ESN LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc. et al

Filing 123

Second MOTION to Compel Response to Cisco's Seventh Interrogatory by Cisco Systems, Inc., Cisco-Linksys LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A, # 2 Exhibit B, # 3 Exhibit C, # 4 Exhibit D, # 5 Exhibit E, # 6 Exhibit F, # 7 Errata G, # 8 Exhibit H, # 9 Exhibit I, # 10 Text of Proposed Order)(Smith, Kevin)

Exhibit A

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(12) United States Patent
Girard
(54) DISTRIBUTED EDGE SWITCHING SYSTEM FOR VOICE-OVER-PACKET MULTISERVICE NETWORK
inventor: Gregory D. Girard, Beverly, MA (US)

US 7,283,519 B2 (io) Patent No .: Oct. 16, 2007 (45) Date of Patent :
6,19 5,364 B1 6,40 8,061 BI 6,56 7,399 BI 6,66 7,968 BI 6,93 8,080 BI 7,01 2,888 B2 7,07 2,303 B2 7,08 9,285 B1 7,12 0,139 B1 7,12 3,700 BI 7,139,838 BI 2/ 2001 Brodigan .... ... ... .......... 370/463 6/ 2002 Donak et al . .. ... .......... 379/188 5/ 2003 Schust er et al . .. .......... 370/352 12/ 2003 Tran ........ 709/223 8/ 2005 Kahve ci et al . 3/ 2006 Schoen eberge r et al. 7/ 2006 McLa mpy et al, 8/ 2006 Drell . ...... .. .......... 709/204 10' 2006 Kung et al .. ... ... .......... 370/352 10/2 006 Weave r et al. . ... ....... 3 79/88.19 11/2006 Squire et al. (Continued)

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Assignee: ESN, LLC, Bloomfield, CT (US) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C.154(b) by 1052 days.

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Appl. No.: 10/122,589
OTHER PUBLICATIONS Filed: Apr. 15, 2002 Prior Publication Data "Zero Configuration Networking (Zerocont),"http://www.zeroconf org, 3 pages , Oct. 2004, downloaded and printed from Internet Archive Way Back Machine (http://web.archive.org/web/ 20041027081600/http://www.zeroconf, org) on Jun . 7, 2007. (Continued) Primary Examiner-Ronald Abelson (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm- -McAndrews, Held & Malloy Ltd.

US 2002/0176404 Al

Nov. 28, 2002

Related U . S, Application Data (60) (51) Provisional application No. 60/283,888, filed on Apr. 13, 2001. Int. Cl. H04L 12166
1104L 12128

(2006.01)
(2006.01)

(57)

ABSTRACT

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(2006.01) H04L 12156 H04J L102 (2006.01) U.S. Cl ....................... 370/353; 370/356; 370/401; 370/493 Field of Classification Search ................ 370/352, 370/353, 355, 356, 384, 395.2, 401, 410,
370/466, 467; 709/226, 229, 240; 725/117,

725/119,131 See application file for complete search history.
(56) References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 6,005,865 A 6,061,363 A 12/1999 Lewis et al ................. 370/398 5/2000 Evans et al ................. 370/467

A network device including a plurality of communication interfaces, including a telephone line interface, a computer data interface, and a broadband network interface; a processor; a machine-readable storage medium which during use stores a call processing application and service profiles, and which stores executable instructions to mediate communications between the plurality of communication interfaces, the instructions causing the network device to detect network signaling events or trigger points in a telephone call and invoke the call processing application in response to the detected network signaling events or trigger points, the call processing application operating according to parameters defined in the service profiles.

