WO2013064673A1

WO2013064673A1 - A method of routing calls in a communications system

Info

Publication number: WO2013064673A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/071773
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronan Murphy
Original assignee: Clever Call Limited
Priority date: 2011-11-03
Filing date: 2012-11-02
Publication date: 2013-05-10
Also published as: IES20120502A2; GB201118992D0

Abstract

A method of routing an incoming call from a calling party (21) in a communications system (3), a method of routing an outgoing call from a WLAN enabled call handling device (15, 17) in a communications system (3), and a programmable call control and routing PCCR device (13) for mounting in-line on a landline telephone connection (7). A call handling device CHD such as a mobile telephone handset, e.g. a smartphone (15), is able to make and receive calls over a landline POTS connection through the PCCR device (13). The PCCR device (13) is provided with a POTS input port (191) and a POTS output port (193) and is connected in-line on the wiring to a landline telephone (5) in a household. The PCCR device (13) intercepts calls and allows the CHD to effectively become an extension of the household landline. This is achieved without modification to the landline telephone (5) and without a mobile handset with dedicated, modified hardware. The PCCR records a voice mail message left by caller if no answer.

Description

"A Method of Routing Calls in a Communications System"

Introduction This invention relates to a method of routing calls in a communications system. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of routing calls in a small scale communications system such as a household communications system or a small scale business communication system having a plain old telephone service (POTS) connection. Throughout the remainder of the specification, for convenience, reference will be made to operation of the method in a household communications system however it will be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and that the present invention is not limited solely to applications in households and should not be construed as such unless specifically limited to such in the claims. There has been a general shift towards mobile telephony solutions and away from landline or fixed line telephony solutions. However, there are still some advantages to having a landline connection in a household. For example, the landline operators may offer lower call rates on certain calls than the mobile telephony providers. Furthermore, the landline connection will permit the installation of fixed line broadband connections such as, but not limited to, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) connections. The fixed line broadband connections such as ADSL are generally accepted as being faster and more reliable than many of the competing mobile broadband offerings. In some instances, the landline connection will be provided by a cable operator. The cable operator delivers a cable into the household which in turn is led into a cable modem. The cable modem will often have one or more ports that support POTS lines in which case the landline telephone connection will be provided over the cable by the cable operator. In other cases, the landline connection will be provided over a fibre network. The fibre network operator will provide a fibre modem which in turn is provided with a port that supports a POTS connection. Accordingly, many households still have a landline telephone connection.

Although present in the household, the landline connection is often underutilised and the household occupants rarely derive the most benefit possible out of the landline connection. Often, an occupant will use their mobile telephone to make a call when they are inside the household even though the call will often be charged at a more expensive rate than if they were to use the landline telephone to make the same call. This is often because they carry their mobile telephone around with them on their person and a landline phone extension is not always to hand. For convenience, they will often simply use the mobile telephone rather than locating and using the landline telephone. It is also not uncommon for calls to the landline telephone to be missed due to difficulty in finding or getting to a landline telephone extension in time.

It would be highly advantageous to provide a system and method in which the mobile telephone of the user could be integrated into the landline telephone system of the household in a simple and straightforward manner. Various systems have been devised that enable the mobile phone to be docked in a docking station so that the existing landline extensions effectively become extensions of the mobile telephone and all communications, whether to or from the mobile device or the landline extensions, are routed over the mobile telephony network. For example, WO01/69959 describes one such system in which a mobile cellular telephone may be coupled to a docking station which in turn is connected to a fixed line telephone system in a home. When the mobile cellular telephone is coupled to the docking station, all calls initiated on the fixed telephone system are diverted through the mobile telephone. Although this increases the number of available telephone receivers in the household, it has the drawback that the mobile telephone must be docked and all of the calls are routed through the mobile telephony network at mobile telephony network charge rates which are often more expensive that those charged by landline operators. WO01/69959 does not allow the mobile telephone to make or receive calls routed through the fixed line network. In other words, WO01/69959 is effectively integrating the landline telephone extensions into the mobile telephony network rather than integrating the mobile telephone into the landline telephony network which is more desirable.

Other systems allow for call forwarding, which allows calls to a given number, for example a landline, to be forwarded on to another number, for example a mobile telephone number. However, these systems suffer from the significant disadvantage that the calls thus handled often incur both the landline call rate and the mobile telephony call rate for the call thereby leading to even more expensive calls. Other known methods and systems are outlined below. GB231 191 1 describes a telephone with both wired and wireless communications capabilities; the specification requires a handset with modified hardware and does not allow integration of a user's existing mobile telephone handset. US2005/003857 describes a call transfer system for integrated wireline and wireless services. This system replaces the landline handset in the premises rather than supplementing the landline handset in the premises.

EP2043340 describes a mobile telecommunication terminal, communication system and a computer readable storage medium. The mobile communication terminal is a dual mode terminal. The mobile communication terminal communicates with a special fixed telephone that has been modified to allow communications with the mobile communication terminal. EP2043340 is primarily concerned with identification of the calling party for outgoing calls and is not concerned with allowing incoming calls to be received by the mobile communication device over the fixed line network.

WO02/19750 describes a system and method for providing telecommunication services over either a fixed network or a mobile network depending on the location of a mobile terminal. According to this specification, notifications must be sent to a network side component and routing decisions are made on the network side.

US2004/0229634 describes a system for providing unified cellular and wire-line services to a dual mode handset that operates as either a cordless handset or a mobile telephone. US2004/0229634 uses call forwarding to route a call intended for the fixed line to the mobile device when the mobile device is out of range of a base station.

US7715790 describes a method and apparatus for configuration automation. This specification describes how calls may be forwarded depending on whether a mobile device and a fixed line device are in close proximity to each other. This implementation relies on call forwarding of calls.

US5956631 describes a multiple terminal device ringing digital subscriber ISDN terminal. In this system, a telephone communication system addresses calls to a particular subscriber via both a wired terminal and through the wired terminal by radio to a wireless communication device. This device requires a specialised wired terminal and a specialised wireless terminal also.

