WO2024009008A1

WO2024009008A1 - Telephony service platform providing value added services

Info

Publication number: WO2024009008A1
Application number: PCT/FI2023/050435
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marko HENTILÄ
Original assignee: Nsf Telecom Ab
Priority date: 2022-07-07
Filing date: 2023-07-07
Publication date: 2024-01-11

Abstract

The telephony service platform of the invention provides one or more Value Added Services (VAS) for registered users in wired and wireless telephone networks. The Value Added Services (VAS) are provided as cloud services over virtual links to the users. Each Value Added Service (VAS) is associated with a telephone number based service number and pre-defined functions defined in a database to be performed by the telephony service platform selectively for each registered user on the basis of one or more telephone numbers of the registered user at calls to the telephony service platform.

Description

TELEPHONY SERVICE PLATFORM PROVIDING VALUE ADDED SERVICES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is concerned with a telephony service platform providing value added services.

BACKGROUND

Telephony is traditionally referred to as the construction or operation of telephones and telephonic systems and as a system of telecommunications in which telephonic equipment is employed in the transmission of speech or other sound between points, with or without the use of wires.

Telephony nowadays includes the technologies of Internet services and mobile communication, including video conferencing. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, which is a form of digital telephone service in which calls, such as voice communications and multimedia sessions, are sent and received over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. To utilize Voice over IP phone systems, all users need is a high-speed Internet connection and a VoIP phone service provider. The new technologies based on Internet Protocol (IP) concepts are often referred to separately as voice over IP (VoIP) telephony, also commonly referred to as IP telephony or Internet telephony.

Basic telephony functions offer flexibility in making and receiving calls. In addition to making and receiving calls, other important phone functions include voicemail, call redirection, call transfer, call forwarding, conference calling, call logging (collection, evaluation, and reporting of technical and statistical data about telephone calls), call barring (blocking of selected types of outgoing and/or incoming calls), and call restriction (blocking of specified incoming calls form e.g. certain numbers or blocking the called party to see who is the caller or preventing certain numbers being dialed for outgoing calls). Blacklist and whitelist call restrictions allow to accept or reject specified calls.

Value-added services (VAS) is a term used in telecommunications to describe non-core features or non-core services, or, in short, all services beyond standard voice calls and fax transmissions. Such Value-added services are generally marketed as premium features and add-ons to basic core functions.

Smartphones offer more than traditional mobile phones, but they can be overly complicated and many of their features can be more hindrance than help if all you want from a phone is the ability to make calls and send text messages. Because of the massive amounts of functionality smartphones offer over feature phones, they can seem complicated to use. A smartphone with a simple and easy to use interface is therefore a necessity.

Along the development of smartphones and high-speed mobile Internet, a sort of a paradigm shift is taking place in the telecommunications industry. People are using mobile devices not only to make calls. Nevertheless, phone calls are still the most consistent use for mobile phones with the level of usage remaining steady over time, providing an effective opportunity for sustained monetization for operators.

At the same time, network operators are facing strong competition with low switching barriers for end-users. In order to have a higher retention rate, they need to provide additional value to their services. By offering a modern Mobile Value-Added Service (MVAS) network, operators strive to become unique and increase customer loyalty.

Operators themselves, however, have the advantage in having a head-start being leading companies in providing Value-Added Services (VAS) by providing the telephony networks for existing clients.

Over-The-Top (OTT) applications open a way for other type of service providers for providing Value-Added Services (VAS) as cloud services and products over the Internet by bypassing traditional distribution.

As a cloud user, cost flexibility can lead to gains in internal efficiency and substantial cost savings for the Communication Service Provider (CSP). As a cloud provider, a CSP can generate new revenue streams by offering cost flexibility based on its own cloud. CSPs might own the connecting networks and provide hosting and other services. CSPs can provide hosted integrated communication services (such as voice, short message service (SMS), instant messaging (IM), video conferences, and collaboration) cost effectively from the cloud. A communications service provider (CSP) is a service provider that transports information electronically, being for example a telecommunications service provider. The term encompasses public and private companies in the telecom (landline and wireless), Internet, cable, satellite, and managed services businesses.

