Method and system for mapping phone numbers to IP addresses

• US 6,674,745 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Grabiec, Jacek A., Mahler, Jerry, Sidhu, Ikhlaq S., Schuster, Guido M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/223,856
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/466, 709/203
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

A system for automatically populating an IP telephony address mapper with mapping information for an IP telephony gateway or other device. A self-registering gateway is configured to automatically provide an address mapper with mapping indicia defining the IP address of the gateway and the telephone numbers served by the gateway. In one embodiment, for instance, the gateway places a PSTN modem-to-modem call to the address mapper and conveys its IP address as a modulated data stream, while the address mapper may determine the telephone number of the gateway through established automatic calling number delivery procedures. Based on the telephone number of the gateway, the address mapper may then refer to a telephone number mapping database to identify other telephone numbers that could be served by the gateway. The address mapper may then update its address mapping data files accordingly.

Claims

1. A self-registering telephony gateway for use in a packet switched network, said self-registering telephony gateway comprising, in combination:

a processor;

a storage medium;

a network interface circuit coupling said telephony gateway with a network, said network interface circuit receiving incoming signals from said network and transmitting outgoing signals to said network;

a telephone interface for communicating with subscriber telephone devices having subscriber telephone numbers, whereby the telephony gateway interfaces communications between the one or more subscriber telephone devices and the network; and

a set of machine language instructions stored in said storage medium and executable by said processor to cause said telephony gateway to automatically communicate, to an address mapping system in said network, mapping information that enables the address mapping system to correlate (i) an address of the telephony gateway in the network with (ii) one or more subscriber telephone numbers served by the telephony gateway,

the mapping information including (i) address indicia, indicative of the address of the telephony gateway and (ii) telephone number indicia, indicative of one or more subscriber telephone numbers served by the telephony gateway.

2. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway defines a network address, and said address indicia comprises said network address.

3. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway defines a network address, and said address indicia comprises a reference to said network address.

4. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway defines an IP address, said telephony gateway is operated by a company having a network domain name, and said address indicia comprises said network domain name.

5. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said phone number indicia comprises at least one of said subscriber telephone numbers.

6. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway defines a telephone number, and said phone number indicia comprises said telephone number.

7. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 6, wherein said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system by placing a call to said address mapping system over a public switched telephone network, said telephone number thereby being conveyed to said address mapping system trough automatic calling number delivery.

8. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway defines a geographic position, and said phone number indicia comprises an indication of said geographic position.

9. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 8, wherein said telephony gateway identifies said geographic position at least in part by referencing a global positioning system.

10. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system via a communications link comprising an IP network.

11. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system via a communications link comprising a PSTN network.

12. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to a predetermined event.

13. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to said telephony gateway being initialized.

14. A self-registering telephony gateway as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telephony gateway provides network connectivity for a plurality of telephone numbers, and said telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to a change in said telephone numbers.

15. In a computer network of the type including (i) a plurality of telephony gateways, each telephony gateway defining a network address and providing network connectivity for a plurality of telephone numbers of subscriber telephone devices and (ii) an address mapping system maintaining a data source that comprises mapping information correlating telephone numbers with network addresses of the telephony gateways that provide network connectivity for said telephone numbers,

a method for populating said data source with said mapping information for a given telephony gateway, said method comprising, in combination;

said given telephony gateway automatically communicating mapping indicia to said address mapping system, said mapping indicia comprising address indicia and phone number indicia associated with said given telephony gateway, said address indicia being indicative of the address of said telephony gateway, and said phone number indicia being indicative of one or more of said telephone numbers of subscriber telephone devices for which said gateway provides network connectivity; and

said address mapping system receiving said mapping indicia and, based at least in part on said mapping indicia, responsively updating said data source with mapping information for correlating said address of said given telephony gateway with said one or more telephone numbers of said subscriber telephone devices.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said computer network comprises an IP network, and said network address comprises an IP address.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

said computer network comprises an IP network;

said network address of said given telephony gateway comprises an IP address;

said given telephony gateway is operated by a company associated with an internet domain name; and

said address indicia comprises an indication of said internet domain name,

whereby said address mapping system may translate said internet domain name into said IP address at least in part by reference to a domain naming system.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said address indicia comprises the network address of said given telephony gateway.

19. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said address indicia comprises a reference to the network address of said give telephony gateway.

20. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said phone number indicia comprises one or more of the telephone numbers for which said given telephony gateway provides network connectivity.

30. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said given telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system via a communications link comprising an IP network.

31. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said given telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system via a communications link comprising public switched telephone network.

32. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said given telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to a predetermined event.

33. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said given telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to said given telephony gateway being initialized.

34. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said given telephony gateway communicates said mapping indicia to said address mapping system in response to a change in the telephone numbers for which said giver telephony gateway provides network connectivity.

21. In a computer network of the type including (i) a plurality of telephony gateways, each telephony gateway defining a network address and providing network connectivity for a plurality of telephone number and (ii) all address mapping system maintaining a data source that comprises mapping information correlating telephone numbers with network addresses of the telephony gateways that provide network connectivity for said telephone numbers,

a method for populating said data source with said mapping information for a given telephony gateway, said method comprising, in combination:

said given telephony gateway automatically communicating mapping indicia to said address mapping system, said mapping indicia comprising address indicia and phone number indicia associated with said given telephony gateway; and

said address mapping system receiving said mapping indicia and, based at least in part on said mapping indicia, responsively updating said data source with mapping information for said given telephony gateway,

wherein said telephony gateway defines a gateway telephone number, and said phone number indicia comprises said gateway telephone number, whereby said address mapping system may refer to a geographic telephone number mapping database to translate said gateway telephone number into the telephone numbers as to which said given telephony gateway provides connectivity.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein:

said given telephony gateway communicates said gateway telephone number to said address mapping system at least in part by placing a telephone call to said address mapping system over a public switched telephone network, said telephone number thereby being conveyed to said address mapping system through automatic calling number delivery.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein said telephone call is a modem-to-modem call and said given telephony gateway conveys said address indicia to said address mapping system at least in part as modulated data in said modem-to-modem call.

24. In a computer network of the type including (i) a plurality of telephony gateways, each telephony gateway defining a network address and providing network connectivity for a plurality of telephone number and (ii) an address mapping system maintaining a data source that comprises mapping information correlating telephone numbers with network addresses of the telephony gateways that provide network connectivity for said telephone numbers,

a method for populating said data source with said mapping information for a given telephony gateway, said method comprising, in combination:

said given telephony gateway automatically communicating mapping indicia to said address mapping system, said mapping indicia comprising address indicia and phone number indicia associated with said given telephony gateway; and

said address mapping system receiving said mapping indicia and, based at least in part on said mapping indicia, responsively updating said data source with mapping information for said given telephony gateway,

wherein said given telephony gateway defines a geographic position and said phone number indicia comprises indicia of said geographic position, whereby, based on said indicia of said geographic position, said address mapping system may refer to a telephone number mapping database in order to identify one or more telephone numbers geographically close to said telephony gateway.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said given telephony gateway defines a gateway telephone number, and said indicia of said geographic position comprises at least part of said gateway telephone number.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said at least part of said gateway telephone number comprises NPA-NXX information.

27. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said at least part of said gateway telephone number comprises said gateway telephone number.

28. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said indicia of said geographic position comprises the geographic position.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said given telephony gateway determines said geographic position at least in part by referring to a global positioning system.