SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF FORWARDING COMMUNICATION REQUESTS BASED ON HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS IN AN INTERNET PROTOCOL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110317687A1
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage America LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage America Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: South, Michael, Erickson, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,591,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• 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 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/771 per terminal or location, e.g. mobile device with multiple directory numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/773 : per technology, e.g. PSTN or wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/774 : per card
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 : based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 : location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 : Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 : where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 : Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 : Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• 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: H04W 4/08 : User group management

Abstract

A IP telephony service allows customers to form user groups. Each user group can include multiple members, each of whom have their own telephony device. When a member of a user group sends an outgoing communication from one of the telephony devices associated with the user group, the service obtains communication handling instructions for the user group. The outgoing communication is then processed in accordance with the handling instructions. This could include sending copies of the outgoing communication to the telephony devices of other members of the user group. This could also include sending the outgoing communication with an origination identifier associated with the user group, rather than an origination identifier associated with the member'"'"'s telephony device.

Claims

1. A method of processing communication requests based on handling instructions in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

receiving an outgoing communication request that originates from a communications device of a first member of a user group;

obtaining communication handling instructions for the user group based on an identifier associated with the user group, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate how outgoing communications that originate from members of the user group should be handled; and

attempting to transmit the communication request based on the obtained communication handling instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to deliver an original SMS message, wherein the communication handling instructions specify the origination identifier that should be used for SMS messages that originate from the first member of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to deliver the SMS message with the origination identifier specified in the communication handling instructions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that SMS messages originating from the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the user group.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that SMS messages originating from the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the first member of the group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to deliver an original SMS message, wherein the communication handling instructions specify whether other members of the group should receive a copy of the SMS message, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to deliver the SMS message based on the communication handling instructions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that a copy of the SMS message should be sent to all members of the user group.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that a copy of the SMS message should be sent to a subset of all members of the group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to deliver an SMS message that responds to an SMS message received by the first member of the group, wherein the communication handling instructions specify the origination identifier that should be used for SMS messages that respond to incoming SMS messages received by members of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to deliver the SMS message with the origination identifier specified in the communication handling instructions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications handling instructions indicate that SMS messages that reply to an SMS message received by the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the user group.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications handling instructions indicate that SMS messages that reply to an SMS message received by the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the first member of the group.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to deliver an SMS message that responds to an SMS message received by the first member of the group, wherein the communication handling instructions specify whether other members of the group should receive a copy of the reply SMS message, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to deliver the SMS message based on the communication handling instructions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that a copy of the reply SMS message should be sent to all members of the user group.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that a copy of the reply SMS message should be sent to a subset of all members of the group.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to place an outgoing telephone call, wherein the communications handling instructions specify the origination identifier that should be used for outgoing telephone calls that originate from the first member of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to place the outgoing telephone call with the origination identifier specified in the communication handling instructions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that outgoing telephone calls originating from the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the user group.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that outgoing telephone calls originating from the first member of the group should indicate an origination identifier associated with the first member of the group.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the outgoing communication request is a request to place an outgoing telephone call, wherein the communications handling instructions specify the party that should be billed for outgoing telephone calls that originate from the first member of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to place the outgoing telephone call and billing the party specified in the communication handling instructions for placing the outgoing telephone call.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that outgoing telephone calls originating from the first member of the group should be charged to the first member of the group.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that outgoing telephone calls originating from the first member of the group should be charged to an account associated with the user group.

20. A system for processing communication requests based on handling instructions in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

means for receiving an outgoing communication request that originates from a communications device of a first member of a user group;

means for obtaining communication handling instructions for the user group based on an identifier associated with the user group, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate how outgoing communications that originate from members of the user group should be handled; and

means for attempting to transmit the communication request based on the obtained communication handling instructions.

21. A system for processing communication requests based on handling instructions in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

a receiving unit that receives an outgoing communication request that originates from a communications device of a first member of a user group;

a handing unit that obtains communication handling instructions for the user group based on an identifier associated with the user group, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate how outgoing communications that originate from members of the user group should be handled; and

a transmitting unit that attempts to transmit the communication request based on the obtained communication handling instructions.