Methods, apparatus and computer program products for associating local telephone numbers with emergency phone calls in a packet switched telephone system

• US 20050249193A1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Epley, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A packet switched telephone system includes a packet switched routing apparatus. The packet switched routing apparatus selectively associates a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number, and routes the phone call based on the called telephone number. The local telephone number may be substituted for a calling telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number, such as an emergency number. When the called telephone number corresponds to an emergency number, the phone call may be routed with the substituted local telephone number to a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) that services the local area of the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of routing phone calls in a packet switched telephone system, the method comprising:

selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number to which the phone call is directed; and

routing the phone call based on the called telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call comprises substituting the local telephone number for a calling telephone number that is associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein routing the phone call comprises routing the phone call with the substituted local telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to the predefined number or with the calling telephone number when the called telephone number does not correspond to the predefined number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the local telephone number and a packet switched telephone number with a subscriber; and

associating the local telephone number with location information for the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the packet switched telephone number comprises a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscriber telephone number.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call comprises selectively associating the packet switched telephone number or the local telephone number with the phone call based on the called telephone number.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein:

selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call comprises substituting the local telephone number for a calling telephone number associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number; and

routing the phone call comprises routing the phone call with the substituted local telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to the predefined number or with the packet switched telephone number when the called telephone number does not correspond to the predefined number.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call comprises substituting the local telephone number for a calling telephone number associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to an emergency number; and

routing the phone call comprises routing the phone call with the substituted local telephone number to a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call based on the called telephone number is carried out at a VoIP server in the packet switched telephone system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively associating a local telephone number with a phone call based on the called telephone number is carried out at a soft switch in the packet switched telephone system.

11. A packet switched telephone system, comprising:

a packet switched routing apparatus that is configured to selectively associate a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number to which the phone call is directed, and is configured to route the phone call based on the called telephone number.

12. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, wherein the packet switched routing apparatus is configured to substitute the local telephone number for a calling telephone number that is associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number.

13. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, wherein the packet switched routing apparatus is configured to substitute the local telephone number for a calling telephone number that is associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to an emergency number, and is configured to route the phone call with the substituted local telephone number to a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP).

14. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, wherein the packet switched routing apparatus is configured to associate a local telephone number and a packet switched telephone number with a subscriber, and is configured to route the phone call with the local telephone number as a calling telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to a predetermined number, and is configured to route the phone call with the packet switched telephone number as the calling telephone number when the called telephone number does not correspond to the predetermined number.

15. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, wherein the packet switched routing apparatus comprises:

a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server that is configured to associate a local telephone number and a packet switched telephone number with a subscriber, and is configured to route the phone call with the local telephone number as a calling telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to a predetermined number, and is configured to route the phone call with the packet switched telephone number as the calling telephone number when the called telephone number does not correspond to the predetermined number.

16. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, wherein the packet switched routing apparatus comprises:

a soft switch that is configured to substitute a local telephone number for a calling telephone number that is associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to a predetermined number.

17. The packet switched telephone system of claim 11, further comprising:

an Automatic Location Information (ALI) database that is configured to associate subscriber location information with subscriber telephone numbers; and

a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) that is configured to retrieve subscriber location information from the ALI database based on the calling number associated with the phone call.

18. A computer program product for routing calls in a packet switched telephone 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 associate a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number to which the phone call is directed.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, further comprising:

program code that is configured to substitute the local telephone number for a calling telephone number that is associated with the phone call when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, further comprising:

program code that is configured to route the phone call with the substituted local telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to the predefined number or with the calling telephone number when the called telephone number does not correspond to the predefined number.

21. The computer program product according to claim 18, further comprising:

program code that is configured to associate the local telephone number and a packet switched telephone number with a subscriber; and

program code that is configured to selectively associate the packet switched telephone number or the local telephone number with the phone call based on the called telephone number.