Methods, apparatus and computer program products for routing phone calls to a PSTN or a packet switched network based on called number

• US 20050047574A1
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reid, Laura
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/211.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• 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

Abstract

A phone call is selectively routed to a public switched telephone network or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed. A phone call may be made as a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol call through, for example, the Internet except when a user dials an emergency number, in which case the call is made to the public switched telephone network.

Claims

1. A method of routing phone calls in a communication system, the method comprising:

selectively routing a phone call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a cable modem device based on the called number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem device based on the called number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a broadband network modem device based on the called number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises routing the phone call to the PSTN when the called number corresponds to at least one predefined number.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises routing the phone call to the packet switched network when the called number does not correspond to the at least one predefined number.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined number is 911.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises routing a call to the PSTN when the called number corresponds to an emergency number, and routing a call as a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) to an Internet network when the called number does not correspond to an emergency number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively routing a phone call to a PSTN or to a packet switched network comprises selectively establishing an analog connection between a phone and the PSTN or a digital connection between the phone and the packet switched network based on the called number.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selectively converting an analog signal from the phone to a digital signal based on the called number.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively providing the called number to the PSTN or the packet switched network based on the called number.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively routing the phone call to an Internet network to a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) provider based on the called number.

13. A phone adapter comprising:

a controller that is configured to selectively route a phone call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed.

14. The phone adapter of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route a phone call to the PSTN or to a cable modem device based on the called number.

15. The phone adapter of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route a phone call to the PSTN or to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem device based on the called number.

16. The phone adapter of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route a phone call to the PSTN or to a broadband network interface device based on the called number.

17. The phone adapter of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to convert an analog phone signal for communication across the packet switched network when the called number corresponds to at least one predefined number.

18. The phone adapter of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the called number corresponds to at least one predefined number, and further comprising a switch that is configured to selectively pass a signal from a phone to the PSTN based on the determination by the controller.

19. The phone adapter of claim 13, further comprising:

a phone interface that is configured to be communicatively connected to a phone;

a PSTN interface that is configured to be communicatively connected to the PSTN; and

an Internet interface that is configured to be communicatively connected to the Internet, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route a signal from the phone interface to the PSTN interface or to the Internet interface based on the called number.

20. A computer program product for routing calls in a communication system, the computer program product comprising program code embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

program code that is configured to selectively route a phone call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising:

program code that is configured to selectively route a phone call to the PSTN or to a cable modem device based on the called number.

22. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising:

program code that is configured to selectively route a phone call as an analog signal to a PSTN or as digital signal to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem device based on the called number.

23. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising:

program code that is configured to selectively route a phone call as an analog signal to a PSTN or as digital signal to a broadband network interface device based on the called number.

24. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising:

program code that is configured to dial the called number on the PSTN when the called number corresponds to an emergency number; and

program code that is configured to route a call to an Internet network as a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call when the called number does not correspond to an emergency number.