Method and system for providing private virtual secure Voice over Internet Protocol communications

• US 20060187900A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lesavich High-Tech Law Group, PC
• Original Assignee: Imran M. Akbar
• Inventors: Akbar, Imran M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,852,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/35 virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0066 Details of access arrangements to the networks where the access arrangement is a PSTN/ISDN access H04M7/122

Abstract

A method and system for secure Voice over Internet Protocol (IP) (VoIP) communications. The method and system provide secure VoIP voice calls, video, Instant Messaging (IM), Short Message Services (SMS), or Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communications while maintaining privacy over the Internet and other communications networks such as the pubic switched telephone network (PSTN) to and from any network device through a virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting private VoIP network devices. The method and system allow a network device to function as an IP private branch exchange (PBX) or a private VoIP gateway and provide and control VoIP voice communications without using other public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers or devices on a communications network such as the PSTN or the Internet.

Claims

1. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, comprising in combination:

a serial line interface circuit (SLIC) configured for interfacing with a telephone handset, detecting when the telephone handset is off hook and initiate ringing on the telephone handset for voice calls;

a data access arrangement (DAA) circuit configured for connecting to a telephony network and initiating and receiving voice calls through the telephone handset;

an audio coder/decoder (CODEC) for encoding and decoding voice information for VoIP voice calls;

a universal serial bus (USB) for providing Internet Protocol (IP) communications for VoIP voice communications between the VoIP system and a network device and providing the network device with operating power;

a USB port for accepting a USB cable to connect a network device to the USB port;

a caller identification decoder for providing caller identification of an incoming voice call;

a foreign exchange office (FXO) interface for interfacing with a telephony switch on a telephony network and for providing an off-hook and an on-hook indicator to a network device;

a foreign exchange solution (FXS) interface providing voice calls to and from the telephony network and providing dial tone, battery current and ring voltage;

a VoIP application for providing VoIP voice communications via a communications network using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets via the USB port, FXO interface or FXS interface,

wherein the VoIP system allows the network device to provide and control VoIP voice communications via virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting other network devices using the same VoIP system without using other public VoIP gateways or VoIP services on the communications network.

2. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the voice communications are secure voice communications.

3. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP application provides connections to Instant Messaging (IM) services or Short Messaging Services (SMS).

4. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP application provides network address translation (NAT) traversals for VoIP voice communications.

5. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP application provides peer-to-peer (P2P) VoIP communications.

6. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the P2P VoIP communications include a hierarchical overlay P2P VoIP communications with a P2P rating system.

7. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system comprises a VoIP gateway used between the network device and the communications network, wherein the VoIP gateway connects the network device to a plurality of other VoIP gateways including the same VoIP system to provide virtual private VoIP gateway to VoIP gateway communications.

8. The VoIP system of claim 1 further comprising a computer readable medium for causing one or more processors to execute instructions for a VoIP application providing secure VoIP voice communications via the communications network using Internet Protocol data packets via the USB port, FXO interface or FXS interface.

9. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system provides a virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting the network device and other network devices connected to other VoIP system.

10. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system provides multi-media communications, including voice, video and data between the network device and other network device connected to the VoIP system.

11. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, comprising in combination:

a VoIP hardware means for connecting a network device to a communications network via a universal serial bus (USB) port, a foreign exchange office (FXO) port or a foreign exchange solution (FXS) port; and

a VoIP software application means for providing secure VoIP communications via the communications network using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets via the VoIP hardware means, thereby providing a personal IP private branch exchange (PBX) for secure VoIP communications.

12. A method for creating a virtual private network infrastructure connection for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, comprising:

providing a first VoIP gateway, wherein the first VoIP gateway includes a VoIP hardware device and a VoIP application;

providing a second VoIP gateway, wherein the second VoIP gateway includes the VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application; and

establishing a secure virtual VoIP connection between the first VoIP gateway and the second VoIP gateway over one or more communications networks, without using other public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers on the one or more communications networks that do not include the VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing one or more processors to execute the step of the method.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the VoIP hardware device comprises a VoIP hardware means for connecting the first and second VoIP gateways to the communications network via a universal serial bus (USB) port, a foreign exchange office (FXO) port or a foreign exchange solution (FXS) port.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application provide a personal Internet Protocol private branch exchange (PBX) for secure VoIP voice calls.

16. A method for creating a virtual private network infrastructure connection for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, comprising:

providing a first VoIP gateway, wherein the first VoIP gateway includes a VoIP hardware device and a VoIP application;

providing a second VoIP gateway, wherein the second VoIP gateway includes the VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application; and

establishing a virtual VoIP connection between the first VoIP gateway and the second VoIP gateway over a virtual hierarchical overlay Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network, without using other public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers on a communications network that do not include the VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing one or more processors to execute the steps of the method.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the VoIP hardware device comprises a VoIP hardware means for connecting the first and second VoIP gateways to the P2P network via a universal serial bus (USB) port, a foreign exchange office (FXO) port or a foreign exchange solution (FXS) port.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the VoIP application comprises a VoIP software application means for providing secure communications via the P2P network using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets via the VoIP hardware means and for providing a rating system for P2P communications

20. A method for creating a virtual private network infrastructure connection for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, comprising:

sending a VoIP communications request from a first VoIP network device to a second VoIP network device over a communications network, wherein the first VoIP network device and the second VoIP network device each include and a VoIP session application;

receiving a VoIP communications response from the second VoIP network device on the first VoIP network device; and

establishing a secure virtual connection between the first VoIP network device and the second VoIP network device over the communications network, without using other public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers on the communications network that do not include the VoIP session application.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing one or more processors to execute the steps of the method.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of establishing a secure virtual connection includes establishing a VoIP voice, video, instant message (IM), short message service (SMS) or Peer-to-Peer (P2P) secure virtual connection.