Patent US6597686B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6597686B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for internet telephony routing
Assignee: Hanger Solutions LLC
•
Filing: 1998-04-21
•
Granted: 2003-07-22
•
Expires: 2018-04-21
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for automatically designating a telephone call route through a telephone network including a circuit switched telephone network (STN) and a packet switched network, such as the Internet. The method includes the steps, executed by a network element, of receiving a telephone number corresponding to a called party receiving the telephone call, reviewing preference information pertaining to a calling party's telephone service, determining from the preference information and the telephone number whether the telephone call can be routed to the called party through the packet switched network, and assigning a route for the telephone call through one of either the packet switched network or the STN to the called party based on whether the call is routable through the packet switched network. A network element (NE) includes the databases and call processing records necessary to route a call and perform these steps.
Inventors
- 👤 Darek A. Smyk
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 16:54
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L65/00; H04L65/1066; H04L65/1069; H04L12/00; H04L12/64; H04L12/6418; H04L65/1083; H04L65/1095; H04L65/1101; H04M; H04M15/00; H04M15/56; H04M15/70; H04M15/745; H04M15/80; H04M15/8005; H04M15/8044; H04M15/8055; H04M7/00; H04M7/12; H04M7/1205; H04M7/1285; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/0016; H04Q3/0029; H04Q3/0045; H04L2012/6472; H04L2012/6475; H04M2215/00; H04M2215/01; H04M2215/0108; H04M2215/20; H04M2215/202; H04M2215/74; H04M2215/745; H04M2215/7464; H04M3/00; H04M3/38; H04M3/382; H04M3/42; H04M3/4228; H04M3/42289; H04M7/006
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
194 words
A method for enabling a telephone subscriber to initiate a telephone call to a called party either from the subscriber's registered telephone or a non-registered telephone and through a telephone network comprising a plurality of circuit switched networks and a plurality of packet switched networks, said method comprising the steps of: storing in a telephone network a subscriber profile indicating for each international call made by the subscriber a preferred one of said packet switched networks that the call is to be routed through and a preference ranking of packet switched networks if the call cannot be routed through the preferred one of said packet switched networks and further indicating for each domestic call made by the subscriber a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks that the call is to be routed through, determining by the telephone network, based on the subscriber profile, how the call is to be routed, said determining step including computing a billing rate for the call if the call is from a non-registered telephone and querying the subscriber for approval, and establishing the connection by the telephone network to the called party in accordance with the determining step.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
194 words
A method for enabling a telephone subscriber to initiate a telephone call to a called party either from the subscriber's registered telephone or a non-registered telephone and through a telephone network comprising a plurality of circuit switched networks and a plurality of packet switched networks, said method comprising the steps of: storing in a telephone network a subscriber profile indicating for each international call made by the subscriber a preferred one of said packet switched networks that the call is to be routed through and a preference ranking of packet switched networks if the call cannot be routed through the preferred one of said packet switched networks and further indicating for each domestic call made by the subscriber a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks that the call is to be routed through, determining by the telephone network, based on the subscriber profile, how the call is to be routed, said determining step including computing a billing rate for the call if the call is from a non-registered telephone and querying the subscriber for approval, and establishing the connection by the telephone network to the called party in accordance with the determining step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said establishing step further comprises establishing the connection for an international call through the pre-selected circuit switched network if none of the packet switched networks identified in the subscriber profile serves the called party.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
254 words
A telephone communications system for a telecommunications network, said network comprising a plurality of circuit switched telephone networks and a plurality of packet switched telephone network, said system comprising: means for maintaining a subscriber profile that determines that all calls of a first class made by the subscriber are to be sent over one of said packet switched networks chosen from among a list of pre-selected packet switched networks ordered in a preference ranking, and that further determines that calls made by the subscriber and not of said first class are to be sent over a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks, means for receiving a called party's telephone number generated by the subscriber, means for analyzing the called number and the subscriber profile to determine whether a connection to the called number can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet networks in accordance with the preference ranking specified by the subscriber profile, said means for analyzing computing a billing rate for the connection and querying the subscriber for approval if the connection is to be made from other than a registered telephone of the subscriber, and means for establishing the connection to the called party over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks if the called number is of the first class and the analyzing means determines the connection can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks and for establishing the connection over a pre-selected circuit switched network if the called number is not of the first class.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
