Reduction of wireless communication costs in enterprises

• US 8,452,303 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Buford, John, Milton, Stephen M., Krishnaswamy, Venkatesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniel, Jr., Willie J
• Application Number:
  US11/854,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20090022303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13138 Least cost routing, LCR
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for reducing wireless telecommunication costs for enterprises having a plurality of PBX-equipped sites, connected by either a public network (e.g., the PSTN, the Internet, etc.), a private network (e.g., leased lines, a virtual private network [VPN] over the Internet, etc.), or some combination of public and private networks. In particular, the illustrative embodiments of the present invention attempt to reduce telecommunication costs by advantageously routing calls from an off-premises wireless terminal belonging to the enterprise via one or more of the enterprise'"'"'s private branch exchanges. The present invention is especially advantageous in that it can reduce telecommunication costs for calls from an off-premises wireless terminal to any type of destination: another cell phone, a wireline terminal, a private branch exchange, etc.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first indication of a geo-location of a wireless telecommunications terminal, and a second indication that a telephone number of the wireless telecommunications terminal has changed from telephone number M₁ to telephone number M₂ due to a changed card, wherein the wireless telecommunications terminal is associated with a telephone number N in an address space of a first private branch exchange, the telephone number N being a telephone number of a separate communications device from the wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein the telephone number M₁ and the telephone number M₂ are not in the address space of the first private branch exchange;

transmitting to the first private branch exchange a signal that causes the telephone number N to be mapped to the telephone number M₂ instead of the telephone number M₁;

receiving a first call that is directed to the telephone number N and routing the first call from the first private branch exchange to a server;

establishing a second call from the server to a second private branch exchange along a route that includes the first private branch exchange, wherein the second private branch exchange is selected from a plurality of private branch exchanges based on the first indication of the geo-location of the wireless telecommunications terminal;

dropping from the second call a portion of the route that connects the server to the first private branch exchange;

connecting the first call and the second call; and

extending the first call and the second call to the wireless telecommunications terminal at the telephone number M₂.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, prior to receiving the first indication and the second indication, a subscription request from the second private branch exchange; and

transmitting to the wireless telecommunications terminal information concerning the second private branch exchange.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting to the second private branch exchange least-cost routing information for future calls.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving at the second private branch exchange the second call; and

routing the second call from the second private branch exchange to the first private branch exchange along a route that does not include the server.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

routing the second call from the first private branch exchange to the second private branch exchange along a route that does not include the server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the second private branch exchange a third call from the wireless telecommunications terminal, wherein an identity of the second private branch exchange is based on the first indication of the geo-location of the wireless telecommunications terminal;

routing the third call from the second private branch exchange to the server;

routing the third call from the server to the first private branch exchange along a route that includes the second private branch exchange; and

dropping from the third call portions of the route that connect the server and the second private branch exchange.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the second private branch exchange a third call from the wireless telecommunications terminal;

routing the third call from the second private branch exchange to the server;

establishing a fourth call from the server to the first private branch exchange along a route that includes the second private branch exchange;

dropping from the fourth call a portion of the route that connects the server to the second private branch exchange; and

connecting the third call and the fourth call.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising extending the third call and the fourth call to a destination that is specified by the wireless telecommunications terminal.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the second private branch exchange a third call from the wireless telecommunications terminal, wherein an identity of the second private branch exchange is based on the first indication of the geo-location of the wireless telecommunications terminal;

routing the third call from the second private branch exchange to the server along a first route that does not include the first private branch exchange;

routing the third call from the server to the first private branch exchange along a second route that does not include the second private branch exchange;

establishing a fourth call that connects the second private branch exchange to the first private branch exchange along a third route that does not include the server;

dropping a portion of the third call between the second private branch exchange and the server.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising extending the fourth call to a destination that is specified by the wireless telecommunications terminal, wherein the destination receives a signal that indicates that the fourth call originates from the telephone number N.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

routing the first call from the server to the second private branch exchange along a second route that does not include the first private branch exchange;

establishing a third call that connects the first private branch exchange to the second private branch exchange along a third route that does not include the server;

dropping the first call and extending the second call to the wireless telecommunications terminal at the telephone number M₂.

12. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on the processor, perform operations comprising;

receiving a first indication of a geo-location of a wireless telecommunications terminal, and a second indication that a telephone number of the wireless telecommunications terminal has changed from telephone number M₁ to telephone number M₂ due to a changed card, wherein the wireless telecommunications terminal is associated with a telephone number N in an address space of a first private branch exchange, the telephone number N being a telephone number of a separate communications device from the wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein the telephone number M₁ and the telephone number M₂ are not in the address space of the first private branch exchange;

transmitting to the first private branch exchange a signal that causes the telephone number N to be mapped to the telephone number M₂ instead of the telephone number M₁;

receiving a first call that is directed to the telephone number N and routing the first call from the first private branch exchange to a server;

establishing a second call from the server to a second private branch exchange along a route that includes the first private branch exchange, wherein the second private branch exchange is selected from a plurality of private branch exchanges based on the first indication of the geo-location of the wireless telecommunications terminal;

dropping from the second call a portion of the route that connects the server to the first private branch exchange;

connecting the first call and the second call; and

extending the first call and the second call to the wireless telecommunications terminal at the telephone number M₂.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein a call destination receives a signal that indicates that an extended call originates from the telephone number N.