Configuring guest users for a VoIP device of a primary user

• US 8,526,426 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Weaver, Farni, Xue, Wen, Jamshidi, Talat, Guirguis, Ihab Amin, Basu, Saurindra M., Nehme, Nocolas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Otis L
• Application Number:
  US13/311,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20120076137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method to providing VoIP telephony to a plurality of users of a VoIP network includes authenticating and registering a primary user to a VoIP device to support call signaling associated with the primary user. A guest user subscriber of the VoIP network having a guest user directory number is authenticated in response to a password. The guest user directory number is mapped to the unique hardware identifier of the VoIP device, and a second set of VoIP parameters are downloaded from the VoIP network to the VoIP device in order to support call signaling associated with the guest user. VoIP calls are then within the VoIP network in response to the mappings of the primary user directory number and the guest user directory number to the same unique hardware identifier.

Claims

1. A method for providing VoIP telephony to a plurality of users of a VoIP network, comprising:

authenticating a VoIP device to the VoIP network in response to the VoIP device providing a unique hardware identifier and a digital certificate to the VoIP network for identification;

registering a primary user to the authenticated VoIP device wherein a directory number of the primary user is mapped to the unique hardware identifier and wherein a first set of VoIP parameters are downloaded from the VoIP network to the VoIP device in order to support call signaling associated with the primary user;

sending a request to the VoIP network to provision a guest user for the VoIP device;

authenticating the guest user as a subscriber of the VoIP network having a guest user directory number in response to sending a password of the guest user to the VoIP network;

registering the guest user to the authenticated VoIP device wherein the guest user directory number is mapped to the unique hardware identifier and wherein a second set of VoIP parameters are downloaded from the VoIP network to the VoIP device in order to support call signaling associated with the guest user; and

directing VoIP calls within the VoIP network in response to the mappings of the primary user directory number and the guest user directory number to the same unique hardware identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the VoIP network stores a default unique hardware identifier of the guest user corresponding to a second VoIP device authenticated to the VoIP network in response to a second digital certificate, the method further comprising the steps of:

generating a command for terminating the registration of the guest user to the primary user VoIP device;

re-mapping the guest user directory number to the guest user'"'"'s default unique hardware identifier; and

removing the second set of VoIP parameters from the primary user'"'"'s VoIP device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the command is generated in response to an expiration time specified during registration of the guest user to the primary user'"'"'s VoIP device.