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PHONE CELLULAR NETWORK

1. 110B Mobile Switching Center MSC 1710B Further networks Gateways amp devices 1760 Cellular Gateway 1740B US 2007 0047707 A1 IP ENHANCED CELLULAR SERVICES CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 0001 The present application is related to co pending applications entitled MTA CRADLE PERSONAL GATE WAY and IP ENHANCED CELLULAR SERVICES U S application Ser No Attorney Docket No 2655 0009 and U S application Ser No Attorney Docket No 2655 0010 respectively filed on even date herewith The contents of those applications are incorpo rated herein by reference BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 1 Field of the Invention 0003 The invention relates to the use of a MTA Multi media Terminal Adapter phones and cellular communica tion devices for establishing and conducting call sessions over Public Switched Telephone Networks PSTN cellular networks and packet e g IP networks 0004 2 Description of the Related Art 0005 Prior to the present invention the interrelationship between Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP and Cellular telephony was contextualized around voice over Wireless Local Area Network WLAN and dual mode devices devices that communicate through cellular and WLAN networks Related technology centered on one number including follow me services in which VoIP service pro viders e g AT amp T CallVantage Vonage etc permitted their customers
2. Business agreements may be formed bilaterally or through a central ized service Federation or Clearinghouse covered in Case 5 below The business agreements are the source of much of the data that populates the Service Providers database 455 the Payments Clearing database 445 and the Geographic Association database 460 Service provider provisioning amp de provisioning processes include system security and financial safeguards known in the art For example authen ticated services administrators and systems with specific roles are permitted to populate and or modify specific por tions of the databases 440 445 455 and 460 whereas other service participants and systems are merely allowed to read portions of the data Subscribers to the service obtain secure authentication means upon service provisioning for permit ting access to corresponding portions of the Subscriber PPP database 450 to populate and alter their profile and prefer ences data The systems protect against other access data contamination or denial of service attacks by known means that are outside the scope of this invention 0125 The term carrier is used interchangeably with cel lular service provider cellular service reseller Mobile Vir tual Network Operator or others who provide the same relevant services US 2007 0047707 A1 0126 The cellular phone 307 that is used by a subscriber who travels abroad may be the same cellular phone 307 the subscriber us
3. gateways 0176 Cellular gateways 1740 transcode the media from cellular media encoding to PSTN voice encoding e g A Law Mu Law For the purpose of simplicity cellular gateways 1740 are shown as a function that is allocated to the MSC 1710 In reality the functions are distributed between the MSC and Base Transceiver Station BTS not shown BTS is associated with the air radio interface at or near cellular antenna locations Also for the sake of sim plicity signaling gateways are not shown 0177 MTAC Cradle 305 may use the codec already embedded in cellular phone 307 to encode decode content US 2007 0047707 A1 destined for transmission through IP Networks 110 This may require certain changes to the way functionality and interfaces are structured in cellular handsets Alternatively the cradle may contain cellular codecs which under the control of Service Platform 435 reduces the number of end to end transcoding stages in each session 0178 Ina preferred embodiment non transcoding VoIP gateways 1720 also constitute SIP proxies which negotiate codecs with other media gateways e g VoIP gateway 1750 or with SIP endpoints such as VoIP Device with cellular codec 1730 and MTAC Cradle 305 This negotiation deter mines whether transcoding can be eliminated for specific network legs on a session by session basis and may elimi nate transcoding end to end for at least a subset of such sessions 0179 In an exemp
4. Cradle 1230 The call passes locally through the PSTN 120 and Cellular Network 110 and is transmitted to the cellular phone 307 Alternatively the subscriber uses cellular phone 1220 to dial cellular phone 307 in order to access the MTAC IPG 1230 0156 STEP 1103 The MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 senses the incoming call to the cellular phone 307 by the signaling of FIG 6 and the MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 causes the cellular phone307 to go off hook voice prompting or other automatic communication is provided for a better subscriber experience and to involve the subscriber if desired 0157 STEP 1104 The MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 authen ticates the caller and provides a 2 dial tone The caller the Mar 1 2007 subscriber or any person he authorizes dials out to reach the desired party over the IP Network 115 through the MTAC IPG 1230 The desired party may be for example at the VoIP phone 1240 in FIG 12 that is located in another country or at a plain telephone that is connected via a VoIP service provider s gateway 1250 The signaling of FIG 6 may be used when the subscriber dials the second number It the preferred embodiment the ANI of the calling phone is used at least as part of the authentication process In this manner the subscriber may use the MTAC IPG 1230 with a mini mum of added effort 0158 STEP 1105 The cellular phone is constructed to enable direct media flows with the cradle in addition to signaling as shown in FIG
5. In general a SIM Module embedded in a cell phone can be OTA Over The Air programmed by the cellular carriers that it is directly associated with The programming of the present embodiment introduces security considerations not normally present The SIM may need to be provisioned for operation by a cellular service operator that has not origi nally provisioned the cell phone In one such more secure preferred embodiment the MTAC Cradle 305 is capable of programming the SIM Module embedded in cellular phone 307 when the latter is physically connected to the cradle FIGS 5A or 5B In another preferred embodiment the OTA method is followed but only if concurrently the MTAC Cradle provides a SIM unlocking signal provided by Service Platform 435 The availability of two separate communication channels the cellular network and the IP network improves the probability that the SIM will be programmed in the appropriate authenticated cell phone as part of this embodiment In another preferred embodiment the two separate channels are used to exchange complemen tary fractions of encryption and decryption keys This aspect of the invention only applies to cellular devices that enable SIM card programming The MTAC Cradle 305 can cord lessly FIG 5C transmit SIM programming information to cellular phones 307 that are capable of altering their SIM programs in response to wireless instructions Mar 1 2007 0072 In the FIG 6 DC power
6. address or number is registered to one or more providers of IP based communication services e g a VoIP service pro vider or an Internet Service Provider ISP and is stored in Service Providers database 465 with an index to the sub scriber PPP database 450 0050 Examples of multiple providers of IP based com munication services where the same unique identification may be registered are the providers of VoIP services and of value added applications on top of VoIP that are distinct The registration is an example procedure for assuring that all incoming sessions are processed by the Service Platform 435 In this preferred embodiment the user subscriber may bring a pre existing reach number identification e g tele phone number to the service Identification and or authen tication may be assigned to a new subscriber upon request 0051 As shown in FIG 4 a SoftSwitch is a type of switch capable of both circuit and packet switching for use over the PSTN and for example IP Networks respectively A gateway is an electronic intermediary that intercepts and steers electronic signals from one network to another which in addition may perform signal shaping and code or protocol conversion between otherwise incompatible networks The SoftSwitch and Gateways 430 provide session routing and bridging capabilities across the three networks shown that is the Cellular Network 110 IP Network 115 and PSTN 120 Bridging permits the parking of
7. enables one or more plain telephones 201 to communicate via the cellular network 110 in order to take full advantage of cellular service pricing packages In one arrangement the user foregoes PSTN services altogether by disconnecting the link between the plain telephone 201 and the PSTN 220 and then using the CPG cradle 209 to enable all incoming and outgoing communications over the cellular network 110 The CPG cradle 209 is directly connected to plain telephone 201 by a physical wire transmission link wireline thereby providing gateway functions suitable for using the cellular network 110 through cellular phone 207 from or to the plain telephone 201 CPG Cradle 209 is typically used for both incoming and outgoing calls and a direct electronic connection between the cradle and the cellular phone per mits both pushbutton signaling and voice communications to be transmitted between the devices 0037 In another arrangement plain telephone 201 is connected via one transmission link for one number to PSTN 120 and another transmission link for another number to CPG Cradle 209 which permits via toggle or pushbutton access to two or more phone lines thereby availing the user of the choice between communicating via a cellular network 110 or the PSTN 120 network on a call by call basis A similar arrangement can be provided by a multi line plain telephone connected to the CPG cradle 209 with one line and to the PSTN 120 with the other Sep
8. enabling subscribers to forego the use of personal gateways in certain geographical areas Account ing clearing and subscriber billing relative to traditional VoIP gateways may be integrated with the accounting clearing and subscriber billing using the databases 440 445 455 and 460 of FIG 4 0165 Where traditional VoIP gateways are used for sub scribers of this disclosure those versed in the art can appreciate the ability to route incoming calls to the traveling subscribers POTS or cellular phone numbers registered in the Subscriber PPP database 450 0166 In addition to all of the structure functionality and operation of the MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 described herein the MTAC IPG Cradle additionally includes as a further enhancement a built in DSL modem as shown in FIG 14 The DSL modem enables the MTAC IPG Cradle 1430 to be plugged into a single network connection conveying both PSTN traffic and broadband traffic over the same DSL transmission link connector In that case the MTAC IPG 1430 may include connectivity to PSTN 120 IP Network 115 and Cellular Network 110 0167 Case 6 International Service Federation 0168 The service of the present disclosure involves multiple service providers The providers may be geographi cally exclusive or geographically competitive The preser vation of quality standards dictates the need for a single quality control entity that filters potential service providers by quality of s
9. encoded by the cellular phone codec to pass to the IP network without further coding 16 The method of claim 15 further comprising disabling any codecs residing in the MTAC IPG 17 The method of claim 16 wherein said disabling further includes switching from an MTA IPG mode having an array of codecs and only broadband IP and PSTN operative connections to an MTAC IPG mode having cel lular and broadband IP connections and performing IPG operations for the MTA IPG mode the same as performing IPG operations for the MTAC IPG mode except that said signaling is in response to the user locally dialing the first dial string in from the PSTN for the MTA IPG mode and from a cellular network for the MTAC IPG mode 18 The method of claim 17 wherein said switching is triggered by signaling indicating a user dialing to the PSTN and the cellular phone being off hook respectively 19 The method of claim 14 further comprising recording MTAC IPG presence information in a database with a geographic association to the current geographical location of the MTAC IPG US 2007 0047707 A1 20 The method of claim 14 wherein said authenticating occurs when calls coming into the gateway are from a specific cellular phone or landline and the ANI of the calling phone is used at least as part of the authentication 21 The method of claim 14 wherein providing said gateway functionality comprises collecting a string of DTMF tones dialed after providing
