Computer program products for routing phone calls to a PSTN or a packet switched network based on called number

• US 8,873,542 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reid, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, STEPHANIE L
• Application Number:
  US11/960,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,505 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/328, 370/235, 370/465, 709/245, 709/224, 709/230, 379/93.05, 379/93.01, 379/93.06
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• 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

Abstract

A phone call is selectively routed to a public switched telephone network or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed. A phone call may be made as a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol call through, for example, the Internet except when a user dials an emergency number, in which case the call is made to the public switched telephone network.

Claims

1. A computer program product for routing calls in a communication system, the computer program product comprising:

non-transitory computer-executable storage medium comprising program code stored in the computer-executable storage medium, the computer program code comprising;

program code that when executed by at least one processor within a phone network interface that is separate from a local access phone provider and from a local access Internet provider is configured to, determine whether to convert an analog signal of a phone call to a digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal based on a called number to which the phone call is directed, selectively carry out one of routing the analog signal of the phone call, which is received from a phone, through an analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider and across a public switched telephone network and routing the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal, which has been converted from the analog signal from the phone, to a broadband network modem device for communication to the local access Internet provider and across a packet switched network.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal from the phone network interface to a cable modem device for communication to the local access Internet provider.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal from the phone network interface through a digital subscriber line modem device for communication to the local access Internet provider.

4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number corresponding to at least one predefined number by routing the analog signal of the phone call through the analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider.

5. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number not corresponding to the at least one predefined number by causing the analog signal from the phone call signal to be converted to a digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal and to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal to a broadband network modem device.

6. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number corresponding to the number 911 by routing the analog signal of the phone call through the analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider.

7. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number corresponding to an emergency number by routing the analog signal of the phone call through the analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider, and to respond to the called number not corresponding to an emergency number by causing the analog phone call signal to be converted to a digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal and to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal to a broadband network modem device.

8. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to route the analog signal of the phone call through the analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider by operations that include causing an analog connection to be established between the phone and the public switched telephone network, and is configured to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal to a broadband network modem device by operations that include causing a digital connection to be established between the phone and the packet switched network.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to cause the analog signal from the phone to be selectively converted to a digital signal in response to the called number.

10. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to selectively provide the called number to one of the public switched telephone network and the packet switched network in response to the called number.

11. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to cause the analog signal from the phone call signal to be converted to a digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal and to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal to a broadband network modem device by operations that include routing the Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call to a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol provider.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to route the Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call through a cable modern device to the local access Internet provider.

13. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to route the Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call through a digital subscriber line modem device to the local access Internet provider.

14. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number corresponding to at least one predefined number by routing the analog signal of the phone call through a public switched telephone network interface of a phone adapter, which is separate from the local access phone provider, through the analog phone line for communication to the local access phone provider.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the program code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to respond to the called number not corresponding to the at least one predefined number by causing the analog signal from the phone call signal to be converted to a digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal and to route the digital Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol phone call signal through an Internet interface, which is separate from the local access Internet provider, to a broadband network modem device for communication to the local access Internet provider.