Mobile use of a PBX system

• US 20060256789A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sangoma US, Inc. (Sangoma Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fonality Incorporated (Sangoma Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Otto, Adrian, Kamkar, Samy
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

Systems and methods for utilizing a PBX identifier of a PBX system in a mobile environment are provided. In exemplary systems, an enhanced DNS server maintains a central registry of PBX identifiers and corresponding locations associated with the PBX identifiers. The corresponding locations may comprise both private and public IP address. When a remote IP device attempts to access their main office PBX system via the PBX identifier, the enhanced DNS server returns the private and public IP addresses in response.

Claims

1. A system for allowing mobile use of a single PBX identifier on a network, comprising:

an enhanced DNS server configured to receive a communication containing a private IP address for a PBX system coupled to the network, the enhanced DNS server further comprising,

a service module configure to determine a public IP address from which the received communication was sent from; and

a central registry configured to store the private IP address, the public IP address, and the corresponding single PBX identifier, wherein the single PBX identifier is the same for internal and external IP devices utilizing the PBX system.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising the PBX system.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an address check module, the address check module being configured to determine the private IP address and forward the private IP address to the enhanced DNS server.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the single PBX identifier comprises a domain name of the PBX system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the enhanced DNS server further comprises a DNS lookup module configured to determine the private IP address based on the single PBX identifier.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the enhanced DNS server further comprises a DNS lookup module configured to determine the public IP address based on the single PBX identifier.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the enhanced DNS server further comprises a DNS lookup module configured to distinguish between whether the requesting IP device is internal or external to the PBX system, whereby a private IP address is returned for an internal IP device and both the public and private IP addresses are returned for an external IP device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the IP device comprises an IP phone.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one IP device.

10. A method for allowing mobile use of a single PBX identifier on a network, comprising:

determining an public IP address associated with the PBX identifier;

storing the public IP address and the PBX identifier in a central registry; and

providing the public IP address in response to a request from a remote IP device to access a PBX system associated with the single PBX identifier.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising checking for a private IP address of the PBX system associated with the single PBX identifier and forwarding the private IP address for storage at the central registry.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing the private IP address to the remote IP device based on the single PBX identifier.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing the private IP address to a local IP device based on the single PBX identifier.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the checking occurs at a predetermine interval.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the public IP address comprising determining a public IP address from which a communication from the PBX system is sent.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the communication comprises a private IP address.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein providing the public IP address comprises looking up the public IP address in the central registry based on the corresponding single PBX identifier.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the single PBX identifier is a domain name of the PBX system.

19. The method of claim 10 further comprising establishing a VPN connection between the PBX system and an enhanced DNS server comprising the central registry.

20. A machine readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program providing instructions for a method for allowing mobile use of a single PBX identifier on a network, the method comprising:

determining an public IP address associated with the PBX identifier;

storing the public IP address and the PBX identifier in a central registry; and

providing the public IP address in response to a request from a remote IP device to access a PBX system associated with the single PBX identifier.