Patent ID: 6292479
Filing Date: 2001-09-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A communications system comprising:a first public switched telephone network (PSTN) including a plurality of subscriber lines and central office switching systems each subscriber line connected to a respective central office switching system and having an assigned directory number, a voice network portion comprising voice communication paths for connection to the subscriber lines, and a common channel signaling network portion comprising signaling paths interconnecting said central office switching systems through at least one signal transfer point;a second PSTN, remote from the first PSTN, and including a plurality of subscriber lines and central office switching systems, each subscriber line connected to a respective central office switching system and having an assigned directory number, a voice network portion comprising voice communication paths for connection to the subscriber lines, and a common channel signaling network portion comprising signaling paths interconnecting said central office switching systems through at least one signal transfer point;a public wide area internetwork connecting spaced dissimilar networks and using transmission control protocols/internet program (TCP/IP) to link said dissimilar networks; andfirst and second interfaces linking said first PSTN and said second PSTN respectively to said public wide area internetwork to establish a transport path for a voice call from a calling subscriber line of said first PSTN to a called subscriber line at said second PSTN, each of said interfaces comprising a controller controlling the set-up of connections between said calling subscriber line and said called subscriber line via said common channel signaling networks in the respective PSTNs;wherein said controller in the interface linking the first PSTN provides calling subscriber line identification information from the common channel signaling network of said first PSTN, through said public wide area internetwork to the controller of said second PSTN during set-up of the call for identifying the calling subscriber to the called subscriber.