Customer premises equipment that can support multiple call control languages or multiple call agents

• US 20020150230A1
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fang, Zheng
• Granted Patent: US 6,985,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• 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

Abstract

Consumer premises equipment (CPE) configured to be connected with one of a selectable plurality of call agents using one of a selectable plurality of call control languages in response to user input to the telephone. In one aspect, telephone users can therefore select, e.g., a service provider. In another aspect, the CPE provides VoIP service to a telephone.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a consumer premises equipment (CPE) configured to be connected with one of a selectable plurality of call agents in response to user input, each call agent using one of a plurality of call control languages.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a provision server that provides a menu for the user to select one from the plurality of call agents and select one from the plurality of call control languages.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a signaling server that establishes or disconnects voice communication with the one from the plurality of call agents using the one from the plurality of call control languages.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE manages one telephony endpoint.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE manages a plurality of telephony endpoints.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE further comprising a call control protocol engine that can interact with either a first one of the plurality of call control language or a second one of the plurality of call control language.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of call control languages are included from the list of Network Control System (NCS), Simple Gateway Control Protocol (SGCP), MGCP, or GR303.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first VoIP service provider and a second VoIP service provider, wherein the first VoIP service provider enforces the first call control language and the second VoIP service provider enforces the second call control language.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consumer premises equipment (CPE) manages a plurality of telephony endpoints, the CPE controllably communicates with a plurality of call agents in response to user input at each one of the plurality of telephony endpoints.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE comprises a communications gateway.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE is in communication with a subscriber telephone.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user input is provided through the subscriber telephone.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPE is configured to provide VoIP communication.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a menu for the user to select one from the plurality of call agents and for the user to select one from the plurality of call control languages.

16. The method of claim 14, further establishing voice communication with the one from the plurality of call agents using the one from the plurality of call control languages.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the call control languages include one from the list of Network Control System (NCS), Simple Gateway Control Protocol (SGCP), MGCP, or GR303.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

enforcing a first one of the plurality of call control languages using a first VoIP service provider; and

enforcing a second one of the plurality of call control languages using a second VoIP service provider.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the CPE comprises a communications gateway.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising establishing communications between the CPE and a subscriber telephone.

14. An method comprising:

connecting a consumer premises equipment (CPE) with one of a selectable plurality of call agents in response to user input, each call agent using one of a plurality of call control languages.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a telephone;

means for selecting one of a plurality of call agents to connect the telephone; and

means for connecting the telephone using the selected one of the plurality of call agents.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a telephone;

means for selecting one of a plurality of call control languages to connect the telephone; and

means for connecting the telephone using the selected one of the plurality of call control languages.

23. An method comprising:

connecting a consumer premises equipment (CPE) with one of a selectable plurality of call control languages in response to user input.