Cloud Telephony means a telephony service provided from cloud hosted infrastructure meaning that the service is offered from the cloud. A CSP and a Cloud Telephony Service Provider can mediate telecommunication.

The object of the invention is to deliver innovative services to clients in this way by making use of Over-The-Top (OTT) applications.

SUMMARY

The telephony service platform of the invention provides one or more Value Added Services (VAS) for registered users in wired and wireless telephone networks. The Value Added Services (VAS) are provided as cloud services over virtual links to the users. Each Value Added Service (VAS) is associated with a telephone number based service number and predefined functions defined in a database to be performed by the telephony service platform selectively for each registered user on the basis of one or more telephone numbers of the registered user at calls to the telephony service platform.

The preferable embodiments of the invention have the characteristics of the subclaims.

The calls to the telephony service platform can be to a service number to a particular VAS.

The telephony service platform of the invention works in a hybrid environment meaning that the cloud services provided can be accessed from all kinds of networks by means of interoperability via virtual links. Virtual links are herein meant as links enabling telephone networks, such as PSTN and PLNM to operate over Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks, such as the Internet. For this purpose, the invention preferably uses the Signaling System 7 (SS7) signaling protocol or Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, connections, such as SIP trunks by means of which the virtual links are set up.

The calls to the service number of a particular VAS can therefor originate from a public telephone number, such as a call from a wired Public Switched Telephone Network ( PSTN), or from a wireless Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or via a service number such as a Universal Access Number (UAN) Service. UAN is a number resource that allows a service or business with several terminating lines to be reached through a unique universal number. The virtual link can also be a call by the Voice Over Internet Protocol, VoIP, from e.g. a VoIP number or the incoming calls to the service number of a particular VAS originate from originate from an internal telephone number that can be a GSM number that is registered as a VoIP number being a sc “hidden parallel VoIP number”.

The Value Added Service, VAS, can e g. be a white list service, a black list service or a group call service, each having its own service number that is based on a public telephone number or an internal telephone number. Generally, the VAS services of the invention, such as the White list service, can be invoked by means of a call forwarding (e.g. call forward unconditional/conditional) to a given service or by calling directly to the service number.

White list service/Black list service

In the white list service, there is an individual white list for each user registered for the white list service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user. Each individual white list contains a list of allowed telephone numbers from which calls are allowed to be terminated to the registered user or are allowed to be called by the registered user.

In a black list service, there is an individual black list for each user registered for the black list service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user. Each individual black list contains a list of forbidden telephone numbers from which calls are blocked and not allowed to be terminated to the registered user.

The call can be received to the service number of the white list service of the telephony service platform from a calling party informing, to the telephony service platform, a registered telephone number to be called to as the intended callee.

The call can also be received as an outgoing call from a caller, who is a registered user, whereby the registered user can be authenticated and/or identified on the basis of the registered telephone number of the registered user or biometrically , such as on the basis of the voice of the registered user.

Still further, the incoming call can be received to the service number of the white list service of the telephony service platform as a forwarded call originating as an incoming from a calling party to the registered user as an intended callee, whereby the telephony service platform can identify the intended callee from the incoming call on the basis of the (forwarding) telephone number of the registered user (=the intended callee). If the registered user has a public telephone number, then this service subscriber (i.e. registered user) can be identified directly like this and is thus accessible directly. If an internal number or a “cloned” mobile number, such as an MSISDN number, is used as subscriber number then direct access is only possible from the subscribers in the same VoIP domain or via an ’’access telephony gateway”. When using an ’’access telephony gateway”, it means that an internal number or a cloned mobile number could be fetched via the IVR/STT function - that is connected to the publicly accessible Service number. An automatic call (“call out of blue”) could also be activated with a SIP or SMS message or other service triggering signal. On a cellular network, MSISDN (Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network) is the phone number which identifies a device during calls or data sessions.

The received incoming call to the white list service of the telephony service platform can be a call that was forwarded from a telephone number of the registered user automatically, by the CFU, CallForwarding Unconditional functionality. This can take place in any case or if in a certain time the registered user was not reached as a result of that the originating call was not answered by the registered number in a certain time, whereby the CFNR, No reply function is used. Further, it can take place if the telephone of the registered user was not in the network by using the CF, not reachable function or if the telephone number of the registered user was busy, whereby the CF, on busy, function is used.

The received call to the white list service of the telephony service platform can also be a call that was forwarded from a telephone number of the registered user manually by the registered user. The registered user can e.g. click on a button on the user device of the user upon which the call to the registered user is forwarded via a short number to the white list service. In this connection, an IVR/ASR service can figure out from the caller to whom the caller wants to connect the call. Regarding IVR/ASR, see later in the text. One option is to require a Personal identification Number (PIN) from the caller if the caller is not included in the white list.

The pre-defined functions of the white list service comprises steps as performed by the telephony service platform that consist in fetching an individual white list of a registered user from the database on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user at a call to the telephony service platform to the telephony service number of the white list function, reading the telephone number of the caller from the call and checking whether the telephone number of the caller is included in the individual white list, and terminating the call to the registered user if the telephone number of the caller is included in the individual white list, or blocking the call if the telephone number of the caller is not included in the individual white list.

The pre-defined functions of the white list service further comprises the step of sending a notification to the registered user with information of a blocked call whether a call from a caller to the registered user was blocked. The notification can be sent as a Short Message Service, SMS, text message, a SIP message, another instant message or an internal application message.

Additional functions can be added to the white list service, such as calling line presentation and restriction (“CLIP/CLIR”) type of subscriber services, which can be realized in a more personal and advanced way by combining other services to it. A personal blacklist can for example be added and/or an automatic call back feature, wherein missed whitelisted calls are called up one by one, i.e. when finishing a call, the next call in list is automatically setup. If that is not answered the call will remain in call-back list.

One possible function is that incoming and/or outcoming calls to or from some country or some countries can be allowed or blocked in someone’s own or shared list, i.e. telephone numbers of a given country code can be blocked or allowed selectively according to one’s personal needs.

Another additional possible function is associated with a caller having a telephone number, which is not included in the white list. A call from such a caller might “pop-up” as an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to interact with the callee how to proceed.

Another advantage is advanced control of incoming calls. The white list service could for example be used by a doctor who does not want any call to reach him and instead wishes to control incoming calls. In a possible scenario, a customer service or doctor may call to a customer with calling number presentation so that the customer afterwards can see who has tried to call, if the customer did not answer at once. If the customer then calls back, the call is blocked since the customer was not included in the white list or anyway is blocked or the call is otherwise specially treated e.g. by an announcement played, by being diverted to speech-to-text, or by voice mail. In one embodiment, there could be a function that allows calling back within a given time, such as half an hour, or a call back could be allowed by means of an access code. The doctor being a subscriber of the white list service is able to see all blocked calls in call history and can thus see that the customer has tried to call back.

Also, outgoing calls (i.e. direct calls from registered users) can be controlled by means of the white list or black list.

Group call service

In connection with this service, there is an individual list of call groups for each user registered for the group call service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the call from the registered user being the calling party initiating the group call. The call can come as a short number function call activated by the registered user and then the short number is identified. Each individual list of call groups contains telephone numbers of pre-selected members of different groups, and optionally a common telephone number for joining to a group call for the pre-selected members.

Thus, there can be a short number function for each individual call group being activated by the registered user by clicking on a dedicated button therefor, the user device of the registered user having different call groups to be selected. The act of clicking on a button initiates a call to a short number to a specific service to each registered subscriber.

