Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
  • H04L12/66—Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• • 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
  • H04M3/4228—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers in networks
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04Q—SELECTING
  • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
  • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
  • H04Q3/0025—Provisions for signalling
• • 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
  • H04Q3/0033—Provisions for intelligent networking customer-controlled
• • 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
  • H04Q3/0045—Provisions for intelligent networking involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• • 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
  • H04M3/42161—Administration or customisation of services by subscriber via computer interface
• • 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

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an interface and a process for arranging said interface between an information server, e.g. a WWW-application, and a node in an in- telligent network, e.g. a Service Control Point (SCP) so that communication can occur between them via CCITT Signal System No. 7.
• an information server e.g. a WWW-application
• a node in an in- telligent network e.g. a Service Control Point (SCP) so that communication can occur between them via CCITT Signal System No. 7.
• SCP Service Control Point
• the purpose of the present invention is thus to solve the above mentioned problems by connecting a World W_ide Web, WWW, to a Service Control Point, SCP, in an intelligent network by using SS7-signalling, specifically Intelligent Network Appli- cation Protocol, INAP.
• the WWW-unit to which a user can be connected via a PC is in turn connected to the SCP in the intelligent network via a so-called Internet- SS7 Gateway.
• This Gateway makes it possible for the user, through Internet/WWW, for ex- ample, to connect himself via a normal traffic interface to a network node.
• the Gateway communicates with the SCP over SS7-links by using INAP.
• the connection to Internet is effected via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, TCP/IP, by using a suitable protocol, such as X.25 or Ethernet.
• the Internet-SS7 Gateway emulates a Service Switching Point, SCP, or a Service Data Point, SDP, to the SCP.
• the Gateway supports the same INAP functionality as a normal SCP/SDP.
• SSP Service Switching Point
• it gains the use of the INAP-operations which makes it possible for the user to change/update his parameters in the IN-services.
• SDP Service Switching Point
• Update/Retrieve function to update the parameters in the IN- services.
• the purpose of the present invention is, through a so-called Internet-SS7 Gateway, to make it possible to communicate with the SCP in an intelligent network from a WWW-unit via INAP.
• An advantage of the present invention is that, by direct contact between a WWW- unit and the SCP in the intelligent network, rapid execution via SS7-links is obtained.
• Another advantage of the present invention is that the same interface as for Dual Tone Multi Frequency, DTMF-signalling to the SCP is used, which means that all predefined services controlled by DTMF-signalling can be used.
• An additional advantage of the present invention is that services can be triggered from the WWW-unit.
• FIGURES Figure 1 shows a network topology in which the invention is implemented.
• Figure 2 shows an inner structure firstly in the SS7-link and secondly in the Internet link.
• Figure 3 shows the portion of a flow chart, which covers step by step how a client can connect himself to a node in an intelligent network via the Internet.
• Figure 4 shows a first example of the continuation of the flow chart of Figure 3.
• Figure 5 shows a second example of the continuation of the flow chart of Figure 3.
• Figure 6 shows a third example of the continuation of the flow chart of Figure 3.
• Figure 7 shows a fourth example of the continuation of the flow chart of Figure 3.
• FIG. 1 we see one example of a network topology in which the invention is implemented.
• a user is connected to the Intemet via the WWW-browser shown in the Figure.
• the user can also connect himself to the Intemet via another independent application with corresponding properties.
• the application can be written in program language C, Java, Smalltalk, Basic or some other programming language.
• an Internet-SS7 Gateway Between the Service Control Point (SCP) and the Intemet there is, in accordance with the invention, an Internet-SS7 Gateway.
• the purpose of said Internet-SS7 Gateway is to convert the program language from the Intemet to a language which the SCP can handle and vice versa.
• a first entity comprises the client, e.g. a WWW-browser.
• a second entity comprises the WWW-server or a unit with the corresponding function.
• a third entity comprises the inventive Internet-SS7 Gateway which can also be called the Inter Working Unit (IWU).
• IWU Inter Working Unit
• the entities two and three can, as shown in this Figure, be arranged in the same physical machine but can also be arranged in separate physical machines.
