Method and apparatus for porting telephone numbers of endpoint devices

• US 7,881,289 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eslambolchi, Hossein, Croak, Marian
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/019,504
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/352, 370/384, 370/392, 370/331, 370/356, 370/395.53, 370/401, 705/28, 705/51, 709/227, 709/230, 709/250, 709/223, 709/229, 709/221, 709/225, 709/228, 455/561, 715/764, 725/119, 379/211.02, 714/4, 718/105, 719/328
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

The present invention enables a capability for automatically porting the telephone number of the original VoIP endpoint device to the user'"'"'s new VoIP endpoint device by re-associating the original telephone number with the MAC address of the new IP endpoint device.

Claims

1. A method for porting a telephone number of an internet protocol endpoint device in a communication network, comprising:

registering a new media access control address for a new internet protocol endpoint device by a subscriber of the network; and

associating the new media access control address to an existing network service subscribed by the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a voice over internet protocol network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media access control address is registered by a registration server via a web-based interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering comprises:

logging into the registration server by the subscriber using an existing phone number and a password of the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the registering further comprises:

entering the media access control address by the subscriber into the registration server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the existing network service comprises an existing phone number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a media access control address associations update in response to the associating; and

sending the media access control address associations update to a call control element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the media access control address associations update is sent by a registration server.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for porting a telephone number of an internet protocol endpoint device in a communication network, comprising:

registering a new media access control address for a new internet protocol endpoint device by a subscriber of the network; and

associating the new media access control address to an existing network service subscribed by the subscriber.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the communication network is a voice over internet protocol network.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the media access control address is registered by a registration server via a web-based interface.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the registering comprises:

logging into the registration server by the subscriber using an existing phone number and a password of the subscriber.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the registering further comprises:

entering the media access control address by the subscriber into the registration server.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the existing network service comprises an existing phone number.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

creating a media access control address associations update in response to the associating; and

sending the media access control address associations update to a call control element.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media access control address associations update is sent by a registration server.

17. A system for porting a telephone number of an internet protocol endpoint device in a communication network, comprising:

means for registering a new media access control address for a new internet protocol endpoint device by a subscriber of the network; and

means for associating the new media access control address to an existing network service subscribed by the subscriber.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication network is a voice over internet protocol network.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the media access control address is registered by a registration server via a web-based interface.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the existing network service comprises an existing phone number.