Method and apparatus for providing internet call waiting with voice over internet protocol

• US 6,661,785 B1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Li, Blackburn, Alan R., Collicott, Robert B., Cassanova, Jeffrey P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): George, Keith M.
• Application Number:
  US09/416,054
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/410, 370/522
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

An Internet Call Waiting-Voice over Internet Protocol (ICW-VOIP) service that uses a service control point and service node of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), acting as a gatekeeper and bridge respectively, to enable ICW subscribers to answer telephone calls during an internet session without having to disconnect internet access. The primary network components of the ICW-VOIP service comprise a proxy firewall, a service node, and a gateway. When a PSTN call is placed to a subscriber whose line is being used for internet access, the service control point accesses the subscriber'"'"'s internet address from a database and transmits a message over the internet to the subscriber giving the subscriber the option to accept the call as a VOIP call. Once accepted, the subscriber places an H.323 call through the gateway to the service node. The service control point also forwards the PSTN call to the service node. Using bridging information, the service node matches the subscriber H.323 call and PSTN call and bridges them together to provide a VOIP connection.

Claims

1. A method for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service that facilitates simultaneous voice communication and internet access on a single telephone line comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving at a service switching point an incoming telephone call to a subscriber connected to an internet, triggering a first query from the service switching point to a service control point, and forwarding bridging information from the service control point to a service node;

(b) initiating an internet protocol call from the subscriber through a gateway to the service switching point and triggering a second query to the service control point, the second query prompting the service control point to send call routing information to the service switching point;

(c) forwarding the internet protocol call from the service switching point to the service node based on the call routing information;

(d) forwarding the incoming telephone call from the service switching point to the service node;

(e) bridging the internet protocol call to the incoming telephone call with the service node using the call routing information and the bridging information;

(f) maintaining the internet protocol call and the incoming telephone call on the service node; and

(g) controlling further disposition of the internet protocol call and the incoming telephone call by communication between the service control point and the service node.

2. A method for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service that facilitates simultaneous voice communication and internet access on a single telephone line comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving at a service switching point an incoming telephone call to a subscriber connected to an internet, triggering a first query from the service switching point to a service control point, and forwarding bridging information from the service control point to a service node;

(b) initiating an internet protocol call from the subscriber through a gateway to the service switching point and triggering a second query to the service control point, the second query prompting the service control point to send call routing information to the service switching point;

(c) forwarding the internet protocol call from the service switching point to the service node based on the call routing information;

(d) forwarding the incoming telephone call from the service switching point to the service node; and

(e) bridging the internet protocol call to the incoming telephone call with the service node using the call routing information and the bridging information, wherein the call routing information comprises a telephone number of the subscriber and a service node multi-line hunt group number.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

(f) pushing the internet protocol call and the incoming telephone call off the service node and to the service switching point.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the bridging information comprises a telephone number of the incoming call and the telephone number of the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

(f) breaking the bridge between the incoming telephone call and the internet protocol call;

(g) disconnecting the incoming telephone call from the service node;

(h) initiating a third party call from the service node to a third party; and

(i) bridging the internet protocol call to the third party call.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of bridging the internet protocol call to the incoming telephone call comprises the steps of:

(i) landing the internet protocol call on a first port of a gateway multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node;

(ii) landing the incoming call on a second part of a PSTN multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node; and

(iii) connecting the first port to the second port.

7. A method for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service that facilitates simultaneous voice communication and internet access on a single telephone line comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving at a service switching point an incoming telephone call to a subscriber connected to an internet, triggering a first query from the service switching point to a service control point, and forwarding bridging information from the service control point to a service node;

(b) initiating an internet protocol call from the subscriber through a gateway to the service switching point and triggering a second query to the service control point, the second query prompting the service control point to send call routing information to the service switching point;

(c) forwarding the internet protocol call from the service switching point to the service node based on the call routing information;

(d) forwarding the incoming telephone call from the service switching point to the service node; and

(e) bridging the internet protocol call to the incoming telephone call with the service node using the call routing information and the bridging information,

wherein the service control point is a gatekeeper.

