Patent ID: 6885678

Claim:
An interface for communication of interoffice signaling messages relating to call set-up, comprising: a first coupling, for message routing connection to a common channel interoffice signaling network of a public switched telephone network for sending and receiving call set-up messages to and from the signaling network in an interoffice signaling protocol; a second coupling, for message routing connection to an open-access, non-proprietary internetwork connecting spaced dissimilar networks and using an internetwork transmission protocol for packet communications between dissimilar networks; and a server, interconnected between the first and second couplings, configured to perform protocol conversion of call set-up messages between the interoffice signaling protocol and the internetwork transmission protocol, to enable communication of call set-up messages to and from the interoffice signaling network via the internetwork; wherein the server encapsulates a message in the interoffice signaling protocol within one or more packets of the internetwork transmission protocol and, wherein the first coupling provides message routing connection to a link to one of a signal transfer point (STP) of the common channel interoffice signaling network and a service switching point (SSP) of the public switched telephone network.