Abstract: Method and apparatus for routing telephone calls across different types of networks includes means for and steps of determining a destination IP address of a new call according to initial conditions established in a first network, determining a destination gateway (gateway brokering) based on the destination IP address, the initial conditions and a gateway selection policy, providing routing information of the destination gateway to the first network and completing the new call set up via messages received from the gateway brokering step. The initial conditions in the first network are established by determining if a callee is part of an IP network or part of a CS network and converting the callee phone number to an SIP URL if the callee is part of the IP network. Such determination is made by recognizing a prefix identifying an IP destination in the callee phone number.

Abstract: A food material nutritionally enriched in mineral composition and improved in taste includes beans or Mugi-rui enriched in magnesium, or magnesium and sodium. The Mg/K chemical equivalent ratio (a ratio of chemical equivalent of magnesium with respect to chemical equivalent of potassium) of the beans falls within the range of 0.4 to 2.0, and Mg/K chemical equivalent ratio of the Mugi-rui falls within the range of 0.8 to 3.0. The food material is manufactured by immersing the beans or Mugi-rui in aqueous solution containing magnesium chloride, or magnesium chloride and sodium chloride, at a certain concentration for a certain period of time.

Abstract: A distributed software application comprises a first and second software component. A manager component of a management infrastructure for the distributed software application in one example causes a first software component of the distributed software application to obtain information from a second software component of the distributed software application for initialization of the first software component.

Abstract: The call forwarding is provided within and between telephone networks by establishing a generalized procedure for call delivery and call forwarding. Network protocols are addressed using a common framework for processing call delivery and call forwarding among any combination of different types of networks. An “integrated location management” component realizes the generalized procedure. The integrated location management component is a device capable of holding location information for diverse cellular networks, including Internet telephony systems. The inventive system and method executes generalized call delivery and call forwarding for calls among different types of telephone networks, including wireless networks and Internet networks. The calls may originate from any type of telephony network. Having been initially directed to any of these networks, calls can then be call forwarded to any of these networks.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to allow global roaming between different devices in different networks, using different protocols. A system may contain one or more protocol dependent logic servers (PDLSs), in which each PDLS is associated with a particular network/network protocol. The networks may comprise one or more wired telecommunications networks, wireless communications networks, or Internet-based networks. When a first PDLS receives an incoming, protocol-dependent message comprising a first protocol from a first network intended for a user currently registered on another network, the first PDLS converts the protocol-dependent message into an incoming, protocol-independent message and forwards it to another network element, such as a core logic server (CLS). The CLS processes the incoming, protocol-independent message, generates an appropriate outgoing protocol-independent message and forwards this message to a second PDLS.

Abstract: A Global Roaming Application Server is adapted to act as an intermediary between all Internet Protocol (IP)-based network(s) and non-IP-based network(s), such as a circuit-switched landline network, an ANSI-41 network, wireless LAN network, a Global System for Mobile Communications network or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network. In a first or forward direction, the Application Server enables a user in a non-IP network to be located in accordance with user profiles at the request of another user who has chosen to send a message via an all-IP based network. After the user in the non-IP network is so located, the Application Server enables a signaling link to be created between the two users. The Application Server may also be used to enable a signaling link when a message is sent in a second, or reverse direction.

Abstract: Local mobility within a subnet is supported by classifying wireless base stations, and the routers used to forward packets to those base stations, within defined domains. Domains are defined to incorporate a subnet having a plurality of base stations. Base stations are used by mobile devices to attach to the wired portion of a packet-based network, such as the Internet, and exchange packets thereover with a correspondent node. Packets sent from the correspondent node to the mobile device have a packet destination address corresponding to the mobile device. The mobile device retains this address for the duration of time it is powered up and attached to the Internet via any base station within a given domain. Host-based routing is utilized to update routing table entries corresponding to the mobile device at routers incorporated within a single domain.

Abstract: Domains are defined to incorporate a subnet including a plurality of base stations and routers. Base stations are used by mobile devices to attach to the wired portion of a packet-based network, such as the Internet, and exchange packets thereover with a correspondent node. Local mobility between domain base stations is provided by including and updating routing table entries at domain routers and base stations for forwarding packets having a mobile device's address as a destination address to the mobile device. Packets are delivered to the mobile device regardless of the domain base station to which the mobile device is attached. When a mobile device is attached to a base station included within a foreign domain, a care-of address is assigned, and packets are tunneled for delivery of packets to the mobile device. Only one care-of address is required per mobile device per foreign domain.

Abstract: Global Roaming, i.e., the combination of terminal and user mobility, requires the technology independent notion of a user who owns multiple devices. Any network infrastructure that supports global roaming needs to model and manage this user concept in a multi-technology subscriber database. This modeling not only requires the novel assignment of traditional subscriber attributes to the now separated entities of users, terminals, and addresses. For backward compatibility reasons, it also has to be compliant with the standard, single-technology subscriber models. Moreover, user configured inter-technology dependencies between service settings need to be taken into account to (1) enforce external integrity constraints, and (2) reduce space consumption of the multi-protocol subscriber base. The present invention a methodology for connecting to a subscriber having multiple devices accessible via a communications network and utilizing differing communications protocols.

Abstract: An optimized gateway selection process of the present invention is based on a universal mobility manager (UMM), a component for inter-technology location management. The UMM is capable of holding location information for diverse cellular networks, as well as for Internet telephony systems. For cellular networks, UMM acts as a traditional HLR; for an Internet telephony network, it acts as the entities that are responsible for user/terminal registration (registrar in SIP, gatekeeper in H.323) and address resolution (proxy server in SIP, gatekeeper in H.323). An optimal gateway selection is possible based on location related information provided by the UMM which had not previously been available. Utilizing the newly available information enables a gateway to be selected which may, for example, enable the circuit switched portion of a call to now be minimized.

Abstract: A multiple-protocol home location register (MP HLR) comprises a processor, that generates network messages according to two or more network protocols and processes network requests and other messages to obtain information requested by two or more networks that support the two or more network protocols. One embodiment of the MP HLR (101) utilizes protocol gateways (211) that interpret network requests and generate, utilizing a common control procedures for multiple network protocols, queries to a database that provides a common source of data for supported networks. Another embodiment of an MP HLR (101) utilizes a mediation device (405) that generates and/or translates network messages according to multiple different network protocols and utilizes multiple HLRs (401, 403) or home agents, each supporting a different network protocol.

Abstract: The invention provides a telecommunication system that allows communication between a circuit-based wireless telephony network and a packet-based Internet telephony network without requiring access to the Public Switched Telephone Network. The system includes a circuit-based wireless telephony network providing wireless access to the system, a packet-based Internet telephony network providing Internet telephony access to the system, and a base station gateway controller for providing an interface between the wireless telephony network and the Internet telephony network. The invention further provides methods for facilitating communication between a first device, the first device being a packet-based Internet telephony network based device, and a second device, the second device being a circuit-based wireless telephony network based device, by facilitating connection of a call from the first device to the second device, without requiring access to the public switched telephone network.

Abstract: A method of delivering highly-reliable, fault-tolerant communications services in a telecommunications network of distributed call processing systems. The method advantageously identifies a set of objects within the telecommunications network requiring checkpointing; checkpoints the objects; and subsequently restores the checkpointed objects in the event of a failure. Various aspects of the method are disclosed, including restoration strategies.

Abstract: A “cluster mobile switching center” (cMSC) is arranged to perform the switching and control functions of a conventional mobile switching center (MSC), including, if desired, the additional functions of a conventional visitor location register (VLR). The cMSC is implemented on distributed processors using modular software. Advantageously, a specific instance of middleware, known as Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), is used as the communications middleware. Functionally, the cMSC is arranged to have two classes of servers: (1) Interworking managers (IMs) that act as gateways and provide interfaces to external network elements, and (2) core servers that perform call processing (registration, location updates, incoming and outgoing call processing) functions and communicate with each other using CORBA. IMs terminate standard protocols with the external elements and use CORBA to communicate with the core servers.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is arranged to efficiently route digital information from a mobile network to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and vice versa by interposing a packet network between the mobile network and PSTN so that digital information originating from the wireless network at a first data rate may be forwarded over the packet network at that rate and then sent over a direct connection from the packet network to the PSTN at a second data rate expected by the PSTN. In this way the conversion of the digital information from the first to the second data rate is performed only when needed, i.e., at the ATM switch connected to the PSTN.