Methods and apparatus for transferring from a PSTN to a VOIP telephone network
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
AIN based methods and apparatus for transitioning telephone numbers and customers from the PSTN to a VOIP network are described. AIN line number portability features are used to allow a few gateway switches that interconnect the PSTN and VOIP networks to service customers whose telephone numbers were originally serviced by several remote PSTN switches. AIN LNP triggers are used to forward PSTN calls, directed to the PSTN switch previously used to service a telephone number, to the gateway switch assigned to route such calls to the IP network. AIN triggers set at the gateway switch insure that the subscriber with the ported telephone number continues to receive AIN services provided before the telephone number was ported to the IP network. Calls from ported telephone numbers to telephones in the PSTN are billed from PSTN switches through the use of AIN functionality and triggers set at the gateway switch.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1-9. -9. (canceled)
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10. A method of servicing a call originating from a first telephone device coupled to an Internet Protocol based network, the first telephone device using Internet Protocol packets and being used by a telephone service subscriber with whom a first telephone number is associated, the call being directed to a second telephone device coupled to a telephone switch included in a public switched telephone network, a second telephone number being associated with the second telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:
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setting a trigger at a telephone switch which interconnects the Internet Protocol based network and public switched telephone network, said switch at which the trigger is set being said telephone switch or a different telephone switch, the trigger being activated in response to a telephone call including the first telephone number in a field included in said telephone call;
in response to the trigger being activated by said telephone call, contacting a service control point for call processing instructions; and
operating the service control point to control the telephone switch where said first trigger is set to route the call using the second telephone number as the called party telephone number and to send a billing signal to another telephone switch included in the public switched telephone network to bill the first telephone service subscriber for the telephone call. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17-21. -21. (canceled)
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22. A communications system comprising:
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an Internet Protocol network including an Internet Protocol telephony device, a first telephone number being associated with said telephony device; and
a public switched telephone network, the public switched telephone network including;
i) a first telephone switch coupled to the Internet Protocol network, a trigger being set at said first telephone switch which is responsive to at least a portion of said first telephone number;
ii) a service control point coupled to said first telephone switch, the service control point including logic for controlling the first telephone switch to cause, in response to activation of said trigger, a telephone call placed from said telephony device to be billed by a device in the public switched telephone network to a telephone service subscriber to whom said telephony device corresponds. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification