Call control component collection of communication device identification information for internet protocol endpoint

• US 20040249954A1
• Filed: 06/04/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Xu, Cai, Yigang
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

An apparatus in one example comprises one or more call control components. One or more of the one or more call control components connect an internet protocol call initiated by a communication device to an internet protocol endpoint. One or more of the one or more call control components collect identification information of the communication device and send the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more call control components;

wherein one or more of the one or more call control components connect an internet protocol call initiated by a communication device to an internet protocol endpoint;

wherein one or more of the one or more call control components collect identification information of the communication device and send the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that connect the internet protocol call store the identification information of the communication device in a database;

wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information access the database to gather the identification information of the communication device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the internet protocol endpoint sends a trace initiation message to the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information to initiate the collection of the identification information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the internet protocol endpoint may send the trace initiation message before acceptance of the internet protocol call, at any time in the duration of the internet protocol call, or after completion of the internet protocol call.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the internet protocol endpoint sends a trace initiation message to the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information;

wherein the trace initiation message comprises a request for inclusion of one or more types of information of the communication device in the identification information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the identification information of the communication device comprises one or more of an identification number, telephone number, email address, uniform resource locator, and user name of the communication device

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification information of the communication device comprises a location of the communication device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more call control components comprise one or more softswitches.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a single call control component of the one or more call control components connects the internet protocol call and collects the identification information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that connect the internet protocol call comprise a first call control component in a first internet protocol domain;

wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information comprise a second call control component in a second internet protocol domain.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in combination with the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the internet protocol endpoint comprises a first internet protocol endpoint in the first internet protocol domain, wherein the communication device comprises a second internet protocol endpoint in the second internet protocol domain;

wherein first internet protocol endpoint sends a trace initiation message to the first call control component to initiate the collection of the identification information;

wherein the first call control component sends a gather identification information message to the second call control component;

wherein the second call control component queries a database of the second internet protocol domain to gather the identification information, wherein the second call control component sends the identification information to the first call control component;

wherein the first call control component sends the identification information to the first internet protocol endpoint.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information perform a verification to check an access level of the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the access level permits access to a first portion of the identification information;

wherein one or more of the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information perform a verification to check a protection level of the communication device, wherein the protection level permits access to a second portion of the identification information;

wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that send the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint send the identification information that is common to both the first portion and second portion of the identification information.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the internet protocol endpoint sends a first H.323 message to the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information to trigger the collection of the identification information;

wherein the one or more of the one or more call control components that send the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint send the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint in a second H.323 message.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more call control components support an internet protocol call trace service;

wherein the internet protocol call trace service charges the internet protocol endpoint a fee for a subscription to the internet protocol call trace service;

wherein the fee for the subscription is based on one or more of a flat monthly price, a number of times the internet protocol endpoint successfully employs the internet protocol call trace service, an amount of information requested from the internet protocol call trace service by the internet protocol endpoint, and a type of information requested from the internet protocol call trace service by the internet protocol endpoint.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the internet protocol endpoint, wherein the internet protocol endpoint comprises a call trace button;

wherein a user of the internet protocol endpoint activates the call trace button to initiate an internet protocol call trace service of the one or more of the one or more call control components that collect the identification information of the communication device.

16. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from an internet protocol endpoint for identification information of a communication device that initiated an internet protocol call with the internet protocol endpoint; and

collecting the identification information of the communication device to send to the internet protocol endpoint in response to the request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of collecting the identification information of the communication device to send to the internet protocol endpoint in response to the request comprises the step of:

identifying in the request one or more types of identification information of the communication device that the internet protocol endpoint indicated for inclusion in the identification information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

collecting the one or more types of identification information of the communication device from a database; and

sending the identification information that comprises the one or more types of identification information of the communication device to the internet protocol endpoint.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of collecting the one or more types of identification information of the communication device from the database comprises the steps of:

forwarding the request from a first call control component that handles the internet protocol endpoint to a second call control component that handles the communication device;

collecting, by the second call control component, the one or more types of identification information of the communication device from the database that stores the identification information of the communication device; and

sending, by the second call control component, the one or more types of identification information of the communication device to the first call control component.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of collecting the identification information of the communication device to send to the internet protocol endpoint in response to the request comprises the step of:

sending the identification information to the internet protocol endpoint at any one or more of before connection of the internet protocol call, at any time in the duration of the internet protocol call, or after completion of the internet protocol call.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of collecting the identification information of the communication device to send to the internet protocol endpoint in response to the request comprises the step of:

verifying, prior to sending the identification information, that the internet protocol endpoint is permitted access to the identification information and that the communication device allows access to the identification information for the internet protocol endpoint.

22. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media;

means in the one or more media for receiving a request from an internet protocol endpoint for identification information of a communication device that initiated an internet protocol call with the internet protocol endpoint; and

means in the one or more media for collecting the identification information of the communication device to send to the internet protocol endpoint in response to the request.