Numerous methods and systems have been proposed to integrate mobile telephones into the landline system, with varying degrees of success and varying degrees of useful application. Other methods and systems have been proposed to provide devices that operate on both the mobile network and the fixed line network. However, heretofore, none of the proposed solutions has provided an entirely satisfactory solution. There are numerous shortcomings with many of the known systems. For example, some of the known methods and systems require a handset with modified hardware in order to operate. Other known methods and systems require a landline telephone with modified hardware in order to operate. Other methods and systems require call routing to be handled on the network side rather than on the household side which places a burden on the network operator which is undesirable. Some of the known methods allow routing of incoming calls but not outgoing calls and other known methods allow routing of outgoing calls but not incoming calls. Heretofore, there has not be been proposed a complete solution that obviates the problems with the known methods and systems.

It will be understood throughout this specification that by mobile telephone, what is meant is a device that normally communicates over a mobile telephony (i.e. a cellular, e.g. GSM) network and is in no way intended to mean a cordless telephone which is a common substitute for a wired landline telephone. The present invention is not related in any way to cordless telephones and is not to be construed as such. The present invention is concerned with integrating a mobile telephone, such as a smartphone, that typically operates over a wireless cellular network into a household's fixed line network.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned problems. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system that do not require a specialised mobile telephone with modified hardware in order to operate. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and system that do not require call forwarding techniques or network side routing to operate. Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a method of routing an incoming call from a calling party in a communications system, the communications system comprising: a landline telephone and landline telephone connection; a wireless router to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN); a programmable call control and routing (PCCR) device mounted in line on the landline telephone connection, the PCCR device comprising a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface, a processor running computer program code, an accessible memory, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC), a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and an IP communication module; and at least one WLAN enabled call handling device (CHD) registered with the PCCR device through the WLAN, the CHD comprising a speaker, a microphone, an ADC, a DAC and an IP communication module; the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the PCCR device identifying an incoming call designated for the landline telephone;

(b) the PCCR device transmitting an incoming call alert to at least one CHD over the WLAN;

(c) the CHD transmitting a call acceptance message to the PCCR device;

(d) the PCCR device, on receiving the call acceptance message from the CHD, establishing an IP session with the CHD and simulating a call pick up signal on the landline telephone connection to the calling party using the POTS interface; and (e) for the duration of the call, the PCCR device thereafter routing incoming communications from the calling party to the CHD, off the landline telephone connection and onto the IP link to the CHD, and routing outgoing communications from the CHD to the calling party, off the IP link and onto the landline connection.

By having such a method, any WLAN enabled CHDs that are registered with the PCCR device can be used to answer telephone calls coming into the household or premises. The calls will still be carried by the landline. This method enables many additional devices in the household to be used to answer calls, including mobile telephones, smartphones, personal computers, laptops, computer notepads, computer tablets, televisions provided with means to receive audio input and thereby facilitate a voice conversation and the like. This greatly increases the number of devices that may be used to answer the call in a household and will decrease the chances of a call being missed due to the household occupant being unable to locate a telephone extension in time. A further advantage of the present invention is that if the CHD is a mobile telephone or a smartphone, the phone will have multiple features that are not available on ordinary land line phone sets. For example, a user will be able to dial a number from a contact's address book on the phone or place the phone on hold. In many ways, it will be easier to use the mobile telephone or smartphone to place the call on the land line than it will be if the user were using a landline phone set.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method, in which, in the absence of a call pick up from either the landline telephone or the CHD after a predetermined number of rings or after a predetermined time period has elapsed, instead of steps (c) to (e), the method comprises the alternative steps of:

(f) the PCCR device answering the call; (g) the PCCR device playing a call answering message; and

(h) the PCCR device recording the message left by the calling party. In a further embodiment of the invention the system comprises a broadband connection and the method comprises the additional step of:

(i) the PCCR device transmitting the recorded message to an internet based remote memory over the broadband connection for storage in the remote memory.

This is seen as a particularly advantageous aspect of the present invention as the recorded message will be directed to an internet based remote memory for storage. The recorded message can then be accessed in due course through any number of disparate devices. By internet based remote memory, what is meant is a memory that is located remotely from the PCCR and that is accessible over the internet.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the additional intermediate steps, prior to answering the call, of: the PCCR device passing a caller identifier to a call answering system; the call answering system retrieving a voice mail message particular to the calling party based on the caller identifier and transmitting that voice mail message to the PCCR device; and

(I) the step (g) comprises the PCCR device playing the voice mail message received from the call answering system.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the system comprises a broadband connection and the call answering system is internet based. Accordingly, the communications between the call answering system and the PCCR device are via the broadband connection.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the additional steps of:

(m) the PCCR device recording the call; and (n) transmitting the recorded call to a remote memory.

In one embodiment of the invention the system comprises a broadband connection and the recorded call is transmitted to remote memory over the broadband connection for storage in the memory.

(o) the PCCR device recording call logging information; and

(p) transmitting the recorded call logging information to a remote memory. In one embodiment of the invention the system comprises a broadband connection and the recorded call logging information is transmitted to the remote memory over the broadband connection.

It is envisaged that the call logging information may contain the number of the called or calling entity, the duration of the call, the time of the call and other information that can provide valuable metrics relating to the usage of the telephone line.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of routing an outgoing call from a WLAN enabled call handling device in a household communications system, the household communications system comprising: a landline telephone and landline telephone connection; a wireless router to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN); a PCCR device mounted in line on the landline telephone connection, the PCCR device comprising a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface, a processor running computer program code, an accessible memory, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC), a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and an IP communication module; and the WLAN enabled call handling device (CHD) being registered with the PCCR device through the WLAN, the CHD comprising a speaker, a microphone, an ADC, a DAC and an IP communication module; the method comprising the steps of:

(q) the CHD establishing an IP communication connection with the PCCR device;

(r) the CHD transmitting an outgoing call request comprising a called party number to the PCCR device over the IP communication connection;

(s) the PCCR device using the POTS interface to transmit a call set up request onto the landline telephone connection to establish a POTS connection between the called party and the PCCR device;

(t) on the called party accepting the call, establishing a POTS connection between the called party and the PCCR device; and

(u) for the duration of the call, the PCCR device thereafter routing incoming communications from the called party to the CHD, off the landline telephone connection and onto the IP communication connection to the CHD, and routing outgoing communications from the CHD to the called party, off the IP communication connection and onto the landline connection.

By having such a method, a number of devices may be used to make calls over the landline connection. For example, a mobile telephone that is registered with the PCCR device will be able to make a call through the PCCR device thereby availing of the attractive rates offered by the fixed line carrier. Furthermore, the number of devices that can be used to make a call from the household or premises can be greatly increased. In this way, the household occupant will be able to obtain the most benefit from their landline connection.

