Location updates for call routing decisions

• US 10,326,888 B1
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Miskovic, Slobodan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US15/146,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/38 adapting due to varying relative distances between nodes

Abstract

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server is configured to provide VoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices. Geolocation information identifying a first geographic location of the particular endpoint device is received at the VoIP server and from an application running on a VoIP-capable endpoint device. A second geographic location for an IP address is compared to the first geographic location. In response to a mismatch between the compared geographic locations, a location database is modified to include an entry specifying that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location. For an outgoing telephone call from the endpoint device, the modified entry is used to select a telephone carrier. The outgoing telephone call is routed using the selected telephone carrier.

Claims

1. A method for use with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server that is configured to provide VoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the VoIP server and from an application running on a particular endpoint device of the plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices, geolocation information identifying a first geographic location of the particular endpoint device;

comparing the first geographic location to a second geographic location indicated by an IP address used by the particular endpoint device, wherein the first geographic location is indicative of an actual physical location of the particular endpoint device, and the second geographic location is a registered location associated with the IP address and particular endpoint device;

modifying, in response to a mismatch between the compared geographic locations, a location database to include an entry specifying that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location;

receiving, at the VoIP server, an outgoing telephone call from the particular endpoint device;

selecting, based upon the first geographic location in the entry that specifies that the actual physical location of the particular endpoint device, a telephone carrier; and

routing, based upon the selecting of the telephone carrier, the outgoing telephone call using the selected telephone carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the—

second geographic location is indicative of the registered location associated with the IP address further comprising determining, based upon the comparing, that the first geographic location falls outside of a particular radius from the second geographic location and selected the telephone carrier from a plurality of selectable routing options including different telephone carriers and media servers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the modifying is further in response to the determining that the first geographic location falls outside of the particular radius from the second geographic location, and wherein the second geographic location is indicative of a physical location associated with the particular endpoint device that is inconsistent with the actual physical location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based upon the comparing, that the first geographic location is within a different country than the second geographic location, wherein the second geographic location is the registered location associated with the particular endpoint device and in which the particular endpoint is not physically located.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modifying is further in response to the determining that the first geographic location is within the different country.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address is an external IP address and the particular endpoint device is part of a local network and is configured and arranged to access the Internet using the external IP address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address used by the particular endpoint device remains the same responsive to movement by the particular endpoint device.

8. A method for use with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server that is configured to provide VoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the VoIP server and from an application running on a particular endpoint device of the plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices, geolocation information identifying a first geographic location of the particular endpoint device;

comparing the first geographic location to a second geographic location indicated by an IP address used by the particular endpoint device, wherein the first geographic location is indicative of an actual physical location of the particular endpoint device, and the second geographic location is a registered location associated with the IP address and particular endpoint device;

modifying, in response to a mismatch between the compared geographic locations, a location database to include an entry specifying that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location;

receiving, at the VoIP server, an inbound call to the particular endpoint device;

selecting, based upon the entry that specifies that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location, a media server; and

routing, based upon the selecting of the media server, the inbound call using the selected media server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the inbound call includes receiving an invite using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), wherein the first geographic location is indicative of an actual physical location of the particular endpoint device and the second geographic location is indicative of a location the particular endpoint device is linked with and the mismatch indicates the first geographic location is inconsistent with the second geographic location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inbound call originates from a telephone on the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the media server provides media relay functions for the inbound call, wherein receiving the geolocation information is in response to a trigger event indicative of the particular endpoint device moving between geographic regions.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, based upon the comparing, that the first geographic location falls outside of a particular radius from the second geographic location and, in response, receiving the geolocation information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the modifying is further in response to the determining that the first geographic location falls outside of the particular radius from the second geographic location, the second geographic location being indicative of a data center and corresponding media servers.

14. A system comprising:

a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server that includes one or more computer processor circuits and memory circuits that are configured to provide VoIP services to a plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices by;

receiving, at the VoIP server and from an application running on a particular endpoint device of the plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices, geolocation information identifying a first geographic location of the particular endpoint device;

comparing the first geographic location to a second geographic location indicated by an IP address used by the particular endpoint device, wherein the first geographic location is indicative of an actual physical location of the particular endpoint device, and the second geographic location is a registered location associated with the IP address and particular endpoint device;

modifying, in response to a mismatch between the compared geographic locations, a location database to include an entry specifying that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location;

receiving, at the VoIP server, a telephone call for which the particular endpoint device is a calling peer;

making a routing decision based upon the entry that specifies that the particular endpoint device is located at the first geographic location; and

routing the telephone call based upon the routing decision.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the routing decision includes a selection of a telephone carrier to complete the telephone call, the selected telephone carrier being among a plurality of selectable routing options including different telephone carriers and media servers, and the second geographic location is a registered location associated with the particular endpoint device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the routing decision includes a selection of a media server to complete the telephone call, the selected media server being among a plurality of selectable routing options including different telephone carriers and media servers, wherein receiving the geolocation information is in response to a trigger event indicative of the particular endpoint device moving regions, the trigger event being dependent on a current geographic region in which the particular endpoint is located.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more computer processor circuits and memory circuits are further configured to determine, based upon the comparing, that the first geographic location falls outside of a particular radius from the second geographic location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the modifying is further in response to the determining that the first geographic location falls outside of the particular radius from the second geographic location.

19. The system of claim 14, further including:

the plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices; and

a local network that at least one of the plurality of VoIP-capable endpoint devices forms part of, wherein the IP address is an external IP address, and the particular endpoint device is configured and arranged to access the Internet using the external IP address.

20. The system of claim 19, further including a domain name system (DNS) server circuitry hosted by a remote service and configured and arranged for the external IP address, wherein the DNS server circuitry is located at a different geographic location than the particular endpoint device.