IP telephone provisioning system and methods

• US 8,964,730 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Freeman, Michael B., Hiser, Stuart M., Leak, Mark, Vanderoef, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENSON, JAMAAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/307,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20120076135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 370/271, 370/352, 370/338, 370/254, 455/418, 455/552.1, 379/93.01, 340/10.42, 709/228, 713/173
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0087 Network planning or provisioning

Abstract

A method and apparatus relate to receiving and storing data through an interface for an Internet Protocol (IP) telephone database. The interface receives a request related to provisioning a function of an IP telephone. In response to receiving the request, data from the IP telephone database may be transmitted to the IP telephone to be used to provision the function.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server device and from a computer device, data that includes configuration information for an internet protocol (IP) telephone,

verifying, by the server device, accuracy of the data by comparing at least a portion of the data to other data associated with one or more other IP telephones, the portion of the data including one or more of an IP address or a location code;

the computer device being different from the IP telephone;

verifying, by the server device, accuracy of the data by comparing at least a portion of the data to other data associated with one or more other IP telephones,

the portion of the data including one or more of an IP address or a location code;

receiving, by the server device, a request for the data,

the request relating to provisioning the IP telephone by using the data; and

transmitting, by the server device and to the IP telephone, information associated with the data to provision the IP telephone based on the request and after verifying the accuracy of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, where the data is received via an interface and is transmitted via a network that connects the server device to the computer device.

3. The method of claim 2,

where the interface includes a plurality of web-based interface screens, and

where the request is received via at least one of the web-based interface screens.

4. The method of claim 1, where transmitting the information associated with the data further includes:

automatically obtaining an IP address of the IP telephone based on receiving the request; and

transmitting the information associated with the data to the IP address of the IP telephone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a different request to modify the data, and

modifying the data based on the different request.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting, to the IP telephone, information regarding modifying the data.

7. The method of claim 5,

where the different request is a request to modify the data based on particular data associated with a particular feature of the IP telephone, and

where the information regarding modifying the data enables the IP telephone to implement the particular feature of the IP telephone based on the particular data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the one or more other IP telephones that are at a same location as the IP telephone, and

identifying the other data of the one or more other IP telephones before verifying the accuracy of the data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

provide, for display and to the computer device, an interface to access a template associated with the IP telephone, and

receive, via the template, a selection of one or more options related to a particular feature of the IP telephone.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive data that includes configuration information for a telephone;

identify one or more other telephones that at a same location as the telephone;

identify other data associated with the one or more other telephones;

identify one or more other telephones that are at a same location as the telephone;

identify other data associated with the one or more other telephones;

determine accuracy of the data by comparing at least a portion of the data to at least a portion of the other data associated with the one or more other telephones;

receive a request for the data to provision the telephone; and

transmit, after determining the accuracy of the data and based on the request, the data to the telephone.

11. The system of claim 10, where, when receiving the data, the one or more processors are to:

receive the data from a computer that is separate from the telephone.

12. The system of claim 10, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide, for display, an interface to access a template associated with the telephone, and

receive, via the template, a selection of one or more options related to a particular feature of the telephone.

13. The system of claim 12, where the one or more processors are further to:

modify particular data, of the data, that is associated with the particular feature of the telephone based on the selection of the one or more options.

14. The system of claim 10, where the configuration information includes at least one of:

a network address associated with the telephone,

a telephone number associated with the telephone,

a usage plan associated with the telephone, or

information associated with a user associated with the telephone.

15. The system of claim 10, where the one or more processors are further to:

modify particular data, of the data, that is associated with a particular feature of the telephone; and

transmit information regarding modifying the particular data to the telephone and to the one or more other telephones.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

identify other data associated with one or more other telephones;

compare at least a portion of the data to the other data, the portion of the data including at least one of a network address or a location code;

receive data that includes configuration information for a telephone;

identify other data associated with one or more other telephones;

compare at least a portion of the data to the other data,

the portion of the data including at least one of a network address or a location code;

determine that the data is accurate based on comparing the at least the portion of the data to the other data associated with the one or more other telephones;

receive a request for the data to provision the telephone; and

transmit, after determining that the data is accurate and based on the request, the data to the telephone.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive a different request relating to enabling a particular feature of the telephone,

modify the data based on the different request, and

transmit information regarding modifying the data to the telephone.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine that a computer device is authorized to access the data, and

provide, to the computer device, information regarding the data after determining that the computer device is authorized to access the data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the one or more other telephones are at a same location as the telephone.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,

where the network address is of the telephone, and

where the one or more instructions to transmit the data to the telephone comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine the network address of the telephone, and

transmit the data to the network address of the telephone.