network only upon receipt of an acknowledge message from the requesting terminal.
The invention is based on the idea of advising the requesting subscriber of the overload during an overload situation, and after receiving an acknowledge message from the requesting subscriber to reroute the call request to another network, thereby establishing the requested connection via the other network. This results in the advantage that in the case of an overload an individual decision about the connection is made possible, which influences the subscriber's response in the overload case and thereby leads to a more uniform utilization of the network and a reduction of the costs.
If the requesting subscriber does not send an acknowledge message, it is advantageous to send a release message to the requesting terminal when sufficient available capacity is again determined in the communications network. This makes it possible to further influence the subscriber's response in regard to a cost optimization.
In this case not only can the invention be used in a communications environment with a private and a public telephone network; it can rather be used in any heterogeneous network environment with several private and/or public communications networks, or virtual communications networks. In this way it fulfills particular requests for the establishment of a connection which originate from a deregulated heterogeneous communications environment.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of a best mode embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
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Hilmar Dehlen, “Vernetzte TK-Anlagen ohne Grenzen,” [Cross-Linked Telecommunications Installations Without Borders] inntz[Information Technology Newsletter], vol. 45, No.9, pp. 714-720 (1992).
“Hicom 300—eine Vielfalt neuer Moglichkeiten”, D. Hochreuter et al,Telcom ReportNo. 18, vol. 5, 1995, pp. 265-267. “Hicom 300-the possibilities are endless,” Nov.-Dec. 1995 (English version).
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Integrated ISDN D-Server to Intelligent Networking, L. E
Orlamunder Harald
Stahl Uwe
Alcatel
Ngo Ricky
Oliver Milton
Ware, Fressola VanDer Sluys & Adolphson LLP
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