METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING MARKET SHARE FOR VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL CARRIERS

• US 20100080215A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Shi, Baccelli, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 8,279,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/32 for lines between exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• 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

Methods and apparatus to measure market share for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) carriers is disclosed. An example method includes querying a plurality of VoIP carrier servers to determine the VoIP carrier server that owns the telephone subscriber number and, in response to the querying, receiving a plurality of messages operable to determine whether the telephone subscriber number is found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers. The example method also includes, when the received plurality of messages is at least one of inconclusive or when the telephone subscriber number is not found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers, placing a first partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a first VoIP number within a first VoIP carrier network. Further, the example method includes, in response to placing the first partial call, receiving a first signal from the first VoIP carrier network, and based on the first received signal, determining whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier network.

Claims

1. A method of associating a telephone subscriber number with a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) carrier, comprising:

querying a plurality of VoIP carrier servers to determine the VoIP carrier server that owns the telephone subscriber number;

in response to the querying, receiving a plurality of messages operable to determine whether the telephone subscriber number is found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers;

when the received plurality of messages is at least one of inconclusive or when the telephone subscriber number is not found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers, placing a first partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a first VoIP number within a first VoIP carrier network;

in response to placing the first partial call, receiving a first signal from the first VoIP carrier network; and

based on the first received signal, determining whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier network.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the querying of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers when ownership of the telephone subscriber number by a server of a VoIP carrier within the plurality of VoIP carrier servers is determined.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

when the telephone subscriber number does not belong to the first VoIP carrier network, placing a second partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a second VoIP number with a second VoIP number with a second VoIP carrier network;

in response to placing the second partial call, receiving a second signal from the second VoIP carrier network; and

based on the second received signal, determining whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the second VoIP carrier network.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

repeating the placing a partial call for a predetermined number of carriers until the VoIP carrier that owns the telephone subscriber number is found.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier is based on the response time of the received signal.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier is based on signaling parameters within the received signal.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

using the ownership determination of the telephone subscriber number to determine a market share of a VoIP carrier.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising displaying the determined market share of the VoIP carrier.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing the determined ownership of the telephone subscriber number.

10. An apparatus for associating a telephone subscriber number with a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) carrier, comprising:

a server query component operable to send a plurality of queries to a plurality of VoIP carrier servers and further operable to receive a plurality of messages in response to the plurality of queries;

a processor operable to process the received plurality of messages to determine whether the telephone subscriber number is found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers or whether the received plurality of messages are inconclusive as to the ownership of the telephone subscriber number; and

a partial call initiator component operable to place a partial call from a first VoIP subscriber number within a first VoIP carrier network to the telephone subscriber number, wherein the partial call initiator component is further operable to receive a first signal from the first VoIP carrier network,

wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier network based on the first received signal.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the server query component terminates the query as soon as the processor determines that the telephone subscriber number belongs to a server of a VoIP carrier with the plurality of VoIP carrier servers.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the partial call initiator component in response to the processor determining that the telephone subscriber number does not belong to the first VoIP carrier network places a partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a second VoIP subscriber number within a second VoIP carrier network, and in response thereto receives a second signal from the second VoIP carrier network, and wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the second VoIP carrier network based on the second received signal.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the partial call initiator component repeats placing a partial call for a predetermined number of carriers until the VoIP carrier that owns the telephone subscriber number is found.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the processor determines whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier network based on the response of time of the received signal.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to determine a market share of a VoIP carrier based on the determined ownership of the telephone subscriber number.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a memory component operable to store said determined ownership of the telephone subscriber number.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a display component for displaying the determined market share of the VoIP carrier.

18. An article of manufacture storing machine accessible instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

query a plurality of VoIP carrier servers to determine the VoIP carrier server that owns the telephone subscriber number;

in response to the querying, receive a plurality of messages operable to determine whether the telephone subscriber number is found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers;

when the received plurality of messages is at least one of inconclusive or when the telephone subscriber number is not found within any one of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers, place a first partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a first VoIP number within a first VoIP carrier network;

in response to placing the first partial call, receive a first signal from the first VoIP carrier network; and

based on the first received signal, determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier network.

19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to terminate the querying of the plurality of VoIP carrier servers when ownership of the telephone subscriber number by a server of a VoIP carrier within the plurality of VoIP carrier servers is determined.

20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

when the telephone subscriber number does not belong to the first VoIP carrier network, place a second partial call to the telephone subscriber number from a second VoIP number with a second VoIP carrier network;

in response to placing the second partial call, receive a second signal from the second VoIP carrier network; and

based on the second received signal, determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the second VoIP carrier network.

21. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 20, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to repeat placing a partial call for a predetermined number of carriers until the VoIP carrier that owns the telephone subscriber number is found.

22. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier is based on the response time of the received signal.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine whether the telephone subscriber number belongs to the first VoIP carrier is based on signaling parameters within the received signal.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to use the ownership determination of the telephone subscriber number to determine a market share of a VoIP carrier.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to display the determined market share of the VoIP carrier.

26. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the machine accessible instructions, when executed, cause the machine to store the determined ownership of the telephone subscriber number.