Voice over Network (VoN)/Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) architect having hotline and optional tie line

• US 20050190750A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Anita Hogans, Kafka, Henry J., Adamczyk, Maria, LaPierre, Stephen R., Ruckart, John Paul, McCourt, Karen M., Iffland, Frederick C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

Voice service over a next generation network is provided using Advanced Intelligent Network solutions. According to an exemplary embodiment, a Voice over Network system includes a communications device having a directory communication address in communication with a telecommunications network, means for decoding the directory communications address to identify a voice over internet protocol service feature of the communications address, and means for establishing an internet protocol telephony communications connection of the communications device with a called party'"'"'s communications address via a VoN hotline. According to further exemplary embodiments, the hotline may include a media gateway, an application server, a feature server, and means for communicating among the media gateway, the application server, and the feature server.

Claims

1. A method for Voice over Network services comprising:

decoding a Voice over Network setup communications signal to associate an internal communications address with a directory communications address, the internal communications address comprising a Voice over Network service of the directory communications address; and

establishing a Voice over Network hotline for the directory communications address, the hotline providing voice over internet protocol communications for communications with the directory communications address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a dial tone to a communications device of the directory communications address, the dial tone indicating availability to communicate voice over internet protocol communications signals;

receiving a called party'"'"'s communications address from the directory communications address;

initiating a Voice over Network communications signal to the called party'"'"'s communications address from the hotline; and

establishing the Voice over Network communications signal from the directory communications address to the called party'"'"'s communications address via the Voice over Network hotline.

3. The method of claim 1, the internal communications address further comprising a communications service feature of the directory communications address, the communications service feature comprising a call waiting service feature, a three way call service feature, a caller identification service feature, a hold service feature, a mute service feature, a voicemail service feature, a flash service feature, and a dual tone multi-frequency service feature.

4. A Voice over Network system comprising:

means for decoding a directory communications address of a communications device to identify a voice over internet protocol service feature of the directory communications address, the communications device in communication with a telecommunications network; and

means for establishing a Voice over Network hotline to provide the voice over internet protocol service feature, the Voice over Network hotline communicating internet protocol telephony communications signals, the hotline further establishing an internet protocol telephony communications connection of the communications device with a called party'"'"'s communications address.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the means for decoding the directory communications address to identify a voice over internet protocol service feature of the directory communications address comprises a feature server and an application server.

6. The system of claim 5, the hotline further comprising a media gateway, the application server, a media server, the feature server, and means for communicating among the media gateway, the application server, and the feature server.

7. The system of claim 6, the means for communicating between the media gateway, the application server, and the feature server comprising an internet protocol telephony switching device.

8. The system of claim 7, the media gateway communicating the with the internet protocol telephony switching device to initiate setup of the hotline.

9. The system of claim 8, the feature server communicating with the application server to establish a bearer communications path from the media server to the media gateway, the feature server further instructing the media server to communicate a dial tone to the media gateway and further instructing the media gateway to communicate the called party'"'"'s communications address.

10. The system of claim 9, the media server communicating the dial tone to the communications device via the bearer communications path.

11. The system of claim 10, the media server receiving the called party'"'"'s communications address from the communications device via the bearer communications path and communicating the called party'"'"'s communications address to the feature server.

12. The system of claim 11, the application server initiating communication of the internet protocol telephony communications signal to the called party'"'"'s communications address and instructing the media gateway establish the internet protocol telephony communications connection of the communications device with a called party'"'"'s communications address via the bearer path.

13. The system of claim 9, the means for decoding the directory communications address of the communications device further detecting the hotline and communicating the bearer path to the media gateway.

14. The system of claim 13, the means for decoding the directory communications address of the communications device using a direct tie line via in-band signaling to the media gateway.

15. The system of claim 14, the media gateway communicating with the internet protocol telephony switching device to initiate communications setup, the internet protocol telephony switching device communicating with the application server to establish communications with the bearer communications path via the media server, and the application server further instructing the media server to communicate the dial tone to the called party'"'"'s communications address.

16. The system of claim 15, the media server communicating the dial tone to the communications device via the direct tie line.

17. The system of claim 16, the media server receiving the called party'"'"'s communications address from the communications device via the direct tie line and communicating the called party'"'"'s communications address to the application server.

18. The system of claim 17, the application server initiating communication of the internet protocol telephony communications signal to the called party'"'"'s communications address and instructing the internet telephony switching device to route the internet protocol telephony communications signal to the media server to establish the internet protocol telephony communications connection of the communications device with a called party'"'"'s communications address.

21. The system of claim 4, the means for identifying the off-hook state of the communications device further providing means for decoding the directory communications address to identify a mid-call service feature of the directory communications address, the mid-call service feature comprising a call waiting service feature, a three way call service feature, a caller identification service feature, a hold service feature, a mute service feature, a voicemail service feature, a flash service feature, and a dual tone multi-frequency service feature.

20. The system of claim 19, the media gateway further decoding the directory communications address to identify a mid-call service feature of the directory communications address, the mid-call service feature comprising a call waiting service feature, a three way call service feature, a caller identification service feature, a hold service feature, a mute service feature, a voicemail service feature, a flash service feature, and a dual tone multi-frequency service feature.

22. A storage medium on which is encoded instructions for performing the following:

decoding a Voice over Network setup communications signal to associate an internal communications address with a directory communications address, the internal communications address comprising a Voice over Network service of the directory communications address; and

establishing a Voice over Network hotline for the directory communications address, the hotline providing voice over internet protocol communications for communications with the directory communications address.

23. The storage medium of claim 22, on which is further encoded instructions for performing the following:

presenting a dial tone to a communications device of the directory communications address, the dial tone indicating availability to communicate voice over internet protocol communications signals;

receiving a called party'"'"'s communications address from the directory communications address;

initiating a Voice over Network communications signal to the called party'"'"'s communications address from the hotline; and

establishing the Voice over Network communications signal from the directory communications address to the called party'"'"'s communications address via the Voice over Network hotline.