Home communications server

• US 20070203979A1
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Mark, Saint-Hilaire, Ylian
• Application Number:
  US11/354,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203979A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

In some embodiments a request for an outside line for a telephony call is identified by a requesting extension device coupled to a home network, telephony calls via an Internet connection are placed on behalf of the requesting extension device, inbound calls from the Internet connection are detected, and the inbound calls are routed from the Internet connection to an appropriate extension device coupled to the home network. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a request for an outside line for a telephony call by a requesting extension device coupled to a home network;

placing telephony calls via an Internet connection on behalf of the requesting extension device;

detecting inbound calls from the Internet connection; and

routing the inbound calls from the Internet connection to an appropriate extension device coupled to the home network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering extension devices coupled to the home network to receive incoming calls using Universal Plug and Play procedures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is identified using Universal Plug and Play procedures.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing an extension device coupled to the home network to view stored contact listings.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing an extension device coupled to the home network to access message archives.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing of the inbound calls is performed in response to information relating to caller identification or to information relating to time of day.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing of inbound calls includes routing inbound calls to a message archive.

6. The method of claim 6, wherein the message archives include voice messages and text messages.

9. A home communications server comprising:

a Universal Plug and Play interface to identify a request for an outside line for a telephony call by a requesting extension device coupled to a home network; and

an IP telephony signaling and control module to detect inbound calls from an Internet connection and to route the inbound calls to an appropriate extension device coupled to the home network, and to place calls via the Internet connection on behalf of the requesting extension devices coupled to the home network.

10. The server of claim 9, further comprising a message archive, wherein the IP telephony signaling and control module is to forward inbound calls to the message archive in response to user preferences.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the Universal Plug and Play interface is to register extension devices coupled to the home network.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the Universal Plug and Play interface receives information submitted by extension devices coupled to the home network including at least one of current IP address of the extension device, friendly device identification, and audio capability profile.

13. The server of claim 9, further comprising a contact listing database to provide contact information.

14. The server of claim 9, further comprising a server policy database to hold policies for routing calls to extension devices.

15. The server of claim 14, further comprising a message archive, wherein calls are routed to the message archive in response to the policies held in the server policy database.

16. An article comprising:

a computer readable medium having instructions thereon which when executed cause a computer to;

identify a request for an outside line for a telephony call by a requesting extension device coupled to a home network;

place telephony calls via an Internet connection on behalf of the requesting extension device;

detect inbound calls from the Internet connection; and

route the inbound calls from the Internet connection to an appropriate extension device coupled to the home network.

17. The article of claim 16, the computer readable medium having instructions thereon which when executed further cause a computer to register extension devices coupled to the home network to receive incoming calls using Universal Plug and Play procedures.

18. The article of claim 16, the computer readable medium having instructions thereon which when executed further cause a computer to:

allow an extension device coupled to the home network to view stored contact listings.

19. The article of claim 16, the computer readable medium having instructions thereon which when executed further cause a computer to:

allow an extension device coupled to the home network to access message archives.