• a fourth and last entity comprises a node in the intelligent network, e.g. the SCP.
• the client uses initially Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, HTTP, to pick up an access page on the server.
• This page can thereafter be manipulated, e.g. by giving a user ID and a password.
• HTTP Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
• CGI Common Gateway Interface
• a page or a number of Java classes can be sent to the client via HTTP. None of the dialogue up to now interferes with the IWU. Only the interface II is affected.
• interface 12 there is an interface protocol between the inventive IWU and the server. The communication between the IWU and the user application, e.g.
• the WWW comprises messages of socket type, for example.
• Socket communication is a process-to-process communication on a higher level of abstraction.
• the stmcture of the message is converted into strings of characters.
• the parameters included in the message are separated in a suitable manner, e.g. by so-called "null"-characters in the program language C.
• the WWW- application, or some other application with corresponding function, connected between the IWU and the client, can use the same structure for the intemal messages as the IWU, but it is not forced to.
• a message can, for example, include instructions as to which message the transmission is to start, how the message is to be sent and how many characters are to be obtained.
• the message can also comprise information on how the characters are to be received. This information passes the interface 12, i.e. between the WWW-server and the IWU.
• the IWU there can be a number of predefined messages which the IWU can ob- tain from the SCP. Incoming messages to the IWU are checked to see if they belong to the predefined messages. In the predefined messages, the values of most of the parameters are determined. An incoming message is regarded as accepted when its parameters agree with the parameters in the predefined message. The incoming message is then regarded as a message of intemal message type, and the remaining parameters are used for this conversation.
• the WWW-application can ask the client for both PUI and PIN at the same time and then send these to the IWU together and at the same time.
• the IWU will in turn first send the PUI to the SCP, then wait for a response from the SCP as regards the PIN, and then the IWU will send the PIN-code to the SCP.
• the IWU receives a response from the SCP as regards the PIN-code, the IWU will send a message to the WWW-application.
• the same stmcture is used for handling the services.
• the WWW-application has knowledge of which information is required to change the PIN-code, for example.
• the WWW-application collects the required information and sends this to the IWU, which in turn processes the information and completes the operation.
• a typical example of the functionality of the WWW-application is that, when sending a new PIN-code, i.e. changing it, the PIN-code need not be sent two times to the IWU to verify the code. The verification of the fact that the PIN-code is correctly typed can just as well be done in the WWW-application. Thus, the number of communications is significantly reduced between the two parties.
• the state of the dialogue is analyzed.
• the state is, in most cases, the most recent message sent from the IWU and is used to check if an incoming message is acceptable.
• the IWU can use time spaces to handle the messages, firstly from the SCP and secondly from the WWW-application.
• the IWU checks for messages from the SCP- during a given time interval. If there are messages in the queue, these will be proc- essed.
• the IWU then checks for messages from the WWW-application during a given time interval. If there are messages in the queue, these are processed. It is a simple, but absolutely not optimal solution.
• the IWU can also check the messages both from the SCP and from the WWW- application simultaneously. This can be done by virtue of the fact that in an operating system, UNIX for example, with associated hardware, there are built-in functions which permit the IWU to work with both queues simultaneously.
• One method is to use a function in UNIX which is called socket. This function permits the IWU- function to wait simultaneously for messages from both the IN-node and the information server.
• the Internet-SS7 Gateway can be said to function as a bridge or a link between the SCP and a WWW-like application coupled to the Intemet.
• Figure 3 we see a first part of a flowchart showing how a user of a computer, for example, can link up to an SCP in an intelligent network via the Intemet.
• a client can use HTTP, for example, to request an access page on an information server to an IN-node.
• the server can be a WWW-server, for example.
• the server can be connected to the Intemet.
• the information server sends authorization formalities to the client which can comprise questions concerning the client's user identity and password.
• the client provides his user identity and associated password, which are sent to the information server.
• the information server provides his user identity and associated password, which are sent to the information server.
• a first way is to use HTTP and a second way is to use the Common Gateway Interface, CGI.
• Common Gateway Interface is a de facto standard for so-called gateway programs to interfaces towards information servers such as WWW. This standard is, of course, well known to a person skilled in the art and therefore need not be described in more detail here.
