Region-based bridging of calls using client-specific control and revised caller identifiers

• US 10,122,682 B1
• Filed: 12/13/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Salour, Mehdi, Liu, Zhishen, Glynn, Oisin, Stewart, Ona
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US15/377,797
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for client-based control of revising caller identifications (IDs) for communications between a private network and a public network. An apparatus including a telecommunications-providing server and processing circuit that communicates client-specific sets of data over an interface protocol. The telecommunications-providing server revises a caller ID for a VoIP call based on the client-specific sets of data, an identifier that corresponds to a requesting endpoint, and a geographic region determined from the call request. Further, the telecommunications-providing server causes control data to be sent to activate an analog-telephone bridging circuit and redirect the VoIP call by obtaining a dial tone and passes at least a subset of the data packet through the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting over the local line. The subset of the data packet includes the revised caller ID which is a local number identified by the determined geographic region.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a telecommunications-providing server configured and arranged to provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications service relationships with a plurality of disparate client entities by controlling communication between endpoint devices respectively associated with each of the plurality of disparate client entities;

a processing circuit configured and arranged to, for each of the plurality of disparate client entities, communicate with the telecommunications-providing server by generating client-specific sets of data indicative of client-specific communications routing and/or client-specific communications data, and by conveying the generated client-specific sets of data over an interface protocol, wherein the telecommunications-providing server and each of the plurality of disparate client entities are configured and arranged with the interface protocol to facilitate permissible types of communications; and

wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to;

respond to a data packet received at a first port of the telecommunications-providing server requesting a VoIP call by determining a geographic region that an endpoint device identified using the data packet is located and whether a local line should be accessed;

respond to the data packet indicating that a local line should be accessed by;

revising a caller identification (ID) for the VoIP call based on the client-specific sets of data, based on an identifier that corresponds to an endpoint device requesting the VoIP call, and based on the determined geographic region; and

causing control data to be sent to activate an analog-telephone bridging circuit and redirect the VoIP call by obtaining a dial tone and passing at least a subset of the data packet through the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting over the local line, the subset of the data packet including the revised caller ID that includes a local number identified by the determined geographic region.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein another endpoint device, through which the dial tone is connected, receives a transposed number indicating a call is being made from the local number using the revised caller ID.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is configured to:

set aside a plurality of provisioned VoIP numbers that are set aside for different geographic regions, and

pass the provisioned VoIP number, which is among the plurality of provisioned VoIP numbers and which is set aside for the determined geographic region, through the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting to a number being called.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to identify whether the caller ID, which corresponds to the requesting endpoint device, should be revised by:

comparing a geographic region of an identifier corresponding to the requesting endpoint device to the determined geographic region that the endpoint device is located and/or a current physical location of the requesting endpoint device;

in response to the geographic region associated with the identifier being different than the determined geographic region that the endpoint device is located and/or the current physical location of the requesting endpoint device, revising the caller ID to include the local number identified by the determined geographic region; and

in response to the geographic region associated with the identifier being the same and/or within a threshold distance from the determined geographic region that the endpoint device is located and/or the current physical location of the requesting endpoint device, using the caller ID corresponding to the requesting endpoint device for the VoIP call.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server uses a variable extension protocol to interpret whether the data packet received at the first port either corresponds to an extension that identifies the endpoint device in a private network or corresponds to information for connecting over the local line through the analog-telephone bridging circuit and is further configured and arranged to respond to the endpoint device indicating the local line should be accessed by:

replacing a caller ID corresponding to the requesting endpoint device with the revised caller ID; and

activating the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting over the local line.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to use a variable extension protocol to interpret and identify a first branch office that the requesting endpoint device identified by an identifier in the data packet and a second branch that the requesting endpoint device is currently physically located at using another IP address in the data packet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus further including the analog-telephone bridging circuit configured and arranged to couple and connect to the local line and bridge communications, using the revised caller ID, between the requesting endpoint device in a private network and the endpoint device that is associated with an emergency service which is specific to the determined geographic region identified by the data packet and assigned for emergency calls of a certain type that are initiated on behalf of the private network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to respond to a call to the revised caller ID from the endpoint device by:

identifying the requesting endpoint device that requested the VoIP call to the endpoint device associated with the emergency service using the client-specific sets of data stored in a database; and

