Telephone line switching apparatus, telephone line switching system, telephone relay system, telephone relay method, telephone relay program

• US 8,630,254 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Mizukoshi, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): DECKER, CASSANDRA L
• Application Number:
  US11/555,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,632 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42255 with the subscriber having a personal network-independent number
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/76 Translation from the called subscriber's number to the outgoing or incoming control information

Abstract

A telephone relay system enabling a terminal having multiple telephone numbers to originate and receive calls same as a terminal having only one telephone number is provided. When a connection management unit of an agent device receives a call request from a terminal device, it activates a terminal calling unit while designating a current telephone number and also activates a counterpart calling unit to establish a terminal-side connection between the current telephone number of the terminal device and the agent device and a counterpart-side connection between the agent device and the counterpart terminal. When an incoming call from the counterpart terminal arrives, the connection management unit establishes a counterpart-side connection corresponding to the incoming call, and activates the terminal calling unit while designating the current telephone number to establish a terminal-side connection. A communication relay unit relays the call by using the two connections established by the connection management unit.

Claims

1. A telephone switching system, comprising:

a memory storing information associating first, second and third telephone numbers with a single mobile terminal,

the first telephone number corresponding to a first telephone network to which the mobile terminal can be connected,

the second telephone number corresponding to a second telephone network to which the mobile terminal can be connected, and

the third telephone number being a common telephone number for the mobile terminal, and

the memory also storing information indicating which of the telephone networks the mobile terminal is presently connected to;

an agent computer which, upon receipt of a signal sent via the first telephone network indicating that the mobile terminal is attempting to place a phone call using the second telephone number to a telephone number associated with a third party terminal;

looks up the common telephone number in the memory;

causes a request to accept a call from the mobile terminal to be sent to the third party terminal using the common telephone number to identify the mobile terminal;

causes a request to accept a call to be sent to the mobile terminal using the second telephone number via the second telephone network;

causes a connection to be made between the agent computer and the mobile terminal; and

if the third party terminal accepts the request, causes a connection to be made between the agent computer and the third party terminal.

2. The telephone switching system of claim 1, wherein the first and second telephone numbers are a PSTN telephone number and an IP telephone number, respectively.

3. The telephone switching system of claim 1, wherein the agent computer periodically receives new information identifying the telephone network to which the mobile terminal is connected while the mobile terminal is switched on and connected to one of the first or second telephone networks,

the agent computer updating the memory to reflect which of the first and second telephone networks the mobile terminal is presently connected to.

4. The telephone switching system of claim 1, further comprising a SIP server, the agent computer setting up the two connections via the SIP server.

5. The telephone switching system of claim 4, wherein the agent computer sends a request to the SIP server to establish the connection between the agent computer and the mobile terminal, and

the SIP server responds to that request by sending the request to accept the call sent to the mobile terminal using the second telephone number.

6. The telephone switching system of claim 1, wherein the first telephone network is a mobile telephone network and the second telephone network is a wireless LAN network and

wherein a media gateway and a router are provided for interfacing with the mobile telephone network and wireless LAN network, respectively.

7. The telephone switching system of claim 1, wherein the agent computer, upon receiving a call request from a fourth party identifying the third telephone number as the called number:

determines which telephone network the mobile terminal is presently connected to as a function of the information stored in the memory; and

sends a connection request to the mobile terminal using the telephone number corresponding to the telephone network to which the mobile terminal is presently connected as indicated by the information stored in the memory.

8. A telephone switching method, comprising:

storing information in a memory associating first, second and third telephone numbers with a single mobile terminal, the first telephone number corresponding to a first telephone network to which the mobile terminal can be connected, the second telephone number corresponding to a second telephone network to which the mobile terminal can be connected, and the third telephone number being a common telephone number for the mobile terminal;

storing information in the memory indicating which of the telephone networks the mobile terminal is presently connected to; and

upon receipt by an agent computer of a signal sent via the first telephone network indicating that the mobile terminal is attempting to place a phone call using the second telephone number to a telephone number associated with a third party terminal, the agent computer;

looking up the common telephone number in the memory;

causing a request to accept a call from the mobile terminal to be sent to the third party terminal using the common telephone number to identify the mobile terminal;

causing a request to accept a call to be sent to the mobile terminal using the second telephone number via the second telephone network;

causing a connection to be made between the agent computer and the mobile terminal; and

if the third party terminal accepts the request, causing a connection to be made between the agent computer and the third party terminal.

9. The telephone switching method of claim 8, wherein the first and second telephone numbers are a PSTN telephone number and an IP telephone number, respectively.

10. The telephone switching method of claim 8, wherein the agent computer periodically receives new information identifying the telephone network to which the mobile terminal is connected while the mobile terminal is switched on and connected to one of the first or second telephone networks and,

in response to the receipt of the new information, the agent computer updates the memory to reflect which of the first and second telephone networks the mobile terminal is presently connected to.

11. The telephone switching method of claim 8, wherein the agent computer sets up the two connections via a SIP server.

12. The telephone switching method of claim 11, wherein the agent computer sends a request to the SIP server to establish the connection between the agent computer and the mobile terminal, and

the SIP server responds to that request by sending the request to accept the call sent to the mobile terminal using the second telephone number.

13. The telephone switching method of claim 8, wherein the agent computer, upon receiving a call request from a fourth party identifying the third telephone number as the called number:

determines which telephone network the mobile terminal is presently connected to as a function of the information stored in the memory; and

sends a connection request to the mobile terminal using the telephone number corresponding to the telephone network to which the mobile terminal is presently connected as indicated by the information stored in the memory.