The pre-defined functions of the group call service comprises steps as performed by the telephony service center consisting in fetching an individual list of call groups from the database on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user at a call to the telephony service platform from the registered user to the telephony service number of the group call service, selecting on the basis of the telephone number, the call group to which an invitation to a group call is to be sent, and sending and invitation to each pre-selected member of the call group together with information of the common number for attending to the group call.

The telephony service platform has one or more telephone service numbers in one or more countries, from which the calls are forwarded or routed to the telephony service platform.

The same VAS subscription can work for a part of a group. A group subscription can have a public invitation number enabling outgoing calls, and a group reachability for incoming calls or inside calls within the group by clicking o a button. Each member can be a part of the same group or or each member can even have an own group to be a part of, e.g. temporarily. A person can e.g. normally be a part of the family, but can temporarily change the members of the family to members of another group.

Some features of the above specifications of the invention are further illustrated in the following.

Identification

A registered user of the telephony services provided by the telephony service center of the invention can be identified on the basis of his telephone number or biometrically.

Identification can take place by means of sensors such as accelerometers, gyros, sensitive touchscreens, microphones and high-resolution cameras, all of which can gather information about physical traits and behaviors that make each person unique.

Several biometric identification methods exist already. Fingerprints are the most well-known biometric identifier. Like fingerprints, face recognition and voice recognition are already being used as well. Other methods might be heartbeat (giving distinct electrical signals being very difficult to replicate and the technology for reading an individual's electrocardiographic signals (ECG) has been around for many years. Further methods are ear shape recognition and even walk style. Iris recognition is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques on video images of one or both of the irises of an individual's eyes, whose complex patterns are unique, stable, and can be seen from some distance.

The human voice is unique as a fingerprint, which is the reason for why voice biometrics technology is used to identify speakers reliably based on their voice. Voice biometrics can be used for various purposes, such as identification a person over the phone.

Biometric authentication adds enhanced security and user convenience of biometric authentication, identification and/or verification. Frustrating, time-consuming verification processes can be replaced simply by allowing users, clients or subscribers to authenticate with their voice. Thus, the telephone number and/or some biometric sample, such as a voice sample of the registered user is stored for identification in a database connected to the telephony service platform of the invention.

Technology

The telephony services provided by the telephony service platform of the invention are cloud service in the Internet and is provided by a telephony service provider, which is a software interface to a user device, such as a physical telephony device, that can be accessed programmatically to perform actions.

The telephony service platform works towards user devices, which enable the processing of voice communication via the internet protocol, i.e. Internet Protocol (IP) phones having a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) client therefore. The VoIP client can e.g. work through Wi-Fi access. Wi-Fi compatible devices can connect to the Internet via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a wireless access point or other Internet connection. The user device can be a narrow/broadband device or phone, such as a landline phone, a tracker phone, a cellphone (2G), a smartphone (3G/4G/LTE), a WiFi-phone, an ATA (analog telephone adapter + old analogue landline phone), and/or an loT device (for e.g. help request, GPS/GSM positioning, or initiating a call out of the blue between the user device and some pre-defined party, such as a caregiver).

An analog telephone adapter (ATA) is a device, with which traditional analog telephones can be connected to a digital telephone system or a voice over IP telephony network. The user can have either one of a mobile phone or a fixed telephone or both (and/or other suitable devices), in which in the last case they can work independently or together.

The telephony service platform is especially used for and works towards user devices through a virtual link by means of SIP trunking or SS7 signaling.

Thus, the telephony services of the invention can work both as built on landline (=wireline) telephony and be used by user devices connected to mobile telephone networks or VoIP user devices. The telephony service of the invention can handle outgoing calls in a special way when both the caller and the callee are registered subscribers. Such outgoing calls do not need to proceed via public or general telephone networks, since instead, they proceed as internal internet calls. A group call with just subscribers is a little more complicated but can be performed without the general and public telephone networks as well. In such a case, a call to each member of a group is called from the group call service of a registered user, whereby the group call service identifies the numbers of the members to be of registered suers and do not route the calls to public or general telephone networks.

