Multistage Prioritization of Packets Within a Session Over Internet Protocol (SOIP) Network

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a first endpoint, session data associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) packet. The IP packet is associated with a session within a Session over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network and the session is associated with a call. An instruction, based on the session data, is sent from the first endpoint to a second endpoint. The instruction is configured to trigger the second endpoint to modify a priority indicator associated with at least one of the first IP packet or a second IP packet associated with the call.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system block diagram of a Session over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for changing a priority indicator associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) packet transmitted over a SoIP network, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a table that illustrates a priority database with transmission priorities and corresponding threshold conditions, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram of an end-to-end call between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint via a session border controller (SBC), according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the IP packet transmissions shown in FIG. 4 categorized as signaling connections and media connections, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart that can be implemented to cause a priority indicator to be changed at an endpoint, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is schematic diagram that illustrates an implementation of multistage prioritization, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is schematic diagram that illustrates an implementation of multistage prioritization, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a session controller configured to process a priority-modification instruction, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a system block diagram that shows an SBC transmitting IP packets between a source gateway and a destination gateway, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a system block diagram that illustrates a session controller that is designed for changing a priority indicator associated with an IP packet transmitted over a SoIP network, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: receiving, at a first endpoint, session data associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) packet, the IP packet being associated with a session within a Session over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network, the session being associated with a call; andsending an instruction from the first endpoint to a second endpoint, the instruction being based on the session data, the instruction being configured to trigger the second endpoint to modify a priority indicator associated with at least one of the first IP packet or a second IP packet associated with the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first IP packet is at least one of a signaling packet or a media-content packet, the signaling packet includes protocol language used to establish the session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second IP packet is at least one of a signaling packet or a media-content packet, the signaling packet includes protocol language used to establish the session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is a priority-modification instruction.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the first endpoint, session data associated with a third IP packet, the instruction being based on the session data associated with the third IP packet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second IP packet from the second endpoint via a connection associated with the session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the session is a first session, the second endpoint transmits the at least one of the first IP packet or the second IP packet via a connection associated with a second session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data is at least one of a layer-3 session-layer parameter, a layer-5 session-layer parameter, or an extrinsic parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint is a session controller, the session data is associated with at least one of a source endpoint or a destination endpoint.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second endpoint is at least one of a session controller, a source endpoint, or a destination endpoint.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data indicates a status of at least one of a source endpoint or a destination endpoint.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction includes a threshold condition, the second endpoint modifies the priority indicator in response to the threshold condition being satisfied.

13. A method, comprising: receiving at a first endpoint a priority-modification instruction defined at a second endpoint; andmodifying at the first endpoint in response to the priority-modification instruction a priority indicator associated with an IP packet, the IP packet being associated with a session within a SoIP network, the IP packet being transmitted over the SoIP network based on the priority indicator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the priority-modification instruction includes a threshold condition, the modifying being based on the threshold condition.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving session data associated with the IP packet, the modifying being based on the session data.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the IP packet is a first IP packet, the priority-modification instruction is based on session data associated with a second IP packet.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the IP packet is at least one of a media-content packet or a signaling packet.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second endpoint is a session controller.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first endpoint is at least one of a session controller, a source endpoint, or a destination endpoint.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the priority-modification instruction is based on session data, the session data is associated with at least one of a source endpoint or a destination endpoint

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the priority-modification instruction is defined based on session data, the session data includes a value of at least one of a session layer parameter or an extrinsic parameter.

22. An apparatus, comprising: a processor configured to receive session data associated with an IP packet, the IP packet being associated with a session within a SoIP network, the processor being configured to define a priority-modification instruction based on the session data, the session being associated with a call; andan output port configured to send the priority-modification instruction to an endpoint, the endpoint being associated with the call.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the IP packet is at least one of a media-content packet or a signaling packet.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the session data includes at least one of a value of a layer-3 session-layer parameter, a layer-5 session-layer parameter, or an extrinsic parameter.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the endpoint is at least one of a session controller, a source endpoint, or a destination endpoint.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the endpoint is configured to modify a priority indicator associated with at least one of a media-content packet or a signaling packet in response to the priority-modification instruction.