254 words
A telephone communications system for a telecommunications network, said network comprising a plurality of circuit switched telephone networks and a plurality of packet switched telephone network, said system comprising: means for maintaining a subscriber profile that determines that all calls of a first class made by the subscriber are to be sent over one of said packet switched networks chosen from among a list of pre-selected packet switched networks ordered in a preference ranking, and that further determines that calls made by the subscriber and not of said first class are to be sent over a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks, means for receiving a called party's telephone number generated by the subscriber, means for analyzing the called number and the subscriber profile to determine whether a connection to the called number can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet networks in accordance with the preference ranking specified by the subscriber profile, said means for analyzing computing a billing rate for the connection and querying the subscriber for approval if the connection is to be made from other than a registered telephone of the subscriber, and means for establishing the connection to the called party over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks if the called number is of the first class and the analyzing means determines the connection can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks and for establishing the connection over a pre-selected circuit switched network if the called number is not of the first class.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
The telephone communications system of claim 3 wherein if the called number is of the first class and the analyzing means determines the connection cannot be routed over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks, said establishing means establishes the connection over the pre-selected circuit switched network.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
The telephone communications system of claim 3 further comprising a gateway associated with each of said packet switched networks, and wherein said connection establishing means further includes means for communicating with a gateway to establish the connection to the called party through a packet switched network.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
241 words
A telephone communications system for a telecommunications network, said network comprising a plurality of circuit switched telephone networks and a plurality of packet switched network, said system comprising: means for maintaining a subscriber profile that determines that all calls of a first class made by the subscriber are to be sent over one of said packet switched networks chosen from among a list of pre-selected packet switched networks ordered in a preference ranking, and that further determines that calls made by the subscriber and not of said first class are to be sent over a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks, means for receiving a called party's telephone number generated by the subscriber wherein said telephone number is intercepted by the telecommunications network and then forwarded by the telecommunications network to said receiving means, means for analyzing the called number and the subscriber profile to determine whether a connection to the called number can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet networks in accordance with the preference ranking specified by the subscriber profile, and means for establishing the connection to the called party over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks if the called number is of the first class and the analyzing means determines the connection can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet switched network and for establishing the connection over a pre-selected circuit switched network if the called number is not of the first class.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
241 words
A telephone communications system for a telecommunications network, said network comprising a plurality of circuit switched telephone networks and a plurality of packet switched network, said system comprising: means for maintaining a subscriber profile that determines that all calls of a first class made by the subscriber are to be sent over one of said packet switched networks chosen from among a list of pre-selected packet switched networks ordered in a preference ranking, and that further determines that calls made by the subscriber and not of said first class are to be sent over a pre-selected one of the circuit switched networks, means for receiving a called party's telephone number generated by the subscriber wherein said telephone number is intercepted by the telecommunications network and then forwarded by the telecommunications network to said receiving means, means for analyzing the called number and the subscriber profile to determine whether a connection to the called number can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet networks in accordance with the preference ranking specified by the subscriber profile, and means for establishing the connection to the called party over one of the pre-selected packet switched networks if the called number is of the first class and the analyzing means determines the connection can be routed over one of the pre-selected packet switched network and for establishing the connection over a pre-selected circuit switched network if the called number is not of the first class.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4771425A
Cited
US5095480A
Cited
US5712907A
Cited
US6154445A
Cited
US5751706A
Cited
US6137792A
Cited
US6069890A
Cited
US5724412A
Cited
JPH10178503A
Cited
US6064653A
Cited
US6205135B1
Cited
US6128379A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-07-21 | 2007-01-20 | 2007-07-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-07-21 | 2011-01-20 | 2011-07-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-07-21 | 2015-01-20 | 2015-07-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |