System and method for selecting a packet-switched telephony service provider

• US 6,853,621 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Go2call Com Incorporated (Praescient LLC)
• Original Assignee: Go2call Com Incorporated (Praescient LLC)
• Inventors: Spear, Laurance A., Nix, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US09/487,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 370/238, 370/235, 370/352, 370/389, 370/392, 370/394, 370/229, 370/351, 370464-465, 709313-317
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection

Abstract

A system and method for identifying location-specific information. The system and method may preferably be used to identify available packet-switched telephony service providers, such as internet telephony service providers, providing telephony service to a desired call destination. In a preferred embodiment, a user enters one or more call criteria, such as a telephone number or a location description, which are transmitted across a packet-switched network to a server. The server determines location-specific information corresponding to the one or more call criteria. For example, the server may determine a location corresponding to the one or more call criteria, and may further use the determined location to identify available packet-switched telephony service providers offering telephony service to the determined location. A least costly packet-switched telephony service provider may be used by the server to place a call from the user to an entered telephone number. Alternative, a listing of available telephony service providers may be transmitted by the server across the packet-switched network to the user located at a user device. The user may then initiate a call by selecting one of the available packet-switched telephony service providers.

Claims

1. A server for presenting available packet-switched telephony service providers offering packet-switched telephony service to a geographic location, comprising in combination:

a network interface, the network interface linking the server to a packet-switched network, wherein the packet-switched network is the Internet;

a packet-switched telephony service provider database including service attributes associated with packet-switched telephony service providers, wherein the packet-switched telephony service provider is an ITSP database, and wherein the service attributes include geographic location information;

a telephone code database including geographic location information associated with telephone number portions;

a processor running an operating system and operable to execute a user access application and a database access application, wherein the user access application includes an HTTP daemon, an ASP module, and a home page, wherein the database access application includes application scripts, a telephone number request handler, and a SQL processor, and wherein the database access application enables the processor to access the telephone code database to determine a geographic location associated with a telephone number portion and to access the packet-switched telephony service provider database to determine the packet-switched telephony service providers offering telephony service to the geographic location, thereby enabling a user to select a packet-switched telephony service provider offering packet-switched telephony service to the geographic location.