System and Method for a Universal Phone Number Service

• US 20080112393A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TP Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Chiu, Shin Cheung Simon, Ho, Chi Fai
• Granted Patent: US 9,985,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet

Abstract

A universal phone number service and method of providing a universal phone number service that allows a user to receive phone calls on any phone service with a single phone number. A telephone is disclosed that is associated with more than one phone number and a universal phone number, wherein any phone call placed to the universal phone number results in the call being completed to the telephone regardless of the service associated with the more than one phone number.

Claims

1. A system for providing a universal phone number service comprising a universal phone number service gateway associated with at least one telephone system and a telephone associated with a universal phone number.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the telephone is connected to at least one telephone system to receive at least one phone service and is associated with at least one phone number for receiving the at least one phone service.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the telephone is connected to more than one telephone system.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the telephone is associated with more than one phone number.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one telephone system is selected from a cellular phone system, a W-CDMA phone system, a VoIP phone system, an Instant Message based phone system, a public phone system, a corporate phone system and a residential phone system.

6. The system according to claim 1 the telephone network selected from a public telephony network, a corporate telephone network and an Instant Message based telephone network.

7. The system according to claim 1 the universal phone number selected from a public telephone number, a corporate telephone number and an Instant Message user identity.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the universal phone number service gateway is associated with a datastore, the datastore optionally comprising a memory and optionally comprising a database.

9. The system according to claim 8 the datastore further comprising a route record associated with the universal phone number.

10. The system according to claim 9 the datastore further comprising a subscriber record associated with the universal phone number, the subscriber record further comprising a phone number.

11. A method of routing a call to a telephone using a universal phone number comprising:

providing a telephone connected to at least one telephone system to receive at least one phone service, the telephone associated with at least one phone number for receiving the at least one phone service;

providing a universal telephone number associated with said telephone and the at least one telephone number;

routing a phone call destined for the universal telephone number through a universal phone number service gateway using the at least one telephone number to a telephone system associated with the at least one telephone number.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the universal phone number service gateway routes a call to the telephone system using a standard-based protocol.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the standard-based protocol is selected from the group consisting of an ISDN PRI protocol, SS7 ISDN ISUP protocol, and SIP.

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein the universal phone number gateway routes a call to the telephone system using a protocol selected from a proprietary protocol, a corporate telephony trunking protocol and an Application Programming Interface.

15. The method according to claim 11 comprising the step of creating a route entry of a route record.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the universal phone number service gateway connects to a datastore including the route record and a subscriber record, wherein the route record is associated with the universal phone number and the subscriber record is associated with the universal phone number and includes the at least one phone number.

17. The method according to claim 16 comprising obtaining an indication that the telephone system can route a phone call to the at least one phone number;

selecting a subscriber record based on the at least one phone number;

selecting a route record based on the universal phone number associated with the subscriber record; and

creating a route entry in the route record.

18. The method according to claim 17, the route entry comprising the at least one phone number and the identity of the telephone system.

19. The method according to claim 17, the obtaining an indication step taking place at the time of phone service subscription.

20. The method according to claim 11, the telephone system providing service selected from the group consisting of mobile phone service, an Instant Message based phone service, and phone service based on IP Multimedia Subsystem.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the universal phone number service gateway obtains an indication periodically.

22. The method according to claim 11, the routing based on criteria selected from service quality, user preference and user input.

23. A telephone associated with more than one phone number and a universal phone number, wherein any phone call placed to the universal phone number results in the call being completed to the telephone regardless of the service associated with the more than one phone number.