Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
  • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
  • H04Q3/0029—Provisions for intelligent networking
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/42136—Administration or customisation of services
  • H04M3/42153—Administration or customisation of services by subscriber
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/42136—Administration or customisation of services
  • H04M3/42178—Administration or customisation of services by downloading data to substation equipment
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/487—Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
  • H04M3/493—Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
  • H04M3/4938—Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M7/00—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
  • H04M7/12—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
  • H04M7/1205—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
  • H04M7/126—Interworking of session control protocols
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M7/00—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
  • H04M7/12—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
  • H04M7/1205—Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
  • H04M7/128—Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/1305—Software aspects
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13175—Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13204—Protocols
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13345—Intelligent networks, SCP
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13376—Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q2213/00—Indexing scheme relating to selecting arrangements in general and for multiplex systems
  • H04Q2213/13389—LAN, internet

Definitions

• the present invention relates to integrated telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for providing Value-Added Services in an integrated telecommunications network via a plug-in module that is downloadable to a user terminal from a third party service provider.
• the exemplary integrated telecommunications network may comprise a packet-switched network (PSN) portion coupled to a circuit- switched network (CSN) portion.
• the network may comprise a PSN portion only.
• IP Internet Protocol
• the CSN portion may comprise a wireless telephony network portion having a service architecture that is derived from, or based upon, the Intelligent Network (IN) service architecture.
• PSN packet-switched network
• CSN circuit-switched network
• VoIP Voice-over-IP
• improvements in the quality of IP telephony are: improvements in the quality of IP telephony; the Internet phenomenon; emergence of standards; cost-effective price-points for advanced services via media-rich call management, et cetera.
• Some of the emerging standards in this area are the well known H.323 protocol, developed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or Internet
• IPDC IP Device Control
• IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
• SGCP Simple/Media Gateway Control Protocol
• MGCP Simple/Media Gateway Control Protocol
• an IP telephony client application is typically provided with the entity (e.g., a computer or an IP-based phone) that is used for accessing, or interacting with, the network.
• entity e.g., a computer or an IP-based phone
• Telephony API Telephony Application Programming Interface
• IP telephony clients are typically implemented on top of the Telephony APIs and provide relevant graphic and/or audio interfacing to a user.
• certain user services may also be provided in some conventional IP telephony client applications.
• the provisioning of these services in conventional arrangements is beset with several drawbacks and shortcomings.
• services provided in such implementations are typically limited and do not possess advanced features that are highly advantageous to the users.
• these services are rather static in nature in the sense that users are not provided with the capability to modify, alter, delete, add, or enhance the services on an "as needed" basis.
• IP client-based services are typically incompatible with, or are not upgradable to, advanced services (e.g., Value-Ndded Services or VNS) and features available from third party service providers within the context of the IP telephony.
• VNS Value-Ndded Services
• providing the same VNS from different (and/or several) terminals for an end-user is rendered rather difficult.
• the functionality of the conventional IP telephony clients does not allow the provisioning of VNS using the well known Intelligent Network (IN) service architecture.
• I Intelligent Network
• the present invention is directed to a system and method of providing on-demand Value-Ndded Services (VAS) in an integrated telecommunications network using a plug-in module approach.
• IP Internet Protocol
• PS ⁇ packet-switched network
• An IP telephony client application is available on the IP -based terminal for interacting with an IP protocol stack operable with the PS ⁇ portion.
• a downloadable VAS plug-in module is disposed between the IP telephony client and the IP protocol stack for intelligently filtering service requests received therein.
• the plug-in module is configured to operate as the IP telephony client towards the IP protocol stack and as the IP protocol stack towards the IP telephony client, wherein the plug-in module's functionality includes local decision capability for determining whether a service request received therein is to be acted upon locally without having to engage the IP network or the IP telephony client.
• the local decision capability of the VAS plug-in module includes accessing a local service associated with the terminal.
• a remote service e.g., a service logic portion executed at a remote Application Server node.
• well-known IN Service Control Points (SCPs) or other IN-compliant Application Servers may be provided as remote service nodes which may be accessed depending upon the service request.
• SCPs IN Service Control Points
• Application Servers may be provided as remote service nodes which may be accessed depending upon the service request.
• a Mobile Agent service is accessed by the VAS plug-in module.
• FIG. 1 depicts a conventional IP telephony client arrangement operable with an IP telephony protocol stack used in a PSN-based telecommunications network;
• FIG. 2 (Prior Art) depicts the functional components provided in a conventional IP telephony client
• FIG. 3 depicts a functional block diagram of a VAS plug-in module of the present invention usable with IP telephony clients disposed in an integrated telecommunications network that supports remote services;
• FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method of service provisioning using a VAS plug- in module which operates as an Intelligent Filter in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
• FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow charts illustrating the steps of a local decision method utilizing a VAS plug-in module provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
• FIG. 1 depicted therein is a conventional IP telephony client arrangement 100 employed in a PSN-based telecommunications network that operates based on known VoIP protocols.