General

The telephony service platform of the invention has one or more Value Added Services (VAS) as a cloud service in the Internet for each registered user for performing pre-defined functions of a selected VAS.

Each Value Added Service (VAS) has an own service number to be accessed from a telephone number. The telephony service platform can additionally have one or more service numbers in one or more countries, from which the calls are forwarded to the telephony service platform.

There can also be a type of an assistant service having an own service number to call to from which the telephony service platform instructs the caller further by e.g. Interactive Voice Response IVR/speech recognition or Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency signaling DTMF to a special VAS.

An IVR service efficiently handles incoming calls for improving the service experience and usability for users. The incoming calls are usually routed without IVR interception. However, in special cases, e.g. when routing/call setup is not successful IVT may be invoked for call completion. Conventionally, the interaction with IVR works with pressing on buttons when a spoken IVR message has presented alternatives by voice. In a preferable embodiment of the invention, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) allows contacts to respond to IVR prompts by speaking, either instead of or in addition to, pressing keys on their telephone. The ASR-enabled IVR in the invention recognizes words and phrases, and matches them with values on said pre-defined functions of the VAS services, and route or answer calls accordingly. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is also used in some embodiments being a type of IVR. It is a computer telephony phone application and hardware that accepts voice input and/or touch-phone keypad selection by the user. Thus, the IVR service allows the interaction between the user and the telephony service platform via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition, after which services can be inquired about through the IVR dialogue. IVR systems can respond with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct users on how to proceed.

This general service number can also be a direct IVR-service number and/or at least technically be considered to be one of the Value Added Services. Furthermore, there can be situations at which the telephony service platform of the invention redirects a call that originally was made to another service number, for example if that service failed.

A subfunction can e.g. include an invitation to an assistant to attend live to a call or such as was mentioned above being e.g. an IVR or AVR service. The invitation to a living assistant can either be requested during a call, by e.g. clicking on a button, or be ordered in advance. Also, the IVR or AVR service can be invoked before a service call or during a service session.

The IVR/ASR service can act as an adjunct service to further assist one or more parties involved, which is especially useful in handsfree situation, such as during driving a car.

The IVR service can also be another way of accessing a service provided by the invention. If, for example, a call Forwarding party number is not found in the signaling message at call setup. An incoming call may be automatically diverted to an IVR service to find out the number, which the calling party wishes to reach. The IVR number can also be called directly if the call forwarding service is not activated by a party who has a related service activates, such as the white list function or the group call. In IVR, a wanted group call ID may be selected.

Bigger groups of individuals, even the people of a whole village, can have a common service number as a group subscription with sub numbers for the individuals.

A Local Service Number can be for one subscriber and it can be for an individual, company or even a small store or kiosk. Or it can just be one generic service access number for all the subscribers (e.g. white list or group call service), such as a Call forwarding party or Call party number used to pinpoint the subscriber in question. Said pre-defined functions of the Value-Added Services (VAS) include functions for performing the VAS in question as well as optional subfunctions belonging to the functions.

A VAS and its pre-selected functions might be activated upon identification of a registered user at a call to a telephone number of a VAS provided by the telephone service platform.

The VAS with its pre-defined functions can be selected in forehand by the users of the registered telephone numbers or during a call or they can be selected by the telephony service platform upon identification of a registered user at an incoming call. They can be selected by a registered user by pressing or clicking on different buttons connected to these services, which buttons are links to respective telephone numbers of the services. The buttons can be touch screen buttons or mechanical buttons on a telephone device. Upon clicking on such a button, the corresponding function of the VAS in question is connected to.

Said functions include e.g. a forward and white list function, and a group call function.