In one embodiment of the invention the method comprises the additional steps of:

(m) the PCCR device recording the call; and

(n) transmitting the recorded call to a remote memory. In one embodiment of the invention the system comprises a broadband connection and the recorded call is transmitted to remote memory over the broadband connection for storage in the memory.

(o) the PCCR device recording call logging information; and

(p) transmitting the recorded call logging information to a remote memory. In one embodiment of the invention the system comprises a broadband connection and the recorded call logging information is transmitted to the remote memory over the broadband connection for storage in the remote memory.

In one embodiment of the invention the method comprises the steps of, after step (r) of the CHD transmitting an outgoing call request comprising a called party number to the PCCR device over the IP communication connection:

(v) the PCCR device accessing a memory with billing rate information pertaining to both the landline and the mobile telephony networks;

(w) determining a preferred routing for the call; and (x) the PCCR device thereafter routing the call through the landline according to steps (s) to (u) inclusive or instructing the mobile telephone to route the call through the mobile telephony network. In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the initial preliminary set-up steps of: plugging a landline telephone connection jack of a first landline telephone connection cable, led from a POTS wall socket, into a first port of the PCCR; and plugging a landline telephone connection jack on one end of a second landline telephone connection cable into a second port of the PCCR device and plugging a landline telephone connection jack on the other end of the landline telephone connection cable into a socket of the landline telephone.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the preliminary set-up step of registering the PCCR device with a wireless router in the household communications system. In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the preliminary set-up step of registering a CHD with the PCCR device through the WLAN in the household communications system.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method comprising the preliminary set-up step of downloading the PCCR device CHD software to the CHD.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a programmable call control and routing (PCCR) device for mounting in line on a landline telephone connection, the PCCR device comprising: a first port for receiving a POTS line connector to intercept the POTS line intermediate a wall socket and a landline telephone; a second port for receiving a POTS line connector for delivery of the POTS line onwards to the landline telephone; a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface operable to intercept communications coming from the telephone network side for redirection to a CHD and to receive communications from a CHD and place those communications onto the POTS line for transmission to the telephone network side; a processor running computer program code;

an accessible memory; an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) for digitizing captured POTS signals for onward transmission to a CHD; a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) for receiving digital data packets and converting the digital data packets into an analog signal; and an IP communication module for communicating data packets to and from a CHD.

In one embodiment of the invention the PCCR device comprises a wireless communications module for communication with at least one CHD over a WLAN.

In one embodiment of the invention the wireless communications module comprises a Wi-Fi communications module.

In one embodiment of the invention the PCCR comprises a wireless router.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a system in which the method according to the invention may be performed; Figure 2 is a view showing more detail of some of the components of the system of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of an alternative system in which the method according to the present invention may be performed;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a further still alternative system in which the method according to the invention may be performed;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a third alternative system in which the method according to the invention may be performed.

Referring to Figure 1 , there is shown a system in which the method according to the invention may be performed, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 . The system 1 comprises a household communications system 3 which in turn comprises a landline telephone 5, a landline telephone connection 7, a broadband connection 9, a wireless modem 1 1 to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) for the broadband connection, a programmable call control and router (PCCR) device 13 and a plurality of WLAN enabled call handling devices (CHD), in this case there are two CHDs, one of which is a mobile phone 15 and the other of which is a computer 17. One or more other CHDs could be provided if desired. The wireless modem 1 1 comprises a broadband modem 1 1 1 and a wireless router 1 13. The broadband connection 9 in the embodiment of Figure 1 is an ADSL connection and therefore the household communications system 3 in this instance further comprises an ADSL splitter 19 to separate the ADSL communication signals from the POTS communication signals. The system 1 further comprises a third party called/calling party 21 , a telephony network 23 and the internet 25.

The ADSL Splitter has one port 191 facing the Telephony Network 23 side and two ports 193, 195 facing away from the Telephony Network towards the household apparatus side. In this instance, port 195 provides the broadband connection and port 193 provides the POTS connection. The ADSL splitter 19 comprises of a low pass filter (not shown). Port 191 has both the ADSL signaling and POTS signaling on the one line. The low pass filter removes all higher frequencies from port 193 so that only POTS type frequencies get through. Port 195 does not have a high pass filter, it merely allows the signal arriving at that port 195 to pass through and travel onwards to the wireless modem 1 1 . The wireless modem 1 1 in the embodiment shown is in fact a combination of an ADSL modem 1 1 1 and a wireless router 1 13, in this instance a Wi-Fi (registered trade mark, ®) router. The ADSL modem has to handle both the POTS and ADSL signaling. However, the ADSL modem generally ignores the POTS signaling.

In the embodiment shown, the CHDs 15, 17 and the PCCR device 13 communicate with each other over the WLAN through the wireless router. The wireless communication connections are illustrated in the drawings by way of dotted lines intermediate the wireless modem 1 1 and the PCCR device 13 and between the wireless modem 1 1 and the CHDs 15, 17. The PCCR device 13 is placed directly on the landline telephone connection 7 between the splitter 19 and the landline telephone 5. It is in the so-called plain old telephone service (POTS) part of the household communications system configuration. The PCCR device 13 can communicate with the Wireless Modem 1 1 and as most domestic users use Wi-Fi communications, the PCCR device will also use Wi-Fi to communicate with the wireless modem 1 1 , though a different wireless protocol could be used if necessary. The line connecting the telephony network 23 and the splitter 19, supports two protocols; POTS and ADSL. The splitter 19 is used to separate these protocols. The ADSL communication signals go to the wireless modem 1 1 consisting of the ADSL modem and wireless router and the POTS communication signals go to the landline telephone 5.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, there is shown a more detailed view of some of the components of the household communications system, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before. The PCCR device 13 further comprises a POTS interface 131 , a microprocessor 132 running computer program code which controls and defines the functionality of the PCCR device, an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) 133, a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) 134, an IP communication module which in turn comprises an IP communication broadcast module 135, an IP communication connections OUT module 136 and an IP communication connections IN module 137, and an accessible memory 138. The microprocessor 132 running the computer program controls the functionality of all of the components of the PCCR device 13. For simplicity, the processor 132 running the computer program code is only shown connected to the POTS interface 131 and the IP broadcast module 135. It is however connected to all of the modules. The mobile phone CHD 15 comprises a speaker 151 , a microphone 152, an ADC 153, a DAC 154 and an IP communication module which in turn comprises an IP communication connection IN module 155 and an IP communication connection OUT module 156.