• An IP telephony client 104 is provided as a software structure that imparts telephony capabilities to IP-addressable entities such as, e.g., computers. Similar telephony client software may also be used in conjunction with devices such as Smart phones, Internet phones, Information Appliances, etc. (collectively referred to as "terminals") employed for accessing the
• UAC User Agent Client
• An IP telephony protocol stack 102 is available within an IP-based terminal (not shown) for effectuating appropriate signaling etc. in accordance with the VoIP protocol employed in the network (e.g., H.323, SIP, and the like).
• An IP telephony signaling Application Programming Interface (API) 106 is conventionally provided between the IP telephony client 104 and the IP telephony protocol stack 102 for abstracting the functionality of the underlying IP signaling protocol on behalf of the IP client.
• APIs Application Programming Interface
• Several such APIs exist in either standard or proprietary forms. For example, Java Telephony API (JTAPI), which is part of the 3GPP-defined Mobile
• MExE Execution Environment
• TAPI Interface Description Language
• the IP telephony API 106 is usually comprised of two parts: a first part 108A associated with the IP telephony client application 104 that is used by the IP telephony protocol stack 102 and a second part 108B associated with the IP protocol stack 102 that is used by the IP telephony client application 104.
• Various software objects in these components interact with one another in a defined manner to provide the interfacing capability between the IP client 104 and the protocol stack 102.
• the client applications are implemented on top of the TAPIs and generally comprise call control functionality, call management functionality, and basic call services functionality, in addition to the interfacing functionality with respect to the Telephony NPI.
• FIG. 2 The functional aspect of an exemplary IP telephony client application such as the IP client 104 described above is illustrated in FIG. 2.
• a Call Control (CC) module 202, a Call Management (CM) module and a Call Services (CS) module 206 are interfaced with one another so as to facilitate telephony capabilities within the terminal.
• CC Call Control
• CM Call Management
• CS Call Services
• the functionality of the CS module 206 included for the provisioning of services tends to be rather limited. Even where a set of more advanced services is included, the services associated with the CS module are "fixed" in the sense that they are hardly upgradable to, or compatible with, other advanced services provided by third party service providers within the IP telephony context. Further, the CS functionality of the exemplary IP telephony client application 104 does not lend itself to accessing the existing remote services (e.g., IN or IN-based services), thereby thwarting the advantageous use of several market- tested and market-accepted service logic portions residing in such remote service nodes, e.g., SCPs.
• the existing remote services e.g., IN or IN-based services
• FIG. 3 depicted therein is a functional block diagram of a VAS plug-in module 302 usable in accordance with the teachings of the present invention for enhancing the functionality of an IP telephony client, e.g., telephony client 104, disposed in an integrated telecommunications network that supports a remote Application Server architecture (e.g., an IN or IN-based service architecture).
• a remote Application Server architecture e.g., an IN or IN-based service architecture
• the VAS plug-in module 302 is provided as a downloadable module that an end-user can retrieve from a selected service provider via an IP-based network (e.g., the Internet) by employing known mechanisms such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and the like.
• FTP File Transfer Protocol
• HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
• retrieval of the downloadable modules may involve some subscription and authentication procedures from the end-user and, accordingly, the downloaded module may therefore include appropriate user-specific information and additional components necessary for the subsequent provisioning of the services to which the end-user has a subscription.
• the VAS plug-in module 302 is disposed between the IP telephony client 104 and the underlying IP protocol stack
• 102 and its functionality includes intelligent modification and filtering of the normal processing of calls effectuated via the functional modules of the IP telephony client application 104. Accordingly, suitable interfaces are provided between the VNS plug- in module 302 and the IP telephony client application 104 (interface 304B and interface 306B). In addition, interfaces 304A and 306N are provided between the VAS plug-in module 302 and the IP telephony protocol stack 102.
• the interfacing between the VNS plug-in module 302 and the IP telephony client application 104 is provided as a known Telephony NPI, e.g., TAPI 106.
• the interfacing between the VAS plug-in module 302 and the IP telephony protocol stack 102 is also provided as Telephony API 106.
• Telephony API 106 the interfacing between the VAS plug-in module 302 and the IP telephony protocol stack 102 is also provided as Telephony API 106.
• the VAS plug-in 302 is operates as an "IP protocol stack" towards the IP telephony client application 104.
• the VNS plug-in 302 is operates as an "IP telephony client application" towards the IP protocol stack 102.
• the intelligent functionality of the VNS plug-in module preferably provides appropriate processing capabilities on the IP terminal with respect to decision making, decision enforcement, or both, in connection with call setup, call control and service access/provisioning for the user. Accordingly, the VAS plug-in module 302 is able to process the user's decisions before they are actually transmitted to the VoIP network. On the other hand, it is aware of network-originating events before they are made available to the user. Additionally, it is able to interact with the IP telephony client, directly with the end-user via a graphic user interface 322 if needed, as well as generate appropriate signaling to the network.
• an IP terminal having the VAS plug-in module of the present invention receives an incoming call while the user is away or otherwise not available.
• the intelligent functionality of the VAS plug-in module is aware of the user's unavailability and, accordingly, makes and implements a decision to forward the call to a C-number without having to interact with the IP telephony client application or the user.
