Multi-network architecture
AssigneeNewbridge Networks Corporation
InventorsRuss Freen, Vish Raju
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-network environment comprises a plurality of different digital networks, a network manager associated with each network, a system manager at each customer premises for requesting a desired service, a customer agent for implementing instructions received from the customer agent, and a call processing unit associated with each network for implementing instructions received from a customer agent to route a call through the networks.
Claims8
A multi-network architecture comprising a plurality of different digital networks with a network manager associated with each network, characterized in that it further comprises a common management network for said different digital networks;
- a service manager located at each customer premises comprising an interface responsive to customer input, said service manager issuing instructions to request a desired service across the plurality of networks;
- customer agents associated with said service managers and connected to the common management network, said customer agents including a database containing data about the networks accessible to its associated customer, and based on said data and instructions received from its service manager, said customer agent issuing routing instructions for the required networks over said common management network;
- and a call processing unit associated with the network manager of each network, each said call processing unit being connected to the common management network and receiving routing instructions from a said customer agent via said management network;
- whereby said customer agents can directly route a call through the plurality of networks.
A method of managing calls over multiple networks, each associated with a network manager, comprising the steps of assigning a service manager and customer agent to each customer, said service manager providing a customer interface to permit said customer to request a desired service and said customer agent including a database containing data about the networks accessible to the customer, connecting the customer agents to a common management network spanning said multiple networks, connecting the network managers of said multiple networks to said common management network by means of respective call processing units, and establishing a call through said multiple networks by means of instructions issued over said common management network to said call processing units associated with the network managers thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.