System for interconnecting circuit-based terminal devices with packet-based terminal devices in a voice communication connection

• US 7,065,069 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2000
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Echols, Troy Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, RICHARD K
• Application Number:
  US09/659,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,107 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/351, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/401, 370/402, 370/395.52, 370/395.65, 370/395.54, 370/395.2
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

The system for interconnecting circuit-based terminal devices with packet-based terminal devices in a voice communication connection (packet-based terminal device addressing system) provides service capabilities that allow a calling party to address packet-based terminal devices without consuming telephone numbers. In this case, the calling party, using a circuit-based terminal device such as a traditional telephone or video telephone, initiates a call to a called party, using the called party'"'"'s telephone number. The packet-based terminal device addressing system presumes that the owner of the packet-based terminal device also owns a circuit-based terminal device and therefore reuses the point of presence address of the circuit-based terminal device (telephone number) for the packet-based terminal device. The packet-based terminal device addressing system employs the use of a plurality of existing systems, such as VXML, ASR, residential gateways and directory services, to locate and connect to the called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

Claims

1. A packet based terminal device addressing system for enabling a calling party using a circuit based terminal device, which is addressable via a telephone number, to initiate a communication connection to a called pay who is using a packet-based terminal device, which is addressable via an IP address, comprising:

means for storing data in a memory indicative of a correspondence between at least one IP address assigned to a called part/s pair-based terminal device and a telephone number assigned to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device;

means, responsive to a calling party, connected to the Public Telephone Switched Network via a Local Exchange Carrier serving said calling parry, dialing the telephone number assigned to said circuit-based terminal device of said called party, for transmitting said telephone number to a Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party;

means, responsive to receipt of data from said calling party by said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party and indicative of said called party'"'"'s telephone number corresponding to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device, for retrieving data from said memory indicative of said IP address assigned to a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device, comprising;

means for providing said calling party with a list of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packer-based terminal devices,

means, responsive to said calling party select one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based teal devices, for identifying a communication service serving said selected one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

means for extending a communication connection that exists from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party, to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

2. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 1 wherein said means for extending comprises:

means for transmitting said IP address assigned to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device to at least one packet-based communication service to locate said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

3. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 2 wherein said means for extending further comprises:

means, responsive to receipt of a message from one of said at least one packet-based communication services indicative of a presence of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device on said one of said at least one packet-based communication services, for extending a communication connection from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said one of said at least one packet-based communication services.

4. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 1 wherein said means for storing comprises:

means for storing a set of data comprising data indicative of an IP address assigned to each of a plurality of a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices.

5. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 4 wherein said means for retrieving comprises:

means for providing said calling party with a list of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

means, responsive to said calling par selecting a one of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices, for identifying a packet-based communication service serving said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

6. A method of operating a packet based terminal device addressing system for enabling a calling party using a circuit based terminal device, which is addressable via a telephone number, to initiate a communication connection to a called party who is using a packet-based terminal device, which is addressable via an IP address, comprising the steps of:

storing data in a memory indicative of a correspondence between at least one IP address assigned to a called party'"'"'s packet-based term device and a telephone number assigned to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device;

transmitting, in response to a calling party, connected to the Public Telephone Switched Network via a Local Exchange Carrier serving said calling party, dialing the telephone number assigned to said circuit-based terminal device of said called party, said telephone number to a Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party;

retrieving, in response to receipt of data from said calling party by said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party and indicative of said called party'"'"'s telephone number corresponding to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device, data from said memory indicative of said IP address assigned to a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device, comprising;

providing said calling party with a list of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices,

identifying, in response to said calling party selecting one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices, a communication service serving said selected one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

extending a communication connection that exists from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party, to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

7. The method of operating a pack based terminal device addressing system of claim 6 wherein said step of extending comprises:

transmitting said IP address assigned to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device to at least one packet-based communication service to locate said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

8. The method of operating a packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 7 wherein said step of extending further comprises:

extending, in response to receipt of a message from one of said at least one packer-based communication services indicative of a presence of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device on said one of said at least one packet-based communication services, a communication connection from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said one of said at least one packet-based communication services.

9. The method of operating a packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 6 wherein said step of storing in a memory comprises:

storing a set of data comprising data indicative of an IP address assigned to each of a plurality of a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices.

10. The method of operating a packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 9 wherein said step of retrieving comprises:

providing said calling party with a list of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

identifying, in response to said calling party selecting a one of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices, a packet-based communication service serving said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

11. A packet based terminal device addressing system for enabling a calling party using a circuit based terminal device, which is addressable via a telephone number, to initiate a communication connection to a called party who is using a packet-based terminal device, which is addressable via an IP address, comprising:

data storage means for storing data in a memory indicative of a correspondence between at least one IP address assigned to a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device and a telephone number assigned to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device;

call origination means, responsive to a calling party, connected to the Public Telephone Switched Network via a Local Exchange Carrier serving said calling party, dialing the telephone number assigned to said circuit-based terminal device of said called party, for transmitting said telephone number to a Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party;

terminal device location means, responsive to receipt of data from said calling party by said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party and indicative of said called party'"'"'s telephone number corresponding to said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device, for retrieving data from said memory indicative of said IP address assigned to a called party'"'"'s pa-based terminal device, comprising;

destination selection means for providing said calling parry with a list of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices,

call routing means, responsive to said calling party selecting one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices, for identifying a communication service serving said selected one of said called party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal devices and said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

communication connection means for extending a communication connection that exists from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said Local Exchange Carrier serving said called party, to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

12. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 11 wherein said communication connection means comprises:

terminal device locator means for transmitting said IP address assigned to said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device to at least one packet-based communication service to locate said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.

13. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 12 wherein said communication connection means further comprises:

inquiry response means, responsive to receipt of a message from one of said at least one packet-based communication services indicative of a presence of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device on said one of said at least one packet-based communication services, for extending a communication connection from said calling party'"'"'s circuit-based terminal device to said one of said at least one packet-based communication services.

14. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 11 wherein said data storage means comprises:

directory means for storing a set of data comprising data indicative of an IP address assigned to each of a plurality of a called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices.

15. The packet based terminal device addressing system of claim 14 wherein said terminal device location means comprises:

destination selection means for providing said calling party with a list of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices; and

service identification means, responsive to said calling party selecting a one of said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal devices, for identifying a packet-based communication service serving said called party'"'"'s packet-based terminal device.