The IP communication module will typically use transport layer protocols for communication such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP/IP) or indeed may use a mixture of both TCP/IP and UDP/IP. For example, the broadcast messages sent by the PCCR device to the CHDs could be over UDP/IP whereas other subsequent communications between the PCCR device and the CHDs could be over TCP/IP. It is envisaged that other internet layer communication protocols or application layer communication protocols could be used if desired. Throughout this specification, the term IP communication will be understood to mean a transport layer protocol communication such as, but not limited to, UDP/IP or TCP/IP or other suitable communication protocol from one of the internet layer or application layer of the Internet Protocol Suite. The terms IP communication module, IP communication link and IP communication session, for example, will also be construed accordingly.

In use, when a call is made to the landline telephone 5, the call is handled in the following manner. First of all, a call is initiated by the third party calling device 21 to the landline telephone 5. The PCCR device 13, notices that there is an incoming call at approximately the same time as the landline telephone 5 does. The PCCR device 13 then sends a message using the IP communication broadcast module 135 to all of the registered Call Handling Devices, namely the mobile telephone 15 and the computer 17. The CHDs will receive the message indicating that someone is calling the land line telephone 5. If the caller ID is supplied the name of the caller, if available, will also be displayed. A computer program component on the registered CHD will give the user various options as to how the call can be handled.

If the user decides to answer the call on the registered CHD 15, they may do so by carrying out an appropriate action on the CHD. Once the user decides to answer the call on their CHD, an IP session will be established between the CHD 15 and the PCCR device 13. The registered CHD 15 will convert voice signals that it receives from an attached or included microphone into IP communication packets. These packets will be sent to the PCCR device 13 using the IP communication session established previously. The PCCR device 13 will convert the IP communication packets back into analog wave forms and place them on the landline telephone connection 7 leading back to the telephony network 23. It is important to note that the landline telephone 5 for which the call was initially intended is not picked up. Circuitry in the PCCR device 13 simulates the "pick up" of the landline telephone 5. As far as the telephony network 23 is concerned, the call has been answered and the telephony network 23 has established a POTS connection between the calling party 21 and the landline telephone 5. When a user speaks into the calling party device 21 , the incoming speech waveform along the landline telephone connection is picked up by the PCCR device 13. The PCCR device 13 translates the incoming analog signal into a digital equivalent signal and sends the digital equivalent signal out in IP communication packets to the connected CHD 15 over the already established IP communication connection. Computer program code on the CHD 15 picks up these packets and translates them back into analog waveforms which are then presented to the user.

It can be seen from the foregoing that no changes are needed on the calling party device 21 or on the telephony network 23 side. Neither the calling party device nor the telephony network 23 is aware of the PCCR device 13. To both the calling party 21 and the telephony network 23, it will appear that the call is answered by the landline telephone 5. Practically any Wi-Fi capable device with a microphone and a speaker as well as the ADC, DAC and IP communication module can be a registered CHD. If desired, the PCCR device 13 can be configured to allow either another CHD or the landline telephone 5 to subsequently join the conversation between the initial CHD and the calling party device 21 . Various call handling procedures will be put in place to permit this functionality. Effectively, if a user picks up the landline telephone during a call that is being routed to a CHD, the PCCR device can treat the landline telephone as an extension and allow the user of the landline device to join the conversation. The PCCR device 13 could also be configured to play a message down the line 7 to the landline telephone 5 saying that the call had already been answered and if they wish to join the call they should press a number on the keypad of the landline telephone 5. If the landline telephone user opts to join the call the other users could be informed as well by a chime or pre-recorded voice (configurable) being transmitted to both the CHD user and the calling party 21 . There are several options as to how the call may be handled if picked up subsequently by another party with the landline, including, but not limited to: a silent pickup, a requested join procedure, an alert to the other parties and no alert to the other parties, to name but a few. If another CHD user wishes to join the conversation, a second IP communication connection between the second CHD user and the PCCR device may be established to handle communications therebetween.

Referring once more to Figure 2, the POTS interface component 131 deals with all of the signaling needed to control the landline telephone connection 7. The POTS interface is directly attached to the landline telephone connection 7. When the POTS interface 131 receives a ringing signal it informs the processor 132 which in turn sends out a message to every registered CHD 15, 17. The PCCR device 13 then waits for further instructions from one of the registered call handling devices 15, 17 or the landline telephone. If a CHD, for example the mobile telephone CHD 15, wants to answer the call, the mobile telephone CHD 15 sends a message using IP communication to the PCCR device 13. This message will cause the POTS interface to simulate a call pickup.

Incoming voice signals from the 3^rd party calling device (not shown) will pass through the POTS interface 131 , the ADC 133 and the IP communication Connection OUT module 136 of the PCCR device 13 before being sent over the WLAN to the CHD 15. When the IP communication packets reach the CHD 15, they pass through the IP communication Connection IN module 155, followed by a DAC 154 before being passed to the speaker 151 . Outgoing communication signals from the mobile phone CHD 15 will pass through the microphone 152, the ADC 153 and the IP communication Connection OUT module 156 before being sent out over the WLAN to the PCCR device 13. Once at the PCCR device, the communication signal will pass through the IP communication Connection IN module 137 and on to the DAC 134 before passing on to the POTS interface 131 . The POTS interface 131 will place the now-converted analog communication signals on the landline telephone connection 7 and the telephony network 23 will deliver them to the calling party 21 .

In order to make an outgoing call, a similar process to that described above is performed. First of all, a CHD user opens up a call routing software component on their CHD. For example, if the CHD in question is a mobile telephone 15, the user of the CHD opens an application on the CHD and selects a contact to call or dials a number with a keypad. It is envisaged that in certain implementations, it will not be necessary for the user to open a separate, dedicated application and instead the CHD, once registered with the PCCR at that moment in time, will be able to seamlessly place the call through the PCCR and the landline connection by using their standard address book or keypad on their phone as the phone will detect the presence of the PCCR and recognize that it is available to route the call. The result of either of these actions will be to "dial" a number. The CHD 15 will open an IP communication connection to the PCCR device 13. Through this connection, the CHD will send the requested dialed number to the PCCR device 13. The PCCR device 13 will then use its POTS interface 131 to dial the number on the landline telephone connection.

