Method for Converging Telephone Number and IP Address
A method for converging telephone numbers and Idata addresses follows the steps of (a) accessing from a first memory location of a communication appliance one of an E.164 telephone number or an IPv6 address; (b) using the E.164 criteria of [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ext2-Ext3] for a telephone number, converting that number to an IPv6 hexadecimal notation IP address in the format [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:[<Extension>]:[<Ext2>:[<Ext3>]], and converting in the reverse for an IP address to a telephone number; (c) storing the telephone number or address in a separate memory location of the appliance; and (d) depending on the nature of a communication session initiated by a user, retrieving the appropriate IP address or telephone number as the destination for the communication.
1 . A method for converging E.164 telephone numbers and IPv6 data addresses, comprising the steps of:
(a) using a computerized appliance enabled to place voice calls and to send IP-addresses messages and data, accessing from a first memory location of the appliance one of an E.164 telephone number or an IPv6 address;
(b) using the E.164 criteria of [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3] for a telephone number, converting that number to an IPv6 hexadecimal notation IP address in the format [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>: [<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]], and converting in the reverse for an IP address to a telephone number;
(c) storing the resulting telephone number or IPv6 IP address in a separate memory location of the appliance; and
(d) depending on the nature of a communication session initiated by a user of the appliance retrieving the appropriate IP address or telephone number as the destination for the communication.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein, in mapping an E.164 telephone number to an IPv6 IP address, inserting a leading common nibble into the IP address as a standardization identifier.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein, in mapping an IPv6 IP address to a telephone number, any leading nibble not recognized as a part of a telephone number is dropped in the mapping.
4 . A method for directing a communication session at a computerized appliance coupled to the Internet network, comprising the steps of:
(a) determining the final destination of the communication session, and the nature of an end-point appliance to which the session is directed;
(b) if the communication session is a data communication session associated with an IPv6 address and the determined end destination is a PSTN telephone, changing the destination address from IP to E.164 using the mapping [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:[<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]] to [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3];
(c) if the communication session is a PSTN session using an E.164 telephone number and the final destination requires an IP address, changing the destination address from E.164 to IPv6 using the mapping [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3] to [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:[<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]]; and
(c) connecting the session to the final destination.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein, in mapping an E.164 telephone number to an IPv6 IP address, inserting a leading common nibble into the IP address as a standardization identifier.
6 . The method of claim 4 wherein, in mapping an IPv6 IP address to a telephone number, any leading nibble not recognized as a part of a telephone number is dropped in the mapping.
7 . An endpoint communication device comprising:
an I/O interface for user operation;
a coupled memory device comprising contact data and addresses; and
computer instructions executable for operating the device;
wherein the device through the computer instructions converts E.164 telephone numbers from one memory location to IPv6 addresses and stores same in another memory location, using mapping of [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3] to [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:[<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]], and converts IPv6 addresses to E.164 telephone numbers and stores same in other memory locations using mapping of [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:[<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]] to [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3], and depending on the nature of a communication session initiated by a user of the device retrieves the appropriate IP address or telephone number as the destination for the communication.
8 . The endpoint communication device of claim 7 wherein, in mapping an E.164 telephone number to an IPv6 IP address, a leading common nibble is inserted into the IP address as a standardization identifier.
9 . The endpoint communication device of claim 7 wherein, in mapping an IPv6 IP address to a telephone number, any leading nibble not recognized as a part of a telephone number is dropped in the mapping.
10 . A computerized device comprising:
a port to a PSTN network;
a port to a data network;
a coupled memory device comprising contact data and addresses; and
computer instructions executable for operating the device;
wherein the device, receiving a communication session, determines the final destination of the communication session, and the nature of an end-point appliance to which the session is directed, and if the communication session is a data communication session associated with an IPv6 address and the determined end destination is a PSTN telephone, changes the destination address from IP to E.164 using the mapping [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>: [<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]] to [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3], and if the communication session is a PSTN session using an E.164 telephone number and the final destination requires an IP address, changes the destination address from E.164 to IPv6 using the mapping [Country Code-Identification Code-Subscriber Number 1-Subscriber Number 2-Extension-Ex2-Ext3] to [<Country Code>:<Identification Code>:<Subscriber Number 1>:<Subscriber Number 2>:<Extension>]:[<Ex2>:[<Ext3>]]; and
(c) connects the session to the final destination.
11 . The computerized device of claim 10 wherein, in mapping an E.164 telephone number to an IPv6 IP address, a leading common nibble is inserted into the IP address as a standardization identifier.
12 . The computerized device of claim 10 wherein, in mapping an IPv6 IP address to a telephone number, any leading nibble not recognized as a part of a telephone number is dropped in the mapping.