SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TERMINATING COMMUNICATION REQUESTS IN AN INTERNET PROTOCOL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110320597A1
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vonage America Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage America Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: South, Michael, Erickson, John
• Application Number:
  US12/841,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320597A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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. A group identifier is assigned to each user group. When an incoming communication directed to the user group identifier is received by the service, the service obtains handling instructions for the user group that specify how the incoming communication is to be terminated to the members of the user group. The service then terminates the incoming communication to one or more members of the user group based on those handling instructions.

Claims

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

receiving a communication request that includes a user group identifier;

obtaining communication handling instructions for the user group based on the user group identifier, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate which members of the group should receive the communication;

obtaining communication device identifiers for those members of the group that should receive the communication; and

attempting to terminate the communication request to a communication device of at least one member of the group based on the communication handling instructions and the obtained communication device identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication handling instructions are time of day dependent, and wherein the attempting step is also based on the time of day that the communication request is received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication handling instructions are time of day dependent, and wherein the attempting step is also based on the time of day at the locations of each of the communication devices of those members of the group that should receive the communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication handling instructions are day of the week dependent, and wherein the attempting step is also based on the day of the week that the communication request is received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication request is an incoming telephone call, wherein the communication handing instructions indicate that the incoming telephone could be terminated any of a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises:

ringing the communications devices for all of the plurality of members of the group; and

terminating the call to the first communications device to answer the call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication request is an incoming telephone call, wherein the communication handing instructions indicate that the incoming telephone could be terminated any of a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises:

ringing the communications devices for all of the plurality of members of the group for a predetermined period of time; and

connecting the incoming call to all of the communications devices that answer the call before the predetermined period of time expires.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication request is an incoming SMS message, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that the SMS message should be delivered to a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to deliver the SMS message to the communications devices of the plurality of members of the group.

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

means for receiving a communication request that includes a user group identifier;

means for obtaining communication handling instructions for the user group based on the user group identifier, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate which members of the group should receive the communication;

means for obtaining communication device identifiers for those members of the group that should receive the communication; and

means for attempting to terminate the communication request to a communication device of at least one member of the group based on the communication handling instructions and the obtained communication device identifiers.

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

a receiving unit that receives a communication request that includes a user group identifier;

an handling instruction unit that obtains communication handling instructions for the user group based on the user group identifier, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate which members of the group should receive the communication;

a device identifier unit that obtains communication device identifiers for those members of the group that should receive the communication; and

a termination unit that attempts to terminate the communication request to a communication device of at least one member of the group based on the communication handling instructions and the obtained communication device identifiers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication handling instructions are time of day dependent, and wherein the termination unit attempts to terminate the communication request based on the time of day that the communication request is received.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication handling instructions are time of day dependent, and wherein the termination units attempts to terminate the communication request based on the time of day at the locations of each of the communication devices of those members of the group that should receive the communication.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication handling instructions are day of the week dependent, and wherein the termination unit attempts to terminate the communication request based on the day of the week that the communication request is received.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication request is an incoming telephone call, wherein the communication handing instructions indicate that the incoming telephone could be terminated any of a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the termination unit causes the communication devices for all of the plurality of members of the group to ring, and then terminates the call to the first communication device to answer the call.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication request is an incoming telephone call, wherein the communication handing instructions indicate that the incoming telephone could be terminated any of a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the termination unit causes the communications device for all of the plurality of members of the group to ring for a predetermined period of time, and connects the incoming call to all of the communication devices that answer the call before the predetermined period of time expires.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the communication request is an incoming SMS message, wherein the communication handling instructions indicate that the SMS message should be delivered to a plurality of members of the group, and wherein the termination unit attempts to deliver the SMS message to the communications devices of the plurality of members of the group.