The telephony network 23 will set up the call and ring the called party device 21 . If the called party device is answered, a telephone line is set up between the called party 21 and the PCCR device 13. If the person using the CHD 15 speaks, their voice will be converted into digital format by the CHD in the manner described above and sent in IP communication packets to the PCCR device 13. The PCCR device 13 will convert these packets back into analog waveforms and place them on the landline telephone connection 7. The person on the called party device 21 will then be able to hear these packets as they would a normal telephone voice signal as the PCCR device 13 has converted the digitised voice back into an analogue voice signal. If the person using the called party device 21 speaks, their voice signal will be delivered by the telephony network 23 to the PCCR device 13 as a POTS signal. The PCCR device 13 will convert this POTS signal into a digital format and send this digital format to the CHD 15 using IP communications. The CHD will then convert these digitised sound packets back into analogue sound waves and present them to the user on the connected/built-in speaker. Advantageously, if the user chooses to place the call on a landline telephone 5, the PCCR device 13 will merely log the call. The PCCR device 13 will pass the call through it noting the call details which it will store on a remote server (not shown) if configured to do so.

In order to operate in the system described above, the CHDs must register with the PCCR device. In order to do this, the CHD must first of all download the appropriate CHD software onto the supported CHD device unless the appropriate software is already pre-loaded thereon. Once the CHD software is loaded onto the CHD, the CHD will "look" for a PCCR device that is on the same WLAN network as the CHD is currently registered with. If the CHD does not find a PCCR device on that WLAN, it will report that no PCCR device is available and that one should be made available if the CHD user wishes to use the CHD to answer calls and make calls through the landline. If the CHD finds a PCCR on the same WLAN, it will attempt to connect with the PCCR.

In order to register the CHD with the PCCR device for the first time, the CHD will broadcast a signal on the WLAN looking for a PCCR device. The PCCR device, detecting the broadcast signal, will respond to the CHD signal by transmitting its IP address to the CHD. The CHD will then attempt to register with the PCCR device. During the configuration of the PCCR device, the PCCR operator will have set the required security level for access to the PCCR. For the purposes of this example, we will assume that there are only two possible security levels, a first security level with open access to all CHDs (essentially no security) and a second security level that requires a password to register with the PCCR. If the PCCR is configured to have open access, any requesting CHD will be allowed to register. If there is password security enabled on the PCCR, then a password prompt will appear on the CHD. If the user enters the incorrect password they will not be allowed to register with the PCCR. If the user enters the correct password they will be allowed to register with the PCCR. Every WLAN enabled CHD has a unique identification number (most IEEE 802 network technologies including Wi-Fi have a unique MAC address), and if the preceding security steps are completed successfully, the unique identification number of the CHD is stored in the PCCR and the PCCR thereafter will know to allow this particular CHD to "log on" to the PCCR in future. Once "logged on" to the PCCR device, the CHD device will be ready to operate. If the CHD is already registered then the CHD will indicate that it is ready to make or take calls through the PCCR. Once the CHD has been registered with the PCCR device, the CHD will look for the PCCR device when the CHD is connected to the WLAN. If the CHD finds the PCCR device it will "log on" automatically.

In order to connect the PCCR device to the WLAN, the following are required: A wireless router providing a wireless LAN. For the purposes of this example, the WLAN is named "MyNetwork"; a PCCR device in non-associated mode (straight out of the box or after a full reset); a PC or other CHD capable of running the PCCR configuration software; and the PCCR configuration software. The PCCR device contains a Wi-Fi chip and is therefore Wi-Fi enabled. The PCCR device will initially boot up in "ad hoc" mode. The PCCR configuration software running on the PC or other CHD can connect wirelessly to the PCCR device using this "ad-hoc" mode. Once connected, this software can be used to configure the PCCR device to join the local wireless LAN (i.e. "MyNetwork") and the relevant level of security for the PCCR device can be selected. For the purposes of the present example, only two levels of security are described, no security and a password type approach. However, in reality, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or other commonly known security approaches would be built into the PCCR device. The net result is that the PCCR device is now on the local WLAN, and is operating as an "open" device or a password protected one. Other devices on the WLAN can see it and attempt to register with it.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings there is shown a diagrammatic representation of an alternative system in which the method according to the present invention may be performed, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before, indicated generally by the reference numeral 30. The system 30 allows for advanced voicemail and call logging functionality. The system 30 comprises a web based Rules Engine 301 , a web based Contact Database 303, a web based Voicemail and Call Logging Database 305 and an Account Information module 307. The PCCR device 13 will be able to support advanced voicemail as it can be connected to the Internet 25 through the wireless modem 1 1 and ADSL broadband connection 9. One or more devices will be available through the world wide web/Internet for storing the voicemail. For the purposes of this specification the terms internet and world wide web have been used interchangeably and will be understood to mean a computer accessible communication network. As the voicemails are stored on devices accessible through the Internet, the user will be able to access his/her voicemail from anywhere he/she has a suitable device with an Internet connection. This access could be through a variety of devices. As well as voicemail, the PCCR device system can also be configured to store user information on devices accessible through the Internet. During system set-up, the user will enter information about themselves (their account information) and set-up rules for handling voicemail and call logging options. These rules can be stored in the rules engine 301 . A copy of the users contact information can also be stored in a contact database 303 on the Internet 25.