10. incoming or outgoing call legs and then connecting bridging them with one or more other outgoing or incoming legs of the call session The gateways need not be collocated with the SoftSwitch but rather could be distributed in a convenient manner along the media paths of communications particularly where dissimilar networks intersect In the exemplary embodiment the SoftSwitches are collocated with the gateways Whether collocated with the SoftSwitch or not it is preferable that the media gateways are under the direct control of the Soft Switch and SIP Proxies 425 0052 At least one SIP Proxy 425 interoperates with MTAC Cradle 305 e g with a SIP phone according to the SIP standards as defined in Request for Comments RFC 3261 and related RFCs Both SoftSwitch 430 and the at least one SIP Proxy 425 operate under the control of Service Platform 435 0053 Whether the following databases are wholly or partially front ended by being within the MTAC Cradle 305 as in FIG 16 or wholly or partially back ended by being external to and connected by the IP Network 115 to the MTAC Cradle 305 as shown in FIG 4 the Service Platform 435 proxies of FIG 16 communicate with several databases for populating them and storing altering and retrieving data 0054 The AAA Authentication Authorization and Accounting Subscriber Accounts database 440 maintains subscriber service usage and billing information Where necessary e g when compo
11. ing by picking up Plain Telephone 103 or by going off hook on cellular phone 307 If the subscriber is away from the Subscriber Environment 300 the session is picked up via cell phone 307 If the call is answered the session proceeds in the usual manner to its conclusion and the Service Platform 435 updates AAA Subscriber Accounts If the call is not answered after a prescribed duration control of the US 2007 0047707 A1 call returns to Service Platform 435 for further treatment based on the new condition of no answer 0113 STEP1018 When dictated by preferences stored in the Subscriber PPP database 450 the Service Platform 435 redirects the call to a different destination e g as is com mon in follow me type services The process proceeds in STEP 1020 0114 STEP 1020 The follow me device rings If the call is answered the session proceeds in the usual manner to its conclusion and the Service Platform 435 updates AAA Subscriber Accounts If the call is not answered after a prescribed duration control of the call returns to Service Platform 435 for further treatment based on the new condi tion of no answer This may sometimes include a sequence of other follow me devices 0115 STEP 1022 Service Platform 435 encounters a condition requiring a modification to the incoming session initiation attempt For example the call initiation may be from a cellphone number that is listed in subscriber PPP 450 as
12. of the operation of one embodiment of a Service Platform controlling incoming calls to the subscriber s one number 0024 FIG 11 is a flow diagram of the operation of one embodiment functioning as a personal gateway 0025 FIG 12 shows the MTAC IPG IP Gateway Cradle as a personal multimedia IP communications VoIP por table gateway which can accompany the subscriber abroad 0026 FIG 13 shows a known MTA IPG 0027 FIG 14 shows further details of a MTAC IPG Cradle 1430 which is similar to MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 but additionally includes a built in DSL modem supplanting or supplementing broadband connectivity mechanisms such as Ethernet Mar 1 2007 0028 FIG 15 15 a schematic showing of the functionality of an International Service Federation or Clearinghouse to coordinate the use of an MTAC IPG Cradle domestically and when traveling abroad 0029 FIG 16 is a schematic representation of the major components of the MTAC IPG Cradle and 0030 FIG 17 is diagram of a cellular network which improves quality of service by reducing the number of end to end transcodings stages performed within the system DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 0031 Referring now to the drawings wherein like ref erence numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views 0032 The user environments depicted in FIGS 1 through 3 are not intended to connote completeness For the
13. participating provider of Cellular Network 110 which tracks the location of and communicates with cellular phone 307 defines an approximate geographic location at the required degrees of granularity the identity of the service provider usually provides at least a national geographic Mar 1 2007 boundary within which the cellular phone 307 is present The identity of the cell site or cell sector in communication with the cellular phone 307 further refines the geographic location of the cellular phone 307 as needed Other cellular phone location techniques e g triangulation among mul tiple cell sites permit the cellular carrier to improve the precision of the location of the cellular phone 307 A very precise location could be establish for cellular phones 307 that incorporate GPS receivers The GPS receivers have the following additional advantages i precise location can be established independently of the cellular carrier and ii this precision may be sufficient to forego the need for placing the cellular phone 307 in MTAC Cradle 305 for the subset of the services that rely on the collocation but not necessarily the connection of the MTAC Cradle 305 and Cellular phone 307 0133 STEP 703 The Service Platform 435 then associ ates the Service Providers database 455 with the derived geography in the Geographic Association database 460 from step 702 to pick one or more participating cellular carriers active at the new geographi
14. permits the authen ticated online subscriber to attend to various aspects of the service mainly subscriber alterable fields in the Subscriber Profile Preferences Presence PPP database 450 of FIG 4 through an online PC the built in display and user input e g a keyboard of FIG 16 or equivalent device that is independent from the MTAC Cradle 305 In an alternative embodiment an offline PC may be used for this purpose when connected directly to the MTAC Cradle e g through a USB connector 0047 FIG 4 depicts the major components of the sub scriber environment of one embodiment and an exemplary platform Platforms are one or more of the application and other functional software operating system and hardware 0048 The conventional user environment of FIGS 1 and 2 is transferred into a subscriber environment in FIGS 3 and 4 by utilizing an MTAC Cradle 305 and a subscription 00491 The illustrated embodiment enables a subscriber to advertise a single reach identification for example a reach address or reach number which could be an Internet Pro Mar 1 2007 tocol IP address or a telephone number The cellular device might be a cellular phone reachable by number or multi media devices that include data capabilities such as a Short Message Service SMS e mail Web access etc A more general example of reach identification is a Session Initia tion Protocol SIP Address The reach identification
15. purpose of those figures such user environments constitute an exem plary subset of the access and devices useable with the present invention A more detailed configuration of the environments of FIGS 1 to 3 would include additional devices such as PCs and other home networked devices These additional devices when present are connected through a wired or wireless LAN and a router or a switch not shown 0033 FIG 1 depicts a user s telecommunication access environment 100 that includes a plain telephone 101 aka a POTS telephone connected to the PSTN 120 a cellular phone 107 connected to a cellular network 110 and another Plain Telephone 103 connected to the PSTN 120 by way of a MTA 105 and an IP network 115 Cellular phone 107 communicates using at least one desired session type e g voice messaging web and audio or video streaming Alter natively Plain Telephones 101 and 103 may instead be single 2 line instruments where one line is connected to the MTA and the other is connected directly to the PSTN using an analog or ISDN connection 0034 MTA 105 may make Plain Telephone 103 the equivalent of a Session Initiation Protocol SIP phone such as a Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP phone conforming to the description in the Internet Engineering Task Force ETF Request For Comment RFC 3216 and related RFCs Phone 103 or phone 103 and MTA 105 may alternatively be a general purpose computer with corre spondingly
16. results of said determining triggering a test cellular call between the cellular phone and a test number reprogramming the SIM card in response to the test call results recording the new local cellular phone number 70 The method of claim 69 further comprising reversing a call direction when the cellular phone is operatively connected to the MTAC IPG in response to a caller hang up 71 The method of claim 70 further comprising in response to a signaling indicating that the caller hung up signaling the cellular phone to go off hook and dial a number of the caller and ringing another phone that is short range connected to the MTAC IPG for alerting the originally called party
17. status of the connected cellphone and the nature of the signal 1 e choose best network Though the Service Platform and the SIP proxies are associated with the MTAC Cradle on provisioning the association can be repro grammed as needed through hardware software residing at service provisioning centers US 2007 0047707 A1 0080 STEP 805 The Service Platform 435 selects the best routes from among the Service Providers identified in database 455 for example based upon least cost routing LCR The details of the plans are stored in Subscriber PPP 450 Depending on preferences stored in Subscriber PPP 450 the conditions of the call may require that a level of expected QoS override pure LCR The rule base of Sub scriber PPP database 450 may include service provider imposed conditions For example depending on the status of the subscriber s account information stored in AAA Sub scriber Account database 440 the Service Platform 435 might override a subscriber s preference for higher QoS at a higher cost thus reducing the exposure of the service provider to a non payment risk Cellular service contracts often include special cases e g free calling among sub scribers to affiliated services The illustrated embodiment takes advantage of these special conditions by incorporating them into the rule base in Subscriber PPP database 450 Thereby the Service Platform 435 determines the appropri ate route and signals the choice v
18. the rules of Sub scriber PPP database 450 and the balance associated with the subscriber s account In addition to balance and preferences routing depends on the nature of the called session and its destination When the Service Platform 435 selects termi nating the call through the cellular network the process continues in Step 903 When the Service Platform 435 selects terminating the call through an alternative PSTN 120 or IP 115 network the process continues in Step 904 In general barring preferential conflicts flat rate cellular calls are redirected through the cellular network 110 If the call is addressed to a premium priced number premium is relatively defined in comparison to the subscriber s cellular service agreement the process proceeds to Step 904 Though the disclosure differentiates between an originating cellular network and other types of terminating networks the present invention includes cases in which the terminating network is a cellular network that is operated separately from the originating cellular network US 2007 0047707 A1 0097 STEP 903 Routes call termination through the originating cellular network The session begins in STEP 905 and the process continues with STEP 906 0098 STEP 904 In this step the Service Platform 435 routes the premium priced call through inexpensive routes For example VoIP communication service can be used to route VoIP packets to the called number via a gate
19. to set up one directional call redirection from IP to cellular based on specific customer set prefer ences Cellular to IP redirection is not a common part of one number or follow me arrangements The one number service is important because it tends to add stickiness to telecommunications services Stickiness in this context refers to a customer s reluctance to drop the subscription to a particular service For example maintaining the associa tion with a phone number that is well known by business associates friends and family is a sticky feature 0006 International travelers who value mobility may rent cellular phones abroad and may further reduce the cost of international calls by supplementing the cellular phones with calling cards A traveler who subscribes to VoIP services and obtains an MTA Multimedia Terminal Adapter may under certain circumstances carry the MTA to remote international locations and plug the MTA into a broadband network outlet thus enabling inexpensive communications to or from the remote country by using VoIP The MTA has the addi tional advantage of enabling the subscriber to be associated with a single phone number regardless of the subscriber s location However the traveling subscriber must have access to the broadband plugged MTA to make or receive VoIP calls Thus the MTA does not provide the same degree of mobility that a cellular phone does Rented cell phones also are not associa
20. 010 1012 Route to plain phone Ring subscriber s 103 via PSTN 120 plain phone 103 Service Platform ES Dee ee NU TEM incoming calls by comparing 1014 1016 call parameters Route to cell phone Ring subscriber s cell to Subscriber 307 via cellular phone 307 PPP 110 AA ME LL CIEN y Re routes unsuccessful attempts based Route to other Ring follow me on the subscriber specified device Subscriber PPP devices 1022 Intentionally do not Modify session answer w signaling initiation PERPER NP PEU Ya Route to Messaging ED P f 12 Switch to IPG Mode per subscriber input Subscriber calls cellphone 307 from any external plain or cell phone MTAC IPG Authenticates caller provides 2 dial tone amp collects dialed string During the session the MTAC IPG o encodes decodes media between the cellular phone and the IP network o packetizes depacketizes media streams as needed At session termination the MTAC IPG updates AAA subscriber accounts 440 and payments clearing 445 E e Cellular Network 4220 CELLULAR PHONE MTAC IPG CRADLE 1230 GATEWAY FUNCTIONALITY s Celular 1220 x Network CELLULAR 110 PHONE GATEWAY FUNCTIONALITY FIGURE 13 PAS Celular Networ
