SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TERMINATING COMMUNICATION REQUESTS

• US 20120014382A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gregory Alan Hardy, John Erickson, Marc Lefar, Michael South, Nicholas P. Lazzaro
• Original Assignee: Gregory Alan Hardy, John Erickson, Marc Lefar, Michael South, Nicholas P. Lazzaro
• Inventors: LAZZARO, Nicholas P., Lefar, Marc, South, Michael, Erickson, John, Hardy, Gregory Alan
• Application Number:
  US13/244,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20120014382A1
• 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 telephony devices that are associated with one or more users. One or more group identifiers would be associated with each user group. When an incoming communication is directed to a user group, a group identifier is used to retrieve a list of the members of the group, or a list of devices that correspond to the members of the user group. The communication is then sent to one or more members of the group, or to one or more of the devices that correspond to members of the user group. Handling preferences may determine how the incoming communication is delivered. In some instances, the incoming communication could be a telephone call. In other instances, the incoming communication could be a SMS message or an instant message.

Claims

1. A system for terminating communication requests, comprising:

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

a mapping unit that obtains a list of communication device identifiers that correspond to the group identifier, wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is the device ID of an IP telephony device; and

a termination unit that attempts to terminate the communication request to at least one of the communication devices on the obtained list.

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

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of communication device identifiers comprises at least one device ID of an IP telephony device that is registered with the system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of communication device identifiers further comprises at least one telephone number corresponding to a telephony device that is not registered with the system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the termination unit attempts to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices on the obtained list.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the termination unit attempts to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices on the obtained list at approximately the same time.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the termination unit terminates the communication request to the communication device that first responds to the termination attempt.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the termination unit terminates the communication request to a plurality of the communication devices on the obtained list.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the termination unit attempts to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices in a predetermined sequential order until one of the communication devices responds to a termination attempt.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication request is a request to deliver a SMS message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the termination unit sends the SMS message to a plurality of the communications devices on the obtained list.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the termination unit sends the SMS message to a plurality of the communications devices on the obtained list based on predetermined instructions.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the termination unit generates a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for at least one communication device using information from the obtained list, and wherein the termination unit uses the URI to attempt to terminate the communication request.

14. A system for terminating communication requests, comprising:

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

means for obtaining a list of communication device identifiers that correspond to the group identifier, wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is the device ID of an IP telephony device; and

means for attempting to terminate the communication request to at least one of the communication devices on the obtained list.

15. A method of terminating communication requests, comprising:

receiving a communication request that includes a group identifier;

obtaining a list of communication device identifiers that correspond to the group identifier, wherein at least one of the communication device identifiers is the device ID of an IP telephony device; and

attempting to terminate the communication request to at least one of the communication devices on the obtained list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the group identifier is a telephone number.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the obtaining step comprises obtaining a list of communication device identifiers that also includes at least one telephone number corresponding to a telephony device that is not registered with the system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices on the obtained list.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices on the obtained list at approximately the same time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the attempting step comprises terminating the communication request to the communication device that first responds to the termination attempt.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the attempting step comprises terminating the communication request to a plurality of the communication devices on the obtained list.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the attempting step comprises attempting to terminate the communication request to a plurality of communication devices in a predetermined sequential order until one of the communication devices responds to the termination attempt.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication request is a request to deliver a SMS message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the attempting step comprises sending the SMS message to a plurality of the communications devices on the obtained list.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the attempting step comprises sending the SMS message to a plurality of the communications devices on the obtained list based on predetermined instructions.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the attempting step comprises generating a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for at least one communication device using information from the obtained list, and attempting to terminate the communication request using the generated URI.