Method and system for facilitating packet-based communications
View Patent ↗A method, system, and medium are provided for facilitating a communications call. The method comprises receiving a request to connect to a destination described by a first target which includes a user-identification parameter and a domain parameter. Second, using the target, generating a second target associated with the first target. Finally, permitting the request to be fulfilled if the request is associated with the second target.
1. A device that determines whether to allow a request to be communicated through a portion of a communications network that supports a text-based protocol, the device comprising:
a processor that receives a request sent from a sending device bound for a destination device and determines that the request is a legitimate request when the request includes a modification of a destination address of the destination device, and otherwise determines that the request is not legitimate, forwards the request to the destination device when the request is determined legitimate, and, when the request is determined not legitimate, requests the sending device to send another request that includes the modification of the destination address, wherein the modification of the destination address comprises a hash value derived from the destination address.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the request is a request to connect to the destination device.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the destination address includes a telephone number.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is integrated into one or more communications device coupled to the destination device.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device exists in the communications network as one or more discrete device in communication with the destination device.
6. the device of claim 5 , wherein the one or more discrete device is a proxy server.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is integrated into one or more dedicated denial-of-service device in communication with the destination device.
8. A method for validating a request to initiate communication with a destination device in a communications network that supports text-based protocol, comprising:
receiving an initiation message from an initiating device;
determining that the initiation message is validated when the initiation message is properly encoded, and otherwise determining that the initiation message is not validated, wherein determining that the initiation message is validated when the initiation message is properly encoded comprises determining that the initiation message is validated when the initiation message includes a modification of a destination address of the destination device, wherein the modification of the destination address comprises a hash value derived from the destination address;
forwarding the initiation message to the destination device when the initiation message is validated; and
requesting the initiating device to send another initiation message that is properly encoded when the initiation message is not validated.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining that the initiation message is properly encoded by accessing a data structure that includes relational data between the aspect of the initiation message and the code.
10. A computer apparatus to validate an initiation message that is destined for a destination device in a communications network that supports text-based protocol, the apparatus comprising:
software instructions configured, when executed by a computer system, to direct the computer system to receive at a validation device the initiation message from an initiating device that initiates communication with the destination device;
determine whether the initiation message includes a modified address that is based on a destination address of the destination device, wherein the modified address comprises a hash value associated with the destination address;
when the initiation message includes the modified address, forward the initiation message to the destination device; and
when the initiation message does not include the modified address, request the initiating device to send another initiation message that contains the modified address; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the software instructions.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the software instructions configured to direct the computer system to determine whether the initiation message includes the modified address comprises the software instructions configured to direct the computer system to access a data structure that includes relational data between the destination address and the code.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the text-based protocol includes one or more of:
a version of the SESSION INITIATION PROTOCOL (SIP),
a version of the NCS protocol,
a version of MGCP, and
combinations thereof.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the initiation message is a request to initiate a communication session with the destination device.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the communication session includes communicating one or more of:
a voice data packet;
a video data packet;
an instant messaging data packet; and
combinations thereof.