21. 6 The media flows may be voice as spoken into or received by the cellular phone 307 and video stills or graphics as permitted by the cellular phone 307 Media flow occurs through physical connections in the cradle or through short range networks like Bluetooth UWB or Infrared as in FIGS 5A 5B 5C These media flows are already encoded decoded by the cellular codec that is in the cellular phone 307 0159 When the cellular codec is also used in the IP Network 115 then the MTAC IPG does not transcode the media stream between the cellular phone 307 and the MTAC IPG 305 removing a significant source of QoS degradation In that case the MTAC IPG 305 still performs media packetizing depacketing and buffering which are standard functions of media gateways 0160 When cellular CODECs become a standard part of VoIP options deployed at all VoIP phones and media gate ways then the cost of the MTAC IPG Cradle 305 is reduced 0161 STEP 1106 At the end of the session the MTAC IPG 1230 in cooperation with the Service Platform 435 update AAA subscriber database 440 The subsequent trans action against the Payments Clearing database 445 may be executed in real time or in periodic batch runs 0162 The local call the subscriber makes to the MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 is preferably charged to the subscriber through local arrangements As an option most of such costs are registered in the AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 by for examp
22. AC Cradle 305 and listens to the ringing of the phone of the original caller The subscriber then begins the session when the original caller responds 0118 When embodiment ii is used the following details one embodiment for initiating a new modified ses sion to the subscriber by the caller While the calling cellular phone continues its connection attempt the Service Platform 435 sends an alphanumeric or Short Message Service SMS message to the caller with the number of the cellular phone 307 In one aspect of this embodiment the calling cellular phone terminates the calling attempt and initiates a separate call to the cellular phone 307 Alterna tively the phone number of cellular phone 307 is hidden from the user of the calling cellular phone and the entire hang up redial transaction occurs under the control of a program residing in the caller s cell phone Mar 1 2007 0119 STEP 1026 Service Platform 435 ignores the incoming call attempt by not alerting any subscriber device that the call is being attempted This is a distinct option from STEP 1028 0120 STEP 1028 When dictated by preferences stored in the Subscriber PPP database 450 the Service Platform 435 redirects the call to the Messaging Platform 465 which permits the caller s message to be recorded for subsequent subscriber access Messaging Platform 465 may be a part of the Service Platform 435 or separate from it as shown in FIG 4 0121 Case 4 Int
23. C Cradle 305 for example when used in a special mode as a replacement for the Plain Telephone 103 of FIG 3 in providing an audio or voice interface to the IP network 115 Both the corded version or the MTAC Cradle 305 of FIG 5B and the cordless version Mar 1 2007 of FIG 5C have the capability for analog communications and analog signaling to the cellular phone This analog mode of communication may be enabled or disabled by a manual switch provided on the cellular phone 307 or by conveying the analog enabled or analog disabled information by the MTAC Cradle 305 sensing that a plain telephone 103 is or is not connected to its plug e g an RJ 11 plug or through a cordless mechanism The MTAC Cradle 305 that is without an RJ 11 outlet for plain telephones would signal the enabled disabled information to the cellular phone as a constant input 0066 One example of the FIG 5C cordless transmission link connection is Bluetooth in which the Cordless Tele phony Profile CTP issued by the Bluetooth Special Inter est Group Bluetooth SIG a Trade Association Bluetooth can be used to convert the cellular phone to a 100 meter range cordless phone when needed The CTP capability is advantageous for travelers who then would not have to rely on the availability of an analog telephone for using the MTAC 305 in places like hotel rooms Examples of other short range wireless networks that can be used for the cordless connection
24. US 20070047707A1 2 Patent Application Publication o Pub No US 2007 0047707 A1 as United States Mayer et al 43 Pub Date Mar 1 2007 54 IP ENHANCED CELLULAR SERVICES 75 Inventors Daniel J Mayer Warren NJ US Alan V Staniforth East Brunswick NJ US Correspondence Address DAVIDSON BERQUIST JACKSON amp GOWDEY LLP 4300 WILSON BLVD 7TH FLOOR ARLINGTON VA 22203 US 73 Assignee NET2PHONE INC Newark NJ 21 Appl No 11 211 644 22 Filed Aug 26 2005 Publication Classification 51 Int Cl H04M 15 00 2006 01 52 U S CI EN Ded Iste tile 379 114 28 379 111 57 ABSTRACT A federation of multinational PSTN IP and cellular service providers coordinate their accounting by populating a sub scriber database of subscribers to one number services a service providers database and a payments clearing database having amounts owed across the service providers based on the individual service provider s portion of pre agreed pay ments for services collecting accounting data from the service providers updating the relevant databases with the data collected and providing accounting data to the service providers and subscribers Voice over IP service is applied to a cellular phone by selecting a compatible codec at periph eral gateways of IP network paths thereby avoiding transcoding by a connecting multimedia terminal adapter A portable module multimedia terminal ad
25. a dial tone to a calling phone 22 The method of claim 14 further comprising setting up a broadband connection and obtaining an IP address 23 29 canceled 30 A method of transcoding reduction in communicating over an IP network comprising identifying coding capability of a cellular device con nected to the IP network and signaling setup of a communication session between the cellular device and the IP network with peripheral gateways closest to the cellular device to be selected for compatibility with the cellular device coding capability 31 The method of claim 30 further comprising exchanging communication session media only as encoded by the cellular device without further transcoding between the cellular device and the IP network 32 The method of claim 31 wherein the steps are performed by a VoIP device 33 The method of claim 31 wherein the steps are performed by a portable gateway that is not a component of the IP network 34 The method of claim 31 wherein the steps are performed by a portable multimedia terminal adapter MTA 35 The method of claim 31 wherein said exchanging is free of cellular network transmission 36 The method of claim 35 wherein the steps are performed by a VoIP device 37 The method of claim 35 wherein the steps are performed by a portable gateway that is not a component of the IP network 38 The method of claim 35 wherein the steps are performed by a portable multime
26. ace the media exchanged between the MTAC Cradle 305 and the cellular phone 307 may be analog and or digital data and or encoded voice For example the media may be digitally encoded GSM e g voice media or analog voice media with a signaling interface which permits a plain telephone 103 to access the cellular network via the cellular telephone 307 GSM formerly stood for Group Special Mobile and today stands for Global System for Mobile Communication which is a standard digital cellular phone service in many countries Digitally encoded media require compatible codecs coders decoders for sessions involving analog devices or mis matched digital devices Gateway devices such as MTAC Cradle 305 are used to encode and packetize analog voice and or image and video media Most cellular phones contain provisions for exchanging analog media because they must interface to analog devices enabling hands free mode use in cars 0071 In SIM Programming the data listed above as examples of the signaling interface enables the secure programming of the SIM card residing in for example GSM World Phones When a subscriber travels to an area that is served by a partnering cellular service carrier the SIM card embedded in the cellular phone 307 is replaced by one provided by the partnering carrier In another preferred embodiment the SIM card can be reprogrammed to operate in the geopolitical area covered by the partnering carrier
27. apter cellular inter net protocol gateway for media communications over an IP network MTAC IPG bridges a cellular network an IP network and a PSTN so that a user may locally dial a cellular phone that is then used to enter the IP network and dial the called party The MTAC IPG provides gateway functionality and packetizing 110 CELLULAR NETWORK Patent Application Publication Mar 110 CELLULAR NETWORK 307 CELLULAR 305 CRADLE 1 2007 Sheet 1 of 12 110 CELLULAR NETWORK CELLULAR NETWORK US 2007 0047707 A1 gt 110 Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sheet 2 of 12 US 2007 0047707 Al 45 Fig 4 pu n E ae A Cellular 3 eh Network 440 Clearing AAA Subscriber Accounts 0410 es Soft Switch amp Gateways Service Platform 450 Subscriber PPP Profile Preferences i Presence yan IP Network Service Providers Geographic Association Messaging Platform Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sheet 3 of 12 307 CELLULAR PHONE FIGURE 5A 307 CELLULAR PHONE 305 MTAC CRADLE a FIGURE 5C 307 CELLULAR PHONE FIGURE 6 US 2007 0047707 A1 307 CELLULAR PHONE 305 MTAC CRADLE FIGURE 5B 305 MTAC CRADLE Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sh
28. arameters e g the originating device network and or person the time of the call to the rule base implied by Subscriber PPP 450 and treats the accordingly STEPS 1006 1010 1014 1018 1022 1026 and 1028 are examples of possible call treatments STEP 1004 also redirects failed call attempts according to the subscriber PPP 450 based on the newly established conditions of failures As dictated by preferences stored in the Subscriber PPP database 450 the Service Platform 435 may redirect the call 0107 STEP 1006 In a possible PPP default or PPP prescribed circumstance the incoming call is routed by the Service Platform 435 to terminate at MTAC Cradle 305 via IP Network 115 If the incoming call is a PSTN Plain telephone call this routing involves the insertion of a media gateway by SSG 430 The process proceeds in STEP 1008 0108 STEP 1008 The subscriber s plain telephone 103 is rung through MTAC 305 If the phone is answered the session proceeds in the usual manner to its conclusion and the Service Platform 435 updates AAA Subscriber Accounts The latter action is independent of subscriber account draw down which may not be relevant for incoming calls but is necessary to record the duration of sessions for which ultimate payments clearing with other service providers may be necessary e g for charging a call termination fee to the originating call carrier If the call is not answered after a prescribed duration contro
29. arate access to IP Network 115 and its associated paraphernalia 103 105 is optional and this access may be used to reduce user com munications costs under appropriate conditions and or to enable communications with the residential or business facility when the cellular phone 207 is not nestled in CPG Cradle 209 e g when the user carries the cellular phone away from the physical facility especially if plain tele phone 201 is not connected to the PSTN 120 0038 Another feature embedded in the CPG cradle 209 may include cellular phone battery charging A second type of cradle e g Cingular s Fastforward provides incoming call rerouting capabilities by providing cellular hand set presence information through the cellular network without providing gateway functionality That is incoming calls may be redirected to plain telephone 201 via the PSTN 120 as described in association FIG 1 However this second type of cradle is not connected to plain telephone 201 but rather relies on switching related to the cellular network 110 to forward the incoming call via PSTN 120 0039 FIG 3 depicts the user s environment 300 of the present embodiment Cellular phone 307 is shown placed in an MTA Cellular MTAC Cradle 305 The MTAC Cradle 305 is connected to the IP Network 115 via a broadband connection Broadband exemplary forms of which are via cable DSL or wired wireless alternatives connotes a con nection always on with suffi
