IP Library Granted Patent US 8,792,478
Granted Patent B2
US 8,792,478 · App. 13/589,648 · Granted Jul 29, 2014

System and method of providing communication service using a private packet network backbone exchange

Inventors: Scott D. Kell (Chicago, IL); James E. Brewer (Chicago, IL); Anthony J. Hiller (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: Peerless Network, Inc.
H04M15/47H04Q3/62H04M3/42314H04M3/42238H04M7/1285
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,792,478
App. No.
13/589,648
Granted
Jul 29, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for providing communication service using a private packet network backbone exchange (PPNBE) are disclosed. The private packet network backbone exchange may include a logical call control entity, a logical routing database, one or more PPNBE gateways, and a private packet network. The PPNBE may provide “one-hop” call connection between a call-originating entity and a call-terminating entity without traversal of any other exchanges. The PPNBE may simultaneously support both one-hop local and long distance calls. The PPNBE architecture is easily scalable and incorporated into existing communication networks for on-net and off-net service. Methods and systems for providing access tandem communication service using a PPNBE are also disclosed.

Claims (52)

1. A private packet network backbone exchange (PPNBE) for providing communication service, comprising:

a private packet network; and

a logical call control entity in signaling communication with a plurality of exchanges, the logical call control entity coupled to a single logical routing database and configured to establish, while operating in conjunction with the single logical routing database, a one-hop communication session between two of the plurality of exchanges over the private packet network without traversing any other exchanges,

the one-hop communication session including at least one of voice or data that is delivered over the private packet network, the one-hop communication session corresponding to a call, and the call is a tandem call.

2. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein the tandem call is one of a plurality of tandem calls, and wherein PPNBE is further configured to establish separate one-hop communication sessions for each tandem call included in the plurality of tandem calls.

3. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein one exchange of the two of the plurality of exchanges is controlled by a first communication carrier entity and the other one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is controlled by a second communication carrier entity different from the first communication carrier entity.

4. The PPNBE of claim 3 , wherein the PPNBE is controlled by a third communication carrier entity different from the first and the second communication carrier entities.

5. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) that originated the call and a CPE to which the call is to be terminated use different local access technologies for the call.

6. The PPNBE of claim 5 , wherein the different local access technologies are from a set of local access technologies including wireless, wireline, data communication, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and cable telephony.

7. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is a tandem exchange.

8. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is an exchange controlled by an inter-exchange carrier (IXC) entity.

9. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is an originating local exchange or a terminating local exchange.

10. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein the logical call control entity is in communicative connection with a signaling network.

11. The PPNBE of claim 10 , wherein the PPNBE is assigned a unique identifier in the signaling network.

12. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein the PPNBE further comprises a PPNBE gateway coupled to the private packet network, and wherein at least one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is directly connected to the PPNBE gateway.

13. The PPNBE of claim 12 , wherein the PPNBE gateway is a first PPNBE gateway, the logical call control entity is co-located with a second PPNBE gateway coupled to the private packet network, and at least a portion of the contents of the one-hop communication session is routed internal to the first PPNBE gateway and is not backhauled between the first and the second PPNBE gateways.

14. The PPNBE of claim 12 , wherein the PPNBE gateway is a first PPNBE gateway, the PPNBE further comprises a second PPNBE gateway each coupled to the private packet network, and wherein one of the two of the plurality of exchanges is directly coupled to the first PPNBE gateway, and the other of the two of the plurality of exchanges is directly coupled to the second PPNBE gateway.

15. The PPNBE of claim 1 , wherein the private packet network uses an Internet Protocol or other packet or cell switching technology.

16. A method for providing communication service, comprising:

receiving, from a first exchange, a call at a private packet network exchange (PPNBE), the call being one of a voice, data or hybrid voice and data call and the call being one of an originating tandem call or a terminating tandem call;

establishing, by a logical call control entity and a single logical routing database included in the PPNBE, a call instance in the PPNBE corresponding to the call; and

routing the call within the PPNBE via a private Internet Protocol (IP) packet network from the first exchange to a second exchange without traversing any other exchanges.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein routing the call within the PPNBE from the first exchange to the second exchange comprises routing the call within the PPNBE from a first exchange controlled by a first carrier entity to a second exchange controlled by a different carrier entity.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein:

receiving the call from the first exchange comprises receiving, from the first exchange, a call originated by an originating Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) using a first local access technology; and

routing the call to the second exchange comprises routing, to the second exchange, the call to be terminated at a terminating CPE using a second local access technology.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first local access technology and the second local access technology are each from a set of local access technologies including wireless, wireline, data communication, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and cable telephony.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising establishing, by the logical call control entity, at least one of a call feature or a call service associated with the call.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of:

receiving the call from the first exchange comprises receiving the call from a first tandem exchange; or

routing the call to the second exchange comprises routing the call to a second tandem exchange.

22. The method of claim 16 , wherein receiving the call from the first exchange comprises receiving the call from an originating local exchange.

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein routing the call to the second exchange comprises routing the call to a terminating local exchange.

24. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of:

receiving the call from the first exchange comprises receiving the call from a first inter-exchange carrier (IXC) exchange; or

routing the call to the second exchange comprises routing the call to a second inter-exchange carrier (IXC) exchange.

