Granted Patent B1

US 6,839,342 · App. 09/685,762 · Granted Jan 4, 2005

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A system for interfacing between signaling protocols, comprising:

a gateway operable to receive signaling information in a message based signaling format from a Class 5 softswitch, the gateway operable to receive voice signals from a public switched telephone network, the gateway operable to place the voice signals into data packets for transfer to an Internet Protocol network with the signaling information to establish a call connection from a public switched telephone network user to an Internet Protocol network user and eliminate coupling of the Class 5 softswitch to the Internet protocol network.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway is operable to receive signaling information in a media gateway control protocol format.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are transferred over a common physical link.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are transferred over separate logical links.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway is operable to receive signaling information in a H.248 protocol format.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway is operable to receive signaling information in a signaling interface protocol format.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a Class 5 softswitch operable to receive signaling information in a network signaling format, the Class 5 switch operable to convert the network signaling format to the message based signaling format.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the network signaling format is a SS 7 signaling format.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the network signaling format is a C7 signaling format.

10. The system of 7 , wherein the gateway is operable to provide signaling information to the Class 5 softswitch in the message based signaling format, the Class 5 softswitch operable to convert the message based signaling format to the network signaling format.

11. A method for interfacing signaling information and voice traffic, comprising:

receiving signaling information in a message based signaling format at a gateway from a Class 5 softswitch;

receiving voice traffic from an inter-machine trunk;

placing the voice traffic into data packets;

transferring the data packets and the signaling information to an Internet Protocol network to establish a call connection from a public switched telephone network user to an Internet Protocol network user and eliminate coupling of the Class 5 softswitch to the Internet protocol network.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are transferred over a common physical link.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are transferred over separate logical links.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the message based signaling format follows one of a media gateway control protocol, H.248 protocol, or signaling interface protocol.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

eliminating any link between the Class 5 softswitch and the Internet Protocol network.

16. A method for interfacing signaling information and voice traffic, comprising:

receiving signaling information in a message based signaling format and data packets carrying voice traffic at a gateway from an Internet Protocol network to establish a call connection from an Internet Protocol network user to a public switched telephone network user;

extracting the voice traffic from the data packets;

providing the voice traffic to an inter-machine trunk;

providing the signaling information to a Class 5 softswitch to establish a call connection from the Internet Protocol network user to the public switched telephone network user and eliminate coupling of the Class 5 softswitch to the Internet protocol network.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are received on a common physical link.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the data packets and the signaling information are received on separate logical links.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the message based signaling format follows one of a media gateway control protocol, H.248 protocol, or signaling interface protocol.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the Internet Protocol network has no link to the Class 5 softswitch other than through the gateway.

Assignments (19)