30. ation of a subscriber s cellular device obtained for example from cell site antenna triangulation or embedded GPS circuit known in the art is used to determine the appropriate routing of an incoming call by the Service Platform 435 based upon the rule base stored in Subscriber PPP database 450 Furthermore when devices are collocated e g when cellular phone 307 is nestled in MTAC Cradle 305 the correlation of both location data derived from these inde pendent sources increases the reliability of geographic infor mation and helps to reduce fraud The Geographic Associa tion database 460 and the AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 are used by the Service Platform 435 to rate i e establish specific price sessions when the cost depends at least partially upon geography The information may subsequently be used to clear payments across service providers through Payments Clearing 445 0062 Two or more or all of the databases 440 445 450 455 460 and 465 may be combined into a single or plural database or otherwise centralized for example fractions or whole parts of one or more of the databases may be located US 2007 0047707 A1 physically within the MTAC cradle 305 as a part of a front end service platform residing in and operating under the controller of the MTAC Cradle 305 FIG 16 One or more of the databases 440 445 450 455 460 and 465 may be divided or redundant according to various purposes known to database implem
31. base 445 Once the databases are updated the process ends 0102 Case 3 Incoming calls to the subscriber s one number In a conventional one number system the caller calls a person using a single number and a computer system dials a plurality of possible numbers serially in parallel according to the called subscriber s preferences and or according to the caller s responses to prompts in an effort to locate the party being called The party being called may be at or using a different device at different locations 0103 FIG 10 is a flow diagram of the exemplary embodiment service for incoming calls to the subscriber s one number 0104 STEP 1000 When an incoming session is addressed to the subscriber s one number the incoming call is directed to the Service Platform 435 via SSG 430 This can be accomplished by registering the subscriber s one number with the operator of the subject of this disclosure e g as a responsible organization for local number port ability 0105 STEP 1002 SSG 430 feeds relevant e g those used in Subscriber PPP to treat the call in prescribed ways call parameters to Service Platform 435 The subscriber s preferences rules and presence information as stored in Subscriber PPP database 450 are preferably used in the processing particularly to determine if the call is required to be redirected Mar 1 2007 0106 STEP 1004 Service platform 435 compares the call p
32. ber PPP database 450 with the appro priate geographic association in the Geographic Association database 460 step 702 The processing of the remaining steps of FIG 7 is performed to reach step 708 where the cellular phone 307 is now operable with a local cellular service provider 0152 In order to use the MTAC IPG 1230 the e g internationally traveling subscriber leaves the cellular phone connected to the cradle in order to communicate internationally using any local phone In one preferred embodiment the subscriber uses a local phone landline or cellular to call the MTAC IPG connected cellular phone then communicates internationally over VoIP via the private gateway The term local refers to call cost in that a local call is any call that would make the cost of calling the MTAC IPG viable 0153 FIG 11 describes an example of the use of the MTAC IPG 1230 once the cell phone is operational 0154 STEP 1101 To differentiate between using the MTAC Cradle 305 in a normal mode or in a gateway mode MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 the subscriber switches manu ally or alternatively the mode change is triggered by the subscriber usage e g through DTMF signaling after the cellular phone goes off hook while connected to the MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 0155 STEP 1102 The subscriber uses plain phone 1210 of FIG 12 to dial the number of the locally active cellular phone 307 a first dial string which is connected to the MTAC IPG
33. c location listed in presence in the Subscriber PPP database 450 as updated in step 702 0134 STEP 704 After the MTAC Cradle 305 identifies the cellular phone 307 connected to the MTAC Cradle 305 the MTAC Cradle 305 sends through the IP network 115 to Service Platform 435 the identity and capabilities of the cellular phone 307 Alternatively the unique number asso ciated with the cell phone may be transmitted through the MTAC cradle followed by the Service Platform or its agent performing equipment lookup in an authorized cellphone database not shown in FIG 4 established and maintained for the purpose of this service In the trivial case the cellular phone is the one used by the subscriber at the home base and its capabilities are known International standards such as IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identity define the aforementioned unique number 0135 STEP 705 The Service Platform 435 determines if the type of cellular phone 307 is compatible with a local cellular carrier registered in database 455 for that geographic region 0136 When subscribers use internationally capable cell phones such as the GSM World phone it is possible to adapt the subscriber s original cellular phone to local conditions by modifying the SIM card or installing a new SIM card available from local cellular carriers around the world 0137 STEP 706 When there is a match in step 705 the Service Platform 435 begins a process designe
34. ce 435 signals MTAC Cradle 305 to platform 435 with Cradle 305 to Choose Best Network initiate IP session Cellular session 810 Cellular session proceeds from plain telephone 103 Choose cellular Network Service Platform 435 selects best network based in part on preferences in Subscriber PPP 450 Upon session completion store billing record in AAA subscriber Accounts 440 update payments clearing as needed Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sheet 6 of 12 US 2007 0047707 A1 Enter dial string on the cellular phone s keypad Redirect dialed string through Service Platform 435 Consult the subscribers PPP Database and Account Balance amp Select Terminating Network Terminate call through PSTN 120 k or IP 115 networ Terminate call through the cellular networ Begin Session Periodically draw down on the real time account balance 909 Update AAA Disconnect Subscriber Session a Q ounts Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sheet 7 of 12 US 2007 0047 707 Al Call arrives for subscriber s one number SSG 430 feeds call parameters to Service Platform 435 1006 1008 Route to MTA 305 via Ring subscribers IP Network 115 plain phone 103 gt gt y 1
35. ce provider was obtained in step 709 and if so processing returns to step 706 if no next cellular service provider was obtained in step 709 then all potential providers have been exhausted and processing moves to step 711 0142 STEP 711 Once all available compatible local cellular carriers are exhausted the Service Platform identi fies alternative methods for obtaining a compatible cellular service and conveys the information to the subscriber via the MTAC Cradle 305 The geographic association 460 correlates the locations of facilities that are nearest to the subscriber for inclusion in the message The process ends here until appropriate action is taken by the subscriber based on the information provided herein The Service Platform 435 assumes that the subscriber has no compatible local cellular phone until a new one is found and tested as described in STEP 712 0143 STEP 712 If when the subscriber obtains a com patible SIM card or a new usually rented cell phone the process resumes in step 705 0144 To get to STEP 712 the subscriber obtains service that is covered under the original subscriber agreement as described in Subscriber PPP database 450 and AAA Sub scriber Accounts database 440 However it is possible that Mar 1 2007 the subscriber obtains a new cellphone and or cellular ser vices from a non participating service provider In that case the newly recruited local cellular carrier provides Service Pla
36. cellular networks for satisfying subscriber communication needs Mar 1 2007 QoS Improvement 0172 Where a cellular call is conventionally routed via an IP Network a significant degradation of the quality of service QoS normally ensues due to the use of at least two media gateway operations In one media gateway operation the cell phone 307 compresses voice into a format suitable for the cellular medium for example by using GSM or Code Division Multiple Access CDMA codecs A codec is a coder decoder which is usually found as an element of a gateway MTA VoIP phone or software program that com presses and decompresses media for example voice or video media Video or still picture formats are used in some cellular phones In the second media gateway operation a VoIP gateway that is a part of Gateways 430 transcodes the media to a format suitable for transmission over an IP network Transcoding modifies the stream of data so that it may be carried via a different type of network and by way of example may involve one of the series of suggested standards covering transmission facilities in different net works namely standards G 711 G 713 1 and G 729A which are ITU T standard voice Codecs 0173 To avoid unnecessary degradation in QoS cellular codecs may be used at gateways of the IP network during call session initiation For example the Service Platform 435 uses one of the SIP Proxies 425 to force via SIP signaling a mat
37. ch between the cellular telephone s 307 codec and the codec used at the gateway to the IP network 115 Thereby transcoding is avoided from the cradled cel lular phone 307 to the IP network 115 There is still a need for packetizing and or depacketizing at transition points between networks but adding or selecting of a codec at session initiation according to the illustrated embodiment eliminates the need for some or all transcoding Therefore the QoS of cellular voice traversing IP networks increases commensurately with the elimination of transcoding This matching of Codecs simplifies the design of the MTAC cradle 305 since the MTAC cradle 305 needs to operate as a gateway to the IP Network 115 and or as a gateway between the plain telephone 103 to the cellular phone 307 0174 FIG 17 provides additional details of such QoS improvements FIG 17 illustrates the elimination of QoS reducing transcoding stages that occurs when IP codecs e g VoIP codecs are identical to cellular codecs This requires cellular codecs to be among those present in transcoding gateways VoIP phones 1730 and other digital devices such as computers running VoIP programs 0175 Non transcoding gateways 1720 provide buffering and packetizing depacketizing functions but they need not employ a media codec and hence reduce the degradation in the quality of the media SIP signaling for example permits for negotiating the best codec present in end devices and
38. cient bandwidth amp quality of Mar 1 2007 service QoS for the desired communication sessions to be made possible by the MTAC Cradle 305 Plain telephone 101 and PSTN 120 connectivity however are not necessary Plain Telephone 101 and Plain Telephone 103 may be a single 2 line Plain Telephone 103 where one line is con nected to the PSTN 120 and the second to MTAC cradle 305 A modification of the FIG 3 environment is obtained by replacing the plain telephone 103 and MTAC Cradle 305 by an integrated SIP phone and MTAC Cradle collectively also a MTAC Cradle 305 which has a similar cellular device cradle Also the MTAC Cradle 305 may be con structed of the MTA 105 that is modified to connect to a peripheral cellular phone cradle not shown 0040 The MTAC Cradle 305 establishes or determines the presence of the cellular phone 307 Herein the presence refers to the cellular phone being within operatively con nected distance to the MTAC Cradle 305 as described with respect to FIG 5A 5B 5C for transmission and reception i e exchange of signaling and media as described with respect to FIG 6 Presence determination may be by sensing the occurrence of the wired or cordless signaling of FIG 6 Sensing may be of 1 a change in current or voltage of the DC power 2 the cellular phone 307 being in the MTAC Cradle 305 as in FIG 5A or otherwise operatively electroni cally connected as in FIGS 5B and 5C 3 the manual act
39. conforming software The access to Internet Protocol IP Network 115 a special case of packet networks in general may be provided through a wired or wireless transmission link In the end user environment of FIG 1 separate relationships are usually established with the pro viders of each network packet IP Network 115 Public Switched Telephone Network PSTN 120 and Cellular Network 110 0035 In certain cases service providers offer cross access networks synergistic value For example based on a user tunable set of rules some providers of packet telephony permit the redirection of incoming calls to the user s cellular phone through the cellular network 110 Currently known MTAs permit selecting the access network used for outgoing calls between packet network 115 and PSTN 120 with access depending on the MTA switch settings and or a user tunable set of rules These rules allow the user to trade US 2007 0047707 A1 off quality of service QoS and cost and to conduct multiple concurrent sessions from the user environment 100 e g when using both lines of a two line phone or two separate single or two line phones 0036 FIG 2 depicts another user s telecommunication access environment 200 that includes additional known devices A Cellular PSTN Gateway CPG cradle 209 is provided for the user s cellular phone 207 Known CPG cradles include CellSocket PlugCell RCA Cell Docking System and Dock N Talk A CPG cradle
