US 6,363,065 B1Granted

okApparatus for a voice over IP (voIP) telephony gateway and methods for use therein

AssigneeQuintum Technologies, Inc.

InventorsTimothy R. Thornton, Rajiv Bhatia, Ki Choon Suh

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Abstract

Apparatus, and accompanying methods for use therein, for a telephony gateway intended for use, e.g., paired use, at opposite ends of a data network connection, in conjunction with at each end, e.g., a private branch exchange (PBX) for automatically routing telephone calls, e.g., voice, data and facsimile, between two peer PBXs over either a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a data network, based on, among other aspects, cost considerations for handling each such call and called directory numbers, monitoring quality of service (QoS) then provided through the data network and switching (“auto-switching”) such calls back and forth between the PSTN and the data network, as needed, in response to dynamic changes in the QoS such that the call is carried over a connection then providing a sufficient QoS. To support auto-switching, the apparatus embeds, using call independent signaling, certain call-specific information, as non-standard data, within various conventional H.323 messages that transit between the paired gateways. Furthermore, for added local redundancy, this apparatus utilizes peered border elements within an H.323 administrative domain.

Claims90

Dependent claims

Apparatus for a telephony gateway for routing a telephony call through either a public-switched telephone network (PSTN) or a data network to a peer telephony gateway, comprising:

(A) a processor;
(B) a memory, connected to the processor and storing computer executable instructions therein;
and
(C) circuitry, controlled by and connected to the processor, for interfacing the gateway to the PSTN and the data network;
(D) wherein the processor, in response to performing the executable instructions:
(D1) establishes, through the interface, a connection, through one of the PSTN and the data network, with the peer gateway and over which the call is to be carried;
(D2) exchanges call specific data with the peer gateway, the data containing both a call identifier common to both the gateway and the peer gateway, the call identifier uniquely distinguishing the call from all other calls then being handling by the gateway or the peer gateway wherein both the gateway and the peer gateway form a same association between the call and the call identifier;
(D3) dynamically measures at least one predefined characteristic of a data network connection extending from the gateway to the peer gateway, throughout a duration of the call so as to define quality of service (QoS);
and
(D4) in response to a sufficient increase or decrease in the QoS, issues an appropriate message, containing the call identifier, to the peer gateway and, as a result thereof, interacts with the peer gateway to establish a connection through the other one of the PSTN and the data network and then switches the call between the PSTN and the data network, such that the call is alternately and automatically switched back and forth between the PSTN and the data network through interactions of the gateway and the peer gateway responsive to dynamic changes in the QoS.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.