System and method for providing telephony services to remote subscribers

• US 7,272,221 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Orwick, David Anthony, Bull, Rex Norman, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert, Chatterley, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MATAR, AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US11/319,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20060098800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.12, 379/229, 379/230, 379/157, 379/900, 370/252, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354
• 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 local service node of a telephony service provider, a remotely routed service request from a remote caller for a telephony service, the remote caller located in a remote territory outside a local territory of the telephony service provider;

wherein the remotely routed service request comprises a service request received from the remote territory into the local territory via a packet-switched network.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a service response in response to the service request; and

forwarding the service response toward a packet-switched network gateway such that the service response can be routed from the local territory to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein forwarding the service response includes forwarding the service response to the packet-switched network gateway via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the service request is received at the local service node from a packet-switched network gateway via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the service request from the remote caller, the local service node interacting with the remote caller regarding the service request; and

generating a service response to the service request based at least on a result of the interaction with the remote caller.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising routing the service request from the remote territory into the local territory via the packet-switched network.

7. A system comprising:

a local service node of a telephony service provider, the local service node including a data interface operable to receive a remotely routed service request from a remote caller for a telephony service, the remote caller located in a remote territory outside a local territory of the telephony service provider;

wherein the remotely routed service request comprises a service request received from the remote territory into the local territory via a packet-switched network.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the local service node further includes a response generator communicatively coupled to the data interface and operable to generate a service response in response to the service request;

and

wherein the data interface is further operable to forward the service response toward a packet-switched network gateway such that the service response can be routed from the local territory to the remote territory over the packet-switched network.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the data interface is operable to forward the service response to the packet-switched network gateway via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

10. A system according to claim 7, wherein the data interface is operable to receive the service request from a packet-switched network gateway via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

11. A system according to claim 7, wherein the local service node further includes:

a caller interaction system operable, in response to the local service node receiving the service request from the remote caller, to interact with the remote caller regarding the service request; and

a response generator communicatively coupled to the caller interaction system and operable to generate a service response to the service request based at least on a result of the interaction with the remote caller.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a local packet-switched network gateway via a packet-switched network, a service request from a remote caller for a telephony service, the local packet-switched network gateway located within a local territory of a telephony service provider, and the remote caller located outside the local territory of the telephony service provider; and

forwarding the service request to a local service node of the telephony service provider for processing of the service request.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the local packet-switched network gateway comprises an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising converting the service request from a data packet format to a non-data packet format in order to forward the service request to the local service node of the telephony service provider via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the local service node a service response to the service request; and

forwarding the received service response to a remote packet-switched network gateway via the packet-switched network.

16. A system comprising:

a local packet-switched network gateway located within a local territory of a telephony service provider, the local packet-switched network gateway including;

a first data interface configured to receive via a packet-switched network a service request from a remote caller for a telephony service, the remote caller located outside the local territory of the telephony service provider; and

a second data interface communicatively coupled to the first data interface and configured to forward the service request to a local service node of the telephony service provider for processing of the service request.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the local packet-switched network gateway comprises an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the local packet-switched network gateway further includes a data format converter for converting the service request from a data packet format to a non-data packet format in order to forward the service request to the local service node of the telephony service provider via a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein:

the second data interface is further configured to receive from the local service node a service response to the service request; and

the first data interface is further configured to forward the received service response to a remote packet-switched network gateway via the packet-switched network.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein the local packet-switched network gateway is at least partially integrated with a local public switched telephone network (PSTN).

21. A method comprising:

receiving, at a remote packet-switched network gateway, a service request from a remote caller for a telephony service, the remote packet-switched network gateway and the remote caller located outside a local territory of a telephony service provider; and

forwarding the service request toward the telephony service provider via a packet-switched network for processing of the service request.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the remote packet-switched network gateway comprises an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein forwarding the service request toward the telephony service provider via a packet-switched network comprises forwarding the service request to a local packet-switched network gateway via a packet-switched network, the local packet-switched network gateway located within the local territory of the telephony service provider.

24. A method according to claim 21, further comprising converting the service request from a non-data packet format to a data packet format in order to forward the service request via a packet-switched network.

25. A method according to claim 21, further comprising:

receiving via the packet-switched network a service response from the telephony service provider in response to the service request; and

forwarding the received service response toward the remote caller via a remote public switched telephone network (PSTN).

26. A system comprising:

a remote packet-switched network gateway located outside a local territory of a telephony service provider, the remote packet-switched network gateway including;

a first data interface configured to receive from a remote caller a service request for a telephony service, the remote caller located outside the local territory of the telephony service provider; and

a second data interface communicatively coupled to the first data interface and configured to forward the service request toward the telephony service provider via a packet-switched network for processing of the service request.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the remote packet-switched network gateway comprises an Internet telephony gateway (ITG).

28. A system according to claim 26, wherein the second data interface is configured to forward the service request to a local packet-switched network gateway via the packet-switched network, the local packet-switched network gateway located within the local territory of the telephony service provider.

29. A system according to claim 26, wherein the remote packet-switched network gateway further includes a data format converter for converting the service request from a non-data packet format to a data packet format in order to forward the service request via the packet-switched network.

30. A system according to claim 26, wherein:

the second data interface is further configured to receive via the packet-switched network a service response from the telephony service provider in response to the service request; and

the first data interface is further configured to forward the received service response toward the remote caller via a remote public switched telephone network (PSTN).

31. A system according to claim 26, wherein the remote packet-switched network gateway is at least partially integrated with a remote public switched telephone network (PSTN).