40. cularly a cellular phone nestled in an MTAC Cradle according to one embodiment with the cellular phone having an electrical connection with the MTAC Cradle via a physical plug that unplugs upon removal of the cellular phone 0017 FIG 5B depicts the electrical connection between the MTAC Cradle and the cellular phone and showing a cord that is part of the connection 0018 FIG 5C depicts an electrical connection for inter connecting the MTAC Cradle with the cellular phone and showing a cordless connection that is part of the intercon necting of the cellular phone and the MTAC Cradle 0019 FIG 6 15 a schematic representation of the interface between the MTAC Cradle and the cellular phone which in one embodiment is the electrical connections of FIGS 5A and 5B for wire link and cordless connections 0020 FIG 7 is a flow diagram of the operation of one embodiment wherein the MTAC Cradle platform and cel lular phone registration process extends the service interna tionally 0021 FIG 8 is a flow diagram of the operation of one embodiment of a Service Platform controlling the making of outgoing calls from the Subscriber Environment when the cellular phone is in the MTAC cradle 0022 FIG 9 is a flow diagram of the operation of one embodiment of a Service Platform controlling the making of outgoing calls from the cellular phone 307 when the cellular phone is not in MTAC Cradle 305 0023 FIG 10 is a flow diagram
41. d to program the SIM card of the cellular phone 307 to match local conditions followed by a test cellular call to from the connected cellular phone 307 to some test number The process of programming the SIM card includes three alter native embodiments 1 obtaining a substitute SIM card from a local participating cellular service provider and inserting it in the cellphone 307 ii using the Service Platform 435 to program the SIM card via IP Network 115 that is within the cellphone connected to the MTAC cradle 305 iii giving a local participating cellular service pro vider access via IP network 115 to the MTAC cradle 305 for the purpose of programming the SIM card that is within the cellphone connected to it Alternate embodiments ii and iii require the inclusion of SIM programming features For example the MTAC Cradle Plus Plus designation US 2007 0047707 A1 refers to the SIM programming capabilities will enable the programming of the SIM card to occur in a manner similar to that used by SIM card programming devices today Since SIM card programming must be performed under secure conditions to avoid spoofing and fraud the MTAC Cradle Plus is ideally suited being able to provide two separate coordinated potentially encrypted communications chan nels cellular and IP to the same cellphone 307 device The illustrated embodiment covers the programming of the SIM card when it is installed in cellphone 307 or when it i
42. dia terminal adapter MTA 39 The method of claim 30 wherein the steps are performed by a VoIP device 40 The method of claim 30 wherein the steps are performed by a portable gateway that is not a component of the IP network Mar 1 2007 41 The method of claim 30 wherein the steps are performed by a portable multimedia terminal adapter MTA 42 68 canceled 69 A method of registering a multimedia terminal adapter cellular internet protocol gateway MTAC IPG having a cradle at a new location comprising in response to the MTAC IPG establishing signaling and media connection with an IP network obtaining an IP address from a local internet service provider recording geographical presence of the MTAC IPG in a geographic association database adjusting geography dependent presence conditions in the geographic association database to reflect a new geo graphic location of the MTAC cradle selecting an appropriate set of rules for the new geo graphic location associating a service providers database with the derived geography in the geographic association database and selecting at least one participating cellular carrier at the new presence geographic location receiving an identity and capabilities of the cellular phone determining a cellular carrier in the geographic region that is compatible with the capabilities of cellular phone programing the SIM card of the cellular phone in accor dance with the
43. e an MTA for enabling the disclosed features and functions of the present invention 0009 As used herein the term cellular phone shall be used in lieu of the term cellular device Cellular phone includes such equivalent terms as cellphone cell phone and cellular telephone Corresponding devices may have dual functions of analog and or digital media and signaling video and still picture capture transmission and reception stream ing audio and or video data file handling and other multi media capabilities 0010 Additional interrelationships between cellular and Internet Protocol IP services are especially important in view of the present and expected competition between regional telephone companies and cable providers For example some regional telephone companies operate their own cellular services e g Verizon This enables them to offer triple play bundles of wireless and wireline commu nications along with Digital Subscriber Line DSL broad band internet access By at least partly solving this problem of needed interrelationships between cellular and IP ser vices the present invention provides cable companies with an incentive to partner with cellular carriers or become Mobile Virtual Network Operators MVNOs Such coop eration enables the offering of a quadruple play a bundle of television broadband telephony and cellular services BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0011 Amore comp
44. e cradle in FIG 5A FIG 5C provides an alternate cordless connection which is in use when the wired connections are sensed as not being in use Alternatively only one or two of the three connection methods can be deployed per MTAC Cradle 305 cellular phone 307 combination 0064 In FIG 5A the cellular phone 307 is nestled in the built in cradle of the MTAC Cradle 305 The transmission link for DC power signaling and media as in FIG 6 between the cellular phone 307 and the MTAC Cradle 305 is via a physical plug not shown but conventional in FIG 5A or a hard wired link connection as in FIG 5B or a cordless connection as in FIG 5C While the transmission links of FIGS 5A 5B and 5C may be mutually exclusive alternatives any two of them or all three of them may be combined For example a single cellular phone 307 and a single MTAC Cradle 305 may each have mating plugs to directly engage as in FIG 5A a removable cord with complementary plug endings for direct wired connection as in FIG 5B and a cordless connection that is activated manually or automatically when the connection of FIG 5A or 5B is broken and presence of the cellular phone 307 is otherwise detected 0065 In FIG 5B the cellular phone 307 is operated as a corded phone In one version the wired connection basically extends the arrangement of FIG 5A via a cord The arrange ment of FIG 5B is useful when the cellular phone is used in conjunction with the MTA
45. een the cellular phone 307 and the MTAC Cradle 305 for various control functions Media or data transmis sion is provided both ways between the cellular phone 307 and the MTAC Cradle 305 for exchanging information 0068 In the FIG 6 signaling interface examples of information signaled from the cellular phone 307 to the MTAC Cradle 305 include the following state information such as presence cellular service availability on hook or off hook cellular phone identification Automatic Number Identification ANI of the calling party selective content of the programmed details in the Subscriber Identification Module SIM which is a smart card residing in cellular phones e g containing all subscriber related data and programming related information including selective infor mation relating to encryption and decryption US 2007 0047707 A1 0069 In the FIG 6 signaling interface examples of information signaled from the MTAC Cradle 305 to the cellular phone 307 include the following Go off hook or Go on hook Probe for cellular phone identification Accept dial string from MTAC Cradle 305 Push dial string and initiate conversation Initiate or terminate media stream sharing with the MTAC Cradle 305 Exchange analog media or exchange encoded digital media optional Add or terminate a party for multi party conferencing and Subscriber Iden tification Module SIM programming process instructions 0070 Inthe FIG 6 media interf
46. eet 4 of 12 US 2007 0047707 1 Plug MTAC Cradle wicell phone into Broadband source Obtain IP Address from local ISP Update presence in Subscriber PPP amp Geographic Association Databases Register Cradle with its SIP Proxy Pick participating cellular carrier s at the new location Cell phone in cradie matches local provider s PI Program the cell phone s SIM card amp trigger test call ace new cell phone SIM Arrangement in Cradle Test Call Successful Update Subscriber PPP notify via MTAC Cradle Try Next cellular service provider Try Next cellular service provider Exhausted all providers gt SIM Programming facility and or gt Compatible cell phone rental source P f 12 800 FIGURE 8 Start User keys dial outgoing string into plain call telephone 103 804 808 MTAC Cradle 305 Force cellular elig Force IP MTAC Cradle 305 signals off hook amp Network use phone Network use uses dial string to resence initiate SIP session dial string to cellular phone 307 User Preference via SIP proxies 425 Let Service Platform Choose 806 Service Platform MTAC Cradle 305 signals Service Platform 435 signals MTAC dial string to servi
47. ent is not meant to limit the primary service provider to any one or combination of specific service providers perhaps including roaming service pro viders 0057 The illustrated embodiment uses the subscriber s identification associated with the incoming calls for example the subscriber s well advertised reach number which has been assigned so as to route calls via the Service Platform 435 The Service Platform 435 operator would usually be a VoIP carrier or value added service provider Local service providers with whom agreements are desired include broadband access providers and cellular carriers or resellers Mar 1 2007 0058 The Payments Clearing database 445 keeps track of amounts owed across Service Providers based on the indi vidual service provider s portion of pre agreed payments for services 0059 Periodically the amounts owed across Service Pro viders are trued and payments tracked by processes per formed by the Service Platform 435 Where payments are not cleared within contracted periods data within the Pay ments Clearing 445 database causes the Service Platform 435 to remove the offending service provider from available Service Providers database 455 and thereby the Service Platform 435 stops assigning services to that removed service provider until the situation is cleared up and the removed service provider is re entered into the Service Providers database 455 0060 The Messaging Platform databa
48. entation and the redundancies and divisions may be a part of the front end service platform residing in and operating under the controller of the MTAC Cradle 305 FIG 16 The databases 440 445 450 455 460 and 465 may be physically distributed and connected by networks such as the IP network 115 In centralized control locations Service Platform 435 may be connected to its associated databases 440 445 450 455 460 and 465 via very fast networks e g high speed Ethernet over fast media e g employing fiber optic cable deploying such fast server to database architectures as NAS Network Attached Storage or SAN Storage Area Network Service platforms and databases may contain redundant elements that are controlled to improve system availability under adverse conditions One or more of the SIP Proxies 425 SoftSwitch amp Gateways 430 and Service Platform 435 may be integrated within the MTAC cradle 305 as the proxies shown in FIG 16 0063 FIGS 5A 5B and 5C respectively illustrate user selectable interconnections of the MTAC Cradle 305 with cellular phone 307 FIGS 5A and 5B represent exemplary cellular phone connections of a single embodiment shown in FIG 16 wherein the cradle and phone are provided with complementary plugs to be directly interconnected FIG 5A or indirectly interconnected with the interposition of a cord with corresponding plug ends the cord being removed in FIGS 5A and 5C or being coiled within th
49. ernational Use 0122 One of the features of the MTAC Cradle 305 is its portability When a VoIP MTA is plugged into an appropriate IP network anywhere around the world it registers its new IP address with the service provider s registrar e g a SIP registrar and call redirectors e g SIP Proxies ensure that incoming calls to the subscribers address e g SIP Address follow the subscriber via the IP network When the MTAC Cradle 305 is moved to a different geographic area and plugged into an appropriate network there the geo graphical presence is recorded in the Subscriber PPP data base 450 as a result of the original handshake that enables the MTAC to register as available for service The set of rules applying in international situations are different espe cially because of differences in session transport costs and in the cellular environments 0123 The subscriber s service provider establishes rela tionships with other service providers around the world These relationships enable global coverage and uniformity in service behavior from the viewpoint of the subscriber and establish geographic associations between the subscriber s location the relevant service providers and the relevant preferences rule base applying when operating from that environment 0124 Nationally and internationally local service pro viders with whom agreements are desired include broadband access providers and cellular carriers or resellers