• the information server examines the password and the user identity. If the user identity and the password agree, the client will be given access to the re- quested application. If not, the client will, of course, not be given access, and the client can then be given a number of new tries to access the application.
• the information server sends a menu of different opera- tions which can be performed in the application.
• the client selects one of the operations which are available.
• a communication is started between the client, on the one hand, and the IN- node, on the other hand, via the previously mentioned IWU.
• the IWU can consist of a separate physical unit or be included in the information server. If we assume that the information server and the IWU are arranged together, there are at least the three following alternatives.
• communication may take place via CGI from the client via the information server.
• IWU-binary reads a common text string from standard input which the information server provides it with.
• the IWU then returns the messages to the client via standard output and via the information server.
• the protocol between the information server and the IWU could thus be normal so-called file descriptors (stdin/stdout) implemented in UNIX.
• the information server sends input parameters to the CGI-program, the above mentioned stdin, stdout and the surrounding variables.
• the CGI-program communicates with the IN-node via SS7-imple- mentation by using socket communication.
• the CGI-program returns the out-parameters via the information server to the client which in those cases where the parameters are of value to the user, are presented for him.
• the protocol from the IWU to the client would be sockets.
• Another possibility would be using standard UNIX Remote Procedure Call (RPC) or some other machine-to-machine interface. Regardless of which level of abstraction is se- lected, TCP/IP or UDP/IP are used as so-called low-level protocol. Even X.25 could be suitable as a protocol.
• the IWU receives in-parameters from the client through one of the above mentioned machine-to-machine protocols. In the next step, the IWU communicates with SS7-implementation by using socket communication.
• the out-parameters are then returned from the IWU to the client, whereafter these parameters can be visualized at the client.
• a third altemative is that the IWU-process will be included in an information server where the behaviour of the server is increased with the behaviour of the IWU.
• the communication can then take place by direct intemal process calling, i.e. direct communication between IWU and information servers, by using the built-in functions of the selected platform to transfer information between two functions (processes) within the same machine. This communication takes place at so-called method calling level or possibly wire communication depending on the configuration of the servers.
• the third altemative is represented in Figure 6.
• the information server sends in-parameters to the IWU by using the above mentioned communication at method calling level.
• the IWU-portion of the server then communicates with the SS7-implementation by using socket communication.
• the out- parameters are returned from the IWU-portion of the server to the "core"-server, which in turn sends these to the client. These can, as in the other cases, be made visible to the user if they have any use therefor.
• the information server and the IWU can be arranged in two separate machines or processes in the same machine.
• Figure 5 shows a flowchart for this example.
• the information server sends in-parameters to the IWU by using a process- to-process communication protocol or a machine-to-machine communication proto- col.
• RPC for example, can be used as protocol and TCP/IP, UD/IP or X.25, for example, can be used as the protocol carrier.
• the IWU then communicates with the SS7-implementation by using socket communication, for example, or some other corresponding process-to-process communica- tion.
• the SS7-implementation then retums the out-parameters to the IWU which in turn, after processing, sends them to the information server.
• the out-parameters are then forwarded to the client.
• the out-parameters can then be visualized for the user. This altemative is shown in Figure 6.

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• Signal Processing (AREA)
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• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
• Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)
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• 1996
  • 1996-12-20 SE SE9604784A patent/SE516244C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-12-05 TW TW086118288A patent/TW455787B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1997-12-12 AU AU53520/98A patent/AU731122B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1997-12-12 KR KR1019997005663A patent/KR20000069647A/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 1997-12-12 CN CN97181897A patent/CN1247659A/zh active Pending
  • 1997-12-12 JP JP52867698A patent/JP2001507189A/ja active Pending
  • 1997-12-12 EP EP97950547A patent/EP0958684A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-12-12 CA CA002275584A patent/CA2275584A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-12-12 BR BR9713750A patent/BR9713750A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1997-12-12 WO PCT/SE1997/002087 patent/WO1998028885A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1999
  • 1999-06-17 NO NO992963A patent/NO992963L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

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