In use, a 3^rd party device 21 is used to call the user's landline telephone 5. The household communications system 3 treats this as an incoming call as described above. If the call is not picked up after a certain number of rings, or after a predetermined period of time, or if a CHD user so directs, the PCCR device routes this call to the voice mail system. The PCCR device 13 detects who the calling party is from their Caller ID, if available, and thereafter accesses the contacts database 301 and passes the identity of the caller on to the rules engine 301 . The rules engine 301 will then determine what voice mail greeting to play and passes the appropriate voice mail greeting back to the PCCR device 13. The PCCR device 13 will "pick up" the landline telephone and play the retrieved greeting. At the end of the greeting the PCCR device will record the message if there is one and store it in the voicemail and call logging database 305. Once the PCCR device 13 has noted that the caller has hung up, or, the allocated time for recording a voicemail message is up, it will terminate the call and record the call logging information in the voicemail and call logging database 305. The PCCR device 13 will then query the rules engine 301 to send out an alert to the landline telephone 5 user. The alert type will preferably have been configured previously by the user. The alert could for example be an SMS message, an email or other electronic message. In this way, personalized voice mail greetings can be played to different callers. The rules engine 301 will allow the user to control what greeting is played to which callers. If the caller's caller ID is available, a personalized voice mail greeting can be played. For example, if a caller is a personal friend of the system user and the system user has created a rule that personal friends should get a specific greeting, different to what is presented to other users or groups such as family, the caller will be given the specific greeting. If the caller ID is not present the method may follow a number of options. For example, the call may be ignored, the call may be answered with a message that callers that do not have recognized caller IDs or that have hidden their caller IDs cannot leave messages or alternatively a very non-descript, impersonal message may be delivered such as a simple recitation of the number and a prompt to leave a message. The method and system are very flexible and configurable in this manner.

It is envisaged that the PCCR device itself may have the voice mail system or at least components thereof and it may not be necessary to provide a remote internet based voice mail system. For example, it is envisaged that the PCCR could have memory for storage of the recorded voice mails or access to memory over the WLAN for storage of the recorded voice mails. In such an embodiment, one or more of the Rules Engine 301 , the Contact Database 303, the Voicemail and Call Logging Database 305 and the Account Information module 307 could be provided locally (i.e. on the PCCR itself or accessible locally) rather than being web-based. Furthermore, it is envisaged that in the scenario where the Voicemail and Call Logging Database 305 is web based, there may be provision for temporarily storing the voicemails locally and subsequently transferring the voicemails to the web based Voicemail and Call Logging Database 305. This would be particularly useful if the broadband connection were to temporarily fail as the messages could be stored locally and sent to the remote location once connectivity has been re-established.

Referring to Figure 4, there is shown an alternative configuration of system, indicated general by the reference numeral 41 , in which the method according to the invention may be performed and where like parts have been given the same reference numerals as before. In the embodiment shown, the wireless modem 1 1 comprises an ADSL modem 1 1 1 and a Wi-Fi Router 1 13. A telephone line from the Telephony network 23 that can carry ADSL and voice data is connected directly to the wireless modem 1 1 . The signal arriving at the wireless modem is passed through an ADSL filter 43 en route to the landline telephone 5. The ADSL filter 43 is effectively a low pass filter and removes the ADSL signal component from the POTS connection 7. This POTS content is delivered to the PCCR 13 and from there to the landline telephone or one of the CHDs 15, 17. Similarly, outgoing communications are routed from one of the CHDs 15, 17 or the landline telephone 5 through the PCCR device 13 and thereafter through the ADSL filter 43 to the ADSL modem 1 1 1 before being transmitted onwards to the 3^rd party device. It will be understood that the ADSL modem 1 1 1 captures any ADSL communication signals on the incoming line and handles those appropriately.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, there is shown another still alternative configuration of system, indicated generally by the reference numeral 51 , in which the method according to the invention may be performed and where like parts have been given the same reference numerals as before. The system 51 differs from the systems shown before in that there is no broadband connection in the household. There is a wireless router 53, preferably a Wi-Fi router to provide the WLAN and a PCCR device 13. The PCCR device can route communications between the third party device 21 and the CHDs 15, 17 over the WLAN and the POTS connection 7 as previously described. It is envisaged that various modifications to the system and method could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the functionality of the PCCR device 13 could be included in another device which has access to the POTS 7 part of the telephone line. For instance, if the wireless modem and splitter were combined into one unit this unit could then build-in the functionality of the PCCR device. In other words, the PCCR device can be a stand-alone unit or its functionality could be built into another device which had access to the POTS 7 part of the line and had access to the wireless network. A splitter and wireless modem combination device could be one such device. Alternatively, much of the PCCR devices 13 functionality could be built into the landline telephone 5 or indeed a wireless router.

Throughout the specification, the PCCR device is described as having an IP communication module for communications with the CHDs via the wireless router. In those circumstances where the wireless router and the PCCR device are separate, physically distinct devices, the IP communications module will preferably further comprise a wireless communication module to provide wireless communications between the PCCR device and the wireless router. It is envisaged however that in certain circumstances, a wired connection between the PCCR device and the wireless router could be provided to enable communication between these two devices and a wireless communication module would not necessarily have to be provided in the IP communications module of the PCCR device. In those circumstances where the PCCR device and the wireless router are part of the same device, the communications between the PCCR device and the wireless router may be over a wired connection in which case the PCCR device's IP communication module would not require a wireless communication module to communicate with the wireless router. The CHD's IP communication module will comprise a wireless communication module to provide wireless communications between the CHD and the wireless router.

In some of the embodiments shown, the PCCR device 13 needs a wireless network (WLAN) at the landline telephone 5 end and a broadband connection 9 to the wireless modem 1 1 which provides this wireless network and the Internet. Currently, the most common way of providing this structure in a household is with an ADSL service and a Wi-Fi network. However the PCCR device concept will work with other broadband technologies that can connect to the Internet or wireless technology which provides a wireless local area network. For the purposes of clarity all of the above examples have been described as using ADSL and Wi-Fi, although these technologies can be replaced by others. Furthermore, the components such as the landline telephone 5, the splitter 19 and the wireless modem 1 1 can be arranged differently but the same overall effect can be achieved.

The system according to the invention can be configured to log all call information about calls made or received through it to a remote memory over the Internet. Software tools could also extract the call details of calls made on other CHDs, such as mobile phones, that did not go through the PCCR device. This data could be merged with the PCCR device call logs to give a total picture of a person's calling history. This unified call history could be analysed as to which calling plan would suit best in many different disparate situations. It will be possible to let the user know which telephone network (landline or mobile) offer the best rate for a particular dialed number and dialing number while the call is being set up in real time. When a user "dials" a number on a CHD, the software on the CHD could connect to the system's servers via the Internet 25 and check what the best way of making the call is. Depending on price, the CHD might send the call out on the mobile network or through the land line. It would however be necessary for the user to enter the correct billing plan for their mobile telephone/landline connection.

