System and method for providing telephony services to remote subscribers

• US 6,807,272 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Bull, Rex Norman, Chatterley, Bruce A., Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Orwick, David Anthony, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Creighton
• Application Number:
  US10/141,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 379/201.01, 379/201.12, 379/229, 379/230, 379/157
• US Class Current: 379/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• 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: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A system and method for providing telephony services, such as caller ID, voice mail, selective call forwarding, and the like, to a remote subscriber, typically located outside the provider'"'"'s regional territory. The system can include customer premise equipment (CPE) selectively connectable to a remote central office (CO), a packet-switched network gateway, such as an Internet telephony gateway (ITG), for remotely communicating service requests to a local service node. The local service node can be located within the service provider'"'"'s territory and returns telephony service responses via the packet-switched network gateway to the remote CO, and ultimately the remote CPE.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for providing an advanced platform of telephony services to remote subscriber customer premises equipment (CPE) coupled to service nodes outside a local service territory, the telecommunications system comprising:

one or more advanced services nodes (ASN) for providing a predetermined platform of telephony services to one or more CPEs located in a remote service territory, said one or more ASN located within a local service territory;

one or more remote packet switched gateways located outside said local service territory, each packet switched gateway coupled to a common network coupled to one or more remote CPEs; and

one or more local packet switched network gateways coupled to said common network and said ASN for providing telephony services to said remote CPEs.

2. The telecommunications network as recited in claim 1, wherein said ASN is located within said service territory.

3. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 2, wherein said ASN is located within said service territory.

4. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 1, wherein said common network includes the Internet.

5. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 4, wherein said packet switched network gateways include Internet gateways.

6. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 1, wherein said common network includes a private Internet protocol network.

7. A telecommunications system for providing an advanced platform of telephony services to remote subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) located outside a local service territory, the telecommunications system comprising:

one or more remote CPE located outside said local service territory;

one or more public switched telephone networks (PSTN) located outside said local territory, said remote CPE coupled to said PSTN;

one or more remote service nodes coupled to said PSTN;

one or more packet switched network gateways coupled between said one or more remote PSTN and a common network;

one or more remote switched network gateways coupled between a local PSTN and said common network; and

a local service node coupled to said local PSTN for handling requests for said advanced platform services from said remote CPE.

8. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 7, wherein said common network is the Internet.

9. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 7, wherein said packet switched network gateways include Internet gateways.

10. The telecommunications system as recited in claim 7, wherein said common network includes a private Internet protocol network.