Business/internet mixed communications having business packet mode connections and circuit mode telephone connections using connection wire conversion connections.

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This joint communication.

invention relates to a network of

We know the extraordinary fact that in network because of

Internet, as well as development of techniques of referred to as VoIP, transmission of voice over and more frequent

Internet, for corporate networks (intranet), which operate in a packet mode like the Internet network, to use a communication protocol identical to that used on the Internet network, this protocol being called IP. It is thus possible to use VoIP techniques on the corporate network and to provide a link between the corporate network and the network.

Internet through a simple router.

Furthermore, it is known to produce a mixed communication network by providing a link between a company network and the switched telephone network, called PSTN, which operates in circuit mode according to a protocol which is generally a multiplexing protocol by division in the network. time, referred to as TDM. The link between the corporate network and the PSTN network is achieved by a platform for converting IP signals into TDM signals and vice versa in order to allow communication between the corporate network and the PSTN network.

At the present time, the realization of a mixed communication network therefore involves the installation of a conversion platform even if the company network comprises a single telephone terminal operating according to a VoIP technique. In order to avoid saturation of the conversion platform during an increase in the number of VoIP terminals, it is generally necessary to provide a conversion platform capable of handling a large volume of communications, and even to provide for a security through redundancy of power supply, central unit, etc., which leads to a very high initial investment in relation to the number of VoIP terminals in service. This initial investment is often unsuitable for the business world.

According to the invention, there is provided a mixed communication network comprising a business network operating in a packet mode and comprising connection terminals making it possible to connect telephone terminals to the business network, and a telephone network operating in a circuit mode. , at least one of the connection terminals being connected to the telephone network and being adapted to perform a conversion between packet mode and circuit mode.

Thus, whenever a telephone terminal

VoIP is installed in the corporate network, it suffices to allow a connection with the PSTN network to add a body between this in the packet mode adapted conversion terminal and the corresponding link terminal one to perform a conversion on the link

The intermediary of 1 connected circuit mode and to connect to the PSTN network, a PBX to the company and generally exists in telephone immediately so that the telephone link can by plugging a simple network PSTN network link box.

Usually by implanted in In practice it companies a socket adjacent to a network socket of the connection box with the be carried out in a very extra cable way between the the telephone socket and the corresponding one. The investment required for the transformation of each link terminal is low, so that the initial load of the company is low if the number of VoIP terminals is itself low. The overall load is therefore distributed over time according to the increase in the number of VoIP terminals connected to the PSTN network.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description of a particular non-limiting embodiment of the invention, with reference to the single attached figure which is a schematic representation of a embodiment of the mixed communication network according to the invention.

The illustrated mixed communication network comprises, in a manner known per se, a business network comprising two local networks 1 and 2 operating in packet mode, for example according to a TCP / IP protocol, and connected to one another by a line dedicated 3, and / or via an operator network such as Frame / Relay, ATM, IP / PPP, etc. associated with routers 4. The corporate network comprises VoIP telephone terminals bearing the general numerical reference 5 and particular numerical references 5.1, 5.2, etc. making it possible to identify them in a particular way. Terminals 5.1, 5.3,

5.5 and 5.6 are wireless terminals, for example of the DECT, PCS, Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 ... type associated with mobile stations 6, while the terminals 5.2, 5.4 and 5.7 are fixed terminals.

Each terminal 5 comprises a connection terminal comprising the general numerical reference 7 and the particular numerical reference 7.1, 7.2 ... corresponding to the associated terminal. Each of the connection terminals 7 is equipped with an interface making it possible to connect the corresponding telephone terminal to the corporate network.

According to the invention, some of the VoIP terminals 5, and more particularly the terminals 5.1 to 5.3, 5.5 and

5.6 in the example illustrated, comprise corresponding connection terminals 7 which are also connected to a PBX generally designated at 8, and more particularly 8.1 for the local network 1 and 8.2 for the local network 2, themselves connected to a traditional PSTN network 9. The communication network according to the invention can of course include other telephone terminals such as a traditional telephone terminal 10 connected to the PBX 8.1 and the PSTN network is linked to telephone terminals external to the company such as the terminal. telephone 11.

