Method and arrangement for providing VoIP communication

• US 8,848,692 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Bozionek, Bruno, Kunte, Klaus-Josef, Hanna, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/679,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20110038363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,216 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-355
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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

The invention relates to a method for providing communication in a VoIP communication network having a multiplicity of network nodes, in which a) at least one first subscriber terminal in the VoIP communication network stores a first item of information containing at least one VoIP connection property desired by the user of the first subscriber terminal in at least one first network node of the VoIP communication network, wherein b) when a second subscriber terminal wishes to connect to the first subscriber terminal, b1) the second subscriber terminal requests the first item of information from the first network node, b2) the second subscriber terminal forms at least one data element that describes the connection on the basis of at least the first item of information, b3) the second subscriber terminal transmits the data element that describes the connection to a functional element which is assigned to the network and switches through direct connections between communication partners, and wherein c) the functional element evaluates the data element in such a manner that it establishes the connection between the first subscriber terminal and the second subscriber terminal on the basis of at least the first item of information. The invention also relates to an arrangement for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method for providing communication in a voice over IP (VoIP) communication network having a multiplicity of network nodes, comprising:

storing in one of a first network node of the VoIP communication network and a first subscriber terminal a first item of information comprising a VoIP connection property identified by a user of the first subscriber terminal in the VoIP communication network;

when a second subscriber terminal attempts to initiate establishment of a connection to the first subscriber terminal;

requesting by the second subscriber terminal the first item of information from the one of the first network node and the first subscriber terminal,

forming at least one data element wherein said data element describes the connection the second subscriber terminal seeks to establish with the first subscriber terminal on the basis of at least the first item of information, and

transmitting by the second subscriber terminal the data element to the first network node or to a second network node;

the first network node or the second network node evaluating the data element transmitted by the second subscriber terminal such that the connection between the first subscriber terminal and the second subscriber terminal is established upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node that evaluates the data element transmitted by the second subscriber terminal that the connection described by the data element complies with at least the first item of information and a connection is established between the second subscriber terminal and network element associated with the user of the first subscriber terminal upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node that evaluates the data element transmitted by the second subscriber terminal that the connection described by the data element does not comply with at least the first item of information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network node is one of a switch device, a softswitch and a piece of equipment hosting a service and the second network node is a switch device or a softswitch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first item of information is stored in the first subscriber terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first item of information is stored in the first network node.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising including in the first item of information at least one of (a) information about a first validity time period for the connection, (b) information about a second validity period for an amount of time that a voice message left during the connection to the network element may be saved prior to deletion of the voice message, (c) information about at least one type of connection permitted for connections to the first subscriber terminal, (d) information about at least one category of call content permitted for connections to the first subscriber terminal, and (e) information about a third validity period for a period of time during which leaving a voice message is possible.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data element comprises an address of the second subscriber terminal at a time of the requesting of the first item of information and an address of the second subscriber terminal at a time of the forming of the at least one data element.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising one of the first network node and the second network node comparing the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the requesting of the first item of information and the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the forming of the at least one data element;

and

upon a determination by one of the first network node and the second network node to which the data element was transmitted by the second subscriber terminal that the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the requesting of the first item of information and the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the forming of the at least one data element do not match, the connection between the second subscriber terminal and the network element associated with the user of the first subscriber terminal is established.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising one of the first network node and the second network node comparing the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the requesting of the first item of information and the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the forming of the at least one data element;

and

upon a determination by one of the first network node and the second network node to which the data element was transmitted by the second subscriber terminal that the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the requesting of the first item of information and the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the forming of the at least one data element do not match, the connection with the first subscriber terminal sought by the second subscriber terminal not being put through.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising

adding a first address to the first item of information that corresponds with an address of the second subscriber included in the requesting of the first item of information to update the first item of information and sending the updated first item of information to the second subscriber terminal in response to the requesting of the first item of information and wherein the at least one data element is formed by the second subscriber terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising when forming the data element, the second subscriber terminal including in the data element information describing a category of calls to which the connection the second subscriber terminal seeks to establish with the first subscriber terminal falls within.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subscriber terminal receives calls and makes calls.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein an e-mail server or web server is the first network node.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first item of information is stored until a predetermined amount of time passes.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising repeatedly storing the first item of information in the first subscriber terminal once the predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising the first network node checking the first address to see whether the first address is formed in accordance with a Domain Name System (DNS) and stopping transmission of the first item of information upon a determination that the first address is not an address that can be resolved according to DNS.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is a voice box for the user of the first subscriber terminal, voice messages being storeable in the voice box.

