Method and apparatus for placing a long distance call based on a virtual phone number

• US 8,213,594 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Vonage America Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Network LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Holder, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): HONG, HARRY S
• Application Number:
  US13/157,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20110235552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 379/219, 379/220.01, 37922101-22115, 379/901
• US Class Current: 379/221.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/901 Virtual networks or virtual private networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing the cost of long distance phone calls is disclosed. Accordingly, an originating phone network is operatively connected to a first intermediate point, and a receiving phone network is operatively connected to a second intermediate point. Each intermediate point is operatively connected to communicate via a data network. Users on the originating and destination phone networks may communicate based on virtual numbers. The virtual number is preferably within the local calling area of the originating phone network. The first and second intermediate points route calls to any geographic location, regardless of distance, over the data network based on the virtual number. This provides the advantage of allowing a user on the originating phone network to access a user at a distant location for a price that is substantially similar to the price of a local call.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communications link, comprising:

receiving a virtual telephone number at a first intermediate point from an originating point, the first intermediate point being operatively connected to a data network; and

transmitting a call setup request over the data network that includes a second intermediate point, wherein the call setup request includes the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, and wherein information in the call setup request allows the second intermediate point to establish a communications link to a destination point that corresponds to the virtual telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an identity of the second intermediate point based on the virtual telephone number or its equivalent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining the identity of the second intermediate point comprises:

sending a query to an intermediate point routing table, the query including the virtual telephone number or its equivalent; and

receiving, from the intermediate point routing table, an indication of the identity of the second intermediate point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of receiving an indication of the identity of the second intermediate point comprises receiving an Internet protocol (IP) address of a proxy server that can act as the second intermediate point.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, based on the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, the identity of the second intermediate point, the second intermediate point being capable of establishing a communications link to a destination point that corresponds to the virtual telephone number; and

transmitting the identity of the second intermediate point to the first intermediate point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a communications link between the second intermediate point and the destination point using information in the call setup request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of establishing a communications link between the second intermediate point and the destination point comprises:

sending a query to a destination point routing table, the query including the virtual telephone number or its equivalent;

receiving, from the destination point routing table, an indication of the identity of a destination point that corresponds to the virtual telephone number; and

establishing a communications link between the second intermediate point and the destination point using the identity information received from the destination point routing table.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of the identity of the destination point comprises a physical telephone number.

9. A system for establishing a communications link, comprising:

means for receiving a virtual telephone number at a first intermediate point from an originating point, the first intermediate point being operatively connected to a data network; and

means for transmitting a call setup request over the data network from the first intermediate point to a second intermediate point, wherein the call setup request includes the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, and wherein information in the call setup request allows the second intermediate point to establish a communications link to a destination point that corresponds to the virtual telephone number.

10. A system for establishing a communications link, comprising:

an intermediate point routing table that includes information linking virtual telephone numbers to the identities of intermediate points capable of establishing communications links to destination points associated with the virtual telephone numbers; and

a first intermediate point that receives a virtual telephone number from an originating point, and that transmits a call setup request to a second intermediate point, wherein the call setup request includes the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, and wherein the intermediate point routing table, the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point are all coupled to a data network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein information in the call setup request allows the second intermediate point to establish a communications link to a destination point that corresponds to the virtual telephone number.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first intermediate point queries the intermediate point routing table to determine an identity of the second intermediate point.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first intermediate point sends a query to the intermediate point routing table, the query including the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, wherein the intermediate point routing table uses the virtual telephone number or its equivalent to determine an identity of the second intermediate point, and wherein the intermediate point routing table sends an indication of the identity of the second intermediate point to the first intermediate point in response to the query.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the indication of the identity of the second intermediate point comprises an Internet protocol (IP) address of a proxy server that can act as the second intermediate point.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the second intermediate point uses the virtual telephone number to establish a communications link to a destination point corresponding to the virtual telephone number.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first intermediate point establishes a communications link to the originating point, and wherein a communications link is also established between the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point such that communications can pass between the originating point and the destination point via the first and second intermediate points.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second intermediate point sends a query to a destination point routing table, the query including the virtual telephone number or its equivalent, wherein the destination point routing table uses the virtual telephone number or its equivalent to determine an identity of a destination point corresponding to the virtual telephone number, and wherein the destination point routing table sends an indication of the identity of the destination point to the second intermediate point in response to the query.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second intermediate point uses the identity information it receives from the destination point routing table to establish a communications link to the destination point.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the destination point routing table sends a physical telephone number corresponding to the virtual telephone number to the second intermediate point.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second intermediate point uses the physical telephone number to establish a communications link to the destination point.