Peer-to-peer, internet protocol telephone system with auto-attendant

• US 9,374,473 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: VTech Telecommunications Limited (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rose, Christopher, Knopp, Gerry, Chitty, Jen T'ai
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Parth
• Application Number:
  US14/256,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/260, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0063 where the network is a peer-to-peer network

Abstract

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide a Peer-to-Peer (P2P, Internet Protocol (IP) telephone system. The telephone system includes a plurality of terminals coupled together via an IP network. The terminals cooperate with one another to provide telephony features without a dedicated central controller such as a PBX and/or a KSU controller. The terminals may store system-wide configuration data and files referenced by the system-wide configuration data. The terminals may further determine whether the system-wide configuration data references a file that is not stored in the terminal, and requesting the file from another terminal of the telephone system in response to determining the terminal does not have a copy of the file.

Claims

1. A telephone terminal of a peer-to-peer telephone system comprising a plurality of telephone terminals, the telephone terminal comprising:

circuitry configured to couple the telephone terminal to an Internet Protocol (IP) network of the peer-to-peer telephone system, store for the telephone terminal system-wide configuration data comprising data used to configure each telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system for one or more telephony features of the peer-to-peer telephone system, and store files for the telephone terminal; and

a server configured to determine whether the system-wide configuration data references a file not stored by the circuitry, wherein the file comprises further configuration data used to configure each telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system for one or more telephony features of the peer-to-peer telephone system, and request the file from another telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system in response to determining that the circuitry does not store the file

wherein the circuitry is further configured to store a lock count for each stored file, wherein each lock count tracks active references to its respective stored file, and

wherein the server is further configured to increment the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data newly references the file; and

wherein the server is further configured to decrement the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data no longer references the file.

2. The telephone terminal of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to store a lock count for each stored file, wherein each lock count tracks active references to its respective stored file, and the server is further configured to increment the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data newly references the file.

3. The telephone terminal of claim 2, wherein the server is further configured to decrement the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data no longer references the file.

4. The telephone terminal of claim 3, wherein the server is configured to establish an auto-attendant session in response to an inbound call, and to increment the lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to establishing the auto-attendant session.

5. The telephone terminal of claim 4, wherein the server is configured to decrement the lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to terminating the auto-attendant session.

6. The telephone terminal of claim 5, wherein the server is configured to delete the file in response to determining that the lock count has a predetermined value.

7. The telephone terminal of claim 5, wherein the server is configured to delete the file in response to determining that the lock count has a predetermined value for a predetermined time period.

8. A method for maintaining configuration data in a peer-to-peer telephone system comprising a plurality of telephone terminals, the method comprising:

storing system-wide configuration data and files referenced by the system-wide configuration data in a telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system, wherein the system-wide configuration data and the referenced files comprise data used to configure each telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system for one or more telephony features of the peer-to-peer telephone system;

determining whether the system-wide configuration data references a file that is not stored in the telephone terminal; and

requesting the file from another telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system in response to determining that the telephone terminal does not have the file stored;

storing a lock count for each stored file, wherein each lock count tracks active references to its respective stored file; and

incrementing the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data newly references the file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a second telephone terminal is configured to transmit to a first telephone terminal a master handoff request comprising a configuration identifier for the system-wide configuration stored by the second telephone terminal, and wherein the second telephone terminal, in response to changing the system-wide configuration data for the telephone system, is configured to update the configuration identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising decrementing the lock count of the file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data no longer references the file.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising establishing an auto-attendant session in response to the telephone terminal receiving an inbound call.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

incrementing a lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to establishing the auto-attendant session; and

decrementing the lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to terminating the auto-attendant session.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising deleting a file in response to determining that the lock count for the file has a predetermined value.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising deleting a file in response to determining that the lock count for the file has a predetermined value for a predetermined time period.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed, configure an Internet Protocol (IP) telephone terminal of a peer-to-peer telephone system comprising a plurality of telephone terminals to:

store system-wide configuration data and files referenced by the system-wide configuration data, wherein the system-wide configuration data and the referenced files comprise data used to configure each telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system for one or more telephone features of the peer-to-peer telephone system;

determine whether the system-wide configuration data references a file that is not stored in the IP telephone terminal; and

request the file from another telephone terminal of the peer-to-peer telephone system in response to determining the IP telephone terminal does not have the file stored;

store a lock count for each stored file, wherein each lock count tracks active references to its respective stored file; and

decrement the lock count of the file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data no longer references the file.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the IP telephone terminal to increment the lock count of a file in response to determining that the system-wide configuration data newly references the file.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein a second telephone terminal is configured to transmit to a first telephone terminal a master handoff request comprising a configuration identifier for the system-wide configuration stored by the second telephone terminal, and wherein the second telephone terminal, in response to changing the system-wide configuration data for the telephone system, is configured to update the configuration identifier.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the IP telephone terminal to:

establish an auto-attendant session in response to the telephone terminal receiving an inbound call.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the IP telephone terminal to:

increment a lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to establishing the auto-attendant session; and

decrement the lock count of a file associated with the auto-attendant session in response to terminating the auto-attendant session.

20. The transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the IP telephone terminal to delete a file in response to determining that the lock count for the file has a predetermined value.