Systems and methods for terminating telephony communications to mobile telephony devices
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for terminating telephony communications to a mobile telephony device via a data network make use of a forwarding termination service. The forwarding termination service causes a native mobile telephony service provider that provides service to the mobile telephony device to forward incoming telephony communications directed the native telephone number of the mobile telephony device to a forwarding access number. The forwarding termination service receives telephony communications directed to the forwarding access number, and then terminates the telephony communications to the mobile telephony device via any one of multiple different methods. The mobile telephony service provider can be instructed to implement and cancel call forwarding instructions by a forwarding agent that is separate from the forwarding termination service.
1. A method performed by a telephony device for facilitating the termination of telephony communications to the telephony device, the telephony device being assigned a native identifier and being associated with a native telephony service provider, the method comprising:
sending, from the telephony device to a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony service provider, a request to implement forwarding termination procedures; and
sending, from the telephony device to a forwarding agent, a request that results in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent asks the forwarding agent to cause the native telephony service provider to implement forwarding instructions that result in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from the VOIP telephony service provider, an indication of a forwarding identifier that has been assigned to the telephony device, wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent includes the assigned forwarding identifier.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the forwarding agent, an indication of a forwarding identifier that has been assigned to the telephony device; and
sending a message to the VOIP service provider that includes the assigned forwarding identifier.
5. A method performed by a telephony device for facilitating the termination of telephony communications to the telephony device, the telephony device being assigned a native identifier and being associated with a native telephony service provider, the method comprising:
receiving at the telephony device, a message from a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony service provider, the message indicating that forwarding termination procedures are to be implemented; and
sending, from the telephony device to a forwarding agent, a request that results in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the request asks the forwarding agent to cause the native telephony service provider to implement forwarding instructions that result in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the message received from the VOIP telephony service provider includes the forwarding identifier, and wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent includes the forwarding identifier.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving at the telephony device, a message from the forwarding agent, message including the forwarding identifier; and
sending, from the telephony device to the VOIP telephony service provider, a message that includes the forwarding identifier.
9. A system resident on a telephony device for facilitating the termination of telephony communications to the telephony device, the telephony device being assigned a native identifier and being associated with a native telephony service provider, the system comprising:
means for sending, from the telephony device to a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony service provider, a request to implement forwarding termination procedures; and
means for sending, from the telephony device to a forwarding agent, a request that results in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when performed by one or more processors of a telephony device, cause the processors to perform a method of facilitating the termination of telephony communications to the telephony device, the telephony device being assigned a native identifier and being associated with a native telephony service provider, the method comprising:
sending, from the telephony device to a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony service provider, a request to implement forwarding termination procedures; and
sending, from the telephony device to a forwarding agent, a request that results in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent asks the forwarding agent to cause the native telephony service provider to implement forwarding instructions that result in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the method performed by the one or more processors also comprises receiving, from the VOIP telephony service provider, an indication of a forwarding identifier that has been assigned to the telephony device, wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent includes the assigned forwarding identifier.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the method performed by the one or more processors further comprises:
receiving, from the forwarding agent, an indication of a forwarding identifier that has been assigned to the telephony device; and
sending a message from the telephony device to the VOIP service provider that includes the assigned forwarding identifier.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when performed by one or more processors of a telephony device, cause the processors to perform a method of facilitating the termination of telephony communications to the telephony device, the telephony device being assigned a native identifier and being associated with a native telephony service provider, the method comprising:
receiving at the telephony device, a message from a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony service provider, the message indicating that forwarding termination procedures are to be implemented; and
sending, from the telephony device to a forwarding agent, a request that results in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the request asks the forwarding agent to cause the native telephony service provider to implement forwarding instructions that result in the native telephony service provider forwarding incoming telephony communications directed to the native identifier to a forwarding identifier.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the message received from the VOIP telephony service provider includes the forwarding identifier, and wherein the request sent to the forwarding agent includes the forwarding identifier.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the method performed by the one or more processors further comprises:
receiving at the telephony device, a message from the forwarding agent, the message including the forwarding identifier; and
sending, from the telephony device to the VOIP telephony service provider, a message that includes the forwarding identifier.