US6868059B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Clusters of devices, softwares and methods for improved handling of a gatekeeper load in VoIP communication
Assignee: Cisco Technology Inc
•
Filing: 2001-04-24
•
Granted: 2005-03-15
•
Expires: 2021-04-24
Abstract
Abstract A cluster of alternate gatekeepers handles the load of a single logical zone. The alternate gatekeepers exchange signals among each other according to a special cluster protocol. Each alternate gatekeeper may be connected and exchange signals with endpoint devices.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul E. Jones
- 👤 Vivek Bhargava
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 09:03
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L65/00; H04L65/10; H04L65/102; H04L65/1043; H04L65/1046; H04L65/1066; H04L65/1101; H04L65/1106; H04L69/00; H04L69/40; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 62
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
A device comprising: a first alternate gatekeeper adapted to be coupled to at least a second alternate gatekeeper in a cluster, the first alternate gatekeeper being adapted to exchange cluster signals with the second alternate gatekeeper, wherein the first and the second alternate gatekeepers are adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, and wherein the cluster signals encode one of alternate gatekeepers status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of the, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol endpoints.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
108 words
A device comprising: a first alternate gatekeeper adapted to be coupled to at least a second alternate gatekeeper in a cluster, the first alternate gatekeeper being adapted to exchange cluster signals with the second alternate gatekeeper, wherein the first and the second alternate gatekeepers are adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, and wherein the cluster signals encode one of alternate gatekeepers status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of the, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol endpoints.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The cluster of claim 1 , wherein the alternate gatekeeper status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The cluster of claim 1 , wherein the endpoint status information includes at least one of endpoint registration status and endpoint availability status.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The cluster of claim 1 , wherein each of the alternate gatekeepers includes a processor adapted to compute an evolving priority table based on the cluster signals, and a memory adapted to store the computed priority table.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
95 words
A cluster comprising: a plurality of alternate gatekeepers adapted to be coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, wherein the alternate gatekeepers are adapted to exchange through the links cluster signals which encode one of alternate gatekeeper status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the endpoints.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
95 words
A cluster comprising: a plurality of alternate gatekeepers adapted to be coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, wherein the alternate gatekeepers are adapted to exchange through the links cluster signals which encode one of alternate gatekeeper status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the endpoints.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The cluster of claim 5 , wherein the alternate gatekeeper status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The cluster of claim 5 , wherein the endpoint status information includes at least one of endpoint registration status and endpoint availability status.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The cluster of claim 5 , wherein each of the alternate gatekeepers includes a processor adapted to compute an evolving priority table based on the cluster signals, and a memory adapted to store the computed priority table.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
The cluster of claim 5 , wherein a priority processor is adapted to receive the cluster signals, and to compute an evolving priority table based on the received cluster signals, and further comprising: a memory coupled with the priority processor, and adapted to store the computed priority table.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cluster of claim 9 , wherein the priority processor and the memory are components of a standalone priority computer.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
153 words
A system comprising: a first, a second and a third alternate gatekeepers, having first, second and third processors respectively, wherein the first, the second, and the third alternate gatekeepers have interfaces for being connected together in a cluster through data transmission links, wherein the first processor is adapted to encode individual status information in a cluster signal, and transmit the cluster signal to the second alternate gatekeeper, and to third alternate gatekeeper, wherein the second processor is adapted to decode the individual status information from the received cluster signal, and process the decoded individual status information to update a first version of a cluster status, and wherein the third processor is adapted to decode the individual status information from the received cluster signal, and process the decoded individual status information to update a second version of a cluster status, wherein the cluster signal is exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
153 words
A system comprising: a first, a second and a third alternate gatekeepers, having first, second and third processors respectively, wherein the first, the second, and the third alternate gatekeepers have interfaces for being connected together in a cluster through data transmission links, wherein the first processor is adapted to encode individual status information in a cluster signal, and transmit the cluster signal to the second alternate gatekeeper, and to third alternate gatekeeper, wherein the second processor is adapted to decode the individual status information from the received cluster signal, and process the decoded individual status information to update a first version of a cluster status, and wherein the third processor is adapted to decode the individual status information from the received cluster signal, and process the decoded individual status information to update a second version of a cluster status, wherein the cluster signal is exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 11 , wherein the individual status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition of the first alternate gatekeeper.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 11 , wherein the cluster status includes one of a relative priority of the first, second and third alternate gatekeepers and bandwidth utilization data of the combined first, second and third alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 11 , wherein the first processor is further adapted to receive from an endpoint device an endpoint status signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 14 , wherein the individual status information includes at least one of an endpoint registration status, an endpoint availability status, a total capacity, a current capacity and a current availability of the endpoint device.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
99 words
A priority computer comprising: a priority processor adapted to receive cluster signals from a cluster of alternate gatekeepers that are coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, the priority processor being further adapted to compute an evolving priority table of the alternate gatekeepers based on the received cluster signals; and a memory coupled with the priority processor and adapted to store, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) the protocol computed priority table.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
99 words
A priority computer comprising: a priority processor adapted to receive cluster signals from a cluster of alternate gatekeepers that are coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, the priority processor being further adapted to compute an evolving priority table of the alternate gatekeepers based on the received cluster signals; and a memory coupled with the priority processor and adapted to store, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) the protocol computed priority table.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