In this specification, the calling/called party 21 may be another landline telephone user or a mobile telephone user in which case at least some of the call to or from the called/calling party 21 will be over the fixed line network and part of the call will be routed over a mobile telecommunications network. What is important is that the calls are routed on the fixed line network coming into or leaving the household communications system. The fixed line network will be understood to mean the traditional PSTN network and also the connection provided through a cable modem by a cable operator.

As will be understood, many cable operators, such as, for example UPC (registered trade mark) offer a phone service to complement their television and Internet offering to the household. The cable operator runs a cable to the customer's house which is delivered into a cable modem. This cable modem then supports various services including, inter alia, Internet access (via wired or wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi) connectivity), a TV cable which is inserted into a television set-top box for television programming, and one or more phone jacks which can support a POTS line. Normally, at least one of the phone jacks is active and a regular POTS phone can be inserted into this telephone jack. Inside the cable modem, the POTS protocol received at this jack is converted into VOIP for onwards transmission and VOIP signals are converted into POTS protocol for delivery through the jack to a landline phone in the household. The cable modem effectively has a built-in VOIP gateway however, the POTS phones connecting into the cable modem are unaware of this and operate as if they are plugged directly into the PSTN network as usual.

Sometimes, the cable modem does not support Wi-Fi and a separate Wi-Fi modem is purchased and connected to the cable modem. However, it is now common to support Wi-Fi from the cable modem. The PCCR of the present invention may be connected directly into the phone jack of the cable modem as the cable modem supports POTS connections. The PCCR is then configured to join the Wi-Fi network that the cable modem or other connected device in the installation provides as the customer's smartphone will also be on this Wi-Fi network. Therefore, when a third party calls the telephone number associated with this cable installation the PCCR 13 will see the regular POTS signals and will be able to send it to any listening CHDs allowing them to answer the call. For outgoing calls it acts in the same manner as described before. The CHD 15, 17 sends the call details to the PCCR 13 which in turn places them on the line. In some locations, fibre broadband modems are on offer to consumers. These fibre modems operate much like the cable modem in that they have a POTS telephone jack available. In those instances, the PCCR device may be connected to the fibre modem's POTS jack and operate in much the same manner as described above. Therefore, by landline, it will be understood to mean fixed line telephone services delivered from the home over the PSTN, cable or fibre networks.

It will be understood that many of the components of the system and method steps will be performed largely in software. Software components of the system will be placed on the PCCR device 13, on call handling devices such as wireless enabled mobile phones 15, desktop computers 17, portable computers, TVs and other consumer electronic devices. Additional software will be placed on the Internet 25 for dealing with tasks such as downloading software to call handling devices 15, 17, updating the software on the PCCR device 13, system configuration, account management, storage of voice mails, call logs and call handling rules.

The PCCR device software which runs on CHDs will be known as the PCCR device CHD software. Each different type of supported CHD will have its own device specific PCCR device CHD software. Some CHDs have dedicated channels for installing and upgrading software on to them. For example, the iPhone's ® App Store ® and the Android ® phone's Android Market ®. The PCCR devices CHD software will be placed in the appropriate channel and the users will be able to download it from there to their devices ("the App Store model"). For other CHDs such as desktop computers or portable computers, the appropriate PCCR device software will be made available on download servers in the Internet. It is envisioned that multiple Operating Systems will be supported.

When the PCCR device software is started on a CHD, it will look for a paired PCCR device. If the CHD does not find one it will instruct the user to install a PCCR device or do the appropriate configuration if they already have the PCCR device. Once the user has placed the PCCR device into the appropriate part of their telecommunications setup (normally between the ADSL splitter and existing telephone handset) it first must be connected to the user's wireless network and then paired with any CHDs that are members of the user's wireless network which have the PCCR devices CHD software running on them.

It will be understood that the system and method according to the present invention will be performed largely in software and therefore the present invention extends also to computer programs, on or in a carrier, comprising program instructions for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method. The computer program may be in source code format, object code format or a format intermediate source code and object code. The computer program may be stored on or in a carrier, in other words a computer program product, including any computer readable medium, including but not limited to a floppy disc, a CD, a DVD, a memory stick, a tape, a RAM, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM or a hardware circuit. In certain circumstances, a transmissible carrier such as a carrier signal when transmitted either wirelessly and/or through wire and/or cable could carry the computer program in which cases the wire and/or cable constitute the carrier. It will be further evident that the present invention may be performed on more than one (processing) machine and even those parts of the method and system described in relation to a single processor or a single computer or machine may in fact be performed over two, three or more machines with certain parts of the computer-implemented method being performed by one device and other parts of the computer-implemented method being performed by another device. The devices may be part of a LAN, WLAN or could be connected together over a communications network including but not limited to the internet. Indeed, throughout the specification, reference is made to multiple databases. It will be understood that a single database could be provided divided artificially into multiple sections.

Many of the method steps can be performed "in the cloud", meaning that remotely located processing power may be utilised to process certain method steps of the present invention. It will be further understood that many of the method steps may not be performed in the cloud but could still be performed remotely, by which it is meant that the method steps could be performed either on a separate machine or machines in the same locality or jurisdiction or indeed on a separate machine or machines in one or more remote jurisdictions. Steps performed "in the cloud" may be performed in the same or in a different jurisdiction to the other steps. The present invention and claims are intended to cover those instances where the method is performed across two or more machines located in one or more jurisdictions.

In this specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" and the terms "include, includes, included and including" are all deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims:

(1 ) A method of routing an incoming call from a calling party (21 ) in a household communications system (3), the household communications system comprising: a landline telephone (5) and landline telephone connection (7); a wireless router (1 13) to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN); a programmable call control and routing (PCCR) device (13) mounted in line on the landline telephone connection (7), the PCCR device comprising a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface (131 ), a processor (132) running computer program code, an accessible memory (138), an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) (133), a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) (134) and an IP communication module (135, 136, 137); and at least one WLAN enabled call handling device (CHD) (15, 17) registered with the PCCR device (13) through the WLAN, the CHD (15, 17) comprising a speaker (151 ), a microphone (152), an ADC (153), a DAC (154) and an IP communication module (155, 156); the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the PCCR device (13) identifying an incoming call designated for the landline telephone (5);

(b) the PCCR device transmitting an incoming call alert to the at least one CHD (15, 17) over the WLAN;

(c) the CHD transmitting a call acceptance message to the PCCR device; (d) the PCCR device, on receiving the call acceptance message from the CHD, establishing an IP communication session with the CHD and simulating a call pick up signal to the calling party (21 ) using the POTS interface (131 ); and

(e) for the duration of the call, the PCCR device (13) thereafter routing incoming communications from the calling party (21 ) to the CHD (15, 17), off the landline telephone connection (7) and onto the IP communication link to the CHD (15, 17), and routing outgoing communications from the CHD to the calling party (21 ), off the IP communication link and onto the landline connection (7).

