System and method for virtual wireless roaming

• US 7,890,111 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirk; Lameka J
• Application Number:
  US11/644,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20080152118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/417, 455/406, 455/422.1, 379/211.02, 379/221.01, 379/201.06
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A system and method is provided for call routing from a wired telephone switch. A wireless device is registered with a database of the wired telephone switch. Incoming wireless calls destined for the wireless device are routed to a standard telephone. The wireless device is unregistered to disable the call routing to the standard telephone.

Claims

1. A method for call routing from a wired telephone switch, said method comprising:

receiving, at a switch of a wireless service provider, a request to register a wireless device for call routing to a standard telephone of a wired network of a wired network provider;

determining, by the switch, whether the wireless service provider has an agreement with the wired network provider for enabling virtual roaming on the wired network;

responsive to a determination that the wireless service provider has the agreement with the wired network provider for enabling virtual roaming on the wired network, registering the wireless device with a database of the wired telephone switch and routing incoming wireless calls destined for the wireless device to the standard telephone;

unregistering the wireless device to disable the call routing to the standard telephone; and

responsive to a determination that the wireless service provider does not have the agreement with the wired network provider for enabling virtual roaming on the wired network, transmitting, by the switch, a message to the wireless device to notify a user of the wireless device that the wireless device is not enabled for virtual roaming.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wired telephone switch is a class 5 switch used in a publicly switched network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the registering step is performed in response to receiving a user input.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the unregistering step further comprises:

receiving user input to terminate the call routing; and

terminating the call routing to the standard telephone.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user input comprises dialing a phone number on the wireless device, turning on the wireless device, entering an identifier, or using the cell phone in a different wireless network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the registering step further comprises:

updating a home locator record and a home mobile switching center of the wireless device with a number of the wireless device, a mobile service identifier and a temporary locator number that links to the standard telephone.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein registering the wireless device further comprises:

sending a home locator record a wireless phone number, a mobile service

identifier, and a phone number of a standard telephone.

8. A mobile switching center system for routing calls from a wireless device to a standard telephone, said mobile switching center system comprising:

a memory for storing executable instructions;

a processor for executing the executable instructions for performing the steps of determining whether a wireless service provider associated with the wireless device has an agreement with a wired network provider associated with the standard telephone for enabling virtual roaming on a wired network of the wired network provider and in response to a determination that the wireless service provider does not have the agreement with the wired network provider for enabling virtual roaming on the wired network transmitting a message to the wireless device to notify a user of the wireless device that the wireless device is not enabled for virtual roaming;

a home location register for managing routing information about a plurality of devices and routing calls and data to the wireless device; and

a virtual location register for storing a temporary locator number for the wireless device, the temporary locator number being operatively associated with the standard telephone for routing incoming calls destined for the wireless device to the standard telephone, wherein the temporary locator number for the wireless device is inserted in the virtual location register in response a determination that the wireless service provider associated with the wireless device has an agreement with the wired network provider associated with the standard telephone.

9. The mobile switching center according to claim 8, wherein the virtual locator register receives the temporary locator number from a database associated with a class 5 switch.

10. The mobile switching center according to claim 9, wherein an agreement between an wireless service provider operating the mobile switching center and a telephone provider operating the class 5 switch allows the incoming calls to be routed through the class 5 switch to the standard telephone.

11. The mobile switching center according to claim 9, wherein the agreement allocates a portion of the fees collected for the incoming calls to an owner of the class 5 switch.

12. The mobile switching center according to claim 8, wherein the home locator record registers the wireless device as roaming with the class 5 switch in response to receiving the temporary locator number.

13. A wired telephone switch comprising:

a processor for executing instructions within software modules;

a memory operatively connected to the processor for storing the software modules including;

a record indicating a plurality of wireless devices that may roam to the wired telephone switch, the plurality of wireless devices associated with one or more wireless service providers determined to have an agreement with a wired network provider operating the wired telephone switch for enabling virtual roaming on a wired network of the wired network provider;

the processor operative to execute instructions to transmit a message to the wireless device to notify a user of the wireless device that the wireless device is not enabled for virtual roaming in response to a determination that the wireless service provider does not have the agreement with the wired network provider for enabling virtual roaming on the wired network;

a routing trigger operative to register a wireless device as roaming with the wired telephone switch operative to route incoming calls destined for the wireless device to a standard telephone; and

a database operative to store a temporary locator number associated with the standard telephone for routing the incoming calls through the wired telephone switch.

14. The wired telephone switch according to claim 13, wherein the wired telephone switch is a class 5 switch or an voice over Internet protocol server.

15. The wired telephone switch according to claim 14, wherein the software modules are part of an externally linked artificial intelligence network device or a virtual locator record in communication with the wired telephone switch.

16. The wired telephone switch according to claim 13, wherein the software modules further comprise:

an addressing table for storing a cell phone number, a mobile service identifier, and a phone number of a standard telephone for updating a home location register of a mobile switching center in communication with the wired telephone switch.

17. The wired telephone switch according to claim 13, wherein the temporary locator number is the phone number of the standard telephone.

18. The wired telephone switch according to claim 13, wherein the routing trigger registers the wireless device in response to receiving a routing command from a user.

19. The wired telephone switch according to claim 13, wherein the routing trigger unregisters the wireless device based on any of a user making a call on the wireless device, entering a different wireless network, and entering a code.