50 words
The priority computer of claim 16 , wherein the alternate gatekeepers are adapted to exchange through the links cluster signals which encode one of alternate gatekeeper status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of the endpoints.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
The priority computer of claim 16 , wherein the alternate gatekeeper status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The priority computer of claim 16 , wherein the endpoint status information includes at least one of endpoint registration status and endpoint availability status.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
82 words
A device comprising: means for receiving cluster signals from a cluster of alternate gatekeepers that are coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, means for computing an evolving priority table of the alternate gatekeepers based on the received cluster signals; and means for storing, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the computed priority table.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
82 words
A device comprising: means for receiving cluster signals from a cluster of alternate gatekeepers that are coupled with each other through data transmission links, the alternate gatekeepers being adapted to be coupled to and exchange endpoint status signals with a plurality of endpoints, means for computing an evolving priority table of the alternate gatekeepers based on the received cluster signals; and means for storing, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the computed priority table.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
49 words
The device of claim 20 , wherein the alternate gatekeepers are adapted to exchange through the links cluster signals which encode one of alternate gatekeeper status information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers in the cluster, and endpoint status information about at least one of the endpoints.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 20 , wherein the alternate gatekeeper status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
23 words
The device of claim 20 , wherein the endpoint status information includes at least one of endpoint registration status and endpoint availability status.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
65 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: accumulating a list of first registrations of first endpoints associated with a first alternate gatekeeper; receiving from a second alternate gatekeeper a second registration of a second endpoint associated with the second alternate gatekeeper; and incorporating the second registration in the list.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
65 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: accumulating a list of first registrations of first endpoints associated with a first alternate gatekeeper; receiving from a second alternate gatekeeper a second registration of a second endpoint associated with the second alternate gatekeeper; and incorporating the second registration in the list.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
43 words
The article of claim 24 , wherein the list includes a third registration of a third endpoint, and wherein the instructions further result in: receiving an unregistration of the third registration; and removing the third registration from the list responsive to the unregistration.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
74 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: receiving a registration from a first endpoint; transmitting the registration to at least two alternate gatekeepers; receiving from the first endpoint usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the usage data to, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
74 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: receiving a registration from a first endpoint; transmitting the registration to at least two alternate gatekeepers; receiving from the first endpoint usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the usage data to, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
36 words
The article of claim 26 , wherein the instructions further result in: receiving from the first endpoint updated usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the updated usage data to the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
22 words
The article of claim 26 , wherein the usage data includes at least one of total capacity, current capacity and current availability.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
99 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: receiving cluster signals from a plurality of alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; decoding from the cluster signals bandwidth utilization data for each of the alternate gatekeepers; adding together the bandwidth utilization data to determine a cluster bandwidth utilization; receiving a request for a new call; and determining whether to grant the request depending on a value of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the determined cluster bandwidth utilization.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
99 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: receiving cluster signals from a plurality of alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; decoding from the cluster signals bandwidth utilization data for each of the alternate gatekeepers; adding together the bandwidth utilization data to determine a cluster bandwidth utilization; receiving a request for a new call; and determining whether to grant the request depending on a value of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the determined cluster bandwidth utilization.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
25 words
The article of claim 29 , wherein determining is performed by comparing the value of the determined cluster bandwidth utilization to a preset threshold value.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
129 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: determining availability functions of all the alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; comparing the determined availability functions; generating a priority list of the alternate gatekeepers based on the comparison; transmitting the priority list to at least one endpoint device; then receiving recent usage information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers; determining, based on the recent usage information, an updated availability function for each of the alternate gatekeepers for which recent usage information has been received; then comparing again the most recently determined availability functions; then adjusting the priority list based on the most recent comparison; and retransmitting the adjusted priority list to the endpoint device.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
129 words
An article comprising: a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by at least one device, result in: determining availability functions of all the alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; comparing the determined availability functions; generating a priority list of the alternate gatekeepers based on the comparison; transmitting the priority list to at least one endpoint device; then receiving recent usage information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers; determining, based on the recent usage information, an updated availability function for each of the alternate gatekeepers for which recent usage information has been received; then comparing again the most recently determined availability functions; then adjusting the priority list based on the most recent comparison; and retransmitting the adjusted priority list to the endpoint device.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of claim 31 , wherein the recent usage information is that a transmission was not received by a certain alternate gatekeeper within a prescribed time, and the corresponding updated availability function of the certain alternate gatekeeper is lowered.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
24 words
