Internet phone to PSTN cellular/PCS system

• US 6,075,783 A
• Filed: 03/06/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Voit, Eric A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US08/811,032
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/227, 709/228, 709/238, 709/245, 709/246, 370/401, 370/338, 370/389, 370/392, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356, 455/456, 379/90.01, 379/93.07, 379/114, 379/144, 379/100.13, 379/93.08
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An Internet telecommunication system in accord with the invention combines the capabilities of the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) with those of the internetwork commonly known as the Internet. Functions associated with the Internet Domain Name Server system are enhanced using AIN data and processing. Voice grade telephone calls from a fixed position Internet PC to a roaming wireless personal communication system are enabled. Home Location Register data from the control point of the AIN is forwarded into the Internet Domain Name Server for conditioning the IP lookup and addressing to determine the ultimate call routing. Internet calls may also be automatically completed by the system to addresses other than the ones entered by the caller.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for providing telephone access from the Internet to cellular telephones comprising:

a Domain Name Server system associated with the Internet, said Domain Name Server system receiving textual domain name addresses from Internet telephone equipment attempting to make a call and being capable of responding back to the calling Internet telephone equipment with an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the received textual domain name addresses;

means associated with the Domain Name Server system for delaying sending the IP address back to the calling Internet telephone equipment; and

means associated with the Domain Name Server system to perform a preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function beginning substantially upon lookup of the said IP address and ending just prior to a response to the calling Internet telephone equipment, wherein the preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function comprises querying a computer corresponding to the IP address via the Internet to determine if that computer is ready to receive an incoming call.

2. A telecommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function further comprises obtaining called party location data from a home location register in the system if the computer is not ready to receive an incoming call.

3. A telecommunication system as in claim 2, wherein the preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function further comprises sending an IP address of a PSTN Gateway Server serving the called party location to the calling Internet telephone equipment.

4. A telecommunication system, for providing telephone access from the Internet to cellular telephones comprising:

a Domain Name Server system associated with the Internet, said Domain Name Server system receiving textual domain name addresses from Internet telephone equipment attempting to make a call and being capable of responding back to the calling Internet telephone equipment with an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the received textual domain name addresses;

means associated with the Domain Name Server system for delaying sending the IP address back to the calling Internet telephone equipment; and

means associated with the Domain Name Server system to perform a preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function beginning substantially upon lookup of the said IP address and ending just prior to a response to the calling Internet telephone equipment, wherein the preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function includes generation of billing data.

5. A telecommunication system, for providing telephone access from the Internet to cellular telephones comprising:

a Domain Name Server system associated with the Internet, said Domain Name Server system receiving textual domain name addresses from Internet telephone equipment attempting to make a call and being capable of responding back to the calling Internet telephone equipment with an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the received textual domain name addresses wherein the Domain Name Server system comprises a computer coupled for two-way data communication via the Internet;

means associated with the Domain Name Server system for delaying sending the IP address back to the calling Internet telephone equipment; and

means associated with the Domain Name Server system to perform a preprogrammed telecommunication routing control function beginning substantially upon lookup of the said IP address and ending just prior to a response to the calling Internet telephone equipment.

6. A telecommunication system as in claim 5, wherein the Domain Name Server system further comprises:

a routing control database of an intelligent landline telephone network; and

a data module providing two-way signaling data communication between the computer and the routing control database.

7. A telecommunication system as in claim 6, wherein:

the routing control database is an element of an integrated services control point coupled to an interoffice signaling network of the landline telephone network; and

the data module provides a two-way data communication interface for the computer via the interoffice signaling network.

8. A telecommunications system comprising:

a public packet switched data network;

at least two access servers operationally connected to the said public packet switched data network;

at least two personal computers equipped for Internet telephone service and operationally, connected to said access servers;

a PSTN Gateway Server operationally connected to the public packet switched data network for voice telephone communications;

a Mobile Switching Office operationally connectable to said PSTN Gateway Server;

at least one wireless personal communications terminal for communication via said Mobile Switching Office;

a Domain Name Server operationally connected to the public packet switched data network;

a Service Control Point (SCP) database system; and

a Signaling Transfer Point (STP) coupled to the SCP, the Mobile Switching Office and the said Domain Name Server.

9. A telecommunications system as in claim 8, wherein the SCP directs information about current location of the personal communications terminal to the Domain Name Server.

10. A telecommunication system as in claim 8, wherein the SCP generates data for billing purposes.

11. A method comprising:

modifying an Internet Domain Name System to delay for a time period a response to a domain name translation query relating to subscriber to a follow-me type routing service from a querying Internet terminal device; and

executing during said time period, a process to determine whether to include a home Internet Protocol (IP) address or to include an alternate IP address in a response message; and

sending the response message to the Internet terminal device.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the home address corresponds to a telephone capable computer.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the alternate address facilitates communication to a telephone.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the telephone is a landline telephone.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone.

16. A method for providing telephone services over the Internet comprising:

providing SS7 signaling links from a Domain Name Server coupled to the Internet to an intelligent telephone network;

delaying for a time period a response to an Internet telephone, which telephone is querying the Internet Domain Name Server for translation of a domain name of a subscriber to a roaming communication service;

during the said time period, obtaining data over the SS7 links from the intelligent telephone network for executing a call; and

transmitting the response including information dependent on the data.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the data is home location register data.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the data is of an alternate route for completing a call.