The connection terminals 7 connected to the PSTN network 9 are equipped with an interface allowing a conversion between the packet mode of the signals transmitted on the company network and the circuit mode of the signals transmitted on the PSTN network 9. This interface ensures a conversion. in accordance with known conversion platforms, but it has a capacity limited to what is necessary to ensure the transmission of communications passing through the corresponding telephone terminal. In this regard, although the telephone terminals have been shown connected to telephone, telephone exchange by providing connecting a single terminal a single line or several lines to a PBX in particular when the corresponding telephone is a terminal without In the embodiment shown, wire terminal.

the mixed communication network according to the invention further comprises a call server 12 connected to the local business network 1 and intended to manage in a manner known per se both the calls internal to the business network and the calls from the network of company to the PSTN network or calls from the PSTN network to the company network, taking into account the particular structure of the network considered. In particular for a call launched from the telephone terminal 5.7 to an external telephone terminal connected to the PSTN network while the connection terminal

7.7 is not connected to the PSTN network, the call server selects the available connection terminals, for example the 7.2 connection terminal to route the call to the PSTN network. It will be noted in this connection that each connection terminal is associated with a VoIP telephone terminal, but it is not however dedicated strictly to this terminal.

According to another aspect of the invention, the call server 12 can also be eliminated and replaced by an autonomous management of calls by each of the connection terminals 7. According to a first embodiment of this autonomous management, each connection terminal 7 is informed, for example by information included in the usual management signals of the company network such as SNMP signals, of the communication state of the other connection terminals with the telephone network. Preferably, the connection terminal has a low-cost routing table so that when a call is placed by a telephone terminal, for example a call originating from one of the mobile stations 6 associated with the telephone terminal 5.1 wishing to enter in relation to the telephone terminal 11, the connection terminal 7.1 dynamically establishes a list of connection terminals capable of carrying out the call by classifying the terminals selected according to the order of least cost. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, and assuming that the link between the exchange 8.2 and the telephone terminal 11 is considered as a local link while the link between the switch 8.1 and the telephone terminal 11 is a neighbor link or a national link, the routing table of the link terminal 7.1 will allow it to determine that it is preferable to establish communication through one of the link terminals of the local network 2 and will therefore choose one of the terminals link 7.5 or 7.6 depending on the occupancy status of these. If a selected connection terminal is occupied, the calling terminal selects the next terminal in the list until it is exhausted. If in the example given the least cost function is deactivated, the link terminal 7.1 chooses the most direct link, that is to say the link via the PBX 8.1 in the example considered. In this regard, it should also be noted that if the TDM line associated with the connection terminal is busy, it remains possible for the connection terminal to establish a connection with the PSTN network by passing through the company network and leaving it. here by the connection terminal associated with another telephone terminal.

According to a second embodiment of the autonomous management, the link terminals do not receive a priori any information on the existence or the state of the other link terminals but each link terminal is adapted to exchange call management signals with the other connection terminals. The call management signals then include a request sent over the corporate network according to the IP protocol to all the terminals of the corporate network, preferably according to an automatic broadcast to all the connection terminals of the network (Multicast), and a response from the other terminals, each terminal being able to route a response message according to the IP (Unicast) protocol through the corporate network. Preferably in this case the call management signals include an evaluation of the cost of establishing a communication by the terminal sending the response message, which allows the calling terminal to establish a list of available terminals by classifying these in order of increasing cost. In order to limit the call processing time, the reception of responses to a request is limited by a possibly adjustable timer θη as a parameter of the installation. To initiate the call, the calling terminal first selects the first terminal in the list and in the event that this is no longer available, for example if another request has been served in the meantime, the calling terminal selects the next terminal in the list. To reduce the risk of allocation conflicts, provision can also be made to temporarily block access to a connection terminal that has sent a response when the cost evaluation associated with the request is low.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and it is possible to provide variant embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

In particular, the network according to the invention can be used with mobile stations 6 which can enter into communication either with a wireless terminal of the corporate network, or with a cellular radio communication station.

base of a network

In this case it is interesting to provide in the function of calls to comparison between the PSTN network by taking the lower cost of a connection cost terminal carrying through a call the structure of the network account of company, and the cost of a call through the cellular radio network.

Although the invention has been described in relation to connection terminals connected to the PSTN network by means of a PBX 8, the invention also applies to connection terminals directly connected to the PSTN network.

Although the connection terminals have been illustrated in an integrated manner with the telephone terminals, they can also be made separately.