Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Abdullah Murat Bog

Tracey Mark Bernath

Steven Turner

Matthew Kung-Wei Jonathan Barrow

Harold Wayne Johnson

Bryan Lee Gorman

William Lee Edwards

Frank Anthony DeNap

Martin Joseph Kaplan

John Arndt Strand, Iii

Michael Thomas Swink

Timothy Gene Kelley

James William Baumgart

A communication device is coupled to an analog telephone and a packet network. The communication device detects an off-hook condition for the analog telephone and transfers a dial tone to the analog telephone, detects digit tones from the analog telephone that indicate a called number and responsively transfers a first message indicating the called number to the packet network, receives a second message from the packet network indicating that a called party associated with the called number is being alerted and responsively transfers a ring tone to the analog telephone, receives a third message from the packet network indicating that the called party has accepted the communication session and responsively stops the transfer of the ring tone to the analog telephone, exchanges analog voice signals with the analog telephone, exchanges voice packets with the packet network, and interworks between the analog voice signals and the voice packets.

Telecommunications device for use between an analog telephone and a packet network

The invention is a provider agent product and method that operates as a software interface between a telephony card and a session manager in an advanced communications network. The provider agent receives event messages from the telephony card indicating on-hook events, off-hook events, and digit events. The provider agent instructs the telephony card to provide dial tone, ring current, ringback, and busy signals to the telephones. The provider agent also exchanges messages with a session manager in the network. These messages include: invite messages, reply messages, join messages, and terminate messages. In response to the above processing, the provider agent instructs the telephony card to interwork telephony signals on a telephony channel with ATM signals on an ATM virtual channel. The provider agent is comprised of a plurality of software objects that are stored on a software storage medium and that include: a controller object, port objects, and event objects. The provider agent objects are executed by a multithreaded processing system and each object has a separate processing thread. The provider agent and the telephony card communicate through an application programming interface that is specified in an Interface Definition Language (IDL) of a Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).

Telecommunications provider agent

A communication device is coupled to a packet network and includes two ports coupled to two analog telephones. The communication device receives a message from the packet network indicating a called number and processes the called number to select one of the ports and to transfer a ring signal through the selected port to ring the analog telephone. The communication device transfers a message to the packet network indicating that a called party is being alerted, detects an off-hook condition for the analog telephone and stops the transfer of the ring signal, transfers a message to the packet network indicating packet routing information for the communication session, exchanges analog voice signals with the analog telephone through the selected port, exchanges voice packets with the packet network using the packet routing information, and interworks between the analog voice signals and the voice packets.

Telecommunications device for use between analog telephones and a packet network

The invention comprises a series of architectures that are implemented in four phases to provide a migration path from an initial ATM service offering to a full service ATM network. The initial ATM network includes several metropolitan ATM networks that are interconnected by a core ATM network. Each metropolitan ATM network includes a service node that controls ATM network elements to deliver services. In Phase I, a business hub that is connected to the metropolitan ATM network integrates voice, data, and Internet traffic over a single ATM connection that contains permanent Virtual Connections (PVCs) to various destinations, such as other business hubs, a gateway to local and long distance networks, the Internet, a frame relay network. In Phase II, the architecture is extended to smaller business markets. Businesses are provided with the PVC-based ATM service using xDSL/ATM connections that are multiplexed at a central office and then provided to the service node over the metropolitan ATM network. A remote dial-in feature is also added. In Phase III, a work-at-home hub is provided for telecommuting. The work-at-home hub uses an xDSL/ATM connection through the central office to the service node. Phase III also includes the deployment of a session manager and provider agents that interact to interpret user requests and establish the requisite communications paths using Switched Virtual Connections (SVCs). The business can replace existing some or all PVC-based service with more efficient SVC-based service. In Phase IV, the architecture is extended to the residential market. A residential hub is provided for residential communications over an xDSL/ATM connection through the central office to the service node. An analog hub is provided for conventional telephone service through the service node.

Asynchronous transfer mode architecture migration

The invention is a provider agent product and method that operates as a software interface between an telephony hub and a session manager in an advanced communications network. The provider agent receives event messages from the telephony hub indicating on-hook events, off-hook events, and digit events. The provider agent instructs the telephony hub to provide dial tone, ring current, ringback, and busy signals to the telephones. The provider agent also exchanges messages with a session manager in the network. These messages include: invite messages, reply messages, join messages, confirm messages, and terminate messages. In response to the above processing, the provider agent instructs the telephony hub to interwork telephony signals on a telephony channel with ATM signals on an ATM virtual channel. The provider agent is comprised of a plurality of software objects that are stored on a software storage medium and that include: a controller object, port objects, and event objects. The provider agent objects are executed by a multithreaded processing system and each object has a separate processing thread. The provider agent and the telephony hub communicate through an application programming interface that is specified in an Interface Definition Language (IDL) of a Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).

The invention is an ATM communications system that provides the option of advanced communications services or conventional telephone service to the customer. Advantageously, the ATM communications system does not require the widespread deployment of class 5 telephone switches to provide telephone service. A residential communications hub is located at a residence and communicates with the telephones at the residence using the analog telephony format. The residential communications hub converts between the analog telephony format and the ATM format. The residential communications hub is connected to a DSL mux by telephone wiring that carries the ATM/DSL format. The residential communications hub and the DSL mux communicate using the ATM/DSL format. The DSL mux converts between the ATM/DSL format and the ATM/SONET format. The DSL mux is connected to the an ATM switch by a broadband connection that carries the ATM/SONET format. The DSL mux and the ATM switch communicate using the ATM/SONET format. The ATM switch establishes ATM communications paths for the telephone service. A telephony hub is connected to telephones by telephone wiring that carries the analog telephony format. The telephony hub communicates with the telephones using the analog telephony format. The telephony hub is connected to the ATM switch by a broadband connection that carries the ATM/SONET format. The telephony hub and the ATM switch communicate using the ATM/SONET format.

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Abdullah Murat Bog