Multi-line telephone calling

• US 8,184,793 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications Company (Lumen Technologies, Inc.), Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stevens, J. Clarke, Glynn, F. Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US10/894,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20060018452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.07, 379/242, 379/156, 379/165, 379/207.01, 379/207.06, 379/221.01, 379/207.07, 379/207.08, 379/210.02, 379/211.02, 370/352, 370/428
• US Class Current: 379/207.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0066 Details of access arrangements to the networks where the access arrangement is a PSTN/ISDN access H04M7/122
• 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: H04M 9/00 Arrangements for interconnection not involving centralised switching

Abstract

Network architectures, methods, and operations for routing telephone calls are disclosed. A customer premise includes a conventional POTS dedicated communication line to a central office switch and a broadband connection to a data network. The central office switch and the data network are connected by a communication link. A first telephone call originated at the customer premise may be connected via the dedicated communication link. A second or subsequent call originated at the customer premise may be connected via the data network. Optionally, the same call identifier may be assigned to the first and second or subsequent calls.

Claims

1. A method of originating multiple calls from a single POTS telephone line, comprising:

detecting, at a central office switch, a change in status of a first telephone at the POTS telephone line from an on-hook status to an off-hook status wherein the first telephone is connected to the central office switch with a dedicated voice connection;

in response to the change in status of the first telephone, at the central office switch;

generating a dial tone for the first telephone;

receiving a plurality of digits from the first telephone; and

initiating a first call over the dedicated voice connection using the plurality of digits;

setting the status of the dedicated voice connection to busy at the central office switch;

detecting, at a data network connection point, a change in status of a second telephone at the POTS telephone line from an on-hook status to an off-hook status, wherein the second telephone is a Voice over Internet Protocol (“

VoIP”

) telephone;

in response to the change in status,

generating a signal indicating that the second telephone is operational;

receiving a plurality of digits from the second telephone; and

initiating a second call over a data network using the plurality of digits, wherein the second call is a VoIP call, wherein initiating the second call over a data network using the plurality of digits comprises;

translating the plurality of digits into a network address; and

establishing a data connection to the network address;

setting the status of the second VoIP telephone to busy at the data network;

forwarding the busy status of the second VoIP telephone from the data network to the central office switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of digits from the first telephone comprises receiving a plurality of DTMF signals from the first telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the first call over a voice connection using the plurality of digits comprises originating a call at the central office switch.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the change in status of the first telephone, blocking access for the second telephone to the voice connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein blocking access for the second telephone to the voice connection comprises severing a logical connection between the second telephone and the voice connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a signal indicating that the second telephone is operational comprises generating a dial tone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a signal indicating that the second telephone is operational comprises playing a pre-recorded voice message indicating that the second telephone is operational.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the second call over a data network using the plurality of digits comprises transmitting call signaling information associated with the second call via the data network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the call signaling information includes a POTS telephone number, and wherein the data network connection point forwards the call initiated on the data network to the central office switch via a communication link for transmission to the destination via a public switched telephone network.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the status indicator associated with the dedicated voice connection at the central office switch to route incoming calls to the second, VoIP, telephone; and

using the status indicator associated with the second, VoIP telephone at the central office switch to route incoming calls to the dedicated voice connection.

10. A method of originating multiple calls from a single POTS telephone line, comprising:

connecting, at a central office switch, a call originating at a first telephone having the POTS telephone line via a dedicated voice connection;

setting the status of the dedicated voice connection to busy at the central office switch;

blocking access to the dedicated voice connection for a second telephone coupled to the POTS telephone line, wherein the second telephone is a Voice over Internet Protocol (“

VoIP”

) telephone;

connecting a VoIP call originating at the second telephone via a data network connected to the dedicated voice connection;

setting the status of the second VoIP telephone to busy at the data network; and

forwarding the busy status of the second VoIP telephone from the data network to the central office switch;

displaying, on a third telephone, an indicator that a call is connected over the data network;

receiving, at the third telephone, a signal requesting access to the dedicated voice connection; and

in response to the signal, enabling the third telephone to access the data connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein connecting a call originating at a first telephone coupled to the POTS telephone line via a dedicated voice connection comprises:

detecting, at a central office switch, an off-hook condition at the first telephone; and

generating a dial tone for the first telephone.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, at the central office switch:

receiving a plurality of digits from the first telephone; and

initiating the call over a voice connection using the plurality of digits.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein blocking access for the second telephone to the voice connection comprises severing a logical connection between the second telephone and the voice connection.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein connecting a call originating at the second telephone via a data network connected to the dedicated voice connection comprises:

detecting, at a data network connection point, a change in status of the second telephone from an on-hook status to an off-hook status; and

generating a signal indicating that the second telephone is operational.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of digits from the second telephone; and

initiating the call over a data network using the plurality of digits.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying, on the second telephone, an indicator that a call is connected over the dedicated voice connection;

receiving, at the second telephone, a signal requesting access to the dedicated voice connection; and

in response to the signal, enabling the second telephone to access the dedicated voice connection.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

assigning a single call identifier to the call originating at the first telephone and the call originating at the second telephone.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forwarding the call initiated on the data network to the central office switch via a communication link for transmission to the destination via a public switched telephone network.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

using the status indicator associated with the dedicated voice connection at the central office switch to route incoming calls to the second, VoIP, telephone; and

using the status indicator associated with the second, VoIP, telephone at the central office switch to route incoming calls to the dedicated voice connection.