Abstract:
A peering authority or settlement clearinghouse (Fig. 2A, 300) can be used to control access, collect session accounting information and provide financial settlement of interconnect or session fees among anonymous Internet Protocol (IP) peers (120, 230) or networks. The addition of peering policy criteria, such as price and quality of service, to peer to peer route discovery mechanisms enable a trusted intermediary, such as the settlement clearinghouse (300), to authorize acceptable interconnection or peeing sessions between anonymous IP peers (120, 230). Any financial settlement transactions which result from the peering sessions may be subsequently executed by the settlement clearinghouse (300).
Abstract:
A clearinghouse server for routing multi-media communications, including telephony calls, between a source device and a destination device via a distributed computer network, such as the global Internet. The clearinghouse server can authorize the completion of a communication from a source device to a destination device and collect usage-related information for the completed communication. In response to an authorization request issued by an enrolled source device, the clearinghouse server can identify one or more available destination devices available to accept a communication from an authorized source device. The clearinghouse server can provide a list of the identified destination devices, typically organized in a rank order, by sending an authorization response to the source device. In turn, the source device can use this list to select a destination device and contact that selected device via the computer network to complete the communication.
Abstract:
A peering authority or settlement clearinghouse can be used to control access,collect session accounting information, and provide financial settlement of interconnect or session fees among anonymous Internet Protocol (IP) peers or networks. The addition of peering policy criteria, such as price and quality of service, to peer to peer route discovery mechanisms enable a trusted intermediary, such as the settlement clearinghouse, to authorize acceptable interconnection or peering sessions between anonymous IP peers. Any financial settlement transactions which result from the peering sessions may be subsequently executed by the settlement clearinghouse.
Abstract:
A rate provisioning method and system of the present invention utilizes a rate table with pre-assigned cells that may be used by both IP bandwidth providers (partners) and IP bandwidth customers (retail IP service providers). The rate table enables its users to enter information about their IP Telephony preferences, including pricing criteria. This information can be used by an IP call-routing engine to provide the originating gateway operators with a prioritized list of terminating gateways whose pricing criteria match those set by the originating gateway operators. The rate table of the present invention can be created with an ordinary spreadsheet computer program. After entering information into the pre-assigned cells of the rate table, a rate table can be saved in a file format that preserves the relative locations of the pre-assigned cells of the rate table. One such format is the CSV (comma separated values) format that can be used as a portable representation of the rate table.
Abstract:
Enrolling devices with a clearinghouse server for Internet telephony and multimedia communications. Enrollment can be the process of taking a network device (such as a router, gateway, gatekeeper, etc.) and exchanging encrypted information with the clearinghouse server, so that later communications with that device can be secured. The enrollment is done with levels of security and verification that ensures the devices and clearinghouse server is legitimate.
Abstract:
A rate provisioning method and system of the present invention utilizes a rate table with pre-assigned cells that may be used by both IP bandwidth providers (partners) and IP bandwidth customers (retail IP service providers). The rate table enables its users to enter information about their IP Telephony preferences, including pricing criteria. This information can be used by an IP call-routing engine to provide the originating gateway operators with a prioritized list of terminating gateways whose pricing criteria match those set by the originating gateway operators. The rate table of the present invention can be created with an ordinary spreadsheet computer program. After entering information into the pre-assigned cells of the rate table, a rate table can be saved in a file format that preserves the relative locations of the pre-assigned cells of the rate table. One such format is the CSV (comma separated values) format that can be used as a portable representation of the rate table.
Abstract:
The present invention describes how a trusted network routing authority, such as a VoIP inter-exchange carrier or clearinghouse can provide routing and secure access control across multiple network domains with a single routing and admission request. This technology can improve network efficiency and quality of service when an Internet Protocol (IP) communication transaction, such as a Voice over IP (VoIP), must be routed across multiple devices or administrative domains. This technology defines the technique of performing multiple route look-ups at the source of the call path to determine all possible routes across intermediate domains to the final destination. The VoIP inter-exchange carrier or clearinghouse then provides routing and access permission tokens for the entire call path to the call source.
Abstract:
The present invention describes how a trusted network routing authority, such as a VoIP inter-exchange carrier or clearinghouse can provide routing and secure access control across multiple network domains with a single routing and admission request. This technology can improve network efficiency and quality of service when an Internet Protocol (IP) communication transaction, such as a Voice over IP (VoIP), must be routed across multiple devices or administrative domains. This technology defines the technique of performing multiple route look-ups at the source of the call path to determine all possible routes across intermediate domains to the final destination. The VoIP inter-exchange carrier or clearinghouse then provides routing and access permission tokens for the entire call path to the call source.
Abstract:
A system for routing voice telephone calls over IP networks as opposed to traditional switched circuit networks. The voice communications during the telephone call are packaged as digital data and access the Internet through gateways. The system supports the linking of a source gateway in a first clearinghouse to a destination gateway in a second clearinghouse. The system further supports the selection of a destination gateway based on factors such as cost, speed of routing, and transmission quality of the voice data. The components of the system are arranged so as to minimize the number of signals sent between clearinghouses in identifying the optimal destination gateway.