• Those skilled in the art should appreciate that various types of VAS plug-in modules may be provided within the scope of the present invention depending upon the nature of services involved. Some services may reside on the IP terminal itself, which may have been bundled with the specific VNS plug-in shipped to the user.
• the services may have been created by the user or retrieved from a remote server by a suitable VNS Ndministration Tool 308 operable with the IP terminal.
• the VNS Ndministration Tool 308 may also be used for configuring the services downloaded from the remote server, e.g., a service provider's Web page.
• These services are thus locally available, i.e., executable within the IP terminal using the enhanced processing capabilities of the VNS plug-in, and may conveniently be referred to as Local Services 312.
• some of the services may reside in a remote location such as I ⁇ -based SCP that is accessible from the IP terminal via a suitable IP interface.
• the VNS plug-in module may include functionality to provide services which may be available via Application Servers. Such services are collectively depicted in FIG. 3 as Remote Services 314.
• Remote Services 314 Such services are collectively depicted in FIG. 3 as Remote Services 314.
• N service management module 310 is provided in a functional relationship with the VAS plug-in module 302 for effectuating service creation, subscription, removal, etc., preferably in a dynamic manner, with respect to the services described hereinabove.
• FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart that describes the various steps involved in a service provisioning process using the VAS plug-in module in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
• a suitable VAS plug-in module that conforms to the IP Telephony API available on a terminal is provided, for example, by bundling it with the IP terminal purchased from the equipment provider etc. or by downloading the requisite software from a service provider's Web location.
• the VAS plug-in software is configured as an IP telephony protocol stack with respect to an IP telephony client application on the terminal (step 404). Also, the functionality of the VNS plug-in module is configured such that it operates as the IP telephony client application towards the IP protocol stack (step 406). Thereafter, the intelligent functionality of the VNS plug-in module operates as an enhanced message filter
• FIGS. 5A and 5B shown therein are flow charts that embodies the intelligent filtering functionality of the VAS plug-in module in an exemplary implementation.
• the flow chart depicted in FIG. 5A relates to the scenario where a service request is generated by the IP telephony client application (step 502) which is received in the VAS plug-in operating as an "IP telephony protocol stack" (step 504).
• a determination is made whether a Local Service needs to be invoked (decision block 506). If so, an appropriate service logic portion locally available is executed subsequently (step 508). If a remote service is to be invoked, e.g., through an IN SCP node or a remote Application Server (decision block 512), the service request is passed to the remote location for executing suitable service logic thereat (step 514).
• DPs service- architecture-specific Detection Points
• the VAS plug-in determines that the service request needs to be transmitted to an appropriate node in the IP network such as a Service Switching Point, e.g., an H.323 gatekeeper, a SIP redirect/proxy server, et cetera
• the service request is provided to the IP protocol stack whereby the VAS plug-in module operates as the IP telephony client application.
• the decision making and decision implementation/enforcement aspects of the VAS plug-in functionality as embodied by decision blocks 506 and 512, and steps 508 and 514, respectively, are locally available and locally acted upon because of the intelligence provided as part of the plug-in module's functionality.
• These service-related decision aspects and the software/firmware structures for implementing them may therefore be collectively referred to as "local decision capability" or "local decision capabilities".
• FIG. 5B depicts a flow chart illustrating the steps of a local decision method involving a network-related event generated by the protocol stack (step 512).
• the local decision process is essentially the same as the process described hereinabove, except that the VNS plug-in receives the network event (step 514) as an "IP telephony client" and makes a disposition thereof based on the intelligence embodied as the local decision capability. Accordingly, under appropriate analysis, the network event may be passed to the IP telephony client (step 526) for suitable processing.
• the present invention advantageously provides enhanced capabilities in an IP terminal with respect to the provisioning of VAS.
• the user can make his IP terminal/appliance more intelligent simply by downloading the present invention's software from any third party service provider, independent of the IP telephony clients and IP protocol stacks bundled with the IP terminal.
• various advanced services such as, e.g., multimedia/video on demand, etc. may be provided independent of the IP telephony network infrastructure.
• the IN service logic base that is already installed and market-tested may continue to be re-used even as VoIP network architectures come into existence.
• Those of ordinary skill in the art should realize that significant incentives exist for network operators to re-use the expensive legacy SCP nodes as they migrate towards integrating the cellular infrastructures with IP-based PSNs.
• the present patent application exemplifies the teachings of the present invention in the context of a service triggered by an incoming call
• services triggered by outgoing calls i.e., the end-user initiates the call
• the VNS plug-in module may intelligently assist the end-user with respect to contacting the called party. This assistance may involve accessing information related to the called party (e.g., agenda, call preferences, etc.) and successive call attempts at different locations, under the supervision of an invoked service and the end-user.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

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• 2000
  • 2000-12-19 AU AU27186/01A patent/AU2718601A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-12-19 WO PCT/SE2000/002582 patent/WO2001050725A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-12-19 EP EP00990146A patent/EP1245108A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2001
  • 2001-01-03 AR ARP010100023A patent/AR026788A1/es unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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