Said different functions and subfunctions can be attended to either by calling to the service number of the function or subfunction or by feeding a code or short number for such a function/subfunction in question or by e.g. clicking on different preprogrammed buttons during or before a call. It is also possible to program the buttons so that a selected function or subfunction is different if it is clicked on during a call than before a call.

One button can be a timing service button. Such a button could e.g. activate a groupc all within an hour or at e.g. six o’clock or it could activate a call forward for an hour (after which the service deactivates it. Thus, timed/scheduled call forwardings and group calls can be realized with service buttons.

The different service buttons can in addition to the functions or subfunctions mentioned include buttons for deactivation of functions.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, a subscriber/service user can manage the services provided as a “self-service” via a mobile softphone client. A softphone is a software program for making telephone calls over the Internet. The softphone can be installed on a piece of equipment such as a desktop, mobile device, or other computer and allows the user to place and receive calls without requiring an actual telephone set. Via this client, the subscriber can add additional telephone numbers to be attached to his installed services. This means that the subscriber has one virtual number and behind that number additional terminals are connected, one of which might e.g. be a spare 2G phone, which is not a smart phone and have only voice and text messaging functions and can have an ultralong battery life and a temporary prepaid SIM card.

Advantages

Each operator operates its own core network and the services of the telephony service platform can equally well be used in the different networks of the invention by means of standard functions, such as call forwarding and the SIM cards of the different operators.

The invention provides hybrid Over-The-Top (OTT) services via local access/virtual numbers. For home calls in e.g. GSM networks, roaming is not necessary and can be replaced by calls over internet using home based numbers.

Especially, the telephony service platform of the invention with one or more Value Added Services (VAS) has the advantages that

- it works with all (broadband) network connections and GSM-subscriptions (even with 2G), the SIM card number cane be made use of and/or an own virtual VAS number. It works everywhere globally with a couple of local service numbers by making use of call forwardings, IVR (if a call forwarding is not activated, any new number is not needed, it can eb a GSM number or even a virtual number, such as a personal identification, an internal random VoIP number of the service operator). The call forward service can be semi-automatized in the service, timed or calendar steered. the calls are self-controlled (in the sense of e.g. who are close relatives, family members and allowed in the white list). Close relatives can make a call even without answers so that a microphone sound will be heard even without any answer

■ reachability is guaranteed (if e.g. a GSM number does not answer, because of e.g no network connection, a WiFi connection can mediate the call

- different functions bring efficiency (such as dynamic group calls, timing functions different functions bring flexibility (e.g. the travel guide use, travel subscriptions during a travel) Some examples of the Value Added Services (VAS) of the telephony Service platform of the invention are presented in the following.

Value Added Service (VAS) EXAMPLE 1 : CALL FORWARDING WITH WHITE LIST FUNCTION (SCENARIOS 1 AND 2)

This example is a VAS, in which a registered user either has installed a VAS, wherein an incoming call to the called party (callee), the called party being the registered user, is automatically forwarded to a white list service of the telephony service platform, which checks if the calling party (caller) belongs to a list of allowed users, a so called white list, and if so, the call is forwarded according to scenario 2 to the callee, and if not, the call is blocked according to scenario 1 .

In one embodiment, the service can be activated by the registered user, e.g. by clicking on a button on the user device of the user upon which a call to the registered user in the future will be forwarded (e.g. via a short number) to the white list service.

More than one white list to be activated might be included in this VAS service, and one of them can e.g. be a restricted list allowing only one or a couple of persons, such as those being in the phonebook, to get through and unlisted persons to be blocked.

Call forwarding is a phone management feature that helps you to redirect or forward incoming calls to an alternate number. It is commonly used to forward calls to an office phone to a user's cell or home phone, or a colleague's number.

If the calling party is not included in the white list, the call is not completed (in e.g. the standard subscriber service form), but information of the call trial form the calling party is sent as a written notification to the telephone of the callee, who is a registered user, so that he can see the telephone number of the caller who has tried to call.

