Nortel Networks Corporation

Avaya Inc.

Rockstar Consortium US LP

Rockstar Bidco, LP

Francois Audet

Samir Srivastava

Vibhu Vivek

John H Yoakum

Lyndon Y Ong

Thomas J Moran

Philip K Edholm

Peter Tarle

Meenakshi R Kaushik

Cedric Aoun

Mark Bissell

Mitchell D Coffin

Adel E Mostafa

Mo R Zonoun

Contact information in SIP signaling messages is modified at each in-path network device during the signaling process (along with storage of mapping information) to allow the in-path network devices (and proxy server) to identify the next (or previous) hop device in the path, and thus, maintain the path taken by signaling messages early on during the signaling process. Subsequent request and response signaling messages transmitted during the session follow this path, which ensures that the in-path network devices remain in the SIP signaling path.

Method and apparatus for modifying address information in signaling messages to ensure in-path devices remain in signaling path between endpoints

A service for searching for unsolicited communications is provided. For example, the service may inspect e-mail messages, instant messaging messages, facsimile transmissions, voice communications, and video telephony, and analyze these communications to determine whether an intended communication is unsolicited. In connection with voice and video telephony, a voice sample may be obtained from the caller and voice recognition may be performed on the sample to determine an identity of the person or the voice. The voice sample may also be used to determine the type of voice&#x2014;i.e., if the voice is live, machine generated, or prerecorded. Where the call is a video telephony call, image recognition may be used to inspect an image of the person. The information obtained from voice recognition, voice type recognition, and image recognition may be used to detect whether the messages if from a known source of unsolicited communications.

Method and apparatus for detecting unsolicited multimedia communications

A service is configured to analyze multimedia communications to determine a likelihood that the communication is unsolicited. For example, the service may inspect e-mail messages, instant messaging messages, facsimile transmissions, voice communications, and video telephony, and analyze these forms of communication to determine whether an intended communication is unsolicited. In connection with voice and video telephony, a voice sample may be obtained from the caller and voice recognition may be performed on the sample to determine an identity of the person or the identity of the voice. The voice sample may also be used to determine the type of voice&#x2014;i.e. if the voice is live, machine generated, or prerecorded. Where the call is a video telephony call, image recognition may be used to inspect an image of the person. The information obtained from voice recognition, voice type recognition, and image recognition may be used to detect whether the messages if from a known source of unsolicited communications.

A method and system for enabling firewall traversal of media communications from a client device. The firewall infers authentication or validation of the client device based upon communications between the client device and a device controller known to the firewall. The firewall monitors packets sent from the device controller to the client device. If the device controller sends packets to the client device for a sufficiently long period of time and with sufficient frequency, or if the packets are of a certain type, then the firewall deems the client device to be validated and permits the client device to send data packets through the firewall. The device controller may include a media gateway controller, a port discovery server, or similar such device controllers. The device controller and client device communicate based upon a protocol, which need not be understood by the firewall.

Method and system for enabling firewall traversal

The present invention facilitates the forwarding of damaged packets, when the packets are carrying a certain type of content such as streaming media or other time-sensitive information where data integrity is less important than timely delivery. Once a packet is received, a determination is made as to whether the packet has been damaged. If the packet is damaged, an attempt is made to determine the type of content being carried by the packet and then a decision is made as to whether to forward the packet toward its destination or discard the packet, based on the type of content and potentially the integrity of the packet. Once a damaged packet has been discovered and a decision has been made to route the packet toward the destination terminal, the packet may be forwarded along a normal path or sent over an alternative path that is better suited for handling damaged packets.

Selective forwarding of damaged packets

Audio conferencing is carried out in stereo by centrally assigning a position in the stereo spectrum (either bipolar stereo or surround sound) and instructing each conference endpoint to transmit at the stereo position assigned to it. In this way signals from a number of endpoints can be simply added to one another in order to provide a composite broadcast signal. This method also facilitates multiple server conferences in which endpoints attached to additional conference servers can be instructed to change their virtual stereo position in the case of a conflict with the stereo position of an existing conferee.

Stereo conferencing

A communications system includes a first switch and a second switch coupled to a packet-based network. A first set of network terminals are coupled to the first switch, and a second set of network terminals are coupled to the second switch. Each of the terminals is associated with a virtual terminal number (VTN). Each of the first and second switches store profile information associated with VTNs of the terminals. The profile information relate to the capabilities or features of the network terminals. The switches communicate signaling over a packet-based trunk, or virtual trunk, that is established on the packet-based network. Each switch sends messages to their associated terminals to establish media paths over the packet-based network to establish a call session.

Establishing call sessions between terminals through plural switch systems

A method and system to provide voice over a network includes transmitting and receiving sides. On the transmitting side, a service message is created for a supplementary service using a signaling protocol over a network. The service message is encapsulated in a session message according to a session initiation protocol using a mail format. The mail format has a content type. The session message with the encapsulated service message is transmitted over the network. On the receiving side, a session message is received having a service message over a network. The service message is created for a supplementary service using a signaling protocol. The service message is encapsulated in the session message according to a session initiation protocol using a mail format. The mail format has a content type corresponding to the signaling protocol. The session message is parsed to retrieve the service message. The retrieved service message is processed to control the supplementary service.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Francois Audet