Methods and apparatus to install voice over internet protocol (VoIP) devices

• US 9,521,210 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zeigler, James Edward Jr., Taylor, Michael Jason, Naidu, Lakshminarashimhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ansari, Najeebuddin
• Application Number:
  US11/539,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,721 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to install voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a device identifier and an authentication credential from a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) device, and provisioning the device identifier to a subscriber account based on the authentication credential.

Claims

1. A voice over Internet protocol system comprising:

a machine readable memory device including machine readable instructions;

an authentication server; and

a device profile management server including a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations including;

accessing a device identifier received from a voice over Internet protocol device;

providing a default device profile to the voice over Internet protocol device when the device identifier is not associated with a subscriber account, the default device profile not being associated with the subscriber account, the default device profile to cause a call processor with which the voice over Internet protocol device subsequently registers to;

determine whether a first telephone number of a call from the voice over Internet protocol device is an emergency call number associated with a 911 call; and

connect the call to one of a destination associated with the first telephone number or the authentication server depending on whether the first telephone number is the emergency call number, wherein the authentication server is not the destination associated with the first telephone number, the default device profile to cause the call processor to connect the call to the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is the emergency call number, the default device profile to cause the call processor to automatically redirect the call to connect to the authentication server instead of the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is not the emergency call number, the redirecting of the call to the authentication server to cause the voice over Internet protocol device to access the authentication server to become associated with the subscriber account; and

comparing an activation code received from the voice over Internet protocol device to a plurality of activation codes associated with a plurality of existing subscriber accounts to determine whether to associate the voice over Internet protocol device with the subscriber account.

2. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the device profile management server includes the authentication server.

3. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the call processor is a default call processor, and the operations further include sending a subscriber device profile when the device identifier is associated with the subscriber account, the subscriber device profile including a network address of a serving call processor.

4. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is at least one of a voice over Internet protocol phone, a voice over Internet protocol residential gateway, a personal computer, a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a voice over Internet protocol adapter.

5. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

storing information associated with the subscriber account.

6. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the device profile management server includes an interactive voice response system.

7. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, further including a voice over Internet protocol call processor to register the voice over Internet protocol device for a voice over Internet protocol service when the voice over Internet protocol device is authenticated.

8. The voice over Internet protocol system of claim 1, wherein the activation code is received from the voice over Internet protocol device via the authentication server.

9. A method to provision a voice over Internet protocol device, the method comprising:

accessing an authentication credential and a device identifier associated with a voice over Internet protocol device at a device profile management server, the device profile management server to provision the voice over Internet protocol device;

sending to the voice over Internet protocol device a default device profile when the device identifier is not associated with a subscriber account, the default device profile not being associated with the subscriber account, the default device profile to cause a call processor with which the voice over Internet protocol device subsequently registers to;

determine whether a first telephone number of a call from the voice over Internet protocol device is an emergency call number associated with a 911 call; and

connect the call to one of a destination associated with the first telephone number or an authentication server depending on whether the first telephone number is the emergency call number, wherein the authentication server is not the destination associated with the first telephone number, the default device profile to cause the call processor to route the call to the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is the emergency call number, the default device profile to cause the call processor to automatically redirect the call to connect to the authentication server instead of the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is not the emergency call number, the redirecting of the call to the authentication server to cause the voice over Internet protocol device to access the authentication server to become associated with the subscriber account; and

comparing an activation code received from the voice over Internet protocol device to a plurality of activation codes associated with a plurality of existing subscriber accounts to determine whether to associate the voice over Internet protocol device with the subscriber account.

