System and method for determining the status of a telephone in a packet switched network
View Patent ↗A system and method for determining the status of a telephone in a packet switched network. The system and method provides for the telephone status to be determined by a status monitoring device or, where the network is a cable network and the equipment comprises a telephone, by a subscriber cable interface device. The equipment status file is accessible over a network, such as the Internet, by status accessing device. The status file provides status information indicative of the telephone for which the status is being determined.
1. A system for communicating a status of a telephone connected to a packet switched network (PSN) comprising:
a telephone status monitor to monitor a status of the telephone in communication with the PSN; and
a telephone status file connectable to the telephone status monitor for receiving the telephone status of the telephone, wherein the telephone status file is accessible by a status accessing device via a status network.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the telephone is a voice over IP telephone.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
an analog-to-packet converter connected to the PSN and adapted to:
receive analog voice signals from an analog telephone;
convert the analog voice signals into voice data packets; and
transmit the voice data packets over the PSN.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the PSN comprises a DOCSIS-compliant cable network and the analog-to-packet converter comprises a media terminal adapter.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PSN is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the status network is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the telephone status is selected from the group consisting of an on-hook status, an off-hook status, a forwarded status, do-not-disturb status, a transfer-to-voicemail status, and a caller preference.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprising logic enabling the user of the status accessing device to place a telephone call to the telephone when the status of the telephone changes from off-hook to on-hook.
9. A system for obtaining the status of a telephone connected to a packet switched network (PSN) comprising:
a status monitoring device adapted to provide output signals indicative of the status of the telephone to a first network;
a status file connectable to the first network for receiving the output signals from the telephone over the first network; and
a status accessing device connectable to a second network, the status accessing device adapted to access the status file over the second network to convey the status of the telephone to a user of the status accessing device.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the telephone is a voice over IP telephone.
11. The system of claim 9 further comprising:
an analog-to-packet converter connected to the PSN and adapted to:
receive analog voice signals from an analog telephone;
convert the analog voice signals into voice data packets; and
transmit the voice data packets over the PSN.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the PSN comprises a DOCSIS-compliant cable network and the analog-to-packet converter comprises a media terminal adapter.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the PSN is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first network and the second network are selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the telephone status is selected from the group consisting of an on-hook status, an off-hook status, a forwarded status, do-not-disturb status, a transfer-to-voicemail status, and a caller preference.
16. The system of claim 9 further comprising logic enabling the user of the status accessing device to place a telephone call to the telephone when the status of the telephone changes from off-hook to on-hook.
17. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first network is a cable network, and wherein the status monitoring device comprises a cable interface device.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the subscriber cable interface device is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a media terminal adapter (MTA) connected to a cable modem, an MTA integrated with a cable modem, and a softswitch.
19. A method for communicating a status of a telephone connected to a packet switched network (PSN) comprising:
monitoring a telephone status of the telephone, wherein the telephone is adapted to communicate via the PSN; and
sending the telephone status to a telephone status file, wherein the telephone status file is accessible by a status accessing device via a status network.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the telephone is a voice over IP telephone.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the telephone is an analog telephone and the method further comprises:
sending analog voice signals from the analog telephone to an analog-to-packet converter;
converting the analog voice signals into voice data packets; and
transmitting the voice data packets over the PSN.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the PSN comprises a DOCSIS-compliant cable network and the analog-to-packet converter comprises a media terminal adapter.
23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the PSN is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
24. The method of claim 19 , wherein the status network is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
25. The method of claim 19 , wherein the telephone status is selected from the group consisting of an on-hook status, an off-hook status, a forwarded status, do-not-disturb status, a transfer-to-voicemail status, and a caller preference.
26. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
determining when the status of the telephone changes from off-hook to on-hook; and
placing a telephone call to the telephone.
27. A method for obtaining the status of a telephone connected to a packet switched network (PSN) comprising:
monitoring a telephone status of the telephone, wherein the telephone is adapted to communicate via the PSN;
sending the telephone status to a telephone status file via a first network; and
accessing the telephone status file via a second network using a status accessing device connected to the second network, the status accessing device adapted to convey the status of the telephone to a user of the status accessing device.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the telephone is a voice over IP telephone.
29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the telephone is an analog telephone and the method further comprises:
sending analog voice signals from the analog telephone to an analog-to-packet converter;
converting the analog voice signals into voice data packets; and
transmitting the voice data packets over the PSN.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the PSN comprises a DOCSIS-compliant cable network and the analog-to-packet converter comprises a media terminal adapter.
31. The method of claim 27 , wherein the PSN is selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
32. The method of claim 27 , wherein the first and second networks are selected from the group consisting of an IP network, a cable network, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a wired network, and a wired-wireless hybrid network.
33. The method of claim 27 , wherein the telephone status is selected from the group consisting of an on-hook status, an off-hook status, a forwarded status, do-not-disturb status, a transfer-to-voicemail status, and a caller preference.
34. The method of claim 27 further comprising:
determining when the status of the telephone changes from off-hook to on-hook; and
placing a telephone call to the telephone.
35. The method of claim 27 , wherein the first network is a cable network, and wherein monitoring the telephone status of the telephone comprises monitoring the telephone status of the telephone using a cable interface device.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the cable interface device is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a media terminal adapter (MTA) connected to a cable modem, an MTA integrated with a cable modem, and a softswitch.