Abstract:
A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications system, a method of managing a communications network in such a system and a program product therefore. The system/network includes an ENERGY STAR (E-star) aware softswitch and E-star compliant communications devices at system endpoints. The E-star aware softswitch allows E-star compliant communications devices to enter and remain in power saving mode. The E-star aware softswitch spools messages and forwards only selected messages (e.g., calls) to the devices in power saving mode. When the E-star compliant communications devices exit power saving mode, the E-star aware softswitch forwards spooled messages.

Description:
[0001]    ENERGY STAR or E-Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention is related to conserving power in digital telecommunications systems and networks and more particularly, to expanding ENERGY STAR compliance in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) based telecommunications networks and VoIP devices. 
         [0004]    2. Background Description 
         [0005]    Thus frequently, since 1992 state of the art electronic devices are designed for E-Star compliance. A typical E-Star compliant device has a low power, power saving mode for periods of non-use. When an E-Star device enters power saving mode, the device reduces operation, preferably in seamless coordination with current device usage. 
         [0006]    A processor equipped E-Star device, for example, may enter its power saving state by the processor throttling down after a minimum period of inactivity, e.g., reducing processor execution speed. Throttling down sets the processor in a low-power, power saving operation that may be one of multiple different levels of power saving states. Thereafter, the processor may exit the current power saving state to respond to internal events or external events. Internal events may include, for example, a timer expiry. External events may include, for example, user initiated or network initiated events. Typical state of the art Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones and Multimedia Terminal Adapters (MTA) are sophisticated processor equipped telephony devices that normally include a display. Normally, these state of the art VoIP devices would be prime candidates for E-Star compliance. 
         [0007]    Unfortunately, however, typical state of the art VoIP telecommunications systems require connected devices to be constantly available for frequent and very intensive communications and messaging between system telecom switches and network End-Points (EP), e.g., VoIP phones. Because these network messages occur with such frequency to place availability requirements on the EPs, the EPs may be prevented from remaining in power saving mode for an efficient length of time, or even from entering power saving mode. Otherwise, a VoIP device that is non-responsive (e.g., because it is in a power saving state) may be considered disconnected. 
         [0008]    Consequently, typical VoIP phones could not enter and remain in a power saving state, even when the network messages to the phones may be unimportant. For example, at 2:00 am after 1 hour inactivity, an EP processor may be set to initiate power saving mode. However, normal message activity with the VoIP telecom switch may prevent it. Except for locally controlled minimal power saving functions, e.g., powering down the display, these availability requirements prevent EP devices from entering deeper power saving states at, e.g., hibernation. 
         [0009]    Thus, there is a need for E-star telephony devices and network units that extend E-star compliance to EP devices in VoIP telephony systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is a purpose of the invention to reduce power consumption in digital communications networks; 
         [0011]    It is another purpose of the invention to extend ENERGY STAR (E-star) compliance in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications devices at network end points in VoIP communications systems; 
         [0012]    The present invention relates to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications system, a method of managing a communications network in such a system and a program product therefore. The system/network includes an ENERGY STAR (E-star) aware softswitch and E-star compliant communications devices at system endpoints. The E-star aware softswitch allows E-star compliant communications devices to enter and remain in power saving mode. The E-star aware softswitch spools messages and forwards only selected messages (e.g., calls) to the devices in power saving mode. When the E-star compliant communications devices exit power saving mode, the E-star aware softswitch forwards spooled messages. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  shows an example of an Internet Protocol (IP) communications system including a digital call capable network with ENERGY STAR (E-Star) compliant End Points (EP) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  shows an example of the OSI model; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  shows an example of an E-Star device cooperating with E-Star aware softswitch, wherein between calls the E-Star device may enter and remain in a sleep state or even hibernate. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    Turning now to the drawings and more particularly,  FIG. 1  shows an example of an Internet Protocol (IP) communications system  100  including a digital call capable network  102 , e.g., capable of Voice over IP (VoIP) communications, with ENERGY STAR (E-Star) compliant End Points (EP)  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The system includes digital telephony devices (e.g., VoIP phones) and Multimedia Terminal Adapters (MTA), e.g., keysets at EPs  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 . Since a network device defines an EP, each EP and a device(s) at the EP are referred to herein interchangeably. A suitable proxy server  112  provides a router function to private network  102 . A gateway  114 , e.g., a state of the art media gateway, connects the network externally, e.g., to a public switched telephone network/public land mobile network (PSTN/PLMN). A preferred E-Star aware softswitch  116 , e.g., a Media Gateway Controller (MGC) remotely located in a data center, manages calls to/from keysets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  from/to each other or through the gateway  114 . In particular, these digital telephony devices  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  cooperate with E-Star aware softswitch  116  to enable E-star compliance in these digital telephony devices according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0018]    Preferably, communications in the system  100  are based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Basic Reference Model (OSI Reference Model or OSI Model), described in more detail hereinbelow. Preferably, digital telephony devices  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  are sophisticated processor based VoIP devices, each with a local display. A typical such IP network telephony system has considerable messaging that occurs continuously, e.g., Call Processing (Call-P) messaging, status queries and features and availability queries. Call-P messages between telephony devices at the EPs  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 , and a switch, for example, E-Star aware softswitch  116 , may or may not be for a phone call to the device(s)  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 . Generally, the preferred system  100  does not directly use the queries for signaling a phone call. However, previously, any time an EP device (the phone or MTA processor) received such a message, the device was required to process the message. Processing the message requires the phone or MTA to be active. 
