System and method to determine a location associated with an internet phone

• US 9,712,956 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Uhler, Stephen Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): KASSIM, KHALED M
• Application Number:
  US12/042,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,422 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 370352-356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

An Internet phone may be physically located based on its credential. The credential is related to a MAC address of the Internet phone. The MAC address is related to a port identifier of a network switch in communication with the Internet phone. The port identifier is related to a physical location of the Internet phone.

Claims

1. A system for determining a physical location associated with an Internet phone having a network identifier and a phone identifier, the system comprising:

a first module including a port having a port identifier and configured to receive the phone identifier and network identifier via the port;

a second module configured to receive the phone identifier; and

a third module configured to store a mapping of the phone identifier with the network identifier, a mapping of the port identifier with the network identifier, and a mapping of the port identifier with the physical location associated with the Internet phone to permit the determination of the physical location associated with the Internet phone based on the phone identifier, wherein the first module is further configured to, in response to receiving via the port the phone identifier and network identifier without the port identifier, detect the port identifier associated with the port and communicate the network identifier and port identifier to the third module to update the mappings.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first module, the second module and the third module is further configured to determine the location associated with the Internet phone based on the phone identifier.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second module is further configured to communicate the phone identifier to the third module.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the third module is further configured to communicate the physical location associated with the Internet phone to the second module.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first module comprises a network switch, the second module comprises a phone processing system and the third module comprises a database.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first module and the second module reside within a common fourth module.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the second module and the third module reside within a common fourth module.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first module, the second module, and the third module reside within a common fourth module.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the network identifier comprises a MAC address.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the phone identifier comprises a credential.

11. A system for determining a physical location associated with an Internet phone having a credential and a MAC address, the system comprising:

a network switch including a port having a port identifier in communication with the Internet phone such that it receives the credential and the MAC address via the port;

a phone processing system in communication with the network switch such that it receives the credential; and

a database in communication with the network switch and the phone processing system, the database being configured to store a mapping of the credential with the MAC address, a mapping of the port identifier with the MAC address, and a mapping of the port identifier with the physical location associated with the Internet phone to permit the determination of the physical location associated with the Internet phone based on the credential, wherein the network switch is configured to, in response to receiving via the port the credential and MAC address without the port identifier, detect the port identifier associated with the port and communicate the MAC address and port identifier to the database to update the mappings.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one of the network switch, the phone processing system and the database are configured to determine the location associated with the Internet phone based on the credential.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the phone processing system is configured to communicate the credential to the database.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the network switch and the database reside within a common module.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the phone processing system and the database reside within a common module.