25. A private packet network backbone exchange (PPNBE) for providing communication service, comprising:

means for receiving, from a first exchange, a call at a private packet network exchange (PPNBE), the call being one of a voice, data or hybrid voice and data call and the call being one of an originating tandem call or a terminating tandem call;

means for establishing, by a logical call control entity and a single logical routing database included in the PPNBE, a call instance in the PPNBE corresponding to the call; and

means for routing the call within the PPNBE via a private packet network from the first exchange to a second exchange without traversing any other exchanges.

26. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein the means for routing the call within the PPNBE from the first exchange to the second exchange comprises means for routing the call within the PPNBE from a first exchange controlled by a first carrier entity to a second exchange controlled by a different carrier entity.

27. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein the call is originated by an originating Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) using a first local access technology; and the call is to be terminated at a terminating CPE using a second local access technology.

28. The PPNBE of claim 27 , wherein the first local access technology and the second local access technology are different local access technologies, and are each from a set of local access technologies including wireless, wireline, data communication, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and cable telephony.

29. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein at least one of:

the first exchange is a first tandem exchange; or

the second exchange is a second tandem exchange.

30. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein the first exchange is an originating local exchange.

31. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein the second exchange is a terminating local exchange.

32. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein at least one of:

the first exchange is a first inter-exchange carrier (IXC) exchange; or

the second exchange is a second inter-exchange carrier (IXC) exchange.

33. The PPNBE of claim 25 , wherein the private packet network uses an Internet Protocol or other packet or cell switching technology.

Assignments (12)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2025
From: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
To: ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071745/0311 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2022
From: FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (SUCCESSOR TO FIFTH THIRD BANK)
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.; WAVENATION, LLC
Reel/Frame 061065/0390 →
RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY Recorded Jun 7, 2019
From: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 049409/0091 →
RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY Recorded Jun 6, 2019
From: ESCALATE CAPITAL PARTNERS SBIC III, LP
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 049407/0876 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTERESTS IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Recorded Jun 14, 2018
From: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 046367/0991 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Recorded May 31, 2018
From: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 046276/0677 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURTITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 31, 2018
From: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.; WAVENATION, LLC
To: FIFTH THIRD BANK
Reel/Frame 046275/0811 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 14, 2016
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 040734/0737 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 14, 2016
From: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.; AIRUS, INC.; AIRUS CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; AIRUS VIRGINIA, INC.; PEERLESS ATLANTA DATA CENTER, LLC; PEERLESS CHICAGO DATACENTER, LLC; PEERLESS ENTERPRISE CLOUD SERVICES, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ALABAMA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ARIZONA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ARKANSAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF CALIFORNIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF COLORADO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF CONNECTICUT, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF DELAWARE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF FLORIDA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF GEORGIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF HAWAII, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF IDAHO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ILLINOIS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF INDIANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF IOWA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF KANSAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF KENTUCKY, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF LOUISIANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MAINE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MARYLAND, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MASSACHUSETTS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MICHIGAN, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MINNESOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MISSISSIPPI, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MISSOURI, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MONTANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEBRASKA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEVADA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW JERSEY, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW MEXICO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW YORK, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NORTH CAROLINA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NORTH DAKOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OHIO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OKLAHOMA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OREGON, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF PENNSYLVANIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF RHODE ISLAND, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF SOUTH CAROLINA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF SOUTH DAKOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF TENNESSEE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF TEXAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF UTAH, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF VERMONT, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF VIRGINIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WASHINGTON, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WEST VIRGINIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WISCONSIN, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WYOMING, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS, LLC; WAVENATION, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK HOLDINGS, INC.
To: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040734/0883 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2016
From: KELL, SCOTT D.; BREWER, JAMES E.; HILLER, ANTHONY J.
To: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 037774/0689 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2015
From: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ALABAMA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ARIZONA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ARKANSAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF CALIFORNIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF COLORADO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF CONNECTICUT, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF DELAWARE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF FLORIDA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF GEORGIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF HAWAII, LLC; PEERLESS NETEWORK OF IDAHO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF ILLINOIS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF INDIANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF IOWA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF KANSAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF KENTUCKY, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF LOUISIANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MAINE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MARYLAND, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MASSACHUSETTS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MICHIGAN, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MINNESOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MISSISSIPPI, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MISSOURI, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF MONTANA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEBRASKA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEVADA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW JERSEY, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW MEXICO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NEW YORK, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NORTH CAROLINA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF NORTH DAKOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OHIO, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OKLAHOMA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF OREGON, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF PENNSYLVANIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF RHODE ISLAND, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF SOUTH CAROLINA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF SOUTH DAKOTA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF TENNESSEE, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF TEXAS, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF UTAH, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF VERMONT, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF VIRGINIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WASHINGTON, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WISCONSIN, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WEST VIRGINIA, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK OF WYOMING, LLC; PEERLESS ENTERPRISE CLOUD SERVICES, LLC; PEERLESS NETWORK REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS, LLC; PEERLESS CHICAGO DATACENTER, LLC; PEERLESS ATLANTA DATA CENTER, LLC; AIRUS CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS, LLC; AIRUS, INC.; AIRUS VIRGINIA, INC.; WAVENATION, LLC
To: ESCALATE CAPITAL PARTNERS SBIC III, LP
Reel/Frame 035964/0614 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 2, 2013
From: PEERLESS NETWORK, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 031746/0705 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 12469454 · May 20, 2009
Provisional Application 61054713 · May 20, 2008
Related Publication 20120314701A1 · Dec 13, 2012