Subscriber mobility in telephony systems

• US 20040165712A1
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Chavez, David L., Milton, Stephen M., Haserodt, Kurt H., Boyle, Frank J., Ravipati, Chandra M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a telecommunications system 100 for routing a contact to a selected address, comprising (a) an input for receiving a contact message comprising a source address and a destination address of a subscriber communication device 116 associated with a subscriber and (b) mobility agent 160 for determining whether or not the source address in the contact message corresponds to a proxy server 128 and, when the source address corresponds to a proxy server 128, causing the contact not to be routed to a selected address and, when the source address does not correspond to a proxy server 128, causing the contact to be routed to the selected address.

Claims

1. A method for bridging a contact, comprising:

(a) receiving a contact message comprising a source address and a destination address associated with a subscriber; and

(b) determining whether or not the source address corresponds to a proxy server and

when the source address corresponds to a proxy server, not bridging the contact to a specified address; and

when the source address does not correspond to a proxy server, bridging the contact to the specified address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination address corresponds to a subscriber of an enterprise telecommunications system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step (b) comprises the step of:

comparing the source address with a proxy server address stored in memory of the enterprise telecommunications system and associated with the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the source address corresponds to a proxy server when the proxy server address is identical to the source address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the source address does not correspond to a proxy server, further comprising:

terminating a contact associated with the contact message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the contact is to be bridged to a network communication device served by the proxy server, further comprising:

not activating a ringer in a subscriber communication device having the destination address; and

bridging the contact to the network communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact message is received by one of a telecommunications switch and a media server and the proxy server is geographically dislocated from the one of the telecommunications switch and media server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the network communication device is packet-switched and the subscriber communication device is circuit-switched.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the contact source is a proxy server, further comprising:

(c) determining whether the contact associated with the contact message is an existing contact.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the contact referenced in the contact message is an existing contact, further comprising:

activating a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and

refusing to receive the contact associated with the contact message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the contact referenced in the contact message is not an existing contact, further comprising:

activating a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and

terminating the contact associated with the contact message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step (c) comprises the step of:

comparing at least one of a unique identifier and the source address contained in the contact message with a corresponding at least one of a stored unique identifier and source address and

when the at least one of a unique identifier and source address in the contact message are each the same as the corresponding at least one of a stored unique identifier and source address, the contact referenced in the contact message is deemed to be an existing contact.

13. A telecommunications system for routing a contact to a selected address, comprising:

(a) an input for receiving a contact message comprising a source address and a destination address associated with a subscriber; and

(b) mobility agent means for determining whether or not the source address of the contact message corresponds to a proxy server and, when the contact source corresponds to a proxy server, causing the contact referenced in the contact message not to be routed to a selected address and, when the contact source does not correspond to a proxy server, causing the contact referenced in the contact message to be routed to the selected address.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the destination address corresponds to a subscriber of an enterprise telecommunications system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobility agent means compares the source address with a proxy server address stored in memory of the enterprise telecommunications system and associated with the subscriber.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the contact address corresponds to a proxy server when the proxy server address is identical to the source address.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein, when the contact address does not correspond to a proxy server, the mobility agent means causes termination of the contact referenced in the contact message.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein, when the contact referenced in the contact message is to be bridged to a network communication device served by the proxy server, the mobility agent means causes the ringer in a subscriber communication device having the destination address not to be activated and the contact to be bridged to the network communication device.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the contact message is received by one of a telecommunications switch and a media server and the proxy server is geographically dislocated from the one of the telecommunications switch and media server.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the network communication device is packet-switched and the subscriber communication device is circuit-switched.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein, when the source address corresponds to a proxy server, the mobility agent means determines whether the contact referenced in the contact message is an existing contact.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein, when the contact is an existing contact, the mobility agent means causes activation of a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and refusal of the contact referenced with the contact message.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein, when the contact is not an existing contact, the mobility agent means causes activation of a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and termination of the contact referenced in the contact message.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein to determine whether or not the contact is an existing contact, the mobility agent means compares a plurality of a unique identifier, the source address and the destination address contained in the contact message with corresponding ones of a stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address and

when the plurality of the unique identifier, source address, and destination address in the contact message are each the same as the corresponding ones of the stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address, the mobility agent means concludes that the contact associated with the contact message is an existing contact;

and

when at least one of the unique identifier, source address, and destination address in the contact message is different from corresponding one of the stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address, the mobility agent means concludes that the contact associated with the contact message is not an existing contact.

25. A telecommunications system for routing a contact to a selected address, comprising:

(a) an input for receiving a contact message comprising a source address and a destination address associated with a subscriber; and

(b) a mobility agent for determining whether or not the source address in the contact message corresponds to a proxy server and, when the source address corresponds to a proxy server, causing the contact not to be routed to a selected address and, when the source address does not correspond to a proxy server, causing the contact to be routed to the selected address.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the destination address corresponds to a subscriber of an enterprise telecommunications system.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the mobility agent compares the source address with a proxy server address stored in memory of the enterprise telecommunications system and associated with the subscriber.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the source address corresponds to a proxy server when the proxy server address is identical to the source address.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein, when the source address does not correspond to a proxy server, the mobility agent causes termination of the contact referenced in the contact message.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein, when the contact is to be bridged to a network communication device served by the proxy server, the mobility agent causes the ringer in a subscriber communication device having the destination address not to be activated and bridging of the contact to the network communication device.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the contact message is received by one of a telecommunications switch and a media server and the proxy server is geographically dislocated from the one of the telecommunications switch and media server.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the network communication device is packet-switched and the subscriber communication device is circuit-switched.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein, when the source address corresponds to a proxy server, the mobility agent determines whether the contact associated with the contact message is an existing contact.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein, when the contact is an existing contact, the mobility agent causes activation of a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and refusal of the contact referenced in the contact message.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein, when the contact is not an existing contact, the mobility agent causes activation of a ringer on a subscriber communication device associated with the subscriber and termination of the contact referenced in the contact message.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein, to determine whether or not the contact is an existing contact, the mobility agent compares a unique identifier, the source address and the destination address contained in the contact message with a stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address and

when the unique identifier, source address, and destination address in the contact message are each the same as the corresponding stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address, the mobility agent concludes that the contact referenced in the contact message is an existing contact;

and

when at least one of the unique identifier, source address, and destination address in the contact message is different from corresponding stored unique identifier, source address, and destination address, the mobility agent concludes that the contact referenced in the contact message is not an existing contact.