Network controller and method to support format negotiation between interfaces of a network

Abstract

A controller of a communications network enables endpoints or multiple networks to intercommunicate using multiple types of bearer format (IP, TDM, ATM, Frame Relay, etc.), and enables a bearer format conversion when necessary to carry bearer channel information across an interface of the network. The network may be packet-based or circuit-based and may include gateways and associated controllers which work in tandem to transfer format conversion parameters between endpoints or networks. The format control parameters are exchanged between various controllers, i.e., call control elements, to determine the appropriate format to forward the bearer channel information across the interface and to instruct the associated gateway of the required format conversion. The determination of the necessary format conversions may occur on a call-by-call basis, or by periodically detecting and storing format conversions associated with the various endpoints and intercommunicating networks. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

1 . A communication network wherein the network comprises a plurality of intercommunicating nodes capable of transferring information according to at least one bearer format, comprising: 
 a controller that exchanges information with an associated node to determine, based on an exchanged of control information with at least one other controller, a conversion required between a network transmission protocol and a bearer format of the associated node so that a gateway connected to the associated node is instructed to perform the conversion.    
   
   
       2 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the exchanged information includes voice signals.  
   
   
       3 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the bearer formats of the nodes comprise at least two different bearer formats.  
   
   
       4 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein exchanged control information is carried in a bearer format parameter that identifies the bearer formats at the associated nodes.  
   
   
       5 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the network transmission protocol and the bearer formats are packet-based.  
   
   
       6 . The network of  claim 5 , wherein said packet-based network transmission protocol and bearer formats include at least one of: ATM, IP, or Frame Relay.  
   
   
       7 . The network of  claim 1 , wherein the network transmission protocol and the bearer formats are circuit-based.  
   
   
       8 . The network of  claim 7 , wherein the circuit-based network transmission protocol and the bearer formats include Time Division Multiplex (TDM).  
   
   
       9 . The network of  claim 4 , wherein the controller determines format conversion on a call-by-call basis.  
   
   
       10 . The network of  claim 4 , wherein the controller receives from a node a bearer format parameter indicating a bearer format used by the associated node and, in response, instructs a gateway to perform a conversion to render the node compatible with the network.  
   
   
       11 . The network of  claim 10 , wherein the bearer format parameter is carried in a signaling protocol between multiple controllers.  
   
   
       12 . The network of  claim 11 , wherein the signaling protocol comprises at least one of: a Bearer Independent Call Control (BICC) protocol, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a SIP-T protocol, an ISDN User Part (ISUP) protocol, a Broadband ISUP (B-ISUP) protocol, or an H.323 protocol.  
   
   
       13 . The network of  claim 4 , wherein the bearer format parameter is carried in a signaling protocol between controllers and gateways.  
   
   
       14 . The network of  claim 13 , wherein the signaling protocol comprises at least one of: a Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), an H.248 protocol, or a Trunking Gateway Control Protocol (TGCP).  
   
   
       15 . The network of  claim 4 , wherein the bearer format parameter is carried in a signaling protocol between controllers and nodes.  
   
   
       16 . The network of  claim 15 , wherein the signaling protocol comprises at least one of: a Q.931 protocol, a Q.2931 protocol, a Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), an H.248 protocol, an H.323 protocol, and a Network-based Call Signaling (NCS) protocol.  
   
   
       17 . A network capable of transferring data between originating and destination nodes according to respective transmission protocols, the network including an originating gateway associated with the originating node and responsive to a first controller to effect conversion of a first bearer format to a protocol compatible with the network and a destination gateway associated with the destination node and responsive to a second controller to effect conversion of the protocol of the network to a bearer format of the destination node, the improvement comprising: 
 a signaling protocol to transfer control information between the first and second controllers to effect an exchange of bearer format information related to the originating and destination nodes, said signaling protocol providing a basis for format conversion at the respective gateways.    
   
   
       18 . The network of  claim 17 , wherein said signaling protocol includes a bearer format parameter that identifies a format used by the originating and destination nodes.  
   
   
       19 . The network of  claim 18 , wherein the network comprises multiple nodes having associated gateways and controllers, and said bearer format parameter is propagated within the network to multiple controllers of multiple gateways.