Level 3 Communications, LLC

Verizon Laboratories Inc.

Gte Laboratories Incorporated

Verizon Corporate Services Group Inc.

Bbn Technologies Corporation

Harry Edward Mussman

Robert Kellar Israel

Eric Richard Sporel

John Joseph McCabe

James O'Brien

David Frederick McGuigan

Michael Baj

Stephen S Liu

Hung-San Chen

Tanushree Singh

Elliot G Eichen

Lee N Goodman

Robert Olshansky

Derek Hisami Mitsumori

James D O'Brien, Jr

Kwang-Shan Pan

Thomas R Helmes

Stephen P Hartman

Tanrushree Singh

Vivek Santhana

Jim Flynn

John Joseph Mccabe

David Frederick Mcguigan

Robert Keller Israel

Methods and systems are described for performing alternate routing of communications in a network. The system initiates a communication from an origination endpoint in a packet-switched network, such as a VOIP network, to a destination endpoint, and determining, according to selection criteria, whether to route the communication to the destination endpoint using at least a second circuit-switched network, such as the PSTN.

System and method for providing alternate routing in a network

A method for performing alternate and therefore least cost routing in distributed H.323 Voice over IP (VoIP) networks is provided. With this method, the VoIP network consists of a hierarchy of gatekeeper (GK) functions to provide alternate routing, network element redundancy, and scalability. The alternate routing function is performed by a directory gatekeeper with route selection advancing from a first route to a second route by either of two conditions: (1) there are no resources available to terminate the call in the first zone; and (2) a lack of response to the directory GK request for such resources.

Alternate routing of voice communication in a packet-based network

A method and system is provided for performing inbound call screening in a packet-based network, such as an H.323 Voice over IP (VoIP) network. The inbound gateways on the network are registered with inbound gatekeepers, and standard messages are used between an inbound gateway, an inbound gatekeeper and an inbound screening database to decide: whether an inbound call to a particular called number (DID) is to be allowed into the network; whether the called number should be translated into a different called number; and whether a routing index should be included in the called number to indicate the destination of the call.

Screening inbound calls in a packet-based communications network

Methods and systems are described for verifying communications paths on a network. A test signal is forwarded between network nodes to evaluate quality of service in an IP telephony system. A test call is generated by a call initiator, communicated to one or more network devices, and forwarded from the one or more network devices to a call recipient according to address information associated with the test call. During the test call, a test signal is communicated between the call initiator, the call recipient, and the one or more network devices. The quality of service of the IP telephony network is evaluated according to characteristics associated with the test signal.

System and method for evaluating the quality of service in an IP telephony network using call forwarding

Methods and systems are described for generating reports in a communication network. More specifically, the system processes a communication at an enterprise gatekeeper; stores, in memory accessible to the enterprise gatekeeper, information associated with the communication; parses the information associated with the communication; and provides an indication of the parsed information.

System and method for generating reports in a network

Routing calls through networks includes a device configured to support a first protocol for initiation, maintenance, and termination of a communication session between call endpoints, and to support a second protocol for resolving endpoint addresses for the communication session.

Routing calls through a network

Methods are described which enable the operator of a network such as an Internet protocol (IP) network to allocate ingress and egress channel capacity for the use by different services or for use by different service providers. The methods can prevent a service provider or a service from overusing network capacity. The methods also enable the network operator to temporarily allocate unused capacity if demand for a service exceeds previously allocated capacity. Further a method is described whereby capacity on a Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network is sold to service providers with guarantees for the number of available channels, where the channel capacity guarantees could be global, or by any type of subdivision. In addition to having a committed channel capacity, the service provider could be allowed to exceed the committed capacity whenever excess capacity is available on the network.

Allocation of channel capacity in multiservice networks

Methods and systems are described for performing alternate routing of communications in a network. The system initiates a communication from an origination endpoint in a packet-switched network, such as a VoIP network, to a destination endpoint, and determining, according to selection criteria, whether to route the communication to the destination endpoint using at least a second circuit-switched network, such as the PSTN.

A network (,) includes a broadband customer service module (B-CSM) (,). The B-CSM (,) includes a plurality of feeder interface cards (FICs) (,) and optical line cards (OLCs) (,) which are coupled together through a midplane assembly (,) so that each FIC (,) couples to all OLCs (,) and each OLC (,) couples to all FICs (,) through junctor groups (,). Within the B-CSM (,) circuit switching is performed electrically at an STS-1 rate. A reference clock which oscillates at a frequency slower than the data rate is routed with payload data so that it receives delays similar to those imposed on the payload data due to processing. At second stage switching fabrics (,) where data need to be extracted from signals flowing within the B-CSM (,), a clock regeneration circuit (,) generates a master clock signal oscillating at twice the data rate and phase synchronized to a delayed reference clock. A geometric compensation scheme corrects for timing skew which occurs when clocks and data are distributed to points or small areas from widely dispersed locations, and when clocks and data are distributed from points or small areas to widely dispersed locations. A variation of the Q.931 signaling protocol is implemented to enable the B-CSM (,) to respond to a request from a second subscriber interface unit (SIU) (,) to view a video program currently being delivered to a first SIU (,). The second SIU (,) need not have access to the identity of the video program before sending the switching request.

Broadband video switch that performs program merging and method therefor

A network (,) includes a broadband customer service module (B-CSM) (,). The B-CSM (,) includes a plurality of feeder interface cards (FICs) (,) and optical line cards (OLCs) (,) which are coupled together through a midplane assembly (,) so that each FIC (,) couples to all OLCs (,) and each OLC (,) couples to all FICs (,) through junctor groups (,). A reference clock which oscillates at a frequency slower than the data rate is routed with payload data so that it receives delays similar to those imposed on the payload data due to processing. At second stage switching fabrics (,) where data need to be extracted from signals flowing within the B-CSM (,), a clock regeneration circuit (,) generates a master clock signal oscillating at twice the data rate and phase synchronized to a delayed reference clock. A geometric compensation scheme corrects for timing skew which occurs when clocks and data are distributed to points or small areas from widely dispersed locations, and when clocks and data are distributed from points or small areas to widely dispersed locations. The B-CSM (,) ranks the junctor groups (,) according to signal occupancy and manages signal traffic to efficiently utilize the FICs (,) and to reduce the probability of signal blocking. The junctor groups (,) can include a number of bidirectional junctors. The bidirectional junctors are configured to carry upstream or downstream signals according to current upstream and downstream signal traffic volume.

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, MA, United States of America

Harry Edward Mussman