System and method for providing telephony services to remote subscribers

• US 7,020,268 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Orwick, David Anthony, Bull, Rex Norman, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert, Chatterley, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US10/901,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20050002513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01
• 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 providers 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 method comprising:

receiving, at a telephony service provider, a request for a telephony service from a subscriber in a remote territory, wherein the remote territory is outside a local territory of the telephony service provider; and

routing the request from the remote territory to the local territory over a packet-switched network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a service response in response to the request using a service node in the local territory; and

routing the service response from the local territory to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing the request to a service node in the remote territory; and

generating a service response using the service node in the remote territory.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

routing the request received at the local territory back to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing includes routing the service response through an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony service is selected from the group consisting of a voice mail service, a caller identification service, a caller screening service, or a call forwarding service.

7. A computer readable medium embodying a program of executable instructions, said program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to receive, at a telephony service provider, a request for a telephony service from a subscriber in a remote territory, wherein the remote territory is outside a local territory of the telephony service provider; and

at least one instruction to route the request from the remote territory to the local territory over a packet-switched network.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one instruction to generate a service response in response to the request using a service node in the local territory; and

at least one instruction to route the service response from the local territory to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one instruction to route the request to a service node in the remote territory; and

at least one instruction to generate a service response using the service node in the remote territory.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one instruction to route the request received at the local territory back to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one instruction to route includes at least one instruction to route the service response through an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the telephony service is selected from the group consisting of a voice mail service, a caller identification service, a caller screening service, or a call forwarding service.

13. A system comprising:

a local gateway located in a local territory of a telephony service provider, the local gateway to receive a request for a telephony service from a subscriber in a remote territory, wherein the remote territory is outside a local territory of the telephony service provider; and

a remote gateway located in the remote territory, the remote gateway to route the request from the remote territory to the local territory over a packet-switched network.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a service platform in the local territory to receive the request and generate a service response in response to the request.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a local switching service point (SSP) coupled to the local service platform and the local gateway.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the local SSP comprises an advanced intelligent network (AIN) switch.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a service platform in the remote territory to receive the request and generate a service response in response to the request.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a remote switching service point (SSP) coupled to the remote service platform and the remote gateway.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the local gateway and the remote gateway are Internet telephony gateways (ITG).

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the telephony service is selected from the group consisting of a voice mail service, a caller identification service, a caller screening service, or a call forwarding service.