The article of claim 31 , wherein the availability function is determined on at least one of a CPU utilization and a memory utilization.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
114 words
A method comprising: a first alternate gatekeeper encoding individual status information in a cluster signal; the first alternate gatekeeper transmitting the cluster signal to a second alternate gatekeeper and a third alternate gatekeeper; the second alternate gatekeeper decoding the individual status information from the received cluster signal; the second alternate gatekeeper processing the decoded individual status information to update a first version of a cluster status; the third alternate gatekeeper decoding the individual status information from the received cluster signal; and the third alternate gatekeeper processing the decoded individual status information to update a second version of the cluster status, wherein the cluster signal is exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
114 words
A method comprising: a first alternate gatekeeper encoding individual status information in a cluster signal; the first alternate gatekeeper transmitting the cluster signal to a second alternate gatekeeper and a third alternate gatekeeper; the second alternate gatekeeper decoding the individual status information from the received cluster signal; the second alternate gatekeeper processing the decoded individual status information to update a first version of a cluster status; the third alternate gatekeeper decoding the individual status information from the received cluster signal; and the third alternate gatekeeper processing the decoded individual status information to update a second version of the cluster status, wherein the cluster signal is exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein the individual status information includes at least one of alternate gatekeeper availability information and alternate gatekeeper load condition of the first alternate gatekeeper.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein the cluster status includes one of a relative priority of the first, second and third alternate gatekeepers and bandwidth utilization data of the combined first, second and third alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising: the first gatekeeper receiving from an endpoint device an endpoint status signal.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 37 , wherein the individual status information includes at least one of an endpoint registration status, an endpoint availability status, a total capacity, a current capacity and a current availability of the endpoint device.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
58 words
A method comprising: accumulating a list of first registrations of first endpoints associated with a first alternate gatekeeper; receiving from a second alternate gatekeeper a second registration of a second endpoint associated with the second alternate gatekeeper; and incorporating the second registration in, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the list.
Claim 50
Independent Claim
58 words
A method comprising: accumulating a list of first registrations of first endpoints associated with a first alternate gatekeeper; receiving from a second alternate gatekeeper a second registration of a second endpoint associated with the second alternate gatekeeper; and incorporating the second registration in, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the list.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 39 , wherein the list includes a third registration of a third endpoint, and further comprising: receiving an unregistration of the third registration; and removing the third registration from the list responsive to the unregistration.
Claim 52
Independent Claim
54 words
A method comprising: receiving a registration from a first endpoint; transmitting the registration to at least two alternate gatekeepers; receiving from the first endpoint usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the usage data to, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 53
Independent Claim
54 words
A method comprising: receiving a registration from a first endpoint; transmitting the registration to at least two alternate gatekeepers; receiving from the first endpoint usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the usage data to, wherein the gatekeepers communicate to each other using GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 41 , further comprising: receiving from the first endpoint updated usage data associated with the first endpoint; and transmitting the updated usage data to the two alternate gatekeepers.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 41 , wherein the usage data includes at least one of total capacity, current capacity and current availability.
Claim 56
Independent Claim
79 words
A method comprising: receiving cluster signals from a plurality of alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; decoding from the cluster signals bandwidth utilization data for each of the alternate gatekeepers; adding together the bandwidth utilization data to determine a cluster bandwidth utilization; receiving a request for a new call; and determining whether to grant the request depending on a value of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the determined cluster bandwidth utilization.
Claim 57
Independent Claim
79 words
A method comprising: receiving cluster signals from a plurality of alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; decoding from the cluster signals bandwidth utilization data for each of the alternate gatekeepers; adding together the bandwidth utilization data to determine a cluster bandwidth utilization; receiving a request for a new call; and determining whether to grant the request depending on a value of, wherein the cluster signals are exchanged according to a GUP (Gatekeeper Update Protocol) protocol the determined cluster bandwidth utilization.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 44 , wherein determining is performed by comparing the value of the determined cluster bandwidth utilization to a preset threshold value.
Claim 59
Independent Claim
109 words
A method comprising: determining availability functions of all the alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; comparing the determined availability functions; generating a priority list of the alternate gatekeepers based on the comparison; transmitting the priority list to at least one endpoint device; then receiving recent usage information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers; determining, based on the recent usage information, an updated availability function for each of the alternate gatekeepers for which recent usage information has been received; then comparing again the most recently determined availability functions; then adjusting the priority list based on the most recent comparison; and retransmitting the adjusted priority list to the endpoint device.
Claim 60
Independent Claim
109 words
A method comprising: determining availability functions of all the alternate gatekeepers in a cluster; comparing the determined availability functions; generating a priority list of the alternate gatekeepers based on the comparison; transmitting the priority list to at least one endpoint device; then receiving recent usage information about at least one of the alternate gatekeepers; determining, based on the recent usage information, an updated availability function for each of the alternate gatekeepers for which recent usage information has been received; then comparing again the most recently determined availability functions; then adjusting the priority list based on the most recent comparison; and retransmitting the adjusted priority list to the endpoint device.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 46 , wherein the recent usage information is that a transmission was not received by a certain alternate gatekeeper within a prescribed time, and the corresponding updated availability function of the certain alternate gatekeeper is lowered.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 46 , wherein the availability function is determined on at least one of a CPU utilization and a memory utilization.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-03-14 | 2008-09-13 | 2009-03-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-03-14 | 2012-09-13 | 2013-03-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-03-14 | 2016-09-13 | 2017-03-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |