Breakout/break-in hybrid network system

A method of operating a voice network appliance, the method comprising:

• connecting the voice network appliance to a node in a wide-area network;
• establishing, for each of two or more wide-area network termination points, a signaling exchange wide-area network circuit between the voice network appliance and that termination point, each termination point terminating either a private branch exchange trunk or a public switched telephone network trunk to a node in the wide-area network;
• provisioning an address translator within the appliance to recognize, for call requests originating at each termination point, the called termination point for the called party indicated in the call request;
• and
• when a call request is received from an originating termination point over its associated signaling exchange circuit, determining the appropriate called termination point for the called party indicated in the call request, signaling the call request to the called termination point over its associated signaling exchange circuit, and establishing a switched virtual circuit between the originating and called termination points to provide a bearer channel for the call.

A voice network appliance comprising:

• a data connection point for connecting the appliance to a wide-area data network;
• a signaling unit to exchange call signaling information with one or more private branch exchanges and one or more public switched telephone network central offices, each exchange or office having a trunk connected to the wide-area data network at a corresponding network node known to the appliance, and each trunk having a signaling channel connected to the appliance through a permanent virtual circuit;
• a switched circuit manager to establish and manage switched virtual circuits between the network nodes for the purpose of providing bearer channels for calls between the exchange and/or central office trunks connected to those nodes;
• a call controller to control call progression by coordinating the functions of the signaling unit and the switched circuit manager;
• and
• an address translation unit to receive called party addresses for call requests received by the signaling unit, determine a destination exchange or central office for the call requests, translate the called party addresses into formats understandable by the destination equipment, and supply the translated addresses and destinations to the call controller.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium containing a program for operating a voice network appliance connected in a wide-area data network, the program comprising:

• a signaling handler to exchange call signaling information with one or more private branch exchanges and one or more public switched telephone network central offices through permanent virtual circuits on the wide-area data network, each exchange or office having a trunk connected to the wide-area data network at a corresponding network node known to the program;
• a switched circuit manager to establish and manage switched virtual circuits between the network nodes for the purpose of providing bearer channels for calls between the exchange and/or central office trunks connected to those nodes;
• a call controller to control call progression by coordinating the functions of the signaling unit and the switched circuit manager;
• and
• an address translator to receive called party addresses for call requests received by the signaling unit, determine a destination exchange or central office for the call requests, translate the called party addresses into formats understandable by the destination equipment, and supply the translated addresses and destinations to the call controller.