8. A method for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service comprising the steps of;

(a) storing in a service control point registration information of a subscriber that has an active internet connection;

(b) receiving an incoming telephone call directed to the subscriber;

(c) retrieving an internet protocol address from the registration information of the subscriber;

(d) sending a message to the internet protocol address;

(e) displaying call information associated with the incoming telephone call;

(f) prompting the subscriber to choose to

(i) ignore the incoming telephone call;

(ii) forward the incoming telephone call to a default telephone number;

(iii) forward the incoming telephone call to a telephone number chosen by the subscriber;

(iv) hold the call;

(v) accept the incoming telephone call directly and disconnect the active internet connection;

or

(vi) accept the incoming telephone call by voice over internet protocol and maintain the active internet connection; and

(g) if accepting the telephone by voice over internet protocol is chosen,

(i) forwarding bridging information to a service node;

(ii) initiating an internet protocol call from the subscriber through a gateway to a service switching point;

(iii) activating a trigger on the service switching point that causes the service control point to direct the service switching point to route the internet protocol call to a first multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node;

(iv) routing the internet protocol call to the first multi-line hunt group on the service node and notifying the service control point when the internet protocol call is connected to the first multi-line hunt group;

(v) forwarding the incoming telephone call to a second multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node; and

(vi) bridging the first multi-line hunt group to the second multi-line hunt group using the bridging information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the registration information comprises a telephone number of the subscriber and the internet protocol address of the subscriber.

10. An apparatus for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service comprising;

(a) a public switched telephone network infrastructure, having a plurality of public switched telephone network callers connected to a plurality of service switching points, a signaling system connect to the plurality of service switching points, and a service control point connected to the signaling system;

(b) a virtual switch, having a gatekeeper connected to a signaling system gateway and a plurality of gateways connected to the gatekeeper; and

(c) an internet connected to a plurality of subscribers,

wherein the gatekeeper is connected to the service control point, the signaling system gateway is connected to the signaling system, the plurality of gateways is connected to the plurality of service switching points, and the internet is connected to the gatekeeper and to the plurality of gateways.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the gatekeeper comprises:

(i) means for initiating a call to the internet; and

(ii) means for bridging the call from the internet to a call from the public switched telephone network infrastructure.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the service control point comprises means for providing registration information to the gatekeeper.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a multiple control unit that merges and mixes voice and data signals and enables data exchange between the internet network and the public switched telephone network infrastructure.

14. A method for providing an internet call waiting—

voice over internet protocol service comprising the steps of;

(a) provisioning a public feature code trigger on a service switching point that queries a service control point in response to receiving a public feature code;

(b) initiating an internet access call from a subscriber to an internet service provider through the service switching point using the public feature code;

(c) triggering a public feature code query to the service control point in response to which the service control point recognizes that the subscriber is accessing the internet service provider, sets up a service control point call setup table, and instructs the service switching point to connect the internet access call from the subscriber to the internet service provider;

(d) forwarding registration information from the subscriber to the service control point and recording the registration information in the service control point call setup table;

(e) forwarding gateway access information from the service control point to the subscriber;

(f) provisioning a termination attempt trigger on the service switching point that queries the service control point in response to calls to the subscriber;

(g) receiving at the service switching point a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call to the subscriber from a PSTN caller, said PSTN call triggering the termination attempt trigger and sending a PSTN call query to the service control point, which causes the service control point to match the PSTN call with the subscriber in the service control point call setup table, to record a PSTN caller number in the service control point call setup table, and to find the registration information associated with the subscriber;

(h) sending a message using the registration information from the service control point to the subscriber advising the subscriber of the PSTN call and presenting the subscriber with an option of accepting the PSTN call while maintaining the internet access call;

(i) forwarding bridging information from the service control point to a service node and recording the bridging information in a service node call setup table;

(j) initiating an internet protocol call from the subscriber to a gateway based on the gateway access information, and forwarding the internet protocol call from the gateway to the service switching point by calling the subscriber;

(k) triggering the termination attempt trigger such that the service control point recognizes that the internet protocol call is being received from the gateway, recognizes that the subscriber originated the internet protocol call, and issues routing instructions to the service switching point;

(l) forwarding the internet protocol call from the service switching point to a first multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node and sending a notification from the service node to the service control point advising the service control point that the service node received the internet protocol call and that the internet protocol call originated from the subscriber;

(m) consulting the service control point call setup table and determining that the PSTN call corresponds to the subscriber and forwarding the PSTN call to a second multi-line hunt group provisioned on the service node; and

(n) bridging the first multi-line hunt group to the second multi-line hunt group based on the bridging information and the service node call setup table, so that the internet protocol call is connected to the PSTN call and the subscriber can communicate by voice over internet protocol with the PSTN caller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the registration information comprises a telephone number and an internet address of the subscriber, wherein the gateway access information comprises the internet address of the gateway, a subscriber identification, and a subscriber password, and wherein the bridging information comprises a telephone number of the PSTN caller and a telephone number of the subscriber.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein communication between the subscriber and the service control point uses an internet protocol, wherein communication between the service control point and the service node uses the internet protocol, wherein communication between the service control point and the service switching point uses a signaling system protocol, and wherein communication between the service switching point and the service node uses a message-orientated signaling protocol.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the internet protocol is a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, wherein the signaling system protocol is a Transaction Capabilities Application Part/Signaling System 7 protocol, and wherein the message-oriented signaling protocol is a Primary Rate Interface/Q.931 protocol.