Apparatus and method for connecting a voice over IP telephone subscriber to the 911 emergency network

• US 20060274729A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omvox Telecom Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omvox Telecom Corporation
• Inventors: Self, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/332,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20060274729A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/06 Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• 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

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a device to connect a VoIP telephone subscriber to connect a communication network, in order to place a telephone call, which may be an emergency call. The device includes determination circuitry to determine whether the telephone call is to be placed over a high speed IP data network, or via another communications network. Upon making a determination, the call is placed over the determined network.

Claims

1. A method of placing a telephone call, comprising:

receiving an input from a telephone device requesting the placement of a telephone call;

determining whether the telephone call is to be placed over the Internet or over another communications network;

placing the telephone call over either the Internet or over the another communications network, based on the results of the determining step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines that the telephone number entered is a request for emergency services, the determining step further determines whether a path including the Internet is currently available, and if the path is available, determines that the call should be placed over the Internet, and, if the path is not available, determines that the call should be placed over the another communications network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step determines whether the input from the telephone device is a telephone number indicating a request for emergency services.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the another communications network is the cellular telephone network.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein if the determining step determines that the input from the telephone device is a particular emergency code, the determining step determines that the call should be placed over the another communications network

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the another communications network is the cellular telephone network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the determining step further determines whether the path including the Internet is currently available, and if the path is available, determines that the call should be placed over the Internet, and, if the path is not available, determines that the call should be placed over the another communications network.

8. A voice communications system for communication voice signals over a data network or a mobile telephone network, comprising

a telephone device for generating voice signals, said telephone device including a user interface for generating a user input;

a communications device for receiving said voice signals and providing said voice signals to either the data network or to the mobile telephone network;

said communications device including a determination module for determining whether the voice signals are to be placed over the data network or the mobile telephone network;

said communications device further including a VoIP module and a modem module, said VoIP module for encoding said voice signals for transmission over a data network and transmitting the encoded voice signals to the data network over a broadband connection, said modem module for transmitting said voice signals over the mobile telephone network; and

said voice signals being sent to said VoIP module or said modem module based on a determination from said determination module.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, if said determination module determines that the user input entered is a request for emergency services, said determination module further determines whether a path including the data network is currently available, and if the path is available, determines that the call should be placed over the data network, and, if the path is unavailable, determines that the call should be placed over the mobile telephone network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said determination module determines whether the user input from the telephone device is a telephone number indicating a request for emergency services.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein if said determination module determines that the input from the telephone device is a particular emergency code, said determination module determines that the call should be placed over the mobile telephone network

12. The method of claim 8, wherein, said determination module further determines whether the path including the data network is currently available, and if the path is available, determines that the call should be placed over the data network, and, if the path is not available, determines that the call should be placed over the mobile telephone network.

13. A voice communications system, comprising

a telephone device for generating voice signals, said telephone device including a user interface for generating a user input;

a communications device for receiving said voice signals and providing said voice signals to either the Internet or to the cellular telephone network;

said communications device including a determination module for determining whether the voice signals are to be placed over the Internet or the cellular telephone network;

said communications device further including a VoIP module for encoding said voice signals for transmission over the Internet and transmitting the encoded voice signals to the Internet and a modem module for transmitting said voice signals over the cellular telephone network; and

said voice signals being sent to said VoIP module or said modem module based on a determination from said determination module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, if said determination module determines that the user input entered is a request for emergency services, said determination module further determines whether a path including the Internet is currently available, and if the path is available, determines that the call should be placed over the path including the Internet, and, if the path is not available, determines that the call should be placed over the cellular telephone network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said determination module determines whether the user input from the telephone device is a telephone number indicating a request for emergency services.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein if said determination module determines that the input from the telephone device is a particular emergency code, said determination module determines that the call should be placed over the cellular telephone network

17. The method of claim 13, wherein, said determination module further determines whether the a path including the Internet is currently available, and if the path including the Internet is available, determines that the call should be placed over the path, and, if the path including the Internet is not available, determines that the call should be placed over the cellular telephone network.