"Roaming" method and apparatus for use in emulating a user's "home" telecommunications environment

• US 20050147226A1
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hofmann, Markus Andreas, Anupam, Vinod, Sweldens, Wim
• Granted Patent: US 7,555,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42246 where the subscriber uses a multi-mode terminal which moves and accesses different networks with at least one network having a wireline access including cordless PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/912 Geographically adaptive

Abstract

The concept of “roaming” is extended to wireline networks with a network hosted technique which emulates a wireline telecommunications network user'"'"'s environment when the user is using a wireline telecommunications device located at a physical location other than his or her “home” location, or when using a wireline or wireless telecommunications device other than his or her own regardless of the location. Any telephone or other telecommunications device being used by the user advantageously appears to be logically connected directly to his or her home telecommunications network, irrespective of the location of the telephone or other telecommunications device being used and the telecommunications network to which that device is actually connected.

Claims

1. A method for emulating a home telecommunications environment for a user associated with said home telecommunications environment, the user located at a remote telecommunications device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the user to initiate emulation of a home telecommunications environment;

receiving authentication information from the user indicating the user'"'"'s association with the home telecommunications environment;

determining a home telecommunications network which is associated with the given home telecommunications environment; and

instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network, thereby emulating the home telecommunications environment for the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network comprises instructing the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to redirect said signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device to the determined home telecommunications network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device and the home telecommunications network are implemented with an IMS architecture.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network comprises instructing the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to redirect said signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device to the determined home telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device and the home telecommunications network are implemented with an IN architecture.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the home telecommunications network comprises a Centrex-based network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the home telecommunications network comprises a PBX-based telecommunications network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireline telephone.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device comprises a PBX network and wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a PBX network based telephone.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireless telephone network and wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireless telephone.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving a request from the user to initiate emulation of a home telecommunications environment comprises receiving a call from the user made to a predetermined registration telephone number.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of requesting said authorization information from said user in response to receiving said call from the user.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the home telecommunications switch is comprised in a home telephone network and wherein the home telephone network and the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device are operated by respective service providers which have entered into a wireline roaming agreement.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the user to discontinue emulating the telecommunications environment for the user; and

instructing the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to cease processing signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of redirecting incoming calls directed to the user within said home telecommunications environment to the remote telecommunications device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of blocking incoming calls directed to the remote telecommunications device except for said incoming calls directed to the user within said home telecommunications environment.

17. An apparatus for providing an emulation of a home telecommunications environment for a user associated with said home telecommunications environment, the user located at a remote telecommunications device, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request from the user to initiate emulation of a home telecommunications environment;

means for receiving authentication information from the user indicating the user'"'"'s association with the home telecommunications environment;

means for determining a home telecommunications network which is associated with the given home telecommunications environment; and

means for instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications switch, thereby emulating the home telecommunications environment for the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device and the home telecommunications network are implemented with an IMS architecture, and wherein the means for instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network comprises means for instructing the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to redirect said signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device to the determined home telecommunications network.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device and the home telecommunications network are implemented with an IN architecture, and wherein the means for instructing a telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to process signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device based on the determined home telecommunications network comprises means for instructing the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device to redirect said signaling information associated with the user'"'"'s use of the remote telecommunications device to the determined home telecommunications network.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the home telecommunications network comprises a Centrex-based network.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the home telecommunications network comprises a PBX-based telecommunications network.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireline telephone.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device comprises a PBX network and wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a PBX network based telephone.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the telecommunications network associated with the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireless telephone network and wherein the remote telecommunications device comprises a wireless telephone.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising means for redirecting incoming calls directed to the user within said home telecommunications environment to the remote telecommunications device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising means for blocking incoming calls directed to the remote telecommunications device except for said incoming calls directed to the user within said home telecommunications environment.