50. ervice and financial strength The service providers may form a federation that co manages the service of this disclosure 0169 Such federation arrangement may include self provisioning capabilities that are supervised through the use of mandatory approval role workflow arrangements Provi sioning will at least partially populate a plurality of data bases the Subscriber PPP database 440 having information specific to subscribers of the one number services the Service Providers database 455 having details of service providers participating in integrated one number services available to the subscribers the Payments Clearing database 445 specific accounting information and service pricing according to the legal agreement between the service pro vider and the federation and the Geographic Association database 460 slotting the new provider to particular service geography pairs 0170 As discussed earlier in this disclosure private subscriber arrangements with service providers constitute a significant potential marketing force for the federation since the registration of the subscriber s e g cellular phone and service in new geography may trigger the registration of the new service provider in the federation 0171 The International Service Federation coordinates the services and related accounting of a plurality of multi national service providers that offer one number services for communication over one or more of IP PSTN and
51. es in the home country if the cellular phone enables international use For example a model that cur rently enables international use is the GSM World Phone that enables international use through participating cellular carriers as long as the SIM card embedded in the cellular phone is preprogrammed replaced or reprogrammed to operate in the region of travel 0127 FIG 7 describes an exemplary MTAC Cradle 305 and Cellular phone 307 international registration process that extends the service internationally 0128 STEP 700 When an MTAC Cradle 305 with a connected cellular phone 307 is plugged into an outlet of a broadband network such as the IP Network 115 of FIG 3 or otherwise establishes signaling and data connection with the IP Network 115 the MTAC Cradle 305 obtains an IP address from a local Internet Service Provider ISP The broadband ISP may be participating as a service provider of Service Providers database 455 or non participating for example as obtained by the subscriber aboard 0129 When a VoIP MTA is plugged into an appropriate IP network anywhere around the world it registers its new IP address with the service provider s registrar e g a SIP registrar and call redirectors e g SIP Proxies ensure that incoming calls to the subscriber s address e g SIP Address or PSTN phone number follow the subscriber via the IP network 0130 STEP 701 The MTAC Cradle 305 provides infor mation to be registered wi
52. first cradle 305 Communications may then be sent from the second cradle to the first cradle and vice versa using IP communications but seemingly as if the user were using a telephone con nected to the first cradle directly Such an embodiment may be beneficial in situations where the provider of the voice services will only permit a single unit per subscription fee Moreover in such a configuration the ringing associated with an incoming call can occur at telephones connected to both the first and second cradles 305 When coupled with distinctive ring tones or caller ID the person on travel can identify which calls are for her him and the people still at the primary location can identify which calls are for them When the telephone connected to the second cradle answers the phone all communications are forwarded from the first cradle to the second cradle via IP communications 0182 While specific hardware has been disclosed by way of example and according to the best mode other imple mentations are possible For example most of the function ality of the disclosed devices can be emulated by using a Mar 1 2007 computer e g a PC with appropriate interfaces applica tions and other software written according to the disclosed steps of operation The broadband connection could be provided wirelessly e g using the 802 11 or 802 16 stan dard In this regard the MTAC Cradles 305 should include broadband wireless capabilities
53. following by the dial string and the SEND or CALL command as usually depicted on a cellular phone s keypad 0086 STEP 810 The cellular session proceeds to its conclusion followed by STEP 811 0087 STEP 811 Session completion is detected by the MTAC Cradle 305 regardless of the network type cellular or IP used in the session The MTAC Cradle 305 signals Service Platform 435 that the session is complete Platform 435 assures that the appropriate billing records are stored in AAA Subscriber Accounts 440 Either periodically or in real time Payments Clearing database 445 is updated to reflect services provided by participating service providers Mar 1 2007 0088 Case 2 An example of making outgoing calls from the cellular phone 307 when it is not connected to MTAC Cradle 305 is illustrated in FIG 9 0089 One feature of the present disclosure is that all subscriber calls are directed via platforms e g SSG Soft Switch amp Gateways 430 and or SIP Proxies 425 that are controlled by Service Platform 435 0090 Case 2 requires that the subscriber is appropriately provisioned so as to ensure that the subscriber s billing and service profiles reflect the association between the cellular phone and the service 0091 One of the provisioning steps ensures that the cellular billing platform managed by the cellular infrastruc ture owner for example the entity that provides the under lying cellular service prov
54. g and updating means like SMS The latter is aided by the added mode of subscriber authentication enabled by associating the updating cellular device with the Subscriber PPP database 450 The Subscriber PPP database 450 includes details of terminal equipment e g handsets used by the subscriber services subscribed to e g one number or follow me routing geographic location of user devices permanent and temporary subscribed services amp packages subscriber rules of service behavior under speci fied conditions and other relevant details Subscribers to the service obtain secure authentication means upon service provisioning Subscribers are permitted to access certain portions of the Subscriber PPP database 450 to populate and alter their profile and preferences data The systems protect against all other access data contamination or denial of service attacks by known means The reach identification may be a key to the Subscriber PPP database 450 0056 The Service Providers database 455 contains the details of all service providers participating in the integrated service packages made available to the subscribers for example services by PSTN carriers VoIP service providers cellular carriers and geographic association service provid ers Though in the illustrated embodiment the service is described from the viewpoint of a VoIP primary carrier or integrator the illustrated embodiment is exemplary and the illustrated embodim
55. ia steps 806 or 807 below back to MTAC Cradle 305 through the IP network 115 Service Platform 435 may choose the cellular network only if MTAC Cradle 305 had indicated the presence of cellular phone 307 as part of its best route request 0081 STEP 806 When the preferred route is the IP network 115 the Service Platform 435 signals to the MTAC Cradle to initiate a session through the SIP Proxy 425 STEP 804 Appropriate media Gateways 430 may be engaged by the SIP proxy 425 when network transition is needed for example from VoIP to PSTN 0082 STEP 804 When an IP call has been selected the MTAC Cradle 305 used the dial string to initiate a SIP session via SIP Proxies and control passes to STEP 809 0083 STEP 809 The VoIP session proceeds from Plain telephone 103 and upon termination concludes with STEP 811 0084 STEP 807 When the preferred route is via the cellular network 110 Service Platform 435 signals to the MTAC Cradle 305 to send the dialed string through cellular phone 307 This cellular preference may take advantage of cellular contract packages and can only be invoked when the MTAC Cradle 305 had indicated the presence of cellular phone 307 in the cradle this presence condition is stored in Subscriber PPP database 450 and is probed by Service Platform 435 as part of STEP 805 0085 STEP 808 To initiate the call via the selected cellular network MTAC Cradle 305 signals to Cellular Phone 307 to go off hook
56. ided by a Mobile Virtual Network Operation MVNO This step ensures that the cellular billing platform updates the AAA Subscriber Accounts data base 440 in real time 0092 Another provisioning step ensures that the Sub scriber PPP database 450 reflects the specific service and association between the cellular phone and the service 0093 Additionally Subscriber PPP database 450 may be designed for quick real time transactions in which case it may contain operational account data from AAA Subscriber Account database 440 which may be designed for slower non real time access 0094 STEP 900 The subscriber dials the desired number string through the cellular phone s keypad and completes by touching the common send button or equivalent 0095 STEP 901 All outgoing calls are signaled through the Service Platform 435 Such forcing can be done thor ough 1 agreement with the cellular carrier for redirecting all calls through the service platform 435 or 2 by ensuring that the cellular phone 307 always dials out such non standard calls through the service platform 435 for example by using explicit user triggered double dialing Alterna tively implicit double dialing can be accomplished through cellular phone programming since the dial string leading to the Service Platform 435 can be fixed The process continues to Step 902 0096 STEP 902 The outgoing call is routed by the Service Platform 435 in accordance with
57. include Ultra Wide Band UWB and wireless Universal Serial Bus USB The cordless connec tion of FIG 5C most preferably remains on i e powered and operative whether the cellular phone is in the cradle as in FIG 5A or out of the cradle as illustrated in FIGS 5B and 5C This is not necessary when the MTAC is provided with a cradle and a plain telephone combined in the form of a VoIP telephone with a cellular telephone cradle The cord less connection has the advantage of thereby removing the need for plugging in a plain telephone 103 for communi cating over the IP network 115 It has a further advantage of avoiding physical interface plug mismatches which may occur in the FIG 5A arrangement if the cellular phone 307 did not have a plug that was compatible to the plug of the MTAC Cradle 305 0067 FIG 6 illustrates the functional interfaces of direct current DC power signaling and media that are provided between the MTAC Cradle 305 and the cellular phone 307 DC Power sourced from the cradle and delivered to the cellular phone enables the battery of the cellular phone to be charged when the cellular phone is nestled in the cradle as in FIG 5A or wire connected as in FIG 5B DC power is not normally provided to the cellular phone 307 from the MTAC Cradle 305 in the case of FIG 5C although it could be provided cordlessly through means known in the art e g inductance photonic power Signaling is provided both ways betw
58. interface the MTAC Cradle 305 may preferably supply exotic power and voltage requirements as might be required for secure SIM program ming this provides another method to program the most secure portions of SIM cards where OTA is insufficient for the required security Thus OTA can be used for run of the mill normal updates of the SIM card by the original provider of the Cell phone whereas exotic power and voltage requirements may be used to program the more secure information embedded in the SIM card e g the transition from one cellular carrier to another 0073 Case 1 FIG 8 depicts an example of the process of making outgoing calls from the Subscriber Environment 0074 User preference as probed in step 802 is embed ded in the MTAC Cradle 305 prior to the making of an outgoing call as described herein User preference is estab lished through manual subscriber user input or manual manufacturer s input input is preferably through for example a keyboard switch es touch pad voice com mand software for example a website hosted for this purpose by MTAC Cradle 305 firmware and other hard ware of the MTAC Cradle 305 during use manufacture and or time of sale or lease 0075 The programmed process may be started in any number of conventional ways of initiating a call or started by step 801 directly In the illustrated embodiment the Service Platform 435 SoftSwitch amp Gateways 430 and SIP Proxies 425 are bui
59. ivation of a switch on MTAC Cradle 305 and or 4 automatically through a form factor activated switch in the MTAC Cradle 305 Form factor activation may constitute a micro switch activated by the cellular phone weight or the pressure exerted by the cellular phone 307 when nestled in MTAC Cradle 305 or by a change in capacitance caused by the presence of the cellular phone 307 Form factor activa tion capacitance sensing and manual switching are not as secure for establishing presence as the other ways since they neither identify the nestled object as a cellular phone nor authenticate particular cellular phones 0041 When presence is determined presence informa tion is communicated over the IP Network 115 or by the cellular phone 307 over the cellular network 110 e g via a Short Message Service SMS to a back end infrastructure The presence information may include authentication and functionality identification for example a unique user code a model number a serial number or codec capabilities By way of example a user code or device number may be used to indirectly convey functionality identification such as a cellular phone built in codec capability 0042 The electronic connection between the cellular phone 307 and the MTAC Cradle 305 is established through a physical plug FIG 5A directly or FIG 5B with an intervening cord for example or through a cordless trans mission link FIG 5C for example such as a very sho
