Single number services for fixed mobile telephony devices

• US 9,326,133 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: Morris, Joseph, Feuer, David E
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US14/474,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20150056984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• 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 special-purpose Service Control Point includes a customized application that provides Fixed Mobile Convergence services and interoperates with a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network to achieve a single-number fixed mobile convergence overlay network. By determining if a dual-mode cellular/WiFi handset is reachable via a WiFi network, the Service Control Point may redirect incoming and outgoing calls off of the cellular network and onto the WiFi network, thereby reducing cost and providing greater coverage.

Claims

1. A system for off-loading telephony connections for a multi-mode phone from a cellular network to a computer data network, the system comprising:

a receiver receiving a request for an outgoing call from the multi-mode phone having an originating phone number;

a controller for determining, in response to the received request, if the multi-mode phone is reachable via the computer data network; and

a bridge for bridging a call between the multi-mode phone and a destination of the request for the outgoing call when the multi-mode phone is reachable via the computer data network by (a) receiving at the bridge a telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup, wherein the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup is different than the originating phone number, (b) establishing a first call from the bridge to the multi-mode phone using the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup, (c) establishing a second call from the bridge to the destination of the request for the outgoing call, and (d) connecting, by the bridge, the first and second calls, wherein the bridge communicates with the multi-mode phone via the computer data network and the destination of the request for the outgoing call via a public switched telephone network.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-mode phone is a dual-mode phone where a first mode is a cellular mode and a second mode is a computer data network mode.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the computer data network mode is a WiFi mode.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-mode phone is a tri-mode phone where a first mode is a cellular mode and second and third modes are two different computer data network modes.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second mode is a WiFi mode.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request for an outgoing call is received from the cellular network.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge comprises an outbound connection initiator for initiating a call to the multi-mode phone using a voice protocol over the computer data network.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup comprises a Mobile Station Roaming Number from a pool of available Mobile Station Roaming Numbers.

9. A method for off-loading telephony connections for a multi-mode phone from a cellular network to a computer data network, the method comprising:

receiving a request for an outgoing call from the multi-mode phone having an originating phone number;

determining, in response to the request, if the multi-mode phone is reachable via the computer data network; and

bridging a call between the multi-mode phone and a destination of the request for the outgoing call when the multi-mode phone is reachable via the computer data network, the bridging including (a) receiving at a bridge a telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup, where the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup is different than the originating phone number, (b) establishing a first call from the bridge to the multi-mode phone using the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup, (c) establishing a second call from the bridge to the destination of the request for the outgoing call, and (d) connecting the first and second calls using the bridge, wherein the bridge communicates with the multi-mode phone via the computer data network and the destination of the request for the outgoing call via a public switched telephone network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the multi-mode phone is a dual-mode phone where a first mode is a cellular mode and a second mode is a computer data network mode.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the computer data network mode is a WiFi mode.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the multi-mode phone is a tri-mode phone where a first mode is a cellular mode and second and third modes are two different computer data network modes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second mode is a WiFi mode.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the request for an outgoing call is received from the cellular network.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of bridging comprises initiating a call to the multi-mode phone from a bridge using a voice protocol over the computer data network.

16. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the telephone number dynamically assigned to the multi-mode phone during call setup comprises a Mobile Station Roaming Number from a pool of available Mobile Station Roaming Numbers.