Apparatus and method for integrated voice gateway

• US 20030095542A1
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Ltd. (DKR Capital Partners LP), DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Limited With Copies of Notices To Its Investment Manager DKR Oasis Management Company LP, StarVox Communications, Inc., Trinad Capital Master Fund Ltd. (Trinad Management LLC)
• Original Assignee: DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Ltd. (DKR Capital Partners LP), DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Limited With Copies of Notices To Its Investment Manager DKR Oasis Management Company LP, Trinad Capital Master Fund Ltd. (Trinad Management LLC)
• Inventors: Barry, Richard J., Harbison, Robert W., Raab, Stephen R., Chang, Gordon K., Lo, Ming C.
• Application Number:
  US10/086,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095542A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2022 Path replacement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/545 with loop avoiding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

An integrated voice gateway system for use within a company which can route a voice telephone call between parties at two different locations over an IP network or over the PST NETWORK. The system can route a voice telephone call from a first location within the system to a second location within the system via the IP network, and then from the second location to a third location via the PST NETWORK. The integrated voice gateway system includes a gateway server which serves as an intranet/Internet telephony gateway. The gateway server routes intra-company voice or facsimile (fax) calls, over the company'"'"'s intranet or the public Internet. The gateway server provides an alternate voice network to the PST NETWORK for a company. This alternate network is provided at a much lower cost. The gateway server is a combination of hardware and software components which reside on a PC server platform. The gateway server is coupled to a customer premise telephone system, i.e. a PBX via a T1 or E1 trunk for larger systems, or an analog trunk for smaller systems. The gateway server is coupled to the company'"'"'s intranet via industry standard connections. The gateway servers in a multi-site company are coupled together via the company'"'"'s intranet or wide area network (WAN) into a gateway network. The gateway server uses PBX call status links to provide many unique and useful features which are otherwise unavailable. The gateway server uses T1 inband ANI, PRI, QSIG or industry standard CTI applications programming interfaces (API) and works with any PBX which supports any of these call status links. The gateway server is equipped with a database of user and gateway objects and attributes, and provides many unique features including caller'"'"'s name based on caller phone number, address translation, gateway network routing information, user authentication, etc. This database can be integrated with industry standard enterprise directory services systems including any directory which supports the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (X.500) (LDAP) interface.

Claims

154. A communication system comprising:

a public switched telephone (PST) network;

an internet protocol (IP) network;

a private branch exchange (PBX) with a telephone coupled thereto to route a telephone call over the PST network; and

a voice gateway coupled to the PBX and to the IP network to route a telephone call over the IP network, the voice gateway configured to support a plurality of numbering plans.

155. A communication system according to claim 154 wherein the voice gateway is coupled to the PBX via a call status-call control link to control operation of the telephone.

156. A communication system according to claim 154 further comprising a directory coupled to the voice gateway, and wherein the voice gateway is configured to access the directory and to control the telephone to support the plurality of numbering plans.

157. A communication system according to claim 154 wherein the plurality of numbering plans supported includes at least one numbering plan from a group consisting of:

a uniform numbering plan (UNP);

an enterprise numbering plan (ENP); and

a PSTN numbering plan; and

a direct trunk group access code.

158. A method of operating a communication system to route a telephone call over an internet protocol (IP) network, the communication system having a plurality of voice gateways coupled to the IP network, each of the plurality of voice gateways identified by an IP address, the method comprising steps of:

accepting a number entered via a calling telephone by a user in accordance with one of a plurality of numbering plans;

translating the number into the IP address of one of the plurality of voice gateways; and

routing the telephone call from the calling telephone to a called telephone.

159. A method according to claim 158 wherein the communication system further comprises a gateway database coupled to the plurality of voice gateways, the gateway database having the IP addresses of the plurality of voice gateways stored therein, and wherein the step of translating the number comprises steps of:

accessing the gateway database with one of the plurality of voice gateway; and

associating the number with an IP address in the gateway database.

160. A method according to claim 159 wherein the step of associating the number with an IP address comprises the step of manipulating a digit of the number.

161. A method according to claim 158 wherein the step of translating the number includes the step of translating a number from at least one numbering plan from a group consisting of:

a uniform numbering plan (UNP);

an enterprise numbering plan (ENP); and

a PSTN numbering plan; and

a direct trunk group access code.

162. A method according to claim 158 the step of routing the telephone call comprises the step of controlling the plurality of voice gateways to route the telephone call from a first voice gateway over the IP network to a second voice gateway.

163. A method according to claim 158 wherein the communication system further comprises a plurality of private branch exchanges (PBXs) coupled to a public switched telephone (PST) network, each of the plurality of PBXs coupled to one of the plurality of voice gateways through a call status-call control link, and wherein the step of routing the telephone call further comprises the step of controlling a private branch exchange connected to the second voice gateway to route the telephone call to the called telephone.

164. A method according to claim 163 wherein the called telephone is coupled to the private branch exchange through the PST network, and wherein the step of routing the telephone call further comprises the step of controlling the PBX connected to the second voice gateway to route the telephone call over the PST network to the called telephone.