60. k 1220 CELLULAR PHONE 307 CELLULAR PHONE MTAC IPG CRADLE Lo 4430 b 129 305 MTAC CRADLE GATEWAY FUNCTIONALITY i FIGURE 15 425 430 435 440 445 450 455 60 465 OF FIGURE 4 725 430 435 440 445 450 455 460 465 OF FIGURE 4 SERVICE PLATFORM AAA SUBSCRIBER SUBSCRIBER ACCOUNTS PPP ET UEM SERVICE PAYMENTS PROVIDERS CLEARING E EE GEOGRAPHIC MESSAGING ASSOCIATION PLATFORM pe eed mue DR NA RS GELLULAR PHONE CODEC ANALOGIDIGIT AL cati SWITCH ees 305 MTAC CELLULAR PHONE CRADLE CRADLE INPUT OUTPUT IP amp OR PSTN NETWORK ERONT END SERVICE PLATFORM CONTROL STORAGE CODEC PACKET FORMATING G CELLULAR PHONE A Y FUNCTIONALITY PROXIES DATABASES DISPLAY SCREEN TELEPHONE PLUG NR ee ee eee TELEPHONE FUNCTIONALITY PLAIN OR SIP FIGURE 16 Patent Application Publication Mar 1 2007 Sheet 12 of 12 US 2007 0047707 A1 Fig 17 1 1 OA ITI E x Non Transcoding I VoIP Gateway aah ul joel Cellutar Network VolP Device With 110 Center cellular codec MSC 1730 Na Plain Phone 103 VolP Gateway 1750 Non Transcoding VolP Gateway 1720B Cellular Cellular amp DA Phone Network
61. l of the call returns to Service Platform 435 for further treatment based on the new condi tion of no answer 0109 STEP 1010 When plain telephone 103 is also directly connected to PSTN 120 then Service Platform 435 after consulting with Subscriber PPP 450 may route the incoming call via the PSTN 120 The process proceeds in STEP 1012 0110 STEP 1012 Plain telephone 103 rings if the phone is answered the session proceeds in the usual manner to its conclusion and the Service Platform 435 updates AAA Subscriber Accounts If the call is not answered after a prescribed duration control of the call returns to Service Platform 435 for further treatment based on the new condi tion of no answer 0111 STEP 1014 Service Platform 435 routes the call to cell phone 307 via cellular network 110 The subscriber s cell phone 307 is rung through the cellular network 110 The process proceeds in STEP 1016 In a preferred embodiment the routing logic associated with Service Platform 1004 takes into account the carrier that issued the originating phone number since certain cellular calling plans provide free airtime among plan participants and the subscriber may gain from accepting he call over the cellular network it is therefore advantageous if the one number is the subscrib er s cellular phone number 0112 STEP 1016 If the cell phone 307 is connected to MTAC Cradle 305 the subscriber has a choice of respond
62. lary application plain phone 103 wishes to dial a cellular user through a VoIP service The phone dials a VoIP gateway assigned by a VoIP service provider The gateway identifies the terminating number as cellular verifies that non transcoding service is available to that termination then negotiates the appropriate cellular codec with a non transcoding VoIP gateway associated with the terminating side and initiates the session In known systems cellular access networks are connected via PSTN and multiple transcodings normally occur Some of that is disappearing in 3G networks but the connection to SIP endpoints and plain phones is not a part of 3G 0180 MTAC Cradle 305 may be designed to use the cellular codec already embedded in cellular phone 307 However this requires the separation of functions codec from air interface in the cellular phone and exposing appropriate physical and logical interfaces in the cellular phone 307 for communicating with MTAC Cradle 305 Daisy Chaining 0181 In yet another alternate embodiment the cradles 305 connected to an IP network 115 may be daisy chained together In one such embodiment a first cradle 305 is left at a primary location e g a user s residence while a second cradle 305 is carried with the user The user connects the second cradle 305 to the IP network 115 at a different location e g in a foreign country and instructs the second cradle 305 to authenticate itself to the
63. le i including the local service carrier among the Service Providers in 455 with pre established billing arrangements for example the local call can look like a prepaid card call ii renting a separate cellular phone 307 from a participating service provider for this purpose or 111 combining the second arrangement 11 with establishing the local call as a reverse call through the use of such alerting techniques as text messaging in the cellular phone 307 0163 As shown in FIG 13 an MTA IPG ie one without a Cellular Cradle 1330 includes two network connections one to the broadband IP network 115 and the other to the PSTN network 120 The MTA IPG requires a standard array of Codecs The MTA IPG operation is similar to that described for the MTAC Cradle IPG 1230 except that the incoming local call comes in from the PSTN for the MTA IPG and not from a cellular network as described for the MTAC Cradle IPG 305 Cellular phone 1220 and Plain Phone 1210 are used by the subscriber to make or receive calls via the MTA IPG 1330 in the local e g foreign environment These phones and VoIP Phone 1240 also represent initiating and terminating devices for calls to from the subscriber Gateway 1250 may be one of SSG 430 gateways US 2007 0047707 A1 0164 Large scale deployment of a MTA IPG constitutes a traditional VoIP gateway such as 1250 The providers of such services may be included as Service Providers in database 455
64. lete appreciation of the present inven tion and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when con sidered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein 0012 FIG 1 depicts a user environment using conven tional components taken from the viewpoint of the com munication service users which figure is useful in identify ing problems in and analyzing the causes of such problems of known systems which identifying and analyzing are part of the present invention 0013 FIG 2 depicts another known user environment taken from the viewpoint of the communication service users which figure is useful in identifying problems in and US 2007 0047707 A1 analyzing the causes of such problems of the known system which identifying and analyzing are part of the present invention 0014 FIG 3 depicts an environment of one or more subscribers to the present embodiment taken from the viewpoint of the subscribers who are the communication service users according to an embodiment of the present invention 0015 FIG 4 depicts components of the subscriber envi ronment of the present embodiment particularly the MTAC Cradle and the separate partially built in or built in plat form enabling features provided by the present embodiment in interacting with various networks 0016 FIG SA depicts a cellular device parti
65. lt into or resident in the module of the MTAC cradle 305 but one or more or all of their functions may be separate from the MTAC cradle 305 and executed at the same or remote locations In any event the present invention e g using the Service Platform 435 performs the example process of FIG 8 0076 STEP 801 The user keys the dial string into plain telephone 103 The MTAC Cradle 305 previously received an earlier indication of user preference between 1 forced use of a particular network and 2 automatic program determination of network choice 0077 STEP 802 The MTAC Cradle 305 captures the dialed string from the Plain Telephone 103 and probes the presence and status of a connected cellular phone and the user s manual input choice of 1 cellular network 110 2 IP network 115 or automatic program determination of net work choice If there is no cellular phone connected wired or wirelessly to the MTAC Cradle or if the user preference calls for forcing an IP call the process proceeds to step 804 If the user preference calls for forcing a cellular call the process proceeds to step 808 If the user preference indicates automatic program determination of a network choice the process proceeds to step 803 0078 STEP 803 The MTAC Cradle 305 signals to Ser vice Platform 435 via IP Network 115 0079 The signal contains the MTAC Cradle s identity current IP address the string to be dialed the presence if any and
66. mple process disclosed in the flowchart of FIG 11 The MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 can be connected to and support incoming and outgoing com munications from the cellular or PSTN networks so that the subscriber can use any local phone plain phone 1210 or cellular phone 1220 to communicate via the IP network 115 e g using VoIP Optionally the MTAC IPG 1230 may also US 2007 0047707 A1 be connected to the PSTN providing a gateway capability between any two of the three networks 0150 FIG 13 discussed later illustrates a known MTA IPG An MTA IPG is equivalent to the MTAC IPG that does not include the functions of the cellular cradle or connec tivity A personal gateway accepts incoming calls for the purpose of routing them through a different network to the ultimate destination To be a personal gateway the MTA or MTAC Cradle includes gateway functionality such as the ability to collect a string of DTMF tones dialed after providing a dial tone to the calling phone and perhaps a voice response capability for ease of use and for security caller authentication purposes 0151 The traveling subscriber sets up the MTAC IPG in the same manner described for the MTAC in Case 4 More particularly with respect to FIG 7 after broadband connec tion and obtaining an IP address step 700 the MTAC IPG is registered with the SIP Proxy 425 and the Service Plat form 435 as before step 701 and the MTAC IPG presence is recorded in Subscri
67. nents of the service are pro vided by others AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 interfaces with similar systems dedicated to cellular service US 2007 0047707 A1 providers PSTN service providers and perhaps other value added service providers Current AAA solutions focus on Remote Authentication Dial In User Service RADIUS and its follow on Diameter protocols The Service Platform 435 uses the AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 to ensure that the user is a subscriber in good standing and to record all billable transactions as they occur and thus includes one or more databases that are remote or resident with respect to the MTAC Cradle 305 The AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 is preferably used to produce billing documents and to record subscriber payments in cooperation with the database Payments Clearing 445 The reach iden tification may be a key to the AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 0055 The Subscriber PPP Profile Preferences amp Pres ence database 450 contains all subscriber specific informa tion It is populated upon service provisioning and is main tained by the subscriber as profile and preferences change As verified and approved by the service provider subscriber access preferably is accomplished through the World Wide Web WWW which is an application of the IP Network 115 In other preferred embodiments the subscriber may use interactive voice response systems and or other infor mation providin
68. phone 307 this enables the Service Platform 435 to determine the true cost of each call based on local real time conditions The state of connec tivity is not constant for example it may be dependent upon instantaneous cellular network load 0148 In areas where the subscriber s cellular phone 307 operates the cellular network 110 used to access the cellular phone 307 can provide additional geographic information that can be used to verify the location provided through IP address association The Geographic Association data base 460 cross references the association between the sub scriber location based on the cellular service provider and the subscriber location provided based on the IP address and confirms that an agreement to supply a subscribed services in that geographic area exists As discussed above with respect to STEP 702 the location of the cellular phone 307 can be tracked to an approximate geographic location to whatever degree of granularity is required 0149 Case 5 The MTAC Cradle 305 is adapted to be a gateway between the Cellular Network 110 and optionally the PSTN network if connected thereto and the IP Network 115 when adapted in this manner the cradle becomes an MTAC IPG MTA Cellular IP Gateway 1230 The MTAC IPG Cradle 1230 of FIG 12 is a personal multimedia IP communications e g VoIP portable gateway which can accompany the subscriber abroad and operate abroad or domestically according to the exa
