Method and system for updating physical location information

• US 10,447,849 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Petit-Huguenin, Marc, Martin, Bryan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phung, Luat
• Application Number:
  US15/806,168
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• 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 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

A method and system for updating physical location data associated with a VoIP endpoint device is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment, a VoIP endpoint device stores an identifier for a packet-communicating device which is subject to changing. The VoIP endpoint device has an interface for communication over the Internet via the packet-communicating device and uses a circuit-implemented method for prompting a VoIP user to update physical location data associated with the VoIP endpoint device. In response to a power state transition and a change in the stored identifier, the VoIP endpoint device facilitates an update to the physical location data associated with the VoIP service.

Claims

1. A system involving communications between Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) endpoint devices and a VoIP server, comprising:

processing circuitry configured and arranged to;

detect a wireless communication connectivity-state transition for a VoIP endpoint device among the VoIP endpoint devices, and output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by;

comparing a first stored identifier and a second stored identifier, corresponding to a packet-based communication device through which the VoIP endpoint device communicated before the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition and after the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition, respectively; and

altering an indicator on the VoIP endpoint device signifying that a physical location update is not appropriate, in response to the comparison indicating that the first stored identifier and the second stored identifier match.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifiers for each of the packet-based communication devices are determined based on an address of the packet-based communication device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by:

determining that an address of the packet-based communication device before the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition and an address of the packet-based communication device after the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition are the same; and

outputting to the VoIP server, the determination that the VoIP endpoint device has not changed physical locations and a physical location update is not appropriate.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by:

determining that an address of the packet-based communication device before the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition and an address of the packet-based communication device after the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition are not the same; and

outputting to the VoIP server, the determination that the VoIP endpoint device has changed physical locations and a physical location update is appropriate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifiers for each of the packet-based communication devices are determined based on a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by:

determining a first MAC address associated with the packet-based communication device before the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition; and

determining a second MAC address associated the packet-based communication device after the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by determining that the first MAC address and the second MAC address do not match.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifiers for each of the packet-based communication devices are determined based on a wide area network (WAN) address, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by:

determining a first WAN address associated with the packet-based communication device before the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition; and

determining a second WAN address associated the packet-based communication device after the detected wireless communication connectivity-state transition.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured and arranged to output a determination whether a physical location update is appropriate by determining that the first WAN address and the second WAN address do not match.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the identifiers for each of the packet-based communication devices are determined based on at least one of a media access control (MAC) address, an interne protocol (IP) address;

and a wide area network (WAN) address.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the identifiers for each of the packet-based communication devices are determined based on a combination of a media access control (MAC) address, and a wide area network (WAN) address.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured and arranged to determine that the VoIP endpoint device has changed physical location in response to the comparison indicating a portion of the second stored identifier does not match a portion of the first stored identifier.