10. The method of claim 9, further including sending a subscriber device profile associated with the subscriber account when the subscriber account is associated with the device identifier based on the authentication credential.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the accessing of the authentication credential includes:

prompting for the authentication credential; and

receiving the authentication credential via an input device associated with the voice over Internet protocol device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the authentication credential is received by detecting a dialed digit.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the authentication credential represents at least one of a username, a password, or the activation code.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the accessing of the authentication credential and the device identifier associated with the voice over Internet protocol device at the device profile management server includes receiving at least one of a packet, a dialed digit, and a dual-tone multi-frequency signal at the device profile management server.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the accessing of the authentication credential at the device profile management server includes receiving the authentication credential via the authentication server.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is at least one of a voice over Internet protocol phone, a voice over Internet protocol residential gateway, a personal computer, a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a voice over Internet protocol adapter.

17. A voice over Internet protocol device comprising:

a machine readable memory device including machine readable instructions;

an input device to receive an authentication credential from a user of the voice over Internet protocol device; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations including;

sending the authentication credential and a device identifier to a device profile management server to provision the voice over Internet protocol device, the authentication credential including an activation code to be compared to a plurality of activation codes associated with a plurality of existing subscriber accounts; and

receiving from the device profile management server a default device profile when the device identifier is not associated with a subscriber account, the default device profile not being associated with the subscriber account, the default device profile to cause a call processor with which the voice over Internet protocol device subsequently registers to;

determine whether a first telephone number of a call from the voice over Internet protocol device is an emergency call number associated with a 911 call;

connect the call to a destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is the emergency call number; and

automatically redirect the call to connect the call to an authentication server instead of the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is not the emergency call number, the redirecting of the call to the authentication server to cause the voice over Internet protocol device to access the authentication server to become associated with the subscriber account.

18. The voice over Internet protocol device of claim 17, wherein the operations further include storing the device profile received from the device profile management server in response to sending the device identifier and the authentication credential.

19. The voice over Internet protocol device of claim 17, wherein the operations further include prompting a user for the authentication credential.

20. The voice over Internet protocol device of claim 17, wherein the operations further include sending the authentication credential via the authentication server.

21. The voice over Internet protocol device of claim 17, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is at least one of a voice over Internet protocol phone, a voice over Internet protocol residential gateway, a personal computer, a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a voice over Internet protocol adapter.

22. A machine readable memory device including machine accessible instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

accessing an authentication credential and a device identifier associated with a voice over Internet protocol device at a device profile management server, the device profile management server to provision the voice over Internet protocol device;

sending to the voice over Internet protocol device a default device profile when the device identifier is not associated with a subscriber account, the default device profile not being associated with the subscriber account, the default device profile to cause a call processor with which the voice over Internet protocol device subsequently registers to;

determine whether a first telephone number of a call from the voice over Internet protocol device is an emergency call number associated with a 911 call; and

connect the call to one of a destination associated with the first telephone number or an authentication server depending on whether the first telephone number is the emergency call number, wherein the authentication server is not the destination associated with the first telephone number, the default device profile to cause the call processor to route the call to the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is the emergency call, the default device profile to cause the call processor to automatically redirect the call to connect to the authentication server instead of the destination associated with the first telephone number in response to determining the first telephone number is not the emergency call number, the redirecting of the call to the authentication server to cause the voice over Internet protocol device to access the authentication server to become associated with the subscriber account; and

comparing an activation code received from the voice over Internet protocol device to a plurality of activation codes associated with a plurality of existing subscriber accounts to determine whether to associate the voice over Internet protocol device with the subscriber account.

23. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the operations further include sending a subscriber device profile associated with a subscriber account when the subscriber account is associated with the device identifier based on the authentication credential.

24. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the operations further include accessing the authentication credential by:

prompting for the authentication credential; and

receiving the authentication credential via an input device associated with the voice over Internet protocol device.

25. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the authentication credential is received by detecting a dialed digit.

26. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the authentication credential represents at least one of a username, a password, and the activation code.

27. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the operations further include accessing the authentication credential and the device identifier associated with the voice over Internet protocol device at the device profile management server by receiving at least one of a packet, a dialed digit, and a dual-tone multi-frequency signal at the device profile management server.

28. The machine readable memory device of claim 22, wherein the operations further include accessing the authentication credential at the device profile management server by receiving the authentication credential via the authentication server.