SEPARATION OF VALIDATION SERVICES IN VOIP ADDRESS DISCOVERY SYSTEM

• US 20090323677A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jennings, Cullen F., Hendrickson, Mark L., Rosenberg, Jonathan David, Mehmood, Hakim N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0063 where the network is a peer-to-peer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus may receive at least one call attribute of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number. The apparatus may verify a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of the PSTN call. The apparatus may transmit an indication the destination VoIP call agent is verified for the destination telephone number.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the memory including computer code executable with the processor, wherein the computer code is configured to;

receive at least one call attribute for each respective one of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number; and

verify a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer code configured to receive the at least one call attribute is also configured to receive the at least one call attribute from an originating call agent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer code is further configured to:

receive at least one telephone number assigned to an originating call agent; and

store the at least one telephone number in a peer-to-peer network to indicate the at least one telephone number is assigned to a node in the peer-to-peer network, wherein the node is associated with the originating call agent.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer code is further configured to:

receive, from an originating call agent, a call attribute of a PSTN call to one of the at least one telephone number;

receive a request to demonstrate knowledge of the PSTN call; and

in response to the request, transmit proof of the knowledge of the PSTN call.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one call attribute includes a start time of the respective one of the at least one PSTN call.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one call attribute includes an end time of the respective one of the at least one PSTN call.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer code is further configured to transmit an indication the destination VoIP call agent is verified for the destination telephone number, and wherein the indication the destination VoIP call agent is verified includes a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) route corresponding to the destination VoIP call agent.

8. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution with a processor and when executed operable to:

transmit at least one call attribute for a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number;

receive information indicative of a verification of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number, wherein the verification is based on demonstrated knowledge of the PSTN call;

receive a call initiation message, the call initiation message including the destination telephone number; and

initiate, in response to receipt of the call initiation message, a VoIP call over a VoIP network to the destination VoIP call agent instead of a new PSTN call over a circuit switched network based on receipt of the information indicative of the verification of the destination VoIP call agent for the destination telephone number.

9. The tangible media of claim 8, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to store a VoIP route in a cache of valid VoIP routes in response to receipt of the information indicative of the verification of the destination VoIP call agent for the destination telephone number, wherein the VoIP route maps the destination telephone number to the destination VoIP call agent.

10. The tangible media of claim 9, wherein the logic to initiate the VoIP call over the VoIP network to the destination VoIP call agent is further operable to search the cache of valid VoIP routes for an entry matching the destination telephone number to determine whether the information indicative of the verification of the destination VoIP call agent was received.

11. The tangible media of claim 8, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to transmit information received in a VoIP invite message to validate the VoIP invite message.

12. The tangible media of claim 8, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to transmit owned telephone numbers to advertise an originating call agent as an owner of the owned telephone numbers

13. The tangible media of claim 8, wherein the logic operable to transmit the at least one call attribute and to receive the indication that that the destination VoIP call agent is verified is, when executed, operable to communicate with a validation server, wherein communication to and from the validation server conforms to a validation access protocol.

14. A method comprising:

receiving at least one call attribute of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call to a destination telephone number; and

verifying a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the at least one call attribute includes receiving the at least one call attribute from an originating call agent, the method further comprising transmitting an indication to the originating call agent, the indication indicating the destination VoIP call agent was verified for the destination telephone number.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein verifying the destination VoIP call agent comprises:

transmitting a request to a destination validation server associated with the destination VoIP call agent, the request indicating the destination validation server is to demonstrate knowledge of the at least one call attribute of the at least one PSTN call; and

receiving a response to the request from the destination validation server, the response including proof of knowledge of the at least one call attribute of the at least one PSTN call.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein verifying the destination VoIP call agent further comprises delaying a random amount of time after receiving the at least one call attribute of the at least one PSTN call before transmitting a request for proof of the demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising querying a peer-to-peer network to discover a network address of the destination VoIP call agent associated with the destination phone number.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting an indication the destination VoIP call agent is verified by transmitting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call routing information, the VoIP call routing information including the destination telephone number and a network address of the destination VoIP call agent.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a range of telephone numbers assigned to an originating call agent; and

storing the range of telephone numbers and an identifier of the originating call agent in a peer-to-peer network to advertise the originating call agent as assigned to the range of telephone numbers.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the memory including computer code executable with the processor, wherein the computer code is configured to;

receive at least one call attribute of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number; and

transmit proof of knowledge of the at least one PSTN call for a verification of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent associated with the destination telephone number.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 further configured to receive a request for the verification of the destination VoIP call agent, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit the proof of knowledge of the at least one PSTN call in response to receipt of the request.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 further configured to verify an originating VoIP call agent based on the at least one call attribute of the at least one PSTN call.