Programmable gateway for a virtual bearer channel platform

Details Programmable gateway for a virtual bearer channel platform Programmable gateway for a virtual bearer channel platform

1998-01-07

2001-03-27

Kizou, Hassan (Department: 2738)

Multiplex communications

Pathfinding or routing

Switching a message which includes an address header

C370S410000, C370S524000, C379S067100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06208657

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications, and more specifically to a system and method for processing service requests.
2. Related Art
Voice or audio platforms (also known as voice or audio response units) are generally used to provide services using automated call processing. Commonly known examples of such services include processing collect calls, operator assisted calls and sales transactions. In a typical scenario, a caller places a call to the platform to request a specific service.
The platform determines the desired service based, for example, on the number dialed by the caller and information provided by the caller over a bearer channel. The platform directs the call to an application running on a transaction processing unit. The transaction processing unit executes an application to provide the service. An example of a transaction processing unit is a voice response unit.
For example, a caller can dial 1-800-COLLECT to make a collect call processed by the platform. At the platform, a voice response unit (transaction processing unit) is assigned to the incoming call. Determining the call to be a 1-800-COLLECT call, the voice response unit will play scripted messages for the caller and record information received from the caller. Such information can include the caller's name (i.e., as spoken by the caller) and the phone number the caller desires to call (e.g., by entering digits into the telephone keypad).
The voice response unit will then make an outgoing call from the platform to the called party. Once this outgoing call is established, the voice response unit will play scripted messages for the called party to effect call acceptance. The voice response unit will identify the caller for the called party by playing back the pre-recorded voice of the caller identifying himself. The voice response unit will also ask the called party to indicate (using the telephone keypad or otherwise) whether the call is accepted. Finally, if the called party accepts the call, then the call must somehow be connected between the caller and the called party.
Typically, the voice response units receive and transmit calls over dedicated connections. The voice response units are generally connected to a select number of large bandwidth pipes, such as T
1
s, in a known manner. As is well known, a T
1
pipe contains twenty-four channels (DS
0
s). The dialogue between the caller and the voice response unit, or alternatively between the platform and the called party, takes place over one or more of these channels. The channels can carry voice or data information in a digital format.
Unfortunately, in conventional platforms, the T
1
s are dedicated to the voice response units, and cannot share bandwidth. That is, each voice response unit is assigned a fixed number of T
1
s for calls coming into the platform from the network, and also a fixed number of T
1
s for calls going out over the network from the platform. Typically, the platform is designed so that each voice response unit has an equal number of T
1
s for inbound calls and for outbound calls. In the above example, the inbound call from the 1-800-COLLECT caller is over a dedicated inbound T
1
, whereas the outbound call to the called party is over a dedicated outbound T
1
.
However, this practice is extremely wasteful of circuit resources. Most service requests to the platform do not require outbound T
1
s. The outbound T
1
s are dedicated and cannot be used for incoming calls. However, the platform service provider may have no other option than a dedicated connection, in order to provide adequate customer service.
Such dedicated allocation of bandwidth may also lead to inefficiency in the usage of other platform resources. For example, the platform may have the processing power, but not the required bandwidth, to process a transaction. As a result, all the components of the platform, specifically the voice response units, will not be optimally utilized.
Another problem relates to the provision of signaling. In modern systems, the signaling network is separated from the switched voice network. Signaling is used to handle call setup, takedown and information processing. This includes monitoring the status of the trunks, indicating the arrival of an incoming call, transmitting routing and destination signals, etc. Signaling is handled separately from the actual voice circuits to minimize the load on the voice circuits and establish a more efficient network architecture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a specialized virtual bearer channel platform. A virtual bearer channel platform can control the transport of voice and digital data information over a bearer channel.
The platform processes a service request received from a telecom network. The platform includes a plurality of transaction processing units. It also includes a distribution network. The distribution network is coupled to the plurality of transaction processing units.
The platform also includes a cross-connecting controller. The cross-connecting controller is coupled to the distribution network and the telecom network. It receives data corresponding to the service request from the telecom network. It also provides the received data on the distribution network to one of the transaction processing units. The bandwidth on the distribution network is shared by the transaction processing units. More specifically, the platform is connected to the telecom network with one or more bearer channels identified by bearer channel circuit identification codes (CICs). The bearer channel CICs specify a physical circuit where a bearer channel data is to be transported.
The transaction processing units can process or transmit a service request. The distribution network provides communications with the transaction processing units via distribution network elements. These elements are byte positions of a signal transmitted over the distribution network. Therefore, the cross-connecting controller couples the one or more bearer channels to the distribution network.
In a preferred embodiment, the platform has a resource manager. The resource manager controls how the transaction processing units access the distribution network circuits. It includes a status device for maintaining a status of both the bearer channels and the distribution network elements.
For an inbound service request, the resource manager retrieves the identity of the bearer channel (i.e., the CIC) from a signaling message received from the telecom network. It translates the bearer channel into distribution network elements using the status device. It then determines which of the transaction processing units will process the inbound service request over the distribution network elements.
For an outbound service request, the resource manager responds to a request from one of the transaction processing units. In response, the resource manager assigns a bearer channel for transmission of the outbound service request. The resource manager transmits the identity of the available bearer channel via a signaling message over the telecom network to a called party. Once acknowledgment is received that the called party is connected (from the telecom network), the resource manager translates the bearer channel to a distribution network circuit and instructs the transaction processing unit to process the outbound service request using this distribution network.
In a preferred embodiment, the platform has a gateway. The gateway is a programmable protocol converter used to provide all signaling functions for the platform. The gateway receives signaling messages from the telecom network, and also transmits signaling messages to the telecom network. The gateway is the interface between the virtual bearer channel platform and the telecom network.
For a signaling message received from the telecom network, the gateway converts it to an internal message, in an internal protocol used by the platform. For example, the received signaling

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