Patent ID: 6324183
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A Signaling Point (SP) for a Signaling System 7 (SS7) network, the SP comprising:(a) a Signal Transfer Point (STP) that transfers SS7 call signaling messages between other SPs of the SS7 network; and(b) an SS7/Internet Protocol (IP) gateway that is connected to the STP to bidirectionally communicate at least some of the transferred SS7 call signaling messages between the STP and at least one of the other SPs of the SS7 network using Internet Protocol (IP), wherein the SS7/IP gateway comprises:(b)(i) an interprocessor message transport (IMT) bus;(b)(ii) a plurality of link interface modules (LIMs) that are connected to the IMT bus, each of the LIMs being connected to at least one of the other SPs of the SS7 network, the LIMs communicating with one another via the IMT bus to transfer the SS7 call signaling messages among the at least one of the other SPs of the SS7 network; and(b)(iii) a data communications module (DCM) that is connected to the IMT bus and to an IP network, to map the SS7 call signaling messages between SS7 and IP and thereby bidirectionally transfer the SS7 call signaling messages between the STP and the at least one of the other SPs of the SS7 network using IP, wherein the DCM is not connected to the LIMs via an external SS7 signaling link.