redirecting the call from the endpoint device to an extension of the requesting endpoint device, wherein the extension corresponds to a different geographic region than indicated in the revised caller ID.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to respond to no answer to the call redirected to the extension by further redirecting the call from the endpoint device associated with the emergency service to an extension of the determined geographic region identified by the data packet and corresponding to a front desk or security service of a respective disparate client entity of the requesting endpoint device and the geographic region using the client-specific sets of data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to redirect the call to the extension by accessing a database including the client-specific sets of data and identifying the extension associated with the revised caller ID using a respective client-specific set of data corresponding to a respective disparate client entity that the requesting endpoint device is associated with.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured and arranged to communicate identification of endpoint devices of a respective disparate client entity that the telecommunications-providing server is to revise the caller ID based on a set of rules, and

wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to selectively revise caller IDs for the identified endpoint devices of the respective client entity based on the set of rules.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus further including:

the analog-telephone bridging circuit configured and arranged for coupling and connecting to the local line and bridging communications between the requesting endpoint device in a private network and the endpoint device in a public network which is located in the geographic region using the revised caller ID, and

wherein the telecommunications-providing server is configured to set aside a set of provisioned VoIP numbers that are set aside for different geographic regions, and to pass one of the provisioned VoIP number set aside for the determined geographic region through the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting to the endpoint device in the public network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to respond to a call to the revised caller ID from the endpoint device by:

identifying the requesting endpoint device that last requested the VoIP call using the client-specific sets of data, and

redirecting the call from the endpoint device to an extension corresponding to the requesting endpoint device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to respond to no answer at the redirected call to the extension by:

identifying if one or more different endpoint devices in the private network called the endpoint device in the public network;

in response to no other calls from different endpoint devices in the private network and/or no calls within a threshold period of time, redirecting the call to a voicemail corresponding with the requesting endpoint device; and

in response to a call from a different endpoint device in the private network and/or within the threshold period of time, redirecting the call from the endpoint device to an extension of the different endpoint device in the private network.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to identify a caller ID assigned to the requesting endpoint device and replace the caller ID with the revised caller ID using a client-specific set of data of one of the disparate client entities associated with the requesting endpoint device.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for each of the plurality of disparate client entities, the processing circuit generates the client-specific sets of data by executing a set of instructions specified in a respective set of control directives specified for the client entity.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for a first one of the plurality of disparate client entities,

the processing circuit generates the client-specific sets of data by executing a set of instructions specified in a respective set of control directives specified of the client entity, the set of instructions being specified in a first instruction language;

and

the client-specific sets of data specify client-specific communications routing commands in a second instruction language that is different from the first instruction language.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications-providing server is further configured and arranged to:

respond to another data packet received at a first port of the telecommunications-providing server requesting an additional VoIP call by determining a geographic region that an additional endpoint device identified using the data packet is located and whether a local line should be accessed;

revise a caller identification (ID) for the additional VoIP call based on the client-specific sets of data, based on an identifier that corresponds to the additional endpoint device requesting the additional VoIP call, and based on the determined geographic region; and

connect the additional VoIP call by accessing and passing a provisioned VoIP number, the provisioned VoIP including the revised caller ID that includes a local number identified by the determined geographic region that the additional endpoint is located.

19. A method comprising:

providing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications service relationships with a plurality of disparate client entities by controlling communication between endpoint devices respectively associated with each of the plurality of disparate client entities;

for each of the plurality of disparate client entities, generating client-specific sets of data indicative of client-specific communications routing and/or client-specific communications data, and conveying the generated client-specific sets of data over an interface protocol via communication between a telecommunications-providing server and a processing circuitry of each of the plurality of disparate client entities that are configured and arranged with an interface protocol to facilitate permissible types of communications;

responding to a data packet received at a first port of the telecommunications-providing server requesting a VoIP call by determining a geographic region that an endpoint device identified using the data packet is located and whether a local line should be accessed; and

responding to the data packet indicating that a local line should be accessed by;

revising a caller identification (ID) for the VoIP call based on the client-specific sets of data, based on an identifier that corresponds to an endpoint device requesting the VoIP call, and based on the determined geographic region; and

causing control data to be sent to activate an analog-telephone bridging circuit and redirect the VoIP call by obtaining a dial tone and passing at least a subset of the data packet through the analog-telephone bridging circuit for connecting over the local line, the subset of the data packet including the revised caller ID that includes a local number identified by the determined geographic region.

20. The method of claim 19, further including using a variable extension protocol to interpret and identify a first branch office that the requesting endpoint device identified by an identifier in the data packet corresponds to and a second branch that the requesting endpoint device is currently physically located at using another IP address in the data packet.