Telephone call processing

1. A method of providing telephony services at a call control system to subscribers in a telecommunications system including a mobile telephone network and at least another telephone network different to the mobile telephone network, the mobile telephone network comprising a subscriber database, the call control system being located outside of the mobile telephone network, the subscribers each having a plurality of associated telephony devices including a mobile telephony device, all of the devices associated with a subscriber being contactable via a device-shared telephone dialing number, the method comprising:

receiving a first incoming call connection request associated with an incoming call directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number for a subscriber, the incoming call connection request having been routed to the call control system on the basis of the device-shared telephone dialing number;

assuming control of the incoming call;

transmitting a first outgoing call connection request to a first telephony device associated with the device-shared telephone dialing number, the first telephony device being located in the at least another telephone network;

transmitting a second outgoing call connection request to the mobile telephony device associated with the subscriber, the second outgoing call connection request being transmitted to the mobile telephony device based upon a location query and corresponding location response being sent to and received from respectively the subscriber database comprised in the mobile telephone network in relation to the device-shared telephone dialing number, the corresponding location response comprising a temporary routing number for the second outgoing call connection request;

receiving a call connection response from one of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device; and

connecting the incoming call to the one of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

redirecting the incoming call to a service platform capable of transmitting the first and second outgoing call connection requests.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising:

receiving a first call routing query associated with the incoming call;

in response to receipt of the first call routing query, generating a call redirect request for the call to be redirected,

wherein the incoming call is redirected in response to the generated call redirect request.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

the first call routing query is received from a telephone switch located in the telecommunications system;

the generated call redirect request is transmitted to the telephone switch; and

the call is redirected from the telephone switch.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising receiving at the telephone switch a primary call connection request associated with the incoming call directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number, wherein the first call routing query is generated by the telephone switch in response to receipt of the primary call connection request.

6. The method of claim 4 , comprising configuring the telephone switch to generate a call routing query in response to receiving an incoming call that is directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the configuring comprises configuring the telephone switch to query the subscriber database for transmission data identifying where to transmit the call routing queries to.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the configuring comprises configuring on the telephone switch for calls directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number one or more of:

an Intelligent Network (IN) trigger;

an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) trigger;

a Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN) trigger;

a Customised Applications for Mobile networks Enhanced Logic (CAMEL) trigger;

an Intelligent Network Application Part (INAP) trigger;

an initial Filter Criterion (iFC); and

a Local Number Portability trigger.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein:

the first call routing query is received by the service platform, the service platform being separate from the telephone switch in the telecommunications system;

the generated call redirect request is transmitted from the service platform; and

the incoming call is redirected to the service platform.

10. The method of claim 5 , comprising, in response to the call redirection, creating a secondary call connection request directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number, whereby a second call routing query is generated by the telephone switch.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising:

identifying the first call routing query and the second call routing query as being associated with the same device-shared telephone dialing number; and

notifying the telephone switch of the identification.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the location query is sent to the subscriber database in response to the notification step.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first outgoing call connection request is transmitted to the first telephony device in response to the notification step.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the identification and notification steps are carried out at the service platform and the notification comprises instructing the telephone switch to carry out the location query and transmit the second outgoing call connection request to the mobile telephony device without generating a further call routing query.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the identification and notification steps are carried out at the service platform and the notification comprises instructing the telephone switch to transmit the first outgoing call connection request to the first telephony device without generating a further call routing query.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the identification step comprises one or more of:

monitoring redirection information associated with the incoming call,

monitoring call routing queries associated with the incoming call,

monitoring incoming call connection requests associated with the incoming call,

monitoring information associated with the calling party for the incoming call, and

monitoring information associated with the called party for the incoming call.

17. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving an initial call connection request associated with the incoming call directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number, wherein the first incoming call connection request is generated in response to receipt of the initial call connection request.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein:

the initial call connection request is received at a telephone switch located in the telecommunications system, and

the first incoming call connection request is transmitted from the telephone switch.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:

the first incoming call connection request is received by a service platform separate from the telephone switch in the telecommunications system; and

the first and second outgoing call connection requests are transmitted from the service platform.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first telephony device is located in a different network to the mobile telephone network in the telecommunications system, the different network comprising:

a public switched telephone network;

an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem network; or

an Internet Protocol data network.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first telephony device comprises a Session Initiation Protocol telephony device, and the transmittal of the first outgoing call connection request to the first telephony device comprises transmitting a Session Initiation Protocol Invite message to the first telephony device.

22. The method of claim 21 , comprising:

redirecting the incoming call to a service platform capable of transmitting the first and second outgoing call connection requests; and

registering the location of the Session Initiation Protocol telephony device with the service platform, whereby the service platform ascertains a network address of the Session Initiation Protocol telephony device to transmit the first outgoing call connection request to.

23. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

in response to receiving the call connection response from the one of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device, cancelling the outgoing call connection request to the other of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device.

24. The method of claim 4 , wherein the telephone switch comprises one of:

a mobile switching centre located in a mobile telephone network in the telecommunications system;

a local wireline telephone exchange switch located in a public switched telephone network in the telecommunications system; and

a Call Session Control Function entity located in an IP Multimedia Subsystem network in the telecommunications system.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first telephony device is a shared telephony device associated with multiple subscribers,

wherein the first outgoing call connection request causes the first telephony device to alert the subscriber associated with the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device in a manner particular to the subscriber.

26. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

in response to the transmittal of the first outgoing call connection request, receiving a call transfer request from the first telephony device,

wherein the second outgoing call connection request is transmitted to the mobile telephony device in response to receipt of the call transfer request,

wherein the call connection response is received from the mobile telephony device, and

wherein the connecting step comprises transferring the incoming call from the first telephony device to the mobile telephony device.

27. A method of providing telephony services to subscribers in a telecommunications system including a mobile telephone network and at least another telephone network different to the mobile telephone network, the mobile telephone network comprising a subscriber database, the call control system being located outside of the mobile telephone network, the subscribers each having an associated telephone dialing number and a plurality of associated telephony devices including a mobile telephony device, all of the devices associated with a subscriber being contactable via a device-shared telephone dialing number, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming call connection request associated with an incoming call directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number for a subscriber;

in response to receipt of the incoming call connection request, connecting the incoming call to one of a first telephony device and a mobile telephony device associated with the subscriber;

receiving a call transfer request from the telephony device to which the incoming call was connected to;

in response to receipt of the call transfer request, transmitting an outgoing call connection request to the other of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device;

receiving a call connection response from the telephony device to which the outgoing call connection request was transmitted; and

transferring the incoming call to the telephony device from which the call connection response was received from,

wherein if the outgoing call connection request is transmitted to the mobile telephony device, the outgoing call connection request is based upon a location query being sent to the subscriber database in relation to the device shared telephone dialing number.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of providing telephony services at a call control system to subscribers in a telecommunications system including a mobile telephone network and at least another telephone network different to the mobile telephone network, the mobile telephone network comprising a subscriber database, the call control system being located outside of the mobile telephone network, the subscribers each having a plurality of associated telephony devices including a mobile telephony device, all of the devices associated with a subscriber being contactable via a device-shared telephone dialing number, the method comprising:

receiving a first incoming call connection request associated with an incoming call directed to the device-shared telephone dialing number for a subscriber, the incoming call connection request having been routed to the call control system on the basis of the device-shared telephone dialing number;

assuming control of the incoming call;

transmitting a first outgoing call connection request to a first telephony device associated with the device-shared telephone dialing number, the first telephony device being located in the at least another telephone network;

transmitting a second outgoing call connection request to the mobile telephony device associated with the subscriber, the second outgoing call connection request being transmitted to the mobile telephony device based upon a location query and corresponding location response being sent to and received from respectively the subscriber database comprised in the mobile telephone network in relation to the device-shared telephone dialing number, the corresponding location response comprising a temporary routing number for the second outgoing call connection request;

receiving a call connection response from one of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device; and

connecting the incoming call to the one of the first telephony device and the mobile telephony device.