LEAST COST ROUTING

• US 20090252039A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Valdez, John P., Patadia, Amit B., Pachaiyappan, Vivek, Gillipalli, Vamshi K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,537,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• 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

Abstract

A system includes a communications device configured to selectively allow communications in a plurality of communications protocols, and a router configured to receive a communications request from a user. The router may determine a preferred communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols, based on at least a portion of the received communications request.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communications device configured to selectively allow communications in a plurality of communications protocols;

a router configured to receive a communications request from a user and to determine a preferred communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based on at least a portion of the received communications request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the router is a software program residing on the communications device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communications protocols includes at least Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the preferred communications protocol is determined by comparing at least a portion of the received communications request to data in a data store.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the communications request is a telephone number.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the router is configured to determine the preferred communications protocol by determining a call type.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the router is configured to determine the call type by comparing one or more leading digits to data in a data store.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the router is configured to determine a preferred communications protocol by referencing the determined call type in a database.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the call type is one of a local call, a long distance call, a toll-free call, an international call, an operator call and an emergency call.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the data file includes a database of local area codes.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the data file is populated over a network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the router is configured to determine the preferred communications protocol based on minimizing a system cost.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the router is configured to determine the preferred communications protocol based on maximizing network efficiency

14. A method, comprising:

receiving a communications request from a user; and

determining a preferred communications protocol from a plurality of available communications protocols, based on at least a portion of the received communications request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of communications protocols includes at least Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein determining a preferred communications protocol includes accessing a data store and comparing at least a portion of the received communications request to data in the data store.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the communications request includes a telephone number.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining a preferred communications protocol includes determining a call type.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining a call type includes comparing one or more digits of the communications request to data in a data store.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining a call type includes comparing a received area code to a database including at least one of local area codes, long distance area codes and toll free area codes.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the call type is one of a local call, a long distance call, a toll-free call, an international call, an operator call and an emergency call.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the data store includes preferred communications protocols for at least one of local calls, long distance calls, toll free calls and emergency calls.

23. The method of claim 14, including determining a protocol based on minimizing a system cost.

24. The method of claim 14, including determining a protocol based on maximizing network efficiency.

25. A telephone configured to selectively make telephone calls over at least POTS and VOIP telephone protocols, the telephone configured to receive a phone number from a user, to determine a preferred telephone protocol based on at least a first received digit of the phone number, and to initiate a phone call using the preferred telephone protocol.