Method and system for providing private virtual secure Voice over Internet Protocol communications

• US 7,852,831 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lesavich High-Tech Law Group, PC
• Original Assignee: Imran M. Akbar
• Inventors: Akbar, Imran M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US11/063,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,121 Days
• Field of Search: 370/466, 370/493, 370/352, 379/279, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/35 virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0066 Details of access arrangements to the networks where the access arrangement is a PSTN/ISDN access H04M7/122

Abstract

A method and system for secure Voice over Internet Protocol (IP) (VoIP) communications. The method and system provide secure VoIP voice calls, video, Instant Messaging (IM), Short Message Services (SMS), or Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communications while maintaining privacy over the Internet and other communications networks such as the pubic switched telephone network (PSTN) to and from any network device through a virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting private VoIP network devices. The method and system allow a network device to function as an IP private branch exchange (PBX) or a private VoIP gateway and provide and control VoIP voice communications without using other public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers or devices on a communications network such as the PSTN or the Internet.

Claims

1. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system with one or more processors, comprising in combination:

a serial line interface circuit (SLIC) configured for interfacing with a telephone handset, detecting when the telephone handset is off hook and initiate ringing on the telephone handset for voice calls;

a data access arrangement (DAA) circuit configured for connecting to a telephony network and initiating and receiving voice calls through the telephone handset;

an audio coder/decoder (CODEC) for encoding and decoding voice information for VoIP voice calls;

a universal serial bus (USB) for providing Internet Protocol (IP) communications for VoIP voice communications between the VoIP system and a network device and providing the network device with operating power;

a USB port for accepting a USB cable to connect a network device to the USB port;

a caller identification decoder for providing caller identification of an incoming voice call;

a foreign exchange office (FXO) interface for interfacing with a telephony switch on a telephony network and for providing an off-hook and an on-hook indicator to a network device;

a foreign exchange solution (FXS) interface providing voice calls to and from the telephony network and providing dial tone, battery current and ring voltage;

a peer-to-peer (P2P) VoIP application for providing VoIP voice communications via a communications network using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets via the USB port, FXO interface or FXS interface,

wherein the VoIP system allows the network device to provide and control VoIP voice communications via virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting other network devices using the same VoIP system using IP data packets on the communications network but without using any public VoIP gateways or any public VoIP services on the communications network; and

a plurality of P2P gateways each with one or more processors and including the P2P VoIP application, wherein the plurality of P2P gateways communicate and share data directly with each other, provide a P2P networking model for VoIP communications on the communications network and provide private P2P VoIP communications on the communications network.

2. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the voice communications are secure voice communications.

3. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the P2P VoIP application provides connections to Instant Messaging (IM) services or Short Messaging Services (SMS).

4. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the P2P VoIP application provides network address translation (NAT) traversals for P2P VoIP voice communications.

5. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the P2P VoIP application provides private peer-to-peer (P2P) VoIP communications.

6. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the P2P VoIP communications include a hierarchical overlay P2P VoIP communications with a P2P rating system.

7. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system comprises a private P2P VoIP gateway used between the network device and the communications network, wherein the private P2P VoIP gateway connects the network device to a plurality of other P2P VoIP gateways including the same P2P VoIP system to provide virtual private P2P VoIP gateway to P2P VoIP gateway communications.

8. The VoIP system of claim 1 further comprising a computer readable medium for causing one or more processors to execute instructions for a P2P VoIP application providing secure private P2P VoIP voice communications via the communications network using Internet Protocol data packets via the USB port, FXO interface or FXS interface.

9. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system provides a virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting the network device and other network devices connected to other VoIP systems.

10. The VoIP system of claim 1 wherein the VoIP system provides multi-media communications, including voice, video and data between the network device and other network device connected to the VoIP system.

11. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, comprising in combination:

a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) VoIP hardware means with one or more processors for connecting a network device to a communications network via a universal serial bus (USB) port, a foreign exchange office (FXO) port or a foreign exchange solution (FXS) port; and

a P2P VoIP software application means for providing secure VoIP communications via the communications network using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets via the VoIP hardware means, thereby providing a personal IP private branch exchange (PBX) for secure VoIP communications;

wherein the VoIP system connects to other VoIP systems including the same P2P VoIP hardware means and the same P2P VoIP software application means to provide and control VoIP voice communications via a virtual private network infrastructure interconnecting the VoIP system with the other VoIP systems using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets on the communications network but without using any public VoIP gateways or any public VoIP services on the communications network; and

a plurality of P2P gateway means each with one or more processors and including the P2P VoIP software application means, wherein the plurality of P2P gateway means communicate and share data directly with each other, provide a P2P networking model for VoIP communications on the communications network and provide private P2P VoIP communications on the communications network.

12. A method for creating a virtual private network infrastructure connection for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, comprising:

providing a first Peer-to-Peer (P2P) VoIP gateway, wherein the first P2P VoIP gateway includes a P2P VoIP hardware device with one or more processors and a P2P VoIP application;

providing a second P2P VoIP gateway, wherein the second P2P VoIP gateway includes the same P2P VoIP hardware device with one or more processors and the same P2P VoIP application as the first P2P VoIP gateway; and

establishing a secure private virtual P2P VoIP connection between the first P2P VoIP gateway and the second P2P VoIP gateway over one or more communications networks, using Internet Protocol (IP) data packets on the one or more communications networks but without using any public or private VoIP gateways or VoIP servers on the one or more communications networks that do not include the same P2P VoIP hardware device and the P2P VoIP application included on the first P2P VoIP gateway and second P2P VoIP gateway, wherein the first and second P2P VoIP gateways communicate and share data directly with each other, provide a P2P networking model for VoIP communications on the communications network and provide private P2P VoIP communications on the communications network.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing one or more processors to execute the step of the method.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the P2P VoIP hardware device comprises a P2P VoIP hardware means for connecting the first and second P2P VoIP gateways to the communications network via a universal serial bus (USB) port, a foreign exchange office (FXO) port or a foreign exchange solution (FXS) port.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the P2P VoIP hardware device and the VoIP application provide a personal Internet Protocol private branch exchange (PBX) for secure VoIP voice calls.