When the incoming call is received at the telephony service platform as forwarded from the callee, the caller, who tried to reach the callee, can be identified on the basis of the telephone number of the caller.

The incoming call might also be received at the telephone service platform directly from the caller via a service telephone number of the telephony service platform. Here the caller calls directly to IVR (an own service number) and then the wanted subscriber telephone number is inputted (to whom this call is about to be connected). In this example the service telephone number is the number to the white list service.

The pre-defined white list function comprises a step of checking if the caller is included in a white list of telephone numbers. Thus, the white list function is performed by checking a white list and forwarding the call to said registered telephone number that was the target for the call initiated by the calling party if the calling party was in the white list. The call is blocked if the calling party was not included in the white list and information of the rejected call of the calling party is sent to said registered telephone number if the calling party was not in the white list. The information will come to the telephone in one way or another (to the telephone history) , such as with a SIP message or with a message from the service application. In one embodiment, the rejected calling party will still have an option to bypass the white list by dialing in a correct PIN code or by using some other authorization method, e.g. biometric voice recognition.

Value Added Service (VAS) EXAMPLE 2: GROUP CALL/CONFERENCE CA LL

A service number to a Value-Added Service (VAS) can be a group call service, such as a conference call.

When the telephony service platform receives a call to such a telephone service number, the call is established to pre-defined parties in order to set up a conference call between the caller and said parties.

It is assumed that a caller to such a group call function is a registered user and there might be different user groups depending on service number or when the intended group is indicated otherwise.

The caller’s telephone might have different buttons for different call groups and a given button is pressed depending on to which persons, i.e. to which call group the caller wants the call to be established to.

The telephony service platform forwards the call to the service number in question to each member of the call group. The group can e.g. be a family, a project group, a hobby group, a travel group, or an employee group, etc. The invention requires at least one member of the group to have a smart phone. With smartphone is here meant a portable device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit, and applications can be loaded and installed from external App- stores.

One or more members of such a group have the group call function VAS of the invention installed and activated in the smart telephone as a service application but all the members of a group do not necessarily have to have the VAS of the invention installed and activated in the smart telephone as a service application, a part of the members of the group can e.g. just have a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) number in use or other VoIP client or fixed line telephone.

When the telephony service platform service platform receives the group call request, it will be established to all members in the group and a group call is formed when the called parties answer. If some member of the group does not answer immediately, he can call later on and join the group call, a notification of the invitation to the group call having been sent to him or by just calling back to that “missed call” in call history.

So, the service logic in the group call function VAS of the invention recognizes the one(s) who is/are calling back later to belong to the group call in question that was initiated by one of the members of the group. In case the group call already has ended when the late caller(s) call(s) back, the call (s) from the late caller is normally connected to the one who initiated the group call.

Special subfunctions can also be added to a group call, such as invitation messages to one or more members in a group for a group call for a given time can be sent in advance with such a group function, i.e. a so called “conference call”.

A similar function is the sc. “alarm call”, which is a message to one or more members in a group just for information. The alarm call can e.g. be a check-out warning of a hotel room etc. when the group is a travel group.

Such a subfunction can be applied as a travel service with a travel guide as an administrator, to whom members in a group can call, the service also having a travel service platform with actual events with pick-up information and other information. In this service, short or virtual telephone numbers are useful when personal phone numbers and other personal information can be kept secret, e.g. in a service, wherein members are in the same virtual group.

In the following, the invention will be described by some example embodiments by referring to figures. The invention is not restricted to the details of the examples and the figures.

FIGURES

Figure 1 is a virtual network architecture view, wherein the invention can be implemented

Figure 2 presents an embodiment of the invention connected to a first use case, wherein a pre-defined white list function in a Value Added Service (VAS) is actuated by the telephony service platform as a result of a forwarding function of an incoming call

Figure 3 presents an embodiment of the invention connected to a second use case, wherein a pre-defined function in a Value Added Service (VAS) is actuated by the telephony service platform as a result of a direct incoming call to the telephony service center for forming a conference call

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 is a virtual network architecture view of a system, wherein the invention can be implemented. All kind of entities in the network interact with each other through software and wireless technology and the connections between the entities are virtual networks links.

