IDENTIFYING PHONE CALLS FOR INTERNET TELEPHONY FEATURE HANDLING BY ROUTING THE PHONE CALLS TO A SOFTSWITCH VIA A DEDICATED TRUNK

• US 20090109958A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: La Pierre, Stephen, Lin, Shiejye Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,531,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/127 where the session control protocols comprise SIP and SS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A communication system includes a plurality of time division multiplexed (TDM) public switched telephone network (PSTN) trunks, a Signal Control Point (SCP), a Softswitch, and an Internet telephony call controller. The SCP a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed TDM PSTN lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling. The SCP routes phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through at least one dedicated trunk of the PSTN to the Softswitch. The Softswitch routes phone calls that it receives on the dedicated trunk to the Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communication system, comprising:

associating a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed (TDM) public switched telephone network (PSTN) lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling;

routing phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through at least one dedicated trunk of the PSTN to a Softswitch; and

routing phone calls received by the Softswitch on the dedicated trunk to an Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to a call control response, returned from the Internet telephony call controller by its application of Internet telephony feature handling rules to a phone call to a phone number in the Internet telephony feature group, by terminating the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is permitted, and by blocking termination of the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is not permitted.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

within the Softswitch, deciding to route phone calls through an Internet protocol (IP) network to the Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling on the phone calls responsive to whether the phone calls are received by the Softswitch on the dedicated trunk.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

within the Softswitch, selectively converting the phone calls to Voice Over IP (VoIP) phone calls for routing through the IP network to the Internet telephony call controller responsive to whether the phone calls are received by the Softswitch on the dedicated trunk.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a Signal Control Point (SCP) of the PSTN selectively routes phone calls through the dedicated trunk to the Softswitch in response to whether the phone calls are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the SCP routes only phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through the dedicated trunk to the Softswitch.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the SCP routes phone calls that are directed to phone numbers outside the in the Internet telephony feature group through trunks of the PSTN other than the dedicated trunk.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

within the Internet telephony call controller, querying a subscriber Internet telephony feature repository to identify telephony rules to be applied to a phone number of a phone call received from the Softswitch; and

within the Internet telephony call controller, generating a call control response in response to application of the identified telephony rules to the phone call; and

within the PSTN, responding to the call control response by regulating termination of the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

within the Internet telephony call controller, generating the call control response that indicates to the PSTN whether the phone call is permitted to be terminated through the PSTN to the called phone number line or is not permitted to be routed through the PSTN to the called phone number line; and

within the PSTN, terminating the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is permitted, and blocking termination of the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line when the call control response indicates the phone call is not permitted.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the call control response generated by the Internet telephony call controller further indicates to the PSTN whether the phone call is to be forwarded to an alternate phone number line that is different than the called phone number line, and

within the PSTN, terminating the phone call through the PSTN to the alternate phone number line in response to the call control response indicating that the phone call is to be forwarded.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the call control response generated by the Internet telephony call controller further identifies to the PSTN that the phone call is to be terminated to a plurality of group-call phone number lines, wherein at least one of group-call phone number lines is different than the called phone number line; and

within the PSTN, establishing simultaneous communication paths for the phone call through the PSTN to the plurality of group-call phone number lines which are identified by the call control response.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responding to instructions received by the Internet telephony call controller from a subscriber over an Internet protocol (IP) network by defining telephony rules in the subscriber Internet telephony feature repository for a phone number of a line that is associated with the subscriber.

13. A Signal Control Point (SCP) within a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the SCP comprising:

an Internet telephony feature controller that is configured to associate a plurality of phone numbers for time division multiplexed (TDM) PSTN lines with an Internet telephony feature group that has Internet telephony feature handling, and to route phone calls that are directed to phone numbers in the Internet telephony feature group through at least one dedicated trunk of the PSTN to a Softswitch for routing to an Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling.

14. The SCP of claim 13, wherein the Internet telephony feature controller is configured to route phone calls that are directed to phone numbers and the Internet telephony feature group through the dedicated trunk to the Softswitch, and to route phone calls that are directed to phone numbers outside the Internet telephony feature group through trunks of the PSTN other than the dedicated trunk.

15. The SCP of claim 13, wherein the Internet telephony feature controller is configured to respond to a call control response, which is received from the Internet telephony call controller via the Softswitch, that indicates that a phone call is permitted by terminating the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line, and is configured to respond to the call control response indicating that the phone call is not permitted by blocking termination of the phone call through the PSTN to the called phone number line.

16. The SCP of claim 15, wherein the Internet telephony feature controller is configured to respond to the call control response indicating that the phone call is to be forwarded to an alternate phone number line that is different than the called phone number line by terminating the phone call through the PSTN to the alternate phone number line.

17. The SCP of claim 16, wherein the Internet telephony feature controller is configured to respond to the call control response indicating that the phone call is to be terminated to a plurality of group-call phone number lines by establishing simultaneous communication paths for the phone call through the PSTN to the plurality of group-call phone number lines which are identified by the call control response, wherein at least one of the group-call phone number lines is different than the called phone number line.

18. A Softswitch comprising:

an Internet telephony call router controller that is configured to receive phone calls on a plurality of trunks of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and configured to decide whether to route individual ones of the phone calls through an Internet protocol (IP) network to an Internet telephony call controller for Internet telephony feature handling in response to whether the individual phone call was received by the Softswitch on a dedicated one of the trunks of the PSTN that is designated for carrying calls for Internet telephony feature handling.

19. The Softswitch of claim 18, wherein the Internet telephony call router controller is configured to selectively convert individual ones of the phone calls to a Voice Over IP (VoIP) phone call for routing through the IP network to the Internet telephony call controller responsive to whether the individual phone call was received by the Softswitch on the dedicated trunk.

20. The Softswitch of claim 18, wherein the Internet telephony call router controller is configured to receive a call control response from the Internet telephony call controller and to route the call control response to a Signal Control Point (SCP) within the PSTN.