         [0019]    However, E-Star aware softswitch  116  is aware of the power state of connected E-Star compliant EP devices. Thus, the E-Star aware softswitch  116  controls messages and suppresses messaging to connected devices to allow these devices to enter and remain in low power except during actual use, e.g., between calls. A device may enter or change to a power saving state, e.g., throttle down to a reduced operation level, initiated internally or externally. Likewise, devices may exit or change to power saving states, also initiated by internal or external events. External events include, for example, user events or communication partner events. Devices may have different power saving states or levels, for different levels of operation. Further, except during normal activity (e.g., calls), the E-Star aware softswitch  116  allows E-Star devices to remain in low power for normal messaging. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows an example of the OSI model  120 , which organizes network communications into layers  122 - 134 , commonly designated L 1 -L 7 . Each layer  122 - 134  encompasses a collection of related functions that provide services to the layer above it (e.g.,  124 - 132 ) and receive service from the layer below it (e.g.,  132 - 122 ). These layers include a Physical layer  122 , a Data Link layer  124 , a Network layer  126 , a Transport layer  128 , a Session layer  130 , a Presentation layer  132 , and an Application layer  134 . 
         [0021]    The Physical layer  122  (L 1 ) is the physical communications media, typically in a binary transmission signal, i.e., a serial bit stream. The Data Link layer  124  (L 2 ) includes physical addressing information in Logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) sublayers, i.e., in frames embedded in the Physical layer  122 . Ethernet is an example of a typical Data Link protocol. The Physical layer  122  and Link layer  124 , typically, are handled by hardware (HW), e.g., a state of the art Network Interface Controller (NIC) chip. The Network layer  126  (L 3 ) provides path determination and logical addressing for packets in the frames. IP is an example of a typical Network layer protocol. Some hardware may also handle the Network layer  126 . These three lower level OSI model layers  122 ,  124  and  126  are known as the Media layers and are used in telecommunications. Even in power saving mode, preferred E-Star compliant EP device hardware handles the Media layers, identifying locally directed frames/packets for the particular device. 
         [0022]    Data transfers, end-to-end in the Transport layer  128  (L 4 ) with messages converted into segments, e.g., using a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). The Session layer  130  (L 5 ) provides interhost communications between devices, e.g., keysets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  and gateway  114 . The Presentation layer  132  (L 6 ) provides data encryption and representation. The Application layer  134  (L 7 ) interfaces directly to, and performs application services for, application processes. The Application layer  134  also issues requests to the presentation layer  132 . These four lower level OSI model layers  128 ,  130 ,  132  and  134  are known as the Host layers. 
         [0023]    Unlike the Media layers  122 ,  124  and  126 , responsibility for the Host layers  128 ,  130 ,  132  and  134  resides in software (SW) under processor control, e.g., central processing units (CPU) in networked the EP VoIP phones and MTA devices  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  and  112 . The CPUs also are responsible for processing applications (App). These processing Apps may include, for example, a Call-P App and a network message processing App. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when an EP device  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  and/or  112  is in a power saving state, the E-Star aware softswitch  116  limits Host layer communications to those devices in power saving mode depending on a requested communications level. It should be noted that the host layer communications of E-Star aware softswitch  116  always remains active to communicate with any other EP devices that are not currently in power saving mode. Communications can be limited, for example, for timing, e.g., increasing the no messaging time or omitting some messages, or for responding to state and status queries. Preferably also, each device and/or the E-Star aware softswitch  116  may change device operation level at any time. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows an example  140  of an E-Star device, e.g., VoIP phone or MTA  106  in system  100  of  FIG. 1 , cooperating with E-Star aware softswitch  116 , wherein the E-Star device  106  may enter a sleep state or even hibernate between calls, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, in  142  a software App of EP device  106  initiates entering a power saving state by signaling a request (an E-star request) to a current communication partner (e.g., E-Star aware softswitch  116 ), and indicates intention to enter a power saving state. Further, the EP device  106  indicates the power saving operation level (level  3 ) as well as the maximum time planned to stay in that state or mode, e.g., 5 minutes. The E-Star aware softswitch  116  maintains a definition of special settings for each power saving operation level, e.g., in a sleep level table (not shown), for each EP partner (phone/MTA), e.g.,  106 . The E-Star aware softswitch  116  responds  144  with an Ack message. 
         [0025]    Thereafter, the E-Star aware softswitch  116  honors the power saving request for the requested period of time. During that period, 5 minutes in this example, the E-Star aware softswitch  116  spools events and communiqués for later, i.e., when the power saving ends. However, even though the E-Star device  106  is in power saving mode, the E-Star aware softswitch  116  signals all events characterized as important or wake-up events, e.g., incoming calls to the E-Star device  106 . 
         [0026]    As the planned low power time expires  146 , the EP device  106  signals another E-star request, indicating (by power saving operation level  0 ), that the power saving period is ending. The E-Star aware softswitch  116  responds  148  with another Ack message. The active EP device  106  receives spooled messages  150 , signaling with the E-Star aware softswitch  116 . Once all spooled messages are received, the E-Star device  106  may enter another sleep state period, again signaling an E-star request  152  to the E-Star aware softswitch  116 , which responds  154 , with another Ack message. So, for example, when an incoming call for the E-Star device  106  reaches the E-Star aware softswitch  116 , a call message  156  is forwarded to the E-Star device  106 . Upon receiving the call message  156 , the E-Star device  106  terminates power saving mode immediately, prior to the scheduled end, and the call proceeds normally. 
         [0027]    Advantageously, the present invention extends E-star compliance in digital telephony devices for immediate energy savings and corresponding in cost savings, as well as. Further, periods of low power are less stressful for the device and, therefore extend device life, which also provides cost savings. Moreover, unlike typical telephones that remain at full power during normal operation (24×7), preferred devices in power saving mode uses significantly less power, thereby reducing the need for fossil fuel generated electricity and, correspondingly, facilitating environmental conservation by reducing CO 2  emissions. 
         [0028]    While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. It is intended that all such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. Examples and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.