A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which, in the absence of a call pick up from either the landline telephone (7) or the CHD (15, 17) after a predetermined number of rings or after a predetermined time period has elapsed, instead of steps (c) to (e), the method comprises the alternative steps of:

(f) the PCCR device (13) answering the call;

(g) the PCCR device playing a call answering message;

(h) the PCCR device recording the message left by the calling party.

A method as claimed in claim 2 in which the system comprises a broadband connection (9) and the method comprises the additional step of:

(i) the PCCR device (13) transmitting the recorded message to an internet (25) based remote memory (305) over the broadband connection for storage in the remote memory.

A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3 comprising the additional intermediate steps, prior to answering the call, of: (j) the PCCR device (13) passing a caller identifier to a call answering system (303);

(k) the call answering system retrieving a voice mail message particular to the calling party (21 ) based on the caller identifier and transmitting that voice mail message to the PCCR device (13); and

A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

(m) the PCCR device (13) recording the call; and

(n) transmitting the recorded call to a remote memory (305) for storage in the memory.

A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the system comprises a broadband connection (9) and the step of transmitting the recorded call to the remote memory (305) comprises transmitting the recorded call to the remote memory over the broadband connection.

A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the additional steps of:

(o) the PCCR device (13) recording call logging information; and

(p) transmitting the recorded call logging information to a remote memory (305) for storage in the memory.

A method of routing an outgoing call from a WLAN enabled call handling device (15, 17) in a household communications system (3), the household communications system comprising: a landline telephone (5) and landline telephone connection (7); a wireless modem (1 1 ) to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN); a PCCR device (13) mounted in line on the landline telephone connection (7), the PCCR device (13) comprising a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface (131 ), a processor (132) running computer program code, an accessible memory (138), an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) (133), a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) (134) and an IP communication module (135, 136, 137); and the WLAN enabled call handling device (CHD) being registered with the PCCR device through the WLAN, the CHD comprising a speaker, a microphone, an ADC, a DAC and an IP communication module; the method comprising the steps of:

(q) the CHD (15, 17) establishing an IP communication connection with the PCCR device (13);

(r) the CHD (15, 17) transmitting an outgoing call request comprising a called party number to the PCCR device over the IP communication connection;

(s) the PCCR device using the POTS interface (131 ) to transmit a call set up request onto the landline telephone connection (7) to establish a POTS connection between the called party (21 ) and the PCCR device (13);

(t) on the called party accepting the call, establishing a POTS connection between the called party (21 ) and the PCCR device (13); and

(u) for the duration of the call, the PCCR device (13) thereafter routing incoming communications from the called party to the CHD (15, 17), off the landline telephone connection (7) and onto the IP communication link to the CHD, and routing outgoing communications from the CHD to the called party, off the IP communication link and onto the landline connection.

A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising the additional steps of:

(m) the PCCR device (13) recording the call; and

A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9 in which the system comprises a broadband connection (9) and the recorded call is transmitted to remote memory (305) over the broadband connection for storage in memory.

A method as claimed in claims 8 to 10 comprising the additional steps of.

(o) the PCCR device (13) recording call logging information; and

A method as claimed in claims 8 to 1 1 comprising the steps of, after step (r) of the CHD (15, 17) transmitting an outgoing call request comprising a called party number to the PCCR device (13) over the IP communication connection:

(v) the PCCR device (13) accessing a memory (138) with billing rate information pertaining to both the landline and the mobile telephony networks; determining a preferred routing for the call; and (x) the PCCR device (13) thereafter routing the call through the landline according to steps (s) to (u) inclusive or instructing the mobile telephone (15) to route the call through the mobile telephony network.

A method as claimed in claim 12 in which, subsequent to step (w) and prior to step (x), the method includes the intermediate step of:

(y) the PCCR (13) indicating to the CHD user the preferred routing for the call determined at step (w), prompting the user to choose a routing for the call and thereafter routing the call according to the choice of the CHD user.

A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the initial preliminary setup steps of: plugging a landline telephone connection jack of a first landline telephone connection (7) cable, led from a POTS wall socket, into a first port (191 ) of the PCCR (13); and plugging a landline telephone connection jack on one end of a second landline telephone connection (7) cable into a second port (193) of the PCCR device (13) and plugging a landline telephone connection jack on the other end of the landline telephone connection cable into a socket of the landline telephone (5).

A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the preliminary set-up step of registering the PCCR device (13) with a wireless router in the household communications system (3).

A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the preliminary set-up step of registering a CHD (15, 17) with the PCCR device (13) through the WLAN in the household communications system (3). A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the preliminary set-up step of downloading the PCCR device CHD software to the CHD.

A programmable call control and routing (PCCR) device (13) for mounting in line on a landline telephone connection (7), the PCCR device (13) comprising: a first port (191 ) for receiving a POTS line connector to intercept the POTS line intermediate a wall socket and a landline telephone (5);

a second port (193) for receiving a POTS line connector for delivery of the POTS line onwards to the landline telephone (5);

a plain old telephone service (POTS) interface (131 ) operable to intercept communications coming from the telephone network (23) side for redirection to a CHD (15, 17) and to receive communications from a CHD (15, 17) and place those communications onto the POTS line for transmission to the telephone network (23) side;

a processor (132) running computer program code;

an accessible memory (138);

an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) (133) for digitizing captured POTS signals for onward transmission to a CHD;

a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) (134) for receiving digital data packets and converting the digital data packets into an analog signal; and an IP communication module (135, 136, 137) for communicating data packets to and from a CHD.

A PCCR device (13) as claimed in claim 18 comprising a wireless communications module for communication with at least one CHD over a WLAN.

A PCCR device as claimed in claim 19 in which the wireless communications module comprises a Wi-Fi communications module.

A PCCR device as claimed in claims 18 to 20 in which the PCCR comprises a wireless router (1 13).