Voice-over network (VoN)/voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) architect using advance intelligent network alternatives

• US 7,801,289 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruckart, John Paul, Farmer, Sharolyn S., Simpson, Anita Hogans, Kafka, Henry J., Adamczyk, Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Islam; Mohammad K
• Application Number:
  US11/133,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20050232243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-267, 370/432, 370/458, 370/460, 370351-357, 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 379/211.02, 379/216.01, 709/229
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

Voice service over a next generation network is provided using Advanced Intelligent Network solutions. A voice over network communications signal is communicated from an analog communications device over a telecommunications network to a softswitch (SSW) complex that detects and decodes a directory communications address to identify an internal, secret line number (SLN) communications address and, if associated with an SLN, to activate a voice over network application trigger to enable voice communications over an Internet Protocol, data communications network.

Claims

1. A method for voice over network services comprising:

receiving a voice over network communications signal from a directory communications address corresponding to a caller, the voice over network communications signal comprising a communications instruction from the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller;

decoding the voice over network communications signal to look up an internal communications address that corresponds to the caller of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and to process the communications instruction,

wherein the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller comprises a voice over network service of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and at least one feature access code that corresponds to a communications service feature; and

activating, in response to receiving the voice over network communications signal, a voice over network feature server trigger to control communications with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller, the voice over network feature server trigger connecting the voice over network communications signal from an advanced intelligent network telecommunications switch to an application server communicating with a voice over network, the application server controlling the communications service feature of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller,

wherein the communications instruction comprises the communications service feature and a called party'"'"'s communications address, and

wherein the communications service feature comprises a call waiting service feature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address via a voice over network application server trigger to the application server wherein the application server matches the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and wherein the application server uses the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address to route a call over the voice over network to the called party'"'"'s communications address.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing a voice over network communications connection from the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller to the called party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to a telecommunications switch.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein establishing the voice over network communications signal from the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller to the called party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to the telecommunications switch further comprising instructing a voice over network gateway to connect the call via an end-end bearer path to the called party'"'"'s communications address.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to add in another party to the voice over communications connection, the instruction comprising a third party'"'"'s communications address; and

activating the voice over network application server trigger to control communications with the third party'"'"'s communications address.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

communicating the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller and the third party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to the application server wherein the application server matches the internal communications address with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and wherein the application server uses the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the third party'"'"'s communications address to add in another call to a communications connection of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address.

7. The method of claim 1, the incoming communications signal communicated via one of an internet protocol communication network, a telecommunications network, and an internet telephone communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, the communications service feature comprising a three way call service feature, a caller identification service feature, a hold service feature, a mute service feature, a voicemail service feature, a flash service feature, and a dual tone multi-frequency service feature.

9. A voice over network system comprising:

means for decoding a voice over network setup communications signal of an analog communications device to identify an internal communications address that corresponds to the caller associated with a directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and to collect and analyze a communications instruction,

wherein the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller comprises a voice over network service of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and at least one feature access code that corresponds to a communications service feature; and

means for activating a voice over network application server trigger to provide the communications service feature, the voice over network communicating internet protocol telephony communications signals with the analog communications device via an advanced intelligent network telecommunications switch,

wherein the communications instruction comprises a communications device in communication with a telecommunications network, and

wherein the communications service feature comprises a call waiting service feature.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for identifying a communications state of the analog communications device and for presenting a communications availability signal when the communications state is off-hook.

11. The system of claim 9, the means for identifying a communication state of the analog communications device and for presenting a communications availability signal when the communications state is off-hook comprising a telecommunications switching device and a terminal, the telecommunications switching device and terminal further processing an outgoing telecommunications signal of the analog communications device via the voice over network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the telecommunications switching device communicates the called party'"'"'s communications address to the voice over network application server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the telecommunications switching device further processes a communications instruction from the analog communications device.

14. The system of claim 9, the communications instruction comprising a communications service feature comprising a three way call service feature, a caller identification service feature, a hold service feature, a mute service feature, a voicemail service feature, a flash service feature, and a dual tone multi-frequency service feature.

15. A non-transitory storage medium on which is encoded instructions for performing the following:

receiving a voice over network communications signal from a directory communications address that corresponds to the caller, the voices over network communications signal comprising a communications instruction from the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller;

decoding the voice over network communications signal to look up an internal communications address that corresponds to the caller of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and to process the communications instruction,

wherein the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller comprises a voice over network service of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and at least one feature access code that corresponds to a communications service feature; and

activating, responsive to receiving a voice over network communications signal, a voice over network feature server trigger to control communications with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller, the voice over network feature server trigger connecting the voice over network communications signal from an advanced intelligent network telecommunications switch to an application server communicating with a voice over network, the application server controlling the communications service feature of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller,

wherein the communications instruction comprises the communications service feature and a called party'"'"'s communications address, and

wherein the communications service feature comprises a call waiting service feature.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for performing the following:

communicating the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to the application server wherein the application server matches the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and wherein the application server uses the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address to route a call over the voice over network to the called party'"'"'s communications address.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for performing the following:

establishing a voice over network communications connection from the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller to the called party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to a telecommunications switch.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for performing the following:

receiving an instruction to add in another party to the voice over communications connection, the instruction comprising a third party'"'"'s communications address; and

activating the voice over network application server trigger to control communications with the third party'"'"'s communications address.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for performing the following:

communicating the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller and the third party'"'"'s communications address via the voice over network application server trigger to the application server wherein the application server matches the internal communications address that corresponds to the caller with the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and wherein the application server uses the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the third party'"'"'s communications address to add in another call to a communications connections of the directory communications address that corresponds to the caller and the called party'"'"'s communications address.