US 5,631,903 AGranted

Telecommunications signaling arrangements for terminals without signaling capability

AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.

InventorsRobert B. Dianda, Roger E. Libman, Suzanne Vondruska, Hsien-Chuen Yu

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An arrangement for generating and receiving standard telecommunications network signals on behalf of a terminal not equipped to generate or receive such signals. A controller shared by a plurality of such terminals receives signals from these terminals over a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) and uses the information received over the PVC to perform signaling. In a specific embodiment, the terminals are set top boxes, connected to a video cable, for controlling television sets. The controller controls signaling for establishing connections between the set top box and a video vendor system, and tunes the set top box to receive signals on the proper channel. Advantageously, such an arrangement significantly reduces the cost of the set top box while still allowing for a highly flexible signaling arrangement to the video vendor system.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of establishing a connection in a telecommunications network between a first terminal, said first terminal having no capability for generating telecommunications signaling protocol messages, and a second terminal, comprising the steps of:

in a centralized controller system shared by a plurality of terminals, storing data that when conveyed to the network will identify a path from said network to said first terminal, said data for identifying a path for a connection from said network to said first terminal;
establishing a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between a set of terminals, said set having at least one member and including said first terminal, and said centralized controller system;
sending a service request message set, said service request message set comprising data for identifying said first terminal and said second terminal, over said PVC from said first terminal to said centralized controller system;
responsive to a receipt of said service request message set, signaling a network controller of said telecommunications network from said centralized controller system, using telecommunications network protocol messages, to establish said requested connection to said second terminal and, using the data stored in said centralized controller system, to said first terminal;
wherein said first terminal lacks a capability for generating telecommunications network protocol messages for requesting said telecommunications network to establish a call;
wherein said centralized controller system is separate from but connected to said network by a data circuit.

3 more elements

A method of establishing via a telecommunications network, a video connection between a video vendor system and a set top box, said set top box having no capability for generating telecommunications signaling protocol messages, comprising the steps of:

storing data for establishing a connection between a broadband switching system and said set top box;
establishing a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) between said set top box and a centralized controller system for serving a plurality of set top boxes;
sending a service request message set over said PVC from said set top box to said centralized controller system, said service request message set comprising data for identifying said set top box and said video vendor system;
responsive to a receipt of said service request message set, signaling a network controller of said telecommunications network from said centralized controller system, using telecommunications network protocol messages, to establish said requested connection to said second terminal and, using the data stored in said centralized controller System, to said first terminal;
establishing a video connection between said video vendor system and said broadband switching system;
sending a message from said centralized controller system to said set top box to tune to one of a plurality of video channels for transmission of video signals via said set top box to a connected receiver;
and
establishing a connection between said video connection and said set top box, via means for converting signals received from said video connection to signals for said plurality of video channels, using the stored data;
wherein said first terminal lacks a capability for generating telecommunications network protocol messages for requesting said telecommunications network to establish a call.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.