19. A telecommunication system comprising:

the Internet;

at least two Internet access servers operationally connected to said Internet;

at least one Local Area Network operationally connected to said Internet;

a first personal computer connected to said Local Area Network and being equipped for operation as a telephone;

a second personal computer and a third personal computer, said second and third personal computers being equipped for operation as telephones over the Internet;

a PSTN Gateway Server operationally connected to said Internet;

a telephone operationally connectable to said PSTN Gateway Server;

a Mobile Switching Office operationally connectable to said PSTN Gateway Server;

a wireless personal communications terminal for telephone communication via said Mobile Switching Office;

a Domain Name Server coupled to the Internet;

an Intelligent Service Control Point (ISCP); and

a Signaling Transfer Point (STP) providing signaling communications between said Domain Name Server and said ISCP so that data from the ISCP can effect operation of the Domain Name Server and thereby connections in the Internet;

wherein completion of an Internet telephone call from one of said personal computers is delayed for a time period to permit the execution of a telecommunication control function by the Domain Name Server and the ISCP.

20. A telecommunication system as in claim 19, wherein the said telecommunication control function comprises directing of the Internet telephone call for completion at a telephone other than one originally called.

21. A mobile telephone communication system, comprising:

a public packet data network;

a plurality of computers coupled for data communication via the public packet data network, wherein a subset of the plurality of computers include elements providing voice telephone communication capabilities;

a domain name server system coupled to the public packet data network for receiving a domain name query from a calling one of the subset of computers and sending an address back to the calling computer in response to the domain name query;

a public switched wireline telephone network, including a plurality of central office switching systems, an interoffice signaling network and at least one service control point data base coupled to the interoffice signaling network;

a data communication module coupling the domain name server to the interoffice signaling network of the public switched wireline telephone network; and

a wireless communication network comprising one or more mobile switching offices coupled to one or more of the central office switching systems.

22. A system as in claim 21, further comprising at least one gateway server coupling the packet data network to one of the central office switching system for processing telephone communication signals for transport over the public packet data network.

23. A system as in claim 21, wherein the public packet data network comprises the Internet.

24. A system for controlling routing of calls through a public packet data network, said system comprising:

a Domain Name Server coupled to the public packet data network for receiving queries from calling computers and sending addresses in responses back to the calling computers, said Domain Name Server including a domain name to address translation table and running software to execute a conditional analysis in response to a domain name query before transmitting an address back in a response; and

a data communication module for coupling the Domain Name Server to an interoffice signaling network of an intelligent public switched telephone network for obtaining at least some information from a node of an intelligent public switched telephone network.

25. A system for controlling routing of calls through a public packet data network to roaming telephone service subscribers, said system comprising:

a Domain Name Server coupled to the public packet data network for receiving queries from calling telephone capable computers and sending addresses in responses back to the calling computers, said Domain Name Server including a domain name-to-address translation table and running software to execute a conditional analysis in response to a domain name query before transmitting an address back in a response, wherein under some call conditions, the conditional analysis identifies a destination address for a roaming subscriber; and

a data communication module for coupling the Domain Name Server to an interoffice signaling network of an intelligent public switched telephone network for obtaining at least some information relating to the conditional analysis or the destination address from a node of an intelligent public switched telephone network.

26. A system as in claim 25, wherein the data communication module provides an interface to an SS7 type common channel interoffice signaling link.

27. A telecommunications system comprising:

an interlinked data network creating an Internet functionally connectable to wireless communication systems;

said network having a Domain Name Server system which receives textual domain names from an access server at a first time, T1, said Domain Name Server system including means for sending a response to said access server at a second time, T2; and

means for executing a telecommunication rousing control function during the period of time between T1 and T2, to determine the nature of the response back to the access server.

28. A telecommunication system as in claim 27, wherein said control function includes querying a called telephone equipped computer to determine if it is ready to receive an incoming call.

29. A telecommunication system as in claim 28, wherein said control function further includes responding to the access server with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a PSTN Gateway,Server if the called telephone equipped computer is not ready to receive an incoming call.

30. A telecommunications system as in claim 28, wherein said control function includes preparing a response to the Internet access server with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computer other than the called telephone equipped computer.

31. A method for providing telephone services over the Internet comprising:

providing SS7 signaling links from a Domain Name Server coupled to the Internet to an intelligent telephone network;

delaying for a time period a response to an Internet telephone, which telephone is querying the Internet Domain Name Server for translation of a domain name;

during said time period, obtaining data over the SS7 links from the intelligent telephone network for executing a call; and

transmitting the response including information dependent on the data.

32. A method comprising:

receiving a domain name query at a server coupled to a public packet data network;

executing a conditional analysis in response to the domain name query;

if the conditional analysis produces a first result, translating a domain name included in the query into a first destination address;

if the conditional analysis produces a second result, obtaining control information from a routing control database of a public switched telephone network and generating a second destination address based on the control information; and

transmitting a response message containing the first or the second destination address to a calling terminal for use in establishing communication at least partially through the public packet data network.

33. A method as in claim 32, wherein the second destination address relates to call routing via the public switched telephone network.

34. A method as in claim 32, wherein the second destination address relates to call routing via a mobile telephone system providing wireless communications.

35. A method as in claim 32, wherein the control information is obtained from a home location register for a called party maintained in the routing control database.

36. A method as in claim 32, wherein the public packet data network comprises the Internet.

37. A method as in claim 32, wherein the first address comprises a TCP/IP address.

38. A method as in claim 32, wherein the second address comprises a TCP/IP address.

39. A method as in claim 32, wherein the second address comprises a telephone number.

40. A method as in claim 39, wherein the telephone number comprises a directory number assigned within the public switched telephone network.

41. A method as in claim 39, wherein the telephone number comprises a temporary local directory number assigned by a wireless mobile communication system.