US 6,526,050 B1Granted

Programming call-processing application in a switching system

AssigneeExcel Switching Corporation

InventorsMark P. Hebert, Michael Silva

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Abstract

The L4 application in the switch is expanded to permit functions previously performed exclusively in the L5 protocol application. Moreover, the L4 application is programmable by the system operator so that the system operator may expand the predefined set of L4 call management operations to accommodate his call processing requirements. Overall supervision of the call-management operations was previously limited to the L5 applications. However, the ability to program the L4 application enables the system operator to decide which call processing operations will be managed by the L5 applications and which operations will be managed by the L4 application. The system operator may thus define, in the L4 application, a proprietary call model that instructs the switching node to manage all incoming calls, or the system operator may specify the call model on a channel by channel basis. The latter arrangement programs the switching node to use different call-processing protocols among the various channels. In addition, the user may either re-define or define entirely new application programming interface (API) calls for communications between the host and switching node and/or between the switching node and ports.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A communications network comprising:

A) a plurality of switching nodes each of which contains line cards with multiple ports for connections between the communications network and subscriber lines or other switching systems;
B) an internal network interconnecting the switching nodes for conveying switched telecommunications data between them, one of said nodes being a local node and the intended recipient node being a remote node;
C) a host computer that includes a Layer 5 software application which exercises supervisory control over the nodes;
D) a host network linking the host computer with the switching nodes;
E) a programmable Layer 4 software application in each switching node that performs call-processing operations defined by a system operator, the Layer 4 application having separate software objects functioning as state machines with instances of objects being dedicated to specific tasks for one port on the switching node, at least one of said software objects being capable of communicating with Layer 4 objects in a remote node in the telecommunications network, independent of instructions from said host;
F) channels in each switching node that comprises data paths between ports and a switch/matrix card and software in the switching node that directly supervise the use of these paths;
G) a plurality of first interfaces adapted to communicate information:
1. between the software objects in the Layer 4 application,
2. between the Layer 4 application and the Layer 5 application, and
3. between the Layer 4 application and a Layer 3 application in the line cards;
and
H) a plurality of second interfaces adapted to communicate information between each port and the Layer 4 application in the same node, independently of the host, and between that Layer 4 application and the Layer 5 application.

9 more elements

A switching node (32b) including line cards with multiple ports for connections between the switching node and subscriber lines or other switching systems, the switching node comprising:

A) a programmable Layer 4 software application (200) that performs call-processing operations defined by a system operator, the Layer 4 application having separate software objects functioning as state machines with instances of the software objects each being separately dedicated to a specific task for a single port on the switching node, such that the switching node can process calls substantially independently of a host, including:
1. a channel state machine (CH) (202) having a channel object adapted to manage state information for objects for each channel;
2. a call management state machine (CM) (204) having a call management object adapted to manage information about the state of calls in each channel and reporting appropriate incoming messages to the channel object, said call management object being capable of communicating with a call management object in a remote node independently of said host;
and
3. a physical connections management state machine (PC) (206) having a physical connection object adapted to manage connections between two channels;
B) channels that comprises data paths between ports and a switch/matrix card and software in the switching node that directly supervise the use of these paths;
C) connections to a host (24) network for linking the switching node to a host computer that includes a Layer 5 software application which exercises supervisory control over the nodes;
D) a plurality of first interfaces (220) adapted to communicate information:
1. between the software objects in the Layer 4 application (200),
2. between the Layer 4 application and the Layer 5 application, and
3. between the Layer 4 application and a Layer 3 application in the line cards;
and
E) a plurality of second interfaces adapted to communicate information between each port and the Layer 4 application in the same node, independently of said host and between that Layer 4 application and the Layer 5 application.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.