Identifying phone calls for internet telephony feature handling by routing the phone calls to a softswitch via a dedicated trunk

• US 9,531,762 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: La Pierre, Stephen, Lin, Shiejye Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, Wutchung
• Application Number:
  US11/926,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,347 Days
• Field of Search: 370259-271, 370352-356, 370241-253, 709/204, 379/202.01, 379/205.01, 379 1501- 1502, 379/242, 379/93.21, 379156-158, 379/201.01, 375224-228, 455423-425, 455 6711- 677, 4551151-1154, 455/518, 455/416
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/127 where the session control protocols comprise SIP and SS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A communication system includes a plurality of time division multiplexed (TDM) public switched telephone network (PSTN) trunks, a Signal Control Point (SCP), a Softswitch, and an Internet telephony call controller. The SCP a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed TDM PSTN lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling. The SCP routes phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through at least one dedicated trunk of the PSTN to the Softswitch. The Softswitch routes phone calls that it receives on the dedicated trunk to the Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling for calls terminating at the plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines;

routing phone calls that are directed to the plurality of phone numbers associated with the Internet telephony feature group as destinations at the time division multiplexed public switched telephone lines through a dedicated trunk of the public switched telephone network to a softswitch, the dedicated trunk being set apart for a use of carrying only calls directed to the plurality of phone numbers, the calls directed to the plurality of phone numbers including calls originating from devices without voice over Internet Protocol service;

within the softswitch, selectively converting the phone calls to voice over Internet protocol phone calls for routing through the Internet protocol network to the Internet telephony call controller responsive to whether the phone calls are received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk;

routing phone calls received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk to an Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling;

within the softswitch, routing phone calls through an Internet protocol network to the Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling on the phone calls when the phone calls are received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk;

receiving a call control response at the softswitch for one of the phone calls that is directed to one of the plurality of phone numbers associated with the Internet telephony feature group from the Internet telephony call controller;

terminating the one of the phone calls to the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network line corresponding to the one of the plurality of phone numbers when the call control response indicates the phone call is permitted; and

blocking termination of the one of the phone calls to the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network line corresponding to the one of the plurality of phone numbers when the call control response indicates the phone call is not permitted;

wherein the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines associated with the plurality of phone numbers are not served by the Internet protocol network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively routing via a signal control point of the public switched telephone network phone calls through the dedicated trunk to the softswitch in response to whether the phone calls are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

routing via the signal control point only phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through the dedicated trunk to the softswitch.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

routing via the signal control point phone calls that are directed to phone numbers outside the Internet telephony feature group through trunks of the public switched telephone network other than the dedicated trunk.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

within the Internet telephony call controller, querying a subscriber Internet telephony feature repository to identify telephony rules to be applied to a phone number of a phone call received from the softswitch; and

within the Internet telephony call controller, generating a call control response in response to application of the identified telephony rules to the phone call; and

within the public switched telephone network, responding to the call control response by regulating termination of the phone call through the public switched telephone network to a called phone number line.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

within the Internet telephony call controller, generating the call control response that indicates to the public switched telephone network whether the phone call is permitted to be terminated through the public switched telephone network to the called phone number line; and

within the public switched telephone network, terminating the phone call through the public switched telephone network to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is permitted, and blocking termination of the phone call through the public switched telephone network to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is not permitted.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

the call control response generated by the Internet telephony call controller further indicates to the public switched telephone network whether the phone call is to be forwarded to an alternate phone number line that is different than the called phone number line, and

within the public switched telephone network, terminating the phone call through the public switched telephone network to the alternate phone number line in response to the call control response indicating that the phone call is to be forwarded.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the call control response generated by the Internet telephony call controller further identifies to the public switched telephone network that the phone call is to be terminated to a plurality of group-call phone number lines, wherein one of the group-call phone number lines is different than the called phone number line; and

within the public switched telephone network, establishing simultaneous communication paths for the phone call through the public switched telephone network to the plurality of group-call phone number lines, which are identified by the call control response.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

responding to instructions received by the Internet telephony call controller from a subscriber over an Internet protocol network by defining telephony rules in the subscriber Internet telephony feature repository for a phone number of a line that is associated with the subscriber.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

associating a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling for calls terminating at the plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines;

routing phone calls that are directed to the plurality of phone numbers associated with the Internet telephony feature group as destinations at the time division multiplexed public switched telephone lines through a dedicated trunk of the public switched telephone network to a softswitch, the dedicated trunk being set apart for a use of carrying only calls directed to the plurality of phone numbers, the calls directed to the plurality of phone numbers including calls originating from devices without voice over Internet Protocol service;

within the softswitch, selectively converting the phone calls to voice over Internet protocol phone calls for routing through the Internet protocol network to the Internet telephony call controller responsive to whether the phone calls are received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk;

routing phone calls received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk to an Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling;

within the softswitch, routing phone calls through an Internet protocol network to the Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling on the phone calls when the phone calls are received by the softswitch on the dedicated trunk;

receiving a call control response at the softswitch for one of the phone calls that is directed to one of the plurality of phone numbers associated with the Internet telephony feature group from the Internet telephony call controller;

terminating the one of the phone calls to the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network line corresponding to the one of the plurality of phone numbers when the call control response indicates the phone call is permitted; and

blocking termination of the one of the phone calls to the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network line corresponding to the one of the plurality of phone numbers when the call control response indicates the phone call is not permitted;

wherein the time division multiplexed public switched telephone network lines associated with the plurality of phone numbers are not served by the Internet protocol network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

selectively routing via a signal control point of the public switched telephone network phone calls through the dedicated trunk to the softswitch in response to whether the phone calls are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

routing via the signal control point only phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through the dedicated trunk to the softswitch.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

routing via the signal control point phone calls that are directed to phone numbers outside the Internet telephony feature group through trunks of the public switched telephone network other than the dedicated trunk.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

within the Internet telephony call controller, querying a subscriber Internet telephony feature repository to identify telephony rules to be applied to a phone number of a phone call received from the softswitch; and

within the Internet telephony call controller, generating a call control response in response to application of the identified telephony rules to the phone call; and

within the public switched telephone network, responding to the call control response by regulating termination of the phone call through the public switched telephone network to a called phone number line.