Telecommunications system with wide area internetwork control

(54) TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM WITH WIDE AREA INTERNETWORK CONTROL

(75) Inventor: Robert D. Farris, Sterling, VA (US)

(73) Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc.,

Arlington, VA (US)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 08/753,198

(22) Filed: Nov. 21, 1996

(51) Int. CI.7 H04M 7/00; H04J 3/02;

H04J 3/12

(52) U.S. CI 379/230; 370/385; 370/401;

370/467; 370/496; 370/522; 379/220; 379/224;

379/900

(58) Field of Search 379/112, 201,

379/207, 219, 220, 224, 229, 230, 900; 370/384, 385, 522, 401, 467, 496

(56) References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

5,247,571 * 9/1993 Kay et al 379/207

5,469,500 * 11/1995 Satter et al 379/207 X

5,572,583 * 11/1996 Wheeler, Jr. et al 379/112 X

5,590,133 12/1996 Billstrom et al 370/349

5,608,786 3/1997 Gordon 370/352

5,661,790 * 8/1997 Hsu 379/230 X

5,706,286 1/1998 Reiman et al 370/401

5,724,355 3/1998 Bruno et al 370/401

5,726,984 3/1998 Kubler et al 370/349

5,751,707 * 5/1998 Voit et al 370/384

5,793,762 8/1998 Penners et al 370/389

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Mills, Mike, "Freebie Heebie-Jeebies: New Long-Distance Calling Via the Internet Scares Small Phone Firms", The Washington Post, Mar. 8, 1996, Section F. pp. 1-2. Hughes, David T, "What hath (net) god wrought?", The Journal (Fairfax, Virginia), Feb. 21, 1995, Section B, pp. 1-2.

Hughes, David T, Webphone heading for serious telephony, The Journal (Fairfax, Virginia), May 28, 1996, Section A, pp. 8.

Mills, Mike, "It's the Net's Best Thing to Being There: With Right Software, Computer Becomes a Toll-Free Telephone", The Washington Post, Jan. 23, 1996, Section C, pp. 1,5.

Hughes, David T, "Internet phone wars heating up: Companies improve and encourage users to test products", The Journal (Fairfax, Virginia), Jan. 2, 1996, Section A, pp. 6. Yang, C, "INETPhone: Telephone Services and Servers on Internet", http://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfcl789.txt. Kuehn, Richard A., "The Voice of Technology", (Online text only) Credit World, Jul. 1994, vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 20-23. Margulies, Edwin, "Understanding the Voice-Enabled Internet", Flatiron Publishing, Inc. pp. 4—42 and 12-1 to 12-3.

* cited by examiner

Primary Examiner—Harry S. Hong

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—McDermott, Will & Emery (57) ABSTRACT

A communications system including multiple telecommunications networks having common channel signaling hardware is controlled by a hybrid or combination of common channel interoffice signaling (CCIS) system with a data internetwork to link the signaling points in the telecommunications network via the new hybrid common channel interoffice switching system. Preferably the internetwork comprises the Internet. The internet is used to link signal switching points, signal transfer points, and a signal control point. The signal control point is preferably hierarchical and distributed so as to provide ample power and capacity to supply signal control for multiple telecommunications networks of related or unrelated operating companies. It is an important feature of the invention that multiple telecommunications networks may be controlled from a central control point by using a hybrid form of common channel signaling in which signaling points in the telecommunications networks operate with signaling protocols for which they are presently designed while the control signaling between signaling points is transported by pre-existing internetwork signals using a different protocol for which the internetwork is designed.

21 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets