Telephone number binding in a voice-over-internet system

• US 7,701,883 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Televolution Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Televolution Incorporated
• Inventors: Beckemeyer, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryman, Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US10/964,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-262
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

Telephone number binding in a voice-over-Internet system is provided. One embodiment is a method for provisioning a customer voice-over-Internet device for voice-over-Internet service. One such method comprises: providing a customer voice-over-Internet device for communicating with an existing telephone line and a data network; providing a telephone number associated with the existing telephone line to a voice-over-Internet platform; and linking the existing telephone number to a unique identifier associated with the customer voice-over-Internet device.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning a customer voice-over-Internet device for voice-over-Internet service, the method comprising:

providing a customer voice-over-Internet device for communication with an existing telephone line and a data network;

providing a telephone number associated with the existing telephone line to a voice-over-Internet platform; and

linking the existing telephone number to a unique identifier associated with the customer voice-over-Internet device, the providing the telephone number associated with the existing telephone line occurring via a telephone call over the existing telephone line between the voice-over-Internet platform and the customer voice-over-Internet device and wherein the telephone call is initiated by the customer voice over-Internet device in response to a request from the voice-over-Internet platform instructing the customer voice-over-Internet device to dial a predetermined number that terminates at the voice-over-Internet platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the voice-over-Internet platform comprises a session identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the linking the existing telephone number to the unique identifier associated with the customer voice-over-Internet device is responsive to the operation of a data session over the data network and the telephone call.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the operation of the data session and the telephone call is concurrent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice-over-Internet platform automatically captures the telephone number associated with the existing telephone line via an automated number identification service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing a telephone number associated with the existing telephone line comprises:

providing a device identifier associated with the customer voice-over-Internet device to the voice-over-Internet platform;

instructing the customer voice-over-Internet device, to initiate a telephone call to the voice-over-Internet platform; and

capturing the telephone number via the telephone call at the voice-over-Internet platform.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the telephone number provided to the voice-over-Internet platform.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authenticating the telephone number provided to the voice-over-Internet platform comprises:

requesting an authentication number to be provided to the voice-over-Internet platform; and

providing the authentication number to the voice-over-Internet platform.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the requesting the authentication number to be provided to the voice-over-Internet platform occurs via a data session with the voice-over-Internet platform.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing the authentication number to the voice-over-Internet platform occurs via the existing telephone line.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing the authentication number to the voice-over-Internet platform occurs via an interactive voice response system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the telephone number using a closed-loop connection with the voice-over-Internet platform via the data network and the existing telephone line.

13. A voice-over-Internet system comprising:

a customer device comprising a data interface for communicating via a data network and a telephone interface for communicating with the public-switched telephone network (PSTN);

a voice-over-Internet platform for communicating with the customer device via the PSTN and a data session that occurs over the data network; and

a telephone number binding system associated with the voice-over-Internet platform, the telephone number binding system configured to provision the customer device by linking a customer'"'"'s existing telephone number to a unique device identifier corresponding to the customer device, wherein the telephone number binding system instructs the customer via the data session to initiate a telephone call to the voice-over-Internet platform, the telephone number binding system capturing the customer'"'"'s existing telephone number via the telephone call initiated by the customer.

14. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the telephone number binding system captures the customer'"'"'s existing telephone number from the customer via an interactive voice response system.

15. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the telephone number binding system authenticates the customer'"'"'s existing telephone number via one of the data session and a telephone call between the voice-over-Internet platform and the customer.

16. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the telephone number binding system authenticates the customer'"'"'s existing telephone number via one of the data session and a telephone call between the voice-over-Internet platform and the customer device.

17. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the telephone number binding system authenticates the customer'"'"'s existing telephone number by:

requesting an authentication number be provided to the voice-over-Internet platform;

receiving a customer-specified authentication number; and

confirming that the customer-specified authentication number matches the authentication number.

18. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 17, wherein the requesting the authentication number occurs via one of the data session and a telephone call via the PSTN and the receiving the customer-specified authentication occurs via the other of the data session and the telephone call.

19. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the voice-over-Internet platform comprises:

a web server for communicating with the customer device via the data session;

a telephone interface for communicating with the customer device via the PSTN; and

a database containing information corresponding to the telephone number/device identifier binding.

20. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 19, wherein the web server comprises a HTTPS server.

21. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 19, further comprising a session initiation protocol (SIP) proxy that authenticates the customer device via the data session based on the device identifier received from the customer device.

22. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the customer device comprises

logic configured to provide the device identifier to the voice-over-Internet platform via the data session;

and

logic configured to receive, via the data session, a request from the voice-over-Internet platform to transmit, via the telephone call, the system-generated session identifier.

23. The voice-over-Internet system of claim 13, wherein the telephone number binding system comprises:

logic configured to receive the device identifier from the customer device via the data session;

logic configured to instruct the customer, via the data session, to make a telephone call to a predetermined number that terminates at the voice-over-Internet platform;

logic configured to determine the telephone number corresponding to the customer device based on the telephone call;

logic configured to instruct the customer device, via the data session, to transmit the system-generated session identifier; and

logic configured determine whether the transmitted session identifier matches the system-generated session identifier.