69. preferring the use of the originally assigned cellular phone number rather than the subscriber s one number This may desirable when the subscribed cellular service package includes unlimited free calling among some group of subscribers Then the process proceeds in STEP 1024 0116 STEP 1024 Service Platform 435 informs e g via text or voice message the caller through the calling device e g cellphone of the need to restart the session initiation attempt in a different manner Two preferred embodiments include 1 establishing a callback from cellphone 307 to the calling number and ii signaling to the calling device the phone number to be used by the caller in a follow up session initiation attempt and terminating present the incoming session initiation attempt 0117 When embodiment i is used and cellular phone 307 is connected to MTAC Cradle 305 the following details one embodiment for generating the call back Service Plat form 435 sends a message to the MTAC Cradle 305 over the IP Network 115 which message includes call the number provided herein through the connected cellular phone The MTAC Cradle 305 causes cellular phone 307 to go off hook and dial the caller s number while the MTAC Cradle 305 rings plain telephone 103 Those skilled in the art can transform the method for integrated MTAC Cradle 305 telephone devices The Subscriber picks up plain telephone 103 or takes the cell phone 307 off the cradle of MT
70. rt range wireless transmission link Such very short range links include Bluetooth links conforming to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE standard 802 15 1 IEEE 802 15 1 for Personal Area Network tech nology Moreover additional technologies may be used for cordless transmission including Radio Frequency Identifi cation RFID and Infrared RFID standards are discussed in materials of the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility The electronic connection between the cell phone 307 and the MTAC Cradle 305 enables the flow of DC power by induction in the cordless case for battery charging US 2007 0047707 A1 or operation signaling and media i e information e g computer data audio or video streaming graphics and voice as shown in FIG 6 0043 The MTAC Cradle 305 enables the subscriber to make and receive calls via the cellular network 110 the MTAC Cradle 305 is used to access the cellular phone 307 thereby providing functionality similar to that of the CPG Cradle 209 of FIG 2 When functioning in this manner the MTAC Cradle does not process voice media for delivery over the IP Network 115 1 6 it does not provide VoIP functionality 0044 A less capable version of the MTAC Cradle 305 does not provide media connectivity to the cellular phone 307 The cradle of the less capable version of the MTAC Cradle 305 merely provides cellular phone charging capa bility DC power or ind
71. s removed from the phone and placed in a special slot connector that may be optionally provided for this purpose in the MTAC Cradle Plus 0138 STEP 707 When the test call is successful as confirmed by the MTAC Cradle 305 the Service Platform 435 the process proceeds to step 708 When the test call fails the process proceeds to step 709 0139 STEP 708 The Service Platform 435 will enter the new cellular phone number into the Subscriber PPP database 450 and inform the subscriber via the MTAC Cradle 305 the cellular phone or a text message e g SMS Exemplary notifications include i the inclusion of a small display device on the MTAC Cradle 305 or using the cradle SIP Phone display if the MTA is integrated ii the use of the cell phone s display to convey such messages or iii through voice messages called into the plain phone con nected to the MTAC Cradle 305 The Service Platform 435 also updates other platforms and databases to ensure the continued smooth operation of the disclosed service from the new location 0140 STEP 709 If the SIM programming is unsuccess ful for a specific cellular service provider or carrier serving that area the next such cellular service provider matching the general characteristic of the cellular phone that sits in the cradle as was determined in step 704 will be attempted after STEP 710 is performed 0141 STEP 710 The Service Platform 435 determines if a next cellular servi
72. se 465 is used by the Service Platform 435 for storing and retrieving sub scriber messages of appropriate incoming session media according to subscriber preferences stored in the Subscriber PPP database 450 The platform can also be used for providing the subscriber with outbound messaging services including group distributions not further discussed in this embodiment 0061 The Geographic Association database 460 provides data supporting Service Platform 435 in associating origi nating and terminating identifications for example reach identifications for example reach numbers or reach addresses e g phone number s or IP Address es assigned to each MTAC with approximate geographic national and regional boundaries with sufficient granularity for associat ing particular service providers with desired services The Geographic Association database 460 contains the required associations alternatively the database 460 represents a service provided by one or more external entities which may enhance or supplant the database For example the Geographic Association database 460 associates an IP address assigned to a subscriber s SIP device with the appropriate geographic region that is covered by one or more participating e g listed in Service Providers database 455 cellular carriers or cellular service resellers In another example geographic information provided by a cellular carrier a service provider on the approximate loc
73. supplanting or supplement ing the other broadband connections disclosed 0183 Obviously numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be prac ticed otherwise than as specifically described herein 1 13 canceled 14 A multimedia communications method employing a portable multimedia terminal adapter cellular internet pro tocol gateway MTAC IPG between a cellular network and an IP network comprising registering the MTAC IPG with a SIP Proxy providing a signaling and media operative connection for acellular phone that is in separate communication with a cellular network in response to a user locally dialing a first dial string that is the number of the cellular phone signaling the cellular phone to go off hook authenticating the user as an authorized user and there after dialing out over the IP network using a second dial string through the cellular phone providing gateway functionality between the cellular phone connection and the IP network transmitting cellular phone media flows encoded by a cellular phone codec to the IP network and packetizing depacketizing and buffering the media flows as the media flows flow between the cellular and IP networks 15 The method of claim 14 wherein the step of trans mitting comprises transmitting the media flows
74. ted with the traveler s reach telephone number Travelers provide their temporary foreign cellular phone number to associates who use it for the duration of the trip Certain countries e g India have outlawed the use of phone to phone VoIP services by prohibiting the installation and operation of formally established local VoIP Gateways 0007 Current solutions provide only a fraction of the possible synergistic features attainable by interrelating cel Mar 1 2007 lular services and packet telephony Most current solutions forward incoming packet telephony calls to a subscriber s cellular phone based on a set of predefined rules Other solutions address the combination of cellular telephony and VoWLAN Voice over Wireless LAN mostly through the use of dual mode wireless devices SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0008 The present invention accelerates telephony ser vice convergence by leveraging the advantages of the indi vidual telephony technologies More particularly one embodiment includes an MTA Cellular MTAC device hav ing a cradle or other power signaling media connection equipment for a cellular device and a platform which includes at least part of a service platform and optionally also databases A platform as used herein includes one or more of software including operating systems applications and databases and hardware including switches control lers processors input outputs and databases to enhanc
75. tform 435 with all the required data so that the appro priate databases 440 445 450 455 and 460 can be popu lated and or updated 0145 Case 4A Portability and International Use 0146 The MTAC IP cradle can be used as a personal gateway when the cellular phone 305 is connected to cradle 305 The term connected as used throughout this speci fication includes not only the literal meaning of in the cradle or nestled as in FIG 5A but also that the cellular phone 307 is operatively in the vicinity of the MTAC or MTAC IP Cradle 305 for direct communication as in FIG 5B and FIG 5C 0147 In many cases moving the MTAC Cradle 305 within US boundaries keeps it within the cellular service provider s network Depending on the cellular service agree ment service at remote locations may be provided through roaming agreements which sometimes are priced at a pre mium These details are pre provisioned in the Service Providers database 455 by service administrators Normally the linking of the locally assigned IP address with the Geographic Association database 460 enables the service provider to select the appropriate charging plan for the use of the local cellular network 10 In another aspect of this invention the state of connectivity e g digital analog roaming of cell phone 307 is provided to the Service Platform 435 preferably through the MTAC Cradle 305 via the interface with the cradled cell
76. th its SIP Proxy 425 That is there is a registration of the MTAC Cradle 305 with its SIP Proxy 425 This registration follows known and evolving SIP and follow on standards 0131 STEP 702 The Service Platform 435 is alerted to record changes in the presence of the MTAC Cradle 305 in the Subscriber PPP database 450 that is the new geographi cal presence is recorded in the Subscriber PPP database 450 as a result of the original handshake that enables the MTAC Cradle 305 to register as available for service The geo political region in which the MTAC Cradle 305 resides is established through an association of the IP address assigned to the Cradle with its expected geography The Service Platform 435 uses the Geographic Association database 460 to adjust geography dependent presence conditions in the Subscriber PPP database 450 to reflect the new geographic location of the MTAC Cradle 305 so that the appropriate set or sets of rules may be applied to the new geographic location 0132 When service providers are registered to provide internet services described in this disclosure appropriate entries are made to Service Providers 455 and to the Geographic Association database 460 by service adminis trators and participating service providers This enables subsequent association between subscriber location and the service provider s with whom an agreement to supply a subscribed service in that geographic area exists For example a
77. uctive means in FIG 6 and cellular phone presence detection Such presence may be established in the manner discussed above Except for providing for access to VoIP services this less capable MTAC Cradle 305 has functionality that is similar to the functionality of the Cingular s Fastforward However the less capable MTAC Cradle 305 transmits presence and forwarded phone number information to the forwarding server platform through the IP network 115 thus eliminating the need for specialized cellular phone applications 0045 MTAC Cradle 305 differs from the usual MTA 105 in additional important aspects For example plain tele phone 103 can access the cellular network 110 by passing its analog media stream and signaling information e g Dial Tone Multi Frequency DTMF directly through the MTAC Cradle 305 to cellular phone 307 and when this happens the MTAC Cradle 305 bridges the plain telephone 103 and cellular phone 307 directly without using the MTAC s gateway functionality That is the media of the plain tele phone 103 is neither encoded nor packetized by the MTAC Cradle 305 when being delivered to from the cellular phone 307 and the IP network is not used In the preferred embodiment the MTAC Cradle 305 includes a display screen and appropriate user inputs to ease the subscriber s experience of service programming and option selection 1 e to make the MTAC Cradle 305 user friendly 0046 The preferred embodiment also
78. way residing in a location from which PSTN or cellular service if the called number is a cellular phone is inexpensive Such a location is usually the country in which the called party resides Sometimes the inexpensive route is provided through the PSTN especially when the quality dictated in the subscriber s PPP cannot be provided by VoIP The session begins in STEP 905 and the process continues in STEP 906 As discussed in Step 902 STEP 904 may terminate calls through a cellular network other than that originating the call 0099 STEP 906 When the session ends the process continues in Step 910 While the session continues the process continues in Step 907 0100 STEP 907 draws down on the subscriber s account balance as the session continues and STEP 908 probes the sufficiency of that balance for continuing the session If the balance is sufficient the process returns to Step 906 If the balance is insufficient Step 909 terminates the session and the process continues in Step 910 0101 STEP 910 At the end of the call session Service Platform 435 updates the billing record associated with the subscriber in AAA Subscriber Accounts database 440 This may be necessary because the instantaneously available balance is maintained in a real time database in subscriber PPP 450 Service Platform 435 updates the Inter service provider clearing payment records as needed periodically or in real time in the Payments Clearing data

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