Classifications

• • 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
  • H04M7/1205—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 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
  • H04M7/128—Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W8/00—Network data management
  • H04W8/26—Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Definitions

• the present invention relates in general to the telecommunications field and, in particular, to a method by which a mobile or fixed telephone can access the Internet without needing a special Internet address.
• TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol
• IP IP Multimedia Subsystem
• TCP/IP is the basic communications language used by the Internet, which allows the tying of diverse types of networks together so that any networked computer can communicate with another.
• the IP layer of the TCP/IP controls the movement of packets around a network, from their source to their final destination.
• the TCP/IP requires each computer or other device (e.g., mobile or fixed telephone terminal) connected to the Internet to have an identifier, in order to communicate with any other computer or device in the Internet.
• telephone numbers are used as unique identifiers for both mobile and fixed telephones in international telephone networks.
• each device (computer or mobile/fixed telephone terminal) attached to the Internet is assigned a "host name" that contains 1 to 8 alphanumeric characters.
• the host name for a device is combined with a tree- structured domain name to form a unique name for that device (or host). That unique name can be used by users or application programs to identify that particular device (or host) anywhere in the Internet.
• Each device attached to the Internet is also assigned at least one unique IP address (referred to as the "Internet address").
• the Internet address for a device is typically either a 32-bit (IP-Nersion 4) or 128-bit (IP-Version 6) binary number that (in accordance with the IP) is used to uniquely identify, and route packets to, the connection point where the device is actually attached to the Internet.
• IP-Nersion 4 IP-Nersion 4
• IP-Version 6 IP-Version 6
• each device attached to a physical network in the Internet is also assigned a unique hardware address (referred to as the "station address").
• a hardware address is assigned to a device when its network interface card (NIC) is manufactured.
• NIC network interface card
• Different local networks may use different hardware address spaces. For example, some LANs may use 48-bit hardware addresses, while other LANs may use 16-bit hardware addresses.
• Each mobile or fixed telephone user has a respective mobile or fixed telephone number assigned.
• the mobile or fixed telephone users also need an Internet address (normally obtained by a subscription to an Internet service).
• mobile or fixed telephones are not considered to be "devices" in the Internet. Users' mobile or fixed telephone numbers have no logical or physical connection with a device's Internet address. Consequently, the users have to manage for themselves in associating their individual telephone numbers with appropriate Internet addresses that can be used with their telephones.
• an object of the present invention to provide a method and system that automatically matches a mobile or fixed telephone number with an Internet address. It is another object of the present invention to provide mobile and fixed telephone users with convenient access to the Internet.
• an IP-Number Router/Gateway which functions as a distributed hierarchical name-matching and conversion global directory service database that enables mapping between telephone numbers and IP addresses, telephone numbers and device (host) names, telephone numbers and personal user names, and device (host) names and personal user names.
• FIGURE 1 is a block diagram that illustrates the use of an IP-number router/gateway, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
• FIGURE 2 is a block diagram that illustrates additional details of the IP- number router/gateway shown in FIGURE 1 ;
• FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the IP- number router/gateway shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;
• FIGURE 4 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary use for the IP- number router/gateway shown in FIGURES 1 , 2 and 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• the present invention comprises an ING and a method of use.
• the ING functions preferably as a router or gateway and a distributed hierarchical name-matching and conversion global directory service database that enables a mapping between telephone numbers and IP addresses, telephone numbers and device names, telephone numbers and personal user names, and device names and personal user names.
• telephone numbers can be used as virtual IP addresses for supporting data communications between the Internet and telephone networks.
• FIGURE 1 is a simplified block diagram that illustrates the basic functions of an ING, which can be used to implement a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• the segment (10) to the left of the dashed vertical line represents the Internet or an IP network typically in a data communications domain
• the segment (20) to the right of the dashed line represents a mobile or fixed telephone network typically in a telecommunications domain.
• the ING (described in more detail below) is preferably a distributed, hierarchical name- matching and name-conversion facility (e.g., database with associated digital processor), which matches or converts (12) mobile or fixed telephone numbers 22 in the telecommunications domain with/to or from respective host or terminal names 14 in the data communications domain.
• the ING matches or converts (16) mobile or fixed telephone numbers 22 with/to or from IP addresses 18.
• the ING functions as a router or gateway between the Internet and telephone networks. Consequently, telephone numbers can be used as virtual IP addresses for supporting data communications between the Internet and the telephone networks.
• a host device (associated with host name 14) is located at a node on the Internet.
• a computer (or similar device) is assigned a unique IP address (18).
• the IP uses the IP address to route packets of data from the host device to the computer (or similar device) having that unique address (18).
• the computer (or similar device) also has assigned a hardware or station address (19).
• a unique telephone number 22 is associated with a respective fixed or mobile telephone. If a mobile telephone moves into a network service area other than its home service area, it is assigned a temporary mobile station roaming number (MSRN) 24 associated with the new service area.
• MSRN temporary mobile station roaming number
• Each mobile telephone also has an assigned hardware or station address 26.
• GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
• IMEI International Mobile Station Equipment Identity
• the ING matches or converts a personal user name 28 (e.g., Lena Andersson) with/to or from a device's IP address 18 (via connection 29), host name 14 (via connection 31), or telephone number 22 (via connection 33).
• a personal user name 28 e.g., Lena Andersson
• the matching or conversion between the personal user name and the device's IP address can be performed by the
• ING using, for example, a known associative data conversion or data matching routine (e.g., look-up table including personal user names and associated device IP addresses).
• a known associative data conversion or data matching routine e.g., look-up table including personal user names and associated device IP addresses.
• FIGURE 3 is a diagram that illustrates an implementation of the ING concept shown in and described with respect to FIGUREs 1 and 2.
• a host name (52) or IP address (54) input to the ING 50 results in a corresponding telephone number (56) being output from the ING.
• the ING 50 is preferably implemented as one or more routers or gateways with a distributed database (not explicitly shown in FIGURE 3), with each database or database section located at a respective access point where a fixed or mobile telephone network is connected to the Internet.
• the ING 50 can employ what is commonly referred to as a "client-server” methodology.
• a telephone number domain entry (“.tel") is maintained in a database record in a corresponding ING.
• the ".tel" domain entry is associated with a telephone number server 110.
• other domain entries that can be maintained by the root server 100 are those associated with a server for entities located in Sweden (102), a server for commercial entities (104), a server for educational entities (106), and a server for Ericsson Telecom corporate entities located in Sweden (108).
• the ING 50 (associated with a DNS for this embodiment) includes a resolver (preferably implemented in software), which (in this exemplary embodiment) includes a plurality of library functions associated with the distributed database of the ING.
• a resolver includes five library functions.
• Each such library function performs one of the five matchings or conversions shown in and described with respect to FIGURES 1 and 2 (i.e., 12, 16, 29, 31 and 33). Specifically, each such library function is used by the client part
• this access point is preferably at an input of a respective ING router or gateway.
• FIGURE 4 is a diagram that shows an exemplary system that can be used to implement an ING and method of use, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• system 200 includes an IP network or "Internet" 202 and a plurality of devices (e.g., computer terminals) 204 that are connected for two- way communications with the Internet.
• An ING (distributed as 50a, 50b, 50c, etc.) is connected to the Internet 202 at an access point for a respective mobile or fixed telephone network (206, 208, 210).
• a representative mobile radiotelephone 212 communicates with radio network 206 via a radio air interface.
• radio network 206 is shown as a cellular GSM network
• radio network 208 is shown as a cellular Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) network.
• AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone System
• a representative fixed telephone 214 communicates with Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 210 via a wireline connection.
• PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
• each mobile phone (212) or fixed telephone (214) with data communications capability has an associated "telephone-name" that includes the suffix ".tel".
• This use of this suffix means that the mobile phone or fixed telephone resides in the telephone domain of the associated DNS.
• the telephone domain is subdivided into a plurality of sub-domains, such as, for example, ".gsm.mobile.tel” for GSM mobile phones, ".amps.mobile.tel” for AMPS mobile phones, or ".Stockholm.pstn.tel", for fixed PSTN telephones in the Sweden area.
• an ING is associated with the sub-domains at this level and maintains these sub-domain names.
• the host name for mobile phone 212 (FIGURE 4) can be "ericssonl .gsm.mobile.tel", and the host name for fixed telephone 214 can be “ericsson2.ecn.pstn.tel”.
• a device in the data communications domain can send DP packets to any mobile phone or fixed telephone that has a data communications capability, by using the mobile phone or fixed telephone "telephone-name" in a similar manner as that used for sending IP packets with a host name.
• a resolver in the computer (e.g., 204).
• a resolver is a software program running on a terminal or a computer/client that can communicate with the ING (50), such as, for example, querying the ING, interpreting the results of the query, etc.
• this resolver maintains the address of at least one DNS and/or ING (e.g.,
• the router that initially receives the IP packet sent from computer 204 determines that the destination address being used is not a normal IP address. Consequently, that router forwards the IP packet preferably to the nearest ING router or gateway (e.g., at PSTN ING 50c), which (with knowledge of the appropriate "telephone-name") forwards the IP packet to the appropriate ING router or gateway associated with the GSM network ING 50a. That ING router or gateway (50a) forwards the IP packet to the GSM network 206 and on to the appropriate mobile phone 212.
• the nearest ING router or gateway e.g., at PSTN ING 50c
• That ING router or gateway forwards the IP packet to the GSM network 206 and on to the appropriate mobile phone 212.
• the output of an ING can be an IP address of a particular ING router or gateway.
• the user can input an IP address to computer 204, in order to send an IP packet to the appropriate ING router or gateway.
• That ING router or gateway can convert the IP address into a corresponding telephone number for the destination phone and use the telephone number (or other appropriate means, such as an X.25 address, internal address, temporal address, etc.) to direct the IP packet to the correct phone.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1998
  • 1998-12-18 EP EP98964646A patent/EP1046271A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-12-18 AU AU19923/99A patent/AU1992399A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-12-18 WO PCT/SE1998/002394 patent/WO1999035811A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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