Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-10
2004-05-11
Alam, Hosain (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
C709S218000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06735627
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for managing transmissions of multimedia data via an internet-type network with the aid of smart cards connected to terminals provided with a smart card reader.
The invention relates more particularly to the management of telephone or videophone transmissions via an internet-type network.
The invention also relates to a smart card for implementing this method.
The aforementioned transmissions can be done either entirely on the internet-type network or partly over this network and partly over a standard telephone network (for instance of the switched type), via a hardware gateway and suitable software.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
To define the concepts, and without in any way limiting the scope of the invention, the method will be described in the context of the preferred application, that is, telephone calling via an internet network. Within the scope of the invention, the term “internet network” must be understood in its most general sense. Besides the internet itself, it pertains to private business networks or the like of the type known as “intranet”, and networks extending them to the outside, of the type known as “extranet”, and in general any network in which data exchanges are done in accordance with an internet-type protocol. In the following description, such a network will be generically called an “internet network”.
The term “terminal” must also be understood in a general sense. The aforementioned terminal can in particular comprise a personal computer operating under various operating systems, such as Windows or UNIX (both of these being registered trademarks). It can also comprise a workstation, portable computer, or dedicated card terminal.
Given the spectacular development of the internet network in the last five years, an increasing number of terminals are connected to this network, especially for the sake of being linked to remote servers of the web type. There are limitations in terms of the data traveling over these links that make up the web of the internet network. However, these limitations are not primarily linked to the nature of the data but instead to the speed that these links allow. The recent installation of high-speed links (cable, ASDL, satellite links, ISDN, etc.) nevertheless make it possible to carry data of the multimedia type and to process these data in real time.
It is also of particular interest to have telephone communications, even videophone communications, travel over the internet network. Transmitting the data themselves does not present any particular problems. They can be processed by the protocols typically used on this type of network. The management of the communications, however, does present specific problems, especially problems associated with what in conventional telephony is called “signaling”. In general, this concept designates such operations as calling a correspondent, accepting a call, beginning and ending a conversation, ringing, disconnection, etc.
In the 1990s, a great many systems and types of software for making telephone calls via the internet network have been proposed.
The first telephone for the internet, called “Internet Phone” (registered trademark), was developed by the company known as Vocaltec in 1995. By now, dozens of products are known: “WebPhone”, “NetMeeting” put out by Microsoft (both of these are registered trademarks), and so forth.
The resultant state of the art is accordingly distinguished by great diversity and a lack of standards, or at least de facto standards. It follows that these products are not interoperable.
However, the following current trends can be observed:
a) use of a port of the TCP type to achieve pseudo-signaling (notification of a call, identification of the caller for the sake of accepting or rejecting the call, etc.);
b) compression of the audio signal, for instance using the method known as UIT-T G723 (Union Internationale des Télécommunications) from 5.3 kbps to 6.3 kbps;
c) broadcasting sound using the RTP protocol (Real Time Protocol), meeting the specification RFC 1889, which it in turn uses the UDP transmission protocol (for User Datagram Protocol) and dated pdus (for Protocol Data Units), and which is associated with RTCP control protocol (for Real Time Transport Control Protocol); and
d) identifying the called party by its IP address, where numerous servers make it possible to assign, to a fixed mail address, an IP address issued by a PPP server of a service provider (ISP, for Internet Service Provider), such as a server known by the symbol ICQ for example.
When communications must leave the internet network, internet telephony gateways or ITGs make it possible to connect a public switched telephone network or RTC, known in English as PSTN. The H323 protocol which defines the format of packets used in local networks and in an ISDN network seems to be becoming the dominant standard for call control protocols or CCPs.
Internet telephony presents three main types of problems:
a) locating the subscriber in the network, that is, establishing a relationship between an IP address (of an information processing machine) and the subscriber;
b) managing the signaling of a telephone call (calling the correspondent, acceptance of the call, beginning of a conversation, end of a conversation): this function is performed by what is called a proprietary protocol (generally called a proprietary signaling protocol or PSP) for calls of the internet/internet type, or by a particular protocol (the aforementioned CCP) that is coming to be the standard for calls of the internet/PSTN type, the signaling being done by means of a TCP connection which will hereinafter be called the signaling channel or CS; and
c) the exchange of a multimedia data stream: The protocol adopted is generally the protocol known as RTP (for real time protocol, corresponding to the aforementioned specification RFC 1889), and the exchange of multimedia data is done through a data channel, while the information is transported by the aforementioned UDP protocol.
To make a telephone conversation on the internet, the caller and the called party must both use the same software.
FIG. 1
schematically illustrates the main modules that make up telephony software (LT), such as the “NetMeeting” software mentioned above. Schematically, a conventional telephony software and the architecture of the associated transmission system include the following subassemblies:
a) a subscriber profile (PA), which contains a set of information making it possible to identify a subscriber;
b) a listing protocol (PE) which performs the listing of a subscriber in a directory server (SA—identified by a particular port number or TCP, such as port No. 389);
c) a locating protocol (PL), which performs the function of looking up a subscriber on the basis of this identifier (in general, e-mail), this function being implemented by means of a connection to the directory server (SA);
d) a signaling channel (CS), which employs a proprietary signaling protocol (PSP), which manages a telephone call through a TCP connection to a particular port (No. 1503 for NetMeeting); and
e) a data channel (CD), which manages the exchange of data in real time (sound and/or images) with the aid of a data exchange protocol, such as RTP.
Optionally, the internet telephony software can send a call to a subscriber of the standard telephone network, using a call control protocol (CCP), by means of a TCP connection (to port No. 1731, in the case of the “NetMeeting” software).
FIG. 1
accompanying the present description schematically illustrates the architecture of a telephony system
9
via the internet network RI, according to the prior art, and using telephony software of the type that has just been described.
In this figure, two terminals
9
a
and
9
b
have been shown schematically, reduced only to the telephony software with which they are equipped,
90
a
and
90
b
, respectively.
The components of these types of software include one listing protocol PE
900
a
and
900
b
for each terminal
9
a
and
9
b
, respecti
Alam Hosain
Bull CP8
Kondracki Edward J.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Tran Philip B.
LandOfFree
System and method of smart card for managing transmissions... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System and method of smart card for managing transmissions..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System and method of smart card for managing transmissions... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3221246