19 Claims, 13 Drawing Sheets

1$

r ......s CALL SHIN-PHR MY. PHYSICAL CONNKMN

US 7,283,519 B2
2 points within the switch . Upon encountering a trigger detection point while processing a call, the switch, called the Service Switching Point ( SSP), would trigger and send a query to a Service Control Point (SCP). FIG . 1 illustrates the RELATED APPLICATION 5 elements of AIN. The SSP performs a query directed to an SCP. The SCP executes service logic that yields a result and. This application claims priority to U.S. provisional applithat result is returned to the SSP that initiated the query. The cation 60/283,888 filed on Apr. 13, 2001, the contents of SSP then continues with call processing. which are incorporated herein by reference. As an example , when a subscriber dials an 800 number, t o an SSP detects that the call requires AIN service logic TECHNICAL FIELD processing . The SSP directs a query to an SCP which in turn executes service logic that returns a valid dialing number to This invention relates to packet networks, and more the SSP. The SSP then asks the Signaling System #7 (SS#7) particularly to network devices. network to set-up a call to that telephone number . SS#7 sets 15 up signaling and bearer paths necessary to support a call to BACKGROUND that dialing number . The CENTRAL OFFICE SWITCH serving the called parry applies a ringing tone to the called This section contains a discussion of background. It party's telephone. Once the called parry answers , the call is summarizes telecommunications carrier network architecestablished and both the parties can now have a telephone tures that currently exist as legacy or that are currently under 20 conversation. development. It also includes discussion of insights and FIG. 1 depicts the structure of the PSTN, including its observations made by the inventor about the prior art support for AIN. The CENTRAL OFFICE SWITCH is systems that are helpful to understanding the subsequently decomposed into four distinct modules: described invention but that were not necessarily appreciCALL PROCESSING ated by persons skilled in the art or disclosed in the prior art. 25 LINE Thus, the inclusion of these insights and observations in this SIGNALING background section should not be interpreted as an indicaTRUNK tion that such insights and observations were part of the prior The LINE module functions include detecting on-hook/ art. After the background discussion, a new Edge Switched off-hook, applying dial tone and ringing tone , collecting Network (ESN) architecture is introduced and it is described 30 dialed digits , and communicating internally with the calland compared to leading "Next Generation Network" alterprocessing module . The CALL PROCESSING module ananatives. A Distributed Edge Switch (DES) makes possible lyzes the digits collected by the LINE module, and asks the the implementation of an ESN. In the OVERVIEW section SIGNALING module to perform appropriate actions. The that is found in the Detailed Description section, the design, SIGNALING module interfaces with the SS #7 TRANSoperation and management of the DES are described within 35 PORT NETWORK for the purpose of setting up a bearer the architectural context provided by the ESN. channel between the calling and the called CENTRAL Next Generation Networking Approaches OFFICE SWITCHES. The TRUNK module transforms anaIn recent years, attempts to transform the legacy Public log voice to a Time Division Multiplexed ( TDM) format for Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to exploit the potentransmission over PSTN trunks . The TRUNK module of the tial of the Internet has led to approaches that are loosely 40 CENTRAL OFFICE SWITCH serving the called parry referred to as the Next Generation Network (NGN). It was converts the TDM trunk format back to analog for transbelieved that such approaches would lead to converged mission over the local loop. networks. Converged networks promise substantial cost The Next Generation Networking Model savings and new service opportunities for telecommunicaFIG. 2 illustrates the NGN approach . The NGN exhibits tions carriers (a.k.a. "carriers," or "network service provid- 45 several similarities to the legacy PSTN . If one were to split ers' ). As a means to realize new data services, carriers have apart the four modules that comprise the CENTRAL deployed overlay networks, which require overlay of new OFFICE SWITCH (see FIG . 1) into separate and distinct infrastructure onto existing legacy voice networks. In concomputing elements , the following components of a NGN trast, the converged approach of the NGN seeks to eliminate the need to have separate networks for different media. It 50 network result:

I

DISTRIBUTED EDGE SWITCHING SYSTEM FOR VOICE-OVER-PACKET MULTISERVICE NETWORK

exploits the principles of "openness" and leverages the standard protocols of IP networks to carry not only data but also other media such as voice and video.

The PSTN and AIN Principles
The NGN grew out of the PSTN, thus to understand its 55 origins one must understand present day Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) employed by PSTN carriers to provide advanced telephony services. The AIN was proposed as the solution to the carriers' needs to produce applications rapidly and independently of switch development efforts. Prior 60 approaches had bundled services within switches, giving rise to long development times and inflexible service deployment. Service development and deployment was intimately tied to switch evolution and switch development cycles. 65 .AIN proposed de-coupling service development and service logic from switches by building appropriate trigger

MEDIA GAPE WAY CONTROLLER RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY TRUNK GATEWAY SIGNALING GATEWAY

To compare the functions of these elements to analogous functions in the CENTRAL OFFICE SWITCH, the MEDIA GATEWAY CONTROLLER (A.K.A. "softswitch," or "call agent ) performs the functions of the CALL PROCESSING module, the RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY (A.K.A. "customer gateway") performs the functions of the LINE module and the TRUNK GATEWAY replaces the TRUNK module. Insofar as the RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY and TRUNK GATEWAY are both responsible for converting media provided in one type of network to the format required in another type of network , they are referred to generically as MEDIA GATEWAYS. With respect to support for network signaling functions, the SIGNALING GATEWAY in the