Method and apparatus for providing multiple simultaneous VOIP call sessions for a single directory number

• US 7,653,046 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Voight, Kenneth J., True, Sandra Lynn, Sheen, Baoling S., Overend, Kevin J., Benco, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/013,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/401, 370/355, 379/114.01, 379/201.12, 379/211.01, 379/265.04, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/201.02, 379/221.02, 709/204, 709/218, 709/223, 709/245, 455/466
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• 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 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A system and method for providing a plurality of separate Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) call sessions for a single Directory Number (DN). The method includes associating a plurality of IP addresses with a single DN, communicating the association to a Switching Center responsible for routing calls between the DN and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), determining that an existing VOIP call session associated with the DN is in progress, and creating another separate simultaneous VOIP call session for the DN. A communications system includes a switching center receiving an association between a plurality of IP addresses and a single DN for providing a plurality of separate simultaneous VOIP call sessions for the DN.

Claims

1. A method for providing a plurality of separate Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) call sessions for a single North American Numbering Plan (NANP) Directory Number (DN) comprising:

associating a plurality of IP addresses with a single NANP DN in a lookup table, wherein each IP address corresponds to a different VOIP terminal and all of the VOIP terminals having the same DN for communicating with the PSTN;

a switching center receiving an incoming call from a calling party calling to the NANP DN;

the switching center determining that an existing VOIP call session associated with the NANP DN is in progress;

the switching center identifying another IP address associated with the NANP DN in the lookup table not being used in an existing VOIP call session as an idle IP address;

routing the incoming call over an IP network between the calling party and a called party VOIP terminal having the idle IP address.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying step includes identifying a plurality of IP addresses associated with the NANP DN not being used in an existing VOIP call session as idle IP addresses and the routing step includes routing the incoming call between the calling party and a plurality of called party VOIP terminals having the idle IP addresses.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the lookup table is in a subscriber database.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

terminating the call session between the calling party and called party VOIP terminal;

identifying the IP address associated with the called party VOIP terminal of the terminated call session as an idle IP.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising the switching center determining if the NANP DN can be used for a plurality of separate simultaneous VOIP call sessions.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the step of determining if the NANP DN can be used for a plurality of separate simultaneous VOIP call sessions comprises determining if the NANP DN owner has subscribed to a VOIP multi-call feature.

7. The method defined in claim 6 further comprising querying a subscriber database to determine if the NANP DN owner has subscribed to the VOIP multi-call feature.

8. A method for providing a plurality of separate Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) call sessions for a single North American Numbering Plan (NANP) Directory Number (DN) comprising:

associating a plurality of IP addresses with a single NANP DN in a lookup table, wherein each IP address corresponds to a different VOIP terminal and all of the VOIP terminals having the same NANP DN for communicating with the PSTN;

communicating the association to a Switching Center responsible for routing calls between the NANP DN and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

determining that an existing VOIP call session associated with the NANP DN is in progress; and

creating another separate simultaneous VOIP call session for the NANP DN.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the creating step includes creating a VOIP call session between a calling party VOIP terminal associated with the NANP DN and a called party.

10. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the lookup table is in a subscriber database.

11. The method defined in claim 8 further comprising:

determining if the NANP DN can be used for a plurality of separate simultaneous VOIP call sessions.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein the step of determining if the NANP DN can be used for a plurality of separate VOIP call sessions comprises determining if the NANP DN owner has subscribed to a VOIP multi-call feature.

13. The method defined in claim 12 further comprising querying the subscriber database to determine if the NANP DN owner has subscribed to the VOIP multi-call feature.

14. A communications system for providing a plurality of separate Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) call sessions for a single North American Numbefinci Plan (NANP) Directory Number (DN) comprising:

a database having a plurality of IP addresses associated with a single NANP DN, wherein each IP address corresponds to a different VOIP terminal and all of the VOIP terminals having the same NANP DN for communicating with the PSTN; and

a Switching Center responsible for routing calls between the DN and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) communicating with the database for establishing a plurality of separate simultaneous VOIP call sessions for the NANP DN.