Patent ID: 6052372
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of establishing data transmission, from a source terminal connected to one of a plurality of communications networks, to a desired recipient at a contactable address on another of the plurality of communications networks, each of the networks being connected via a respective gateway to a service control platform, and wherein the data is transmitted in packets having a destination address portion and communication data portion, the method comprising the steps of:providing at the source terminal a name identifying the desired recipient for the data;transmitting, from the source terminal to the service control platform, a name-to-address translation request packet containing in its communication data portion the provided name;receiving the translation request packet at the service control platform and, in response, accessing a name-to-address translation database in accordance with the provided name and, upon finding a match, retrieving address data currently stored in association with that name;transmitting a name-to-address translation reply packet from said control platform to said source terminal, the translation reply packet containing in its communication data portion the contactable address for the desired recipient comprising a network address portion and a gateway address portion; andin response to receipt of the translation reply packet at the source terminal, transmitting the data from said source terminal in packets, the destination address portion of each such packet containing the contactable address.