Multi-line appearance telephony via a computer network

• US 7,693,137 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.), Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Gardell, Steven E., Depp, Gregory C., Zibman, Israel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US11/446,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/356, 370/401, 370/465, 439/676, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/265
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for creating traditional multi-line appearance telecommunications capabilities in a computer network for communications received from a switched circuit network. The system and method create key system and attendant/attendee relationships between the respective terminal end-points of the computer network. In addition, multiple line appearances may be supported simultaneously at a single terminal end-point.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a signal routing agent;

a gateway adapted to receive a first incoming call addressed to a first dialed number and a second incoming call addressed to a second dialed number;

at least one gatekeeper in communication with the gateway and responsive to receipt of the first incoming call to control the gateway to transmit a first computer network-compatible signal corresponding to the first incoming call to the signal routing agent and responsive to receipt of the second incoming call to control the gateway to transmit a second computer network-compatible signal corresponding to the second incoming call to the signal routing agent;

a data store storing data associating the first incoming call to a set of terminals selected from a plurality of terminals and associating the second incoming call to at least one of the terminals of the selected set; and

the signal routing agent being responsive to receipt of the first computer network-compatible signal to access the data store to identify the selected set of terminals assigned to receive the first computer network-compatible signal and to transmit first line appearance messages that identify an origin of the first incoming call to the selected set of terminals, and being responsive to receipt of the second computer network-compatible signal to access the data store to identify the at least one of the terminals of the selected set assigned to receive the second computer network-compatible signal and to transmit a second line appearance message identifying an origin of the second incoming call to the at least one of the terminals of the selected set.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store comprises a configuration database.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second gatekeeper, said at least one gatekeeper being in communication with the gateway and the second gatekeeper being in communication with said at least one gatekeeper, the signal routing agent and the plurality of terminals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal routing agent comprises a call control service entity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal routing agent comprises a call routed gatekeeper.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the call control service entity comprises a multi-point control unit and a call manager.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the gateway is configured to translate the first and second incoming calls into the first and second computer network-compatible signals.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a first incoming call addressed to a dialed number and a second incoming call addressed to a second dialed number;

translating the first and second incoming calls into packet switched network compatible signals;

accessing a data store to identify a plurality of terminals corresponding to the first dialed number and to identify one of the plurality of terminals corresponding to the second dialed number;

transmitting first line appearance signals that identify an origin of the first incoming call to each of the plurality of terminals over a packet switched network, wherein the first line appearance signals are transmitted approximately simultaneously; and

transmitting a second line appearance signal identifying an origin of the second incoming call to the one of the plurality of terminals over the packet switched network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the packet switched network compatible signal is an H.323-compliant signal.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a first incoming call request, the first incoming call request including a first destination address and first origination information corresponding to an origin of the first incoming call request;

receiving a second incoming call request, the second incoming call request including a second destination address and second origination information corresponding to an origin of the second incoming call request;

accessing a data store to identify a plurality of terminals connected to a packet switched network and corresponding to the first destination address and to identify a selected terminal of the plurality of terminals corresponding to the second destination address;

transmitting to each of the plurality of terminals at least one call setup message over the packet switched network that includes a first origination identifier based on the origin information of the first incoming call request wherein the call setup messages are transmitted to each of the plurality of terminals approximately simultaneously; and

transmitting to the selected terminal at least one call setup message over the packet switched network that includes a second origination identifier based on the origin information of the second incoming call request.

11. A system comprising:

a signal routing agent;

a gateway adapted to receive a request for a first incoming call addressed to a first dialed number and a second incoming call addressed to a second dialed number;

a first server in communication with the gateway and responsive to receipt of the request for the first incoming call to control the gateway to transmit a first packet switched network-compatible signal corresponding to the request for the first incoming call to the signal routing agent and being responsive to receipt of the request for the second incoming call to control the gateway to transmit a second packet switched network-compatible signal corresponding to the request for the second incoming call to the signal routing agent;

a data store storing data associating the first incoming call to a set of terminals selected from a plurality of terminals connected to a packet switched network and associating the second incoming call to at least one of the terminals of the selected set; and

the signal routing agent being responsive to receipt of the first packet switched network-compatible signal to access the data store to identify the selected set of the plurality of terminals assigned to receive the first packet switched network-compatible signals and to transmit call setup messages that identify an origin of the first incoming call to each of the plurality of terminals, the signal routing agent also being responsive to receipt of the second packet switched network-compatible signals to access the data store to identify the at least one of the terminal of the selected set assigned to receive the second packet switched network-compatible signal and to transmit call setup messages that identify an origin of the second incoming call to the at least one of the terminals of the selected set.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data store comprises a configuration database.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a second server, wherein said first server is in communication with the gateway and the second server is in communication with said first server, the signal routing agent and the plurality of terminals.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal routing agent comprises a call control service entity.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal routing agent comprises a call routed gatekeeper.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal routing agent comprises a call control service entity, the call control service entity comprising a multi-point control unit and a call manager.