Packet Telephony Path Restoration via Dual Edge Routers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Packet telephony networks face challenges in maintaining the quality of service and fast recovery from network failures, as they are prone to packet loss and delays, unlike traditional PSTN, which provides reliable and uninterrupted media streams.

Innovation Solution

An automatic restoration architecture is implemented, where each communication endpoint has access to a pair of edge routers that interface with a core network, allowing for the establishment of communication paths and automatic restoration or alternate path setup upon failure, using connection-oriented methods like MPLS or ATM, ensuring continuous communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If packet networks are used for telephony communications, then network flexibility and scalability are improved, but quality of service and reliability deteriorate due to packet loss and delays

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork flexibilityVSAvoidquality of service

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes multiple communication paths (primary and alternate) before failures occur. When a failure is detected, the system can immediately switch to a pre-configured alternate path without needing to compute a new route, thus maintaining quality of service while utilizing packet network flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention prepares backup communication resources in advance to cushion against potential failures. By having alternate paths ready and allocating resources beforehand, the system ensures that quality of service is maintained during failures, addressing the reliability concern while preserving packet network adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If traditional PSTN dedicated circuits are used, then reliability and uninterrupted media streams are improved, but network flexibility and scalability worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuninterrupted media streamsVSAvoidnetwork scalability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a universal communication framework that works with both traditional PSTN and packet networks. The path restoration mechanism provides PSTN-like reliability through alternate paths while maintaining the ability to scale and adapt to different network types, achieving both uninterrupted media streams and network flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If packet telephony applications implement failure recovery mechanisms, then reliability is improved, but recovery delays worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailure recoveryVSAvoidrecovery delays

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring alternate communication paths and allocating resources before failures occur. This eliminates the need for time-consuming route computation during failures, achieving fast recovery while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention enables the system to skip the traditional failure recovery process by directly switching to pre-established alternate paths. This rushes through the recovery process by eliminating intermediate steps, thereby reducing recovery delays while ensuring reliable failure recovery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

4Reliability

If alternate communication paths are established for failure recovery, then reliability is improved, but device complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepath restorationVSAvoidrestoration architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces intermediary components (edge routers with path restoration functionality) that manage the complexity of establishing and maintaining alternate paths. These intermediaries handle the sophisticated routing logic, isolating complexity from endpoint devices while ensuring reliable path restoration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS7447150B1Automated path restoration for packet telephony

Publication Date: 2008.11.04 GENBAND US LLC

AI summary

The present invention provides an automatic restoration architecture for packet telephony applications. Each communication endpoint has access to a pair of edge routers, which interface with a core network through which communication paths are established. The communication paths effectively provide for the delivery of packets between a first edge router for a first endpoint and a first edge router for a second endpoint. When a communication session is established, a communication path is set up between the first edge router for the first endpoint and the first edge router for the second endpoint. Upon detecting a failure along the communication path, an attempt to restore the communication path between the first edge routers may be provided. If such restoration is not effective, an alternate communication path may be established with a second edge router for either of the first or second endpoints.