Systems and methods of routing ip telephony data packet communications

Abstract

Systems and methods of selecting a media path for data packets bearing the media of a telephone call to traverse during a voice over Internet protocol telephone call include testing the call quality of multiple potential media paths immediately before a call is setup. The potential media path with the highest call quality is used as the initial media path for the call. If the call quality of the media path currently in use declines below a threshold value during a call, potential alternate media paths are identified and tested for call quality. If one of the alternate media paths has better call quality than the meida path presently in use, the call is switched to the alternate media path with the highest call quality.

1 . A method of routing a Voice over Internet Protocol communication, comprising:
 receiving, at an originating user telephony device, a request to setup a communications channel between the originating user telephony device and a destination user telephony device;   identifying a plurality of media paths for the communications channel;   conducting testing via the originating user telephony device, of at least one of the plurality of media paths;   selecting one of the plurality of media paths as an initial media path for the communications channel based on a result of the testing step; and   establishing the communications channel over the initial media path.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the testing step comprises testing a communications quality of each of the plurality of media paths. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying step comprises identifying a plurality of media relay pairs through which the communications channel could be established, each media relay pair comprising a portion of a media path for the communications channel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the testing step comprises obtaining a plurality of measures of data packet transmission statistics for the at least one media path. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of measures of data packet transmission statistics for the at least one media path are combined to obtain a measure of a communications quality of the at least one media path. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 retesting the initial media path on a periodic basis after the communications channel has been established;   determining if a communications quality of the initial media path is above a predetermined threshold quality level each time that the retesting step is performed; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to an alternate media path if the communications quality of the initial media path is lower than the threshold quality level.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the causing step comprises:
 testing a communications quality of the alternate media path;   determining if the communications quality of the alternate media path is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to the alternate media path if the communications quality of the alternate media path is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 retesting the communications quality of the initial media path and a plurality of alternate media paths for the communications channel on a periodic basis after the communications channel has been established on the initial media path;   determining if the communications quality of the alternate media path having the highest communications quality is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path by more than a threshold amount each time that the retesting step is performed; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to the alternate media path having the highest communications quality if the result of the determining step indicates that the communications quality of the alternate media path having the highest communications quality is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path by more than the threshold amount.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying step comprises sending communications to and receiving communications from the destination user telephony device, the communications being used to identify the plurality of media paths for the communications channel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying step comprises obtaining, from a routing engine of an Internet protocol telephony system, a list of potential media paths for the communications channel. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed cause one or more computers to perform a method comprising:
 receiving, at an originating user telephony device, a request to setup a communications channel between the originating user telephony device and a destination user telephony device;   identifying a plurality of media paths for the communications channel;   conducting testing, via the originating user telephony device, of at least one of the plurality of media paths;   selecting one of the plurality of media paths as an initial media path for the communications channel based on a result of the testing step; and   establishing the communications channel over the initial media path.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the testing step comprises testing a communications quality of each of the plurality of media paths. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the identifying step comprises identifying a plurality of media relay pairs through which the communications channel could be established, each media relay pair comprising a portion of a media path for the communications channel. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the testing step comprises obtaining a plurality of measures of data packet transmission statistics for the at least one media path. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of measures of data packet transmission statistics for the at least one media path are combined to obtain a measure of a communications quality of the at least one media path. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 retesting the initial media path on a periodic basis after the communications channel has been established;   determining if a communications quality of the initial media path is above a predetermined threshold quality level each time that the retesting step is performed; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to an alternate media path if the communications quality of the initial media path is lower than the threshold quality level.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the causing step comprises:
 testing a communications quality of the alternate media path;   determining if the communications quality of the alternate media path is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to the alternate media path if the communications quality of the alternate media path is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 retesting the communications quality of the initial media path and a plurality of alternate media paths for the communications channel on a periodic basis after the communications channel has been established on the initial media path;   determining if the communications quality of the alternate media path having the highest communications quality is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path by more than a threshold amount each time that the retesting step is performed; and   causing the communications channel to switch from the initial media path to the alternate media path having the highest communications quality if the result of the determining step indicates that the communications quality of the alternate media path having the highest communications quality is higher than the communications quality of the initial media path by more than the threshold amount.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the identifying step comprises sending communications to and receiving communications from the destination user telephony device, the communications being used to identify the plurality of media paths for the communications channel. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the identifying step comprises obtaining, from a routing engine of an Internet protocol telephony system, a list of potential media paths for the communications channel. 
     
     
         21 - 24 . (canceled)