Distributed local telephony gateway

• US 7,394,803 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Bryan R., Petit-Huguenin, Marc, Andrews, Barry D., Dalmasso, Isabelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NG, CHRISTINE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/966,713
• Time in Patent Office: 2,468 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

Aspects of the invention are directed to a telephony system that is adapted to receive, route, process, and deliver communications data using a cost-effective, user-friendly operations platform and a broadband communication network. For example, the system includes a computer server arrangement and a plurality of endpoint devices communicatively coupled to one or more communication channels comprising an Internet protocol (IP) network. Packet-based (VoIP) calls are transmitted over an IP network, and translated to standard PSTN call signals when necessary. The broadband telephony system of the present invention utilizes each user'"'"'s own IP network endpoint device as not only each user'"'"'s local gateway onto the IP network, but also as a remote gateway for bridging other user'"'"'s calls from the IP network to a local PSTN network in order to reach non-users. Users access the VoIP network of the present invention using the user-owned equipment (as a VoIP network endpoint device) they already have in place for accessing the Internet through a broadband channel. Additionally, the VoIP-based telephony system of the present invention provides an integral means to reach many IP network non-users, thus more-quickly establishing a sufficiently large geographically-distributed communications system. According to a one example embodiment, a broadband telephony system includes a plurality of remote endpoint devices coupled to a broadband data network, and a plurality of remote PSTNs coupled between the plurality of remote endpoint devices and a plurality of remote audio interfaces. Each remote endpoint device is coupled to one remote PSTN, each remote PSTN is coupled to more than one remote endpoint device, each remote PSTN is coupled to at least one remote audio interface, and each remote audio interface is coupled to one remote PSTN. An originating endpoint device is then coupled to a destination audio interface for delivery of an audio signal using a database that is accessible over the broadband data network, for determining an optimized path for the audio signal from the originating endpoint device to the destination audio interface.

Claims

1. A method of sharing resources of a broadband telephony system, the method comprising:

registering with a registrar database information from a plurality of user-provided gateways, each gateway coupled to a broadband data network and one of a plurality of regional telephone networks, and each of the plurality of regional telephone networks coupled to more than one gateway;

storing in the registrar database correlation information associating each of a plurality of audio interfaces and each gateway with one of the plurality of regional telephone networks;

exchanging with a plurality of other users, use of one user-provided gateway as a remote network-terminating gateway for access to the registrar database and use of other user-provided gateways as remote terminating gateways; and

restricting use to the plurality of other users, of a user'"'"'s gateway as a remote network-terminating gateway to a pre-determined maximum elapsed time differential between a duration of calls originated by the user'"'"'s gateway and a duration of calls terminated by the user'"'"'s gateway.

2. A method of sharing resources of a broadband telephony system, the method comprising:

registering with a registrar database information from a plurality of user-provided gateways, each gateway coupled to a broadband data network and one of a plurality of regional telephone networks, and each of the plurality of regional telephone networks coupled to more than one gateway;

storing in the registrar database correlation information associating each of a plurality of audio interfaces and each gateway with one of the plurality of regional telephone networks;

exchanging with a plurality of other users, use of one user-provided gateway as a remote network-terminating gateway for access to the registrar database and use of other user-provided gateways as remote terminating gateways; and

restricting use of a user'"'"'s gateway as a call-originating gateway to a pre-determined maximum elapsed time differential between a duration of calls originated by the user'"'"'s gateway and a duration of calls terminated by the user'"'"'s gateway.