Method and system for providing and using telephone call routing rules

• US 20040218748A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fisher, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/746,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218748A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/221.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• 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: 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: H04Q 2213/13034 : A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13138 : Least cost routing, LCR
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 : Traffic distributors

Abstract

A method and system for providing and using telephone call routing rules provides customer premises equipment adapted to intelligently and automatically identify a routing path associated with a telephone call and to route the telephone call to the identified routing path.

Claims

1. A method of routing a telephone call, comprising:

generating routing rules having one or more telephone call categories, one or more respective telephone number characteristics, and one or more respective routing selections; and

providing the routing rules to customer premises equipment (CPE) adapted to route the telephone call to a routing path according the routing rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selected ones of the routing rules are selected in order to reduce a cost associated with the telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more respective telephone number characteristics include selected numbers associated with selected digits of a telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more respective telephone number characteristics include selected area code numbers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more telephone call categories include one or more of a local PSTN destination category, a local toll PSTN destination category, a long distance PSTN destination category, an international PSTN destination category, a local VoIP destination category, a local toll VoIP destination category, a long distance VoIP destination category, an international VoIP destination category, an intra-site destination category, a local intra-company PSTN destination category, a local toll intra-company PSTN destination category, a long distance intra-company PSTN destination category, an international intra-company PSTN destination category, a local intra-company VoIP destination category, a local toll intra-company VoIP destination category, a long distance intra-company VoIP destination category, an international intra-company VoIP destination category, a local partner PSTN destination category, a local toll partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, and international partner PSTN destination category, a local partner VoIP destination category, a local toll partner VoIP destination category, a long distance partner VoIP destination category, and an international partner VoIP destination category.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the routing rules to the CPE includes:

identifying if a customer associated with the CPE is a subscribing customer; and

providing the routing rules to the CPE only if the customer is a subscribing customer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the routing rules to the CPE includes generating a secure network connection to the CPE.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the routing rules to the CPE is provided over a network connection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network connection is an Internet connection.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining when a calling plan associated with the CPE has changed to an updated calling plan; and

selecting updated routing rules associated with the updated calling plan; and

providing the updated routing rules to the CPE.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the providing the updated routing rules to the CPE includes:

identifying if a customer associated with the CPE is a subscribing customer; and

providing the updated routing rules to the CPE only if the customer is a subscribing customer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing the updated routing rules to the CPE includes generating a secure network connection to the CPE.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing the updated routing rules to the CPE is provided over a network connection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network connection is an Internet connection.

15. A method of routing a telephone call, comprising:

identifying called telephone number characteristics associated with the telephone call;

comparing the called telephone number characteristics with routing rules to provide a routing selection; and

routing the telephone call to a selected one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network in response to the routing selection, wherein the identifying, the comparing, and the routing are provided by customer premises equipment (CPE).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein selected ones of the routing rules are selected in order, to reduce a cost associated with the telephone call.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the called telephone number characteristics include selected numbers associated with selected digits of the called telephone number.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the called telephone number characteristics include selected area codes.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the routing the telephone call includes:

coupling telephone calls having selected called telephone number characteristics to the PSTN; and

coupling telephone calls having other selected called telephone number characteristics to the VoIP network.

20. The method of claim 15, further including:

detecting a connection performance of at least one of the PSTN and the VoIP network; and

changing the routing the telephone call to the selected one of the PSTN and the VoIP network in response to the connection performance.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the connection performance includes one or more of a network availability and a network bandwidth.

22. A system for routing a telephone call, comprising:

routing rules having one or more telephone call categories, one or more respective telephone number characteristics, and one or more respective routing selections; and

a network interface adapted to provide the routing rules to customer premises equipment (CPE), to enable the CPE to route the telephone call to a routing path according to the routing rules.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein selected ones of the routing rules are selected in order to reduce a cost associated with the telephone call.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more respective telephone number characteristics include selected numbers associated with selected digits of a telephone number.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more respective telephone number characteristics include selected area code numbers.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more telephone call categories include one or more of a local PSTN destination category, a local toll PSTN destination category, a long distance PSTN destination category, an international PSTN destination category, a local VoIP destination category, a local toll VoIP destination category, a long distance VoIP destination category, an international VoIP destination category, an intra-site destination category, a local intra-company PSTN destination category, a local toll intra-company PSTN destination category, a long distance intra-company PSTN destination category, an international intra-company PSTN destination category, a local intra-company VoIP destination category, a local toll intra-company VoIP destination category, a long distance intra-company VoIP destination category, an international intra-company VoIP destination category, a local partner PSTN destination category, a local toll partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, and international partner PSTN destination category, a local partner VoIP destination category, a local toll partner VoIP destination category, a long distance partner VoIP destination category, and an international partner VoIP destination category.

27. The system of claim 22, further including a management system adapted to detect if a customer associated with the CPE is a subscribing customer, further adapted to provide a network connection to the CPE, and still further adapted to provide the routing rules to the CPE.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the network connection includes a secure Internet connection.

29. A system for routing a telephone call, comprising:

routing rules having one or more telephone call categories, one or more respective selected telephone number characteristics, and one or more respective routing selections;

a telephony interface adapted to receive a telephone call having a called telephone number;

a dialing rules engine coupled to the telephony interface for analyzing the telephone call and selecting a routing path associated with the routing rules;

a first gateway coupled to the routing processor and adapted to route the telephone call to the PSTN in response to the selected routing path; and

a second gateway coupled to the routing processor and adapted to route the telephone call to the VoIP network in response to the selected routing path.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein selected ones of the routing rules are selected in order to reduce a cost associated with the telephone call.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the dialing rules engine includes:

a called telephone number characteristic detector coupled to the telephony interface, for providing called telephone number characteristics;

a comparison processor coupled to the called telephone number characteristic detector and adapted to compare the called telephone number characteristics with the routing rules to provide a routing selection output; and

a routing processor coupled to the comparison processor and adapted to choose a selected routing path associated with the telephone call from a selected one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network in response to the routing selection output.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the called telephone number characteristics include selected numbers associated with selected digits of the called telephone number.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the called telephone number characteristics include selected area code numbers.

34. A computer program medium having computer readable code thereon, comprising:

instructions for identifying called telephone number characteristics associated with a telephone call;

instructions for comparing the called telephone number characteristics with routing rules having one or more telephone call categories to provide a routing selection;

instruction for routing the telephone call to a selected one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network in response to the routing selection, wherein the instructions for identifying, comparing, and routing are provided by customer premises equipment (CPE).

35. The computer program medium of claim 34, wherein selected ones of the routing rules are selected in order to reduce a cost associated with the telephone call.

36. The computer program medium of claim 34, wherein the one or more telephone call categories include one or more of a local PSTN destination category, a local toll PSTN destination category, a long distance PSTN destination category, an international PSTN destination category, a local VoIP destination category, a local toll VoIP destination category, a long distance VoIP destination category, an international VoIP destination category, an intra-site destination category, a local intra-company PSTN destination category, a local toll intra-company PSTN destination category, a long distance intra-company PSTN destination category, an international intra-company PSTN destination category, a local intra-company VoIP destination category, a local toll intra-company VoIP destination category, a long distance intra-company VoIP destination category, an international intra-company VoIP destination category, a local partner PSTN destination category, a local toll partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, a long distance partner PSTN destination category, and international partner PSTN destination category, a local partner VoIP destination category, a local toll partner VoIP destination category, a long distance partner VoIP destination category, and an international partner VoIP destination category.

37. The computer program medium of claim 34, wherein the called telephone number characteristics include numbers associated with selected digits of a called telephone number.