12. A method for providing communication in a voice over IP (VoIP) communication network having a multiplicity of network nodes, comprising:

storing in one of a first network node of the VoIP communication network and a first subscriber terminal a first item of information comprising a VoIP connection property identified by a user of the first subscriber terminal in the VoIP communication network;

to establish a connection to the first subscriber terminal, the second subscriber terminal;

requesting the first item of information from the one of the first network node and the first subscriber terminal,

forming at least one data element wherein said data element describes the connection on the basis of at least the first item of information, and

transmitting the data element by the second subscriber terminal to the first network node or to a second network node;

the first network node or the second network node evaluating the data element transmitted by the second subscriber terminal such that the connection between the first subscriber terminal and the second subscriber terminal is established upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node evaluating the data element that the connection described by the data element complies with at least the first item of information and a connection is established between the second subscriber terminal and a network element associated with the user of the first subscriber terminal upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node evaluating the data element that the connection described by the data element does not comply with at least the first item of information;

wherein a device assigned to the VoIP communication network for switching to provide direct connections between communication partners is the first network node.

16. A system for providing communication in a VoIP communication network, comprising:

a first subscriber terminal;

a first network node, the first network node communicatively connectable to the first subscriber terminal;

a first item of information being storable in one of the first subscriber terminal and the first network node, the first item of information comprising a connection property identified by a user of the first subscriber terminal in the network;

one of the first network node and the first subscriber terminal receiving a request for the first item of information from a second subscriber terminal and responding to that request by sending a response that comprises information of the first item of information to the second subscriber terminal such that a data element is formable by the second subscriber terminal;

one of the first network node and a second network node communicatively connectable to the first subscriber terminal receiving the data element from the second subscriber terminal that is sent by the second subscriber terminal to establish a connection with the first subscriber terminal, the data element describing the connection the second subscriber terminal seeks to establish with the first subscriber terminal; and

one of the first network node and the second network node evaluating the data element received from the second subscriber terminal such that a connection between the first subscriber terminal and the second subscriber terminal is establishable upon a determination by the one of the first network node and the second network node that evaluates the received data element that the connection described by the data element complies with at least the first item of information and a connection between the second subscriber terminal and a network element associated with the user of the first subscriber terminal is establishable upon a determination by the one of the first network node and the second network node that evaluates the received data element that the connection described by the data element does not comply with at least the first item of information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first network node is one of a switch device, a softswitch and a piece of equipment hosting a service and the second network node is a switch device or a softswitch.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data element comprises an address of the second subscriber terminal at a time of the requesting of the first item of information and an address of the second subscriber terminal at a time of the forming of the at least one data element and wherein:

one of the first network node and the second network node compares the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the requesting with the address of the second subscriber terminal at the time of the forming identified within the data element to determine how to route the connection sought by the second subscriber terminal.

21. A method for providing communication in a voice over IP (VoIP) communication network having a multiplicity of network nodes, comprising:

storing in one of a first network node of the VoIP communication network and a first subscriber terminal a first item of information comprising a VoIP connection property defined by a user of the first subscriber terminal in the VoIP communication network;

receiving a request from a second subscriber terminal for the first item of information;

forming at least one data element, wherein said data element describes a connection the second subscriber terminal seeks to establish with the first subscriber terminal on the basis of at least the first item of information;

the first network node or the second network node receiving the data element;

the first network node or the second network node that received the data element evaluating the data element,

establishing a connection between the first subscriber terminal and the second subscriber terminal upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node that received and evaluated the data element that the connection described by the data element complies with at least the first item of information; and

establishing a connection between the second subscriber terminal and a network element associated with the user of the first subscriber terminal upon a determination by the first network node or the second network node that received and evaluated the data element that the connection described by the data element does not comply with at least the first item of information.