Signaling system for broadband communications networks
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorsThomas F. La Porta, Malathi Veeraraghavan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A network architecture is designed to allow a communications service subscriber to select a signaling provider independently of a) the transport carriers which control the local loops for particular communications services, and b) the providers of those services. Upon the establishment of a signaling connection from a subscriber's terminal device to the signaling provider's network, the latter requests those services from the service providers selected by the subscriber for delivery over the local loops of the transport providers.
Claims22
A boadband communications network comprising
- at least one signaling node of a signaling network for receiving signaling messages from a subscriber's device, said signaling network operating under the control of a signaling provider pre-selected by the subscriber;
- at least one service node for providing at least one communication service to the subscriber's device upon request from the at least one signaling node, said at least one service node operating under the control of a service provider selected by the subscriber;
- and
- a transport system of a first transport provider for delivering said signaling messages from the subscriber's device to the at least one signaling node, and a transport network of a second transport provider for delivering the at least one communications service from the at least one service node to the subscriber's device, said transport system and said transport network being logically independent of the signaling network of the signaling provider.
In a broadband communication network, a method of completing a call initiated by a caller, said method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a signaling connection from an end-user device being used by the caller to a node of a particular signaling provider's network preselected by the caller, the connection being established via a node of a transport provider's network which a) operates logically independently of said signaling provider's network, and b) communicates unaltered said caller's signaling messages to the node of the signaling provider's network;
- processing said signaling messages in said signaling provider's node by determining from the signaling messages and pre-stored data a) at least one feature requested by the caller for said call, b) an associated provider of said feature, and c) a transport facility over which communications signals for said call and said feature are to be routed for said caller;
- and
- completing the call using said transport facility.
A broadband communications network comprising:
- at least one signaling node within a signaling network of a signaling provider which receives signaling information associated with a communications service requested from an end-user device, said signaling information being received via facilities of a transport network which operates logically independently of said signaling network;
- means for retrieving from a database coupled to said at least one signaling node a profile associated with said end-user device, said profile storing data selected from a group which includes a) information regarding at least one service provider which offers said requested communications service, b) user-specific information associated with a user requesting said communications service from said end-user device, and c) at least one transport provider for delivery of said requested communication service;
- and
- communications means of said at least one service provider for delivering said requested communications service to said end-user device via facilities of a different transport network which also operates logically independently of said signaling network.
A method of delivering a broadband communications service requested by a user, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving at a signaling provider's signaling network signaling information from an-end-user device via facilities of a transport network which operates logically independently of said signaling network;
- ascertaining from pre-stored data and said signaling information at least one service provider which offers said requested communications service, and b) an access transport provider for delivering said requested communications service to said user;
- and
- exchanging signaling information between at least one signaling node of said at least one service provider and said at least one signaling node of said access transport provider to establish an end-to-end communications path for delivery of said requested communications service to said user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.