Management system for managing a VoIP network service

• US 9,774,700 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Yussouff, Ashraf, Puseljic, Danilo, Patel, Kanti S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOUDHRY, SAMINA F
• Application Number:
  US12/951,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• 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: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A network device stores one or more mobile applications. The network device receives a message from another network device, where the message specifies multiple mobile devices to which the one or more mobile applications should be uploaded. The mobile devices include cellular telephones. The network device sends a notification to the multiple mobile devices that the one or more mobile applications are available for download from the network device. The notification includes a short message service (SMS) text message. The network device sends the one or more mobile applications to the multiple mobile devices based on receiving replies to the notification from the multiple mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first network device, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service activation request associated with a customer requesting activation of a VoIP network service for a plurality of subscribers, wherein the service activation request identifies types of mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers;

identifying, by the first network device, one or more second network devices based on the types of mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers; and

sending, based on the received VoIP service activation request, a subscriber activation request from the first network device to the one or more second network devices that each stores a mobile application, to cause the one or more second network devices to attempt to upload the mobile application to mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers,

wherein the mobile application includes functionality for identifying, upon initiation of a call from a mobile device of the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers, a local access number for connecting a local access call through a local access point of a mobile network operator (MNO) network to a VoIP network that establishes the call to a call destination using VoIP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile devices comprise a plurality of mobile devices, and wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices is associated with a different one of the plurality of subscribers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, an acknowledgement of the subscriber activation request from the one or more second network devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, a notification that the mobile application has been successfully uploaded to the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile devices comprise cellular telephones.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber activation request causes the one or more second network devices to attempt to upload the mobile application to the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers based on the identified type of each of the mobile devices.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile devices comprise a plurality of mobile devices, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices is associated with a different one of the plurality of subscribers, and wherein the subscriber activation request causes the one or more second network devices to attempt to upload the mobile application to the plurality of mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers based on the identified type of each of the plurality of mobile devices.

7. A first network device, comprising:

a memory configured to store one or more mobile applications associated with particular types of mobile devices, wherein each of the one or more mobile applications includes functionality for identifying a local access number for connecting a local access call through a local access point of a mobile network operator (MNO) network to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network that establishes the call to a call destination using VoIP;

a communication interface configured to receive a message from a second network device, wherein the second network device is a different device than the first network device, wherein the message specifies multiple mobile devices to which the one or more mobile applications should be uploaded, and wherein the message specifies types of devices associated with each of the multiple mobile devices; and

a processing unit configured to;

send, via the communication interface, a notification to the multiple mobile devices that the one or more mobile applications are available for download from the first network device, and

send, via the communication interface, the one or more mobile applications to the multiple mobile devices based on receiving replies to the notification from the multiple mobile devices.

8. The first network device of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

select a mobile application from the one or more mobile applications based on the type associated with a respective one of the mobile devices, and

send the selected mobile application to the respective one of the mobile devices based on a received reply to the notification from the respective one of the mobile devices.

9. The first network device of claim 7, wherein the notification comprises a text message.

10. The first network device of claim 9, wherein the text message comprises a short message service (SMS) text message.

11. The first network device of claim 7, wherein the mobile devices comprise cellular telephones.

18. The first network device of claim 7, wherein the memory is configured to store mobile applications that are associated with the particular types of mobile devices and are not associated with any other types of mobile devices.

19. The first network device of claim 7, wherein, when sending the one or more mobile applications to the multiple mobile devices, the processing unit is further configured to send configuration information to the multiple mobile devices.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processing unit, the computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions for receiving, at a first network device, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service activation request associated with a customer requesting activation of a network service for a plurality of subscribers, wherein the network service comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, and wherein the VoIP service activation request identifies types of mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers;

one or more instructions for identifying one or more second network devices based on the types of mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers; and

one or more instructions for causing a subscriber activation request to be sent, based on the received VoIP service activation request, from the first network device to the one or more second network devices, that each stores a mobile application, to cause the one or more second network devices to attempt to upload the mobile application to mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers,

wherein the mobile application includes functionality for identifying, upon initiation of a call from a mobile device of the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers, a local access number for connecting a local access call through a local access point of a mobile network operator (MNO) network to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network that establishes the call to a call destination using VoIP.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the mobile devices comprise a plurality of mobile devices and wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices is associated with a different one of the plurality of subscribers.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more instructions for receiving an acknowledgement of the subscriber activation request from the one or more second network devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more instructions for receiving, at the first network device, a notification that the mobile application has been successfully uploaded to the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the subscriber activation request causes the one or more second network devices to attempt to upload the mobile application to the mobile devices associated with the plurality of subscribers based on the identified type of each of the mobile devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the mobile devices comprise cellular telephones.