Obtaining services through a local network

• US 10,057,301 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Connelly, Michael, Kotay, Sree, Pedaprolu, Hari Venkatram, Maharana, Bhagabati Prasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Parth
• Application Number:
  US15/095,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20160226921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 370352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

One or more endpoints may be registered with a gateway at a premises. The gateway may include local physical interfaces for communicating with a first subset of the endpoints. The gateway may further include Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy servers for communicating with a second subset of the endpoints. Incoming communications to the premises may be routed by the gateway to one or more of the endpoints via the local physical interfaces or the SIP proxy servers. One or more endpoints may initiate outgoing communications via the local physical interfaces or the SIP proxy servers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering, by a gateway, a first end point, wherein the gateway comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server associated with the first end point;

registering, by the gateway, a second end point, wherein the second end point is configured to communicate with the gateway via a telecommunication protocol;

receiving, by the gateway, a communication request associated with an incoming communication session and for a destination telephone number;

determining, by the gateway and based on the destination telephone number and configuration information, whether data associated with the communication request is to be routed to the first end point or the second end point, wherein the configuration information indicates at least a first telephone number associated with the first end point and a second telephone number associated with the second end point; and

based on the determining;

routing, via the SIP proxy server, via a wireless local area network, and to the first end point, the data associated with the communication request;

or

routing, by the gateway, via the telecommunication protocol, and to the second end point, the data associated with the communication request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the communication request is routed to the first end point and wherein the routing, to the first end point, the data associated with the communication request comprises creating, by the gateway and via the SIP proxy server, a local communication session between the gateway and the first end point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the creating the local communication session comprises:

sending, via the SIP proxy server and to a SIP-based communication client executing on the first end point, one or more SIP messages comprising an indication of a request to initiate the incoming communication session and an option to create the local communication session.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising creating the local communication session after receiving, by the gateway and from the first end point, one or more SIP messages indicating that the local communication session is to be created.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising initiating, by the gateway and after receiving the one or more SIP messages, an external communication session.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising bridging, by the gateway, the local communication session with the external communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating, by the gateway and via the SIP proxy server, a first local communication session between the gateway and the first end point.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the gateway and from a third end point, a request to join the first local communication session;

sending, by the gateway and via the SIP proxy server, one or more SIP messages indicating the request was received from the third end point;

creating, by the gateway, a second local communication session between the gateway and the third end point; and

bridging, by the gateway, the first local communication session and the second local communication session.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, by the gateway, a first local communication session between the gateway and the second end point;

receiving, by the gateway and via the SIP proxy server, one or more SIP messages from the first end point, the one or more SIP messages comprising a request to join the first local communication session;

creating, by the gateway, a second local communication session between the gateway and the first end point; and

bridging, by the gateway, the first local communication session and the second local communication session.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server of a gateway and from a mobile device, one or more SIP messages comprising a registration request;

transmitting, by the SIP proxy server and to the mobile device, one or more SIP messages comprising a list of telephone numbers;

receiving, by the SIP proxy server and from the mobile device, one or more SIP messages comprising;

a first telephone number from the list of telephone numbers, wherein the first telephone number is a calling telephone number of a voice communication session initiated by the mobile device, and

a second telephone number associated with another device that is different from the mobile device, wherein the second telephone number is a called number of the voice communication session; and

initiating, by the gateway and after receiving the first telephone number and the second telephone number, the voice communication session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the list of telephone numbers comprises telephone numbers associated with the gateway or with a premises registered with the gateway.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating, by the gateway and based on the registration request, the mobile device with a communication port module within the gateway, wherein the communication port module comprises the SIP proxy server.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating, by the SIP proxy server, a first local voice communication session with a SIP-based communication client executing on the mobile device, wherein the first local voice communication session comprises an exchange of SIP signals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the initiating the voice communication session comprises bridging the first local voice communication session with a second local voice communication session between the another device and a second communication port module.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication port module is automatically created within the gateway after detecting that the mobile device is within range to wirelessly communicate with the gateway.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the initiating the voice communication session comprises:

placing, by the gateway, a phone call from the gateway to the second telephone number; and

bridging the phone call to a voice communication between the gateway and the first telephone number.

17. A method comprising:

sending, by a gateway and to a first device, one or more first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages via a wireless local area network, the one or more first SIP messages comprising a list of telephone numbers;

receiving, by the gateway and from the first device, one or more second SIP messages, the one or more second SIP messages comprising;

a first telephone number from the list of telephone numbers, wherein the first telephone number is a calling telephone number of a voice communication session initiated by the first device, and

a second telephone number associated with a second device, wherein the second telephone number is a called telephone number of the voice communication session; and

initiating, by the gateway and after receiving the first telephone number and the second telephone number, the voice communication session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the list of telephone numbers comprises telephone numbers associated with the gateway or with a premises registered with the gateway.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending, by the gateway and to the first device, the one or more first SIP messages comprises sending the one or more first SIP messages via a SIP proxy server of the gateway.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising initiating, by the SIP proxy server, a first local voice communication session with a SIP-based communication client executing on the first device, wherein the first local voice communication session comprises an exchange of SIP signals.