SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF ESTABLISHING USER GROUPS IN AN INTERNET PROTOCOL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120014293A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• 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: Lefar, Marc, South, Michael, Erickson, John, Lazzaro, Nicholas P., Hardy, Gregory Alan
• Application Number:
  US13/244,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20120014293A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/270
• 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. A user group is established by collecting a plurality of identifiers that are associated with members of a group, and associating the member identifiers with a group identifier. The member identifiers could be telephone numbers of telephony devices for each of the members, or device IDs of IP telephony devices for members of the group. The group identifier could be any type of identifier, and in some instances, the group identifier could be a telephone number.

Claims

1. A method of establishing user groups in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

receiving a plurality of communication device identifiers, wherein each communication device identifier is associated with a communications device, and wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is a device ID of an IP telephony device; and

mapping the received communication device identifiers to a user group identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user group identifier is a telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers comprises a telephone number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the telephone number is the telephone number of a telephony device that is reachable only through an analog telephone network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the telephone number is the telephone number of a telephony device that is reachable through a cellular telephone network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises interacting with a plurality of users and receiving at least one communication device identifier from each of the plurality of users.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving two different communication device identifiers from at least one of the users.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the interacting step comprises:

receiving a plurality of e-mail addresses; and

sending an e-mail message to each of the plurality of e-mail addresses, wherein each e-mail message invites a user to join a user group, and wherein the step of receiving a communication device identifier comprises receiving a communication device identifier from at least one of the e-mail message recipients.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the interacting step comprises:

receiving a plurality of telephone numbers; and

sending an SMS message directed to each of the telephone numbers, wherein each SMS message invites a user to join a user group, and wherein the step of receiving a communication device identifier comprises receiving a communication device identifier from at least one of the SMS message recipients.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a plurality of alias names, wherein each alias name corresponds to at least one of the plurality of communication device identifiers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the alias names corresponds to two of the communication device identifiers.

12. A system for establishing user groups in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of communication device identifiers, wherein each communication device identifier is associated with a communications device, and wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is a device ID of an IP telephony device; and

means for mapping the received communication device identifiers to a user group identifier.

13. A system for establishing user groups in an Internet Protocol (IP) environment, comprising:

a receiving unit that receives a plurality of communication device identifiers, wherein each communication device identifier is associated with a communications device, and wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is a device ID of an IP telephony device; and

a mapping unit that maps the received communication device identifiers to a user group identifier.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein mapping unit maps the received communication device identifiers to a user group identifier in the form of a telephone number.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving unit receives at least one of the communication device identifiers in the form of a telephone number.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the telephone number is the telephone number of a telephony device that is reachable only through an analog telephone network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the telephone number is the telephone number of a telephony device that is reachable through a cellular telephone network.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving unit interacts with a plurality of users and receives at least one communication device identifier from each of the plurality of users during that interaction.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiving unit receives two different communication device identifiers from at least one of the users during an interaction with the at least one user.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving unit also receives a plurality of alias names, wherein each alias name corresponds to at least one of the plurality of communication device identifiers.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the receiving unit receives at least one alias name that corresponds to two of the communication device identifiers.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving unit receives a plurality of e-mail addresses and sends an e-mail message to each of the plurality of e-mail addresses, wherein each e-mail message invites a user to join a user group, and wherein the receiving unit receives a communication device identifier from at least one of the e-mail message recipients.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving unit receives a plurality of telephone numbers and sends an SMS message directed to each of the plurality of telephone numbers, wherein each SMS message invites a user to join a user group, and wherein the receiving unit receives a communication device identifier from at least one of the SMS message recipients.