Generally, a telephone network is a telecommunications network that connects telephones, which allows telephone calls between two or more parties, as well as newer features such as fax and internet.

There are a number of different types of telephone networks, such as a landline network where the telephones must be directly wired into a single telephone exchange and is known as the public switched telephone network or PSTN, a wireless network where the telephones are mobile and can move around anywhere within the coverage area, a private network where a closed group of telephones are connected primarily to each other and use a gateway to reach the outside world and is usually used inside companies and call centres and is called a private branch exchange (PBX), and an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which is a circuit-switched telephone network system that transmits both data and voice over a digital line.

Public telephone operators (PTOs) own and build networks of the first two types (PSTN and PLMN) and provide services to the public under license from the national government. Virtual Network Operators (VNOs) lease capacity wholesale from the PTOs and sell on telephony service to the public directly.

The invention makes use of a telephony service platform 2 with Value Added Services (VAS) provided by a service provider (SP), which can be an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP), such as a Virtual Telephony Service Provider (VTSP) 1 , or other service provider.

The telephony service platform 2 is especially meant for end users, who are senior users of user devices, like fixed telephones 3, mobile telephones 4, or WiFi phones 10 using a telephone network. Only one of each type is seen in the figure of illustrative purposes.

Interoperability solutions are needed so that user devices in telephone networks can use cloud-based services provided by telephony service platform 2. Different user devices can have different ways of communicating with the telephony service platform 2, such as via a VoIP client 5 or a SIP trunk 12 or SS7 signaling 13. The signaling transport (SIGTRAN) protocols provide interoperability of SS7 signaling to operate over Internet Protocol (JP)- based networks and they are used to carry PSTN signaling over IP.

The Virtual Telephony Service Provider (VTSP) 1 offers digital telecommunications services based on e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that are provisioned via the Internet 6. The VTSP 1 provide services to end-users directly and use a variety of signaling and multimedia protocols, presented more in detail below.

The VTSP 1 can work as a virtual network operator (VNO) or mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). These network providers are categorized as virtual because they provide network services to customers without owning the underlying network. The telephony service platform 2 is a unified service platform and the VTSP 1 that provides the telephony service platform 2 can also be called a Communication Service provider (CSP) or a hybrid telephony service provider (HTSP) working in a hybrid telephone system by routing calls over both Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Private GSM networks, and over the Internet and by supporting all kind of voice calls, including Mobile phone calls, Landline calls, ISDN calls and VoIP calls.

The 2G GSM Private Mobile Network replicates a 2G cellular network in software and, along with one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), allow the user to rapidly deploy a small scale network for a multitude of uses in a number of location.

The virtual network of figure 1 enables a virtual system with cloud-based telephony services that makes and receives calls over an Internet connection as opposed to over the copper wiring of a traditional landline. Through VoIP, users can make calls on multiple devices, including a softphone interface on desktop computers, a mobile app, or even a laptop computer.

The phone extensions enabling the communication with the telephony service platform 2 exist virtually and not as physical lines. Existing telephone numbers can be used, even vanity numbers. From there, it converts you’re the phone calls are converted from analog sound with e.g. VoIP technology. So incoming calls can be forwarded to any extension, or phone number and call forwarding can be performed to different phone extensions and locations.

The telephony service platform 2 offers cloud services through the Internet 6 and works towards user devices, which enable the processing of voice communication via the Internet Protocol by e.g. VoIP technology.

If a user device, such as a fixed telephone 3, a mobile telephone 4, or a WiFi phone 10 has an Internet protocol (VoIP) client 5, it can be a simple VoIP client 5 or an extended one, such as a SIP trunk, to communicate with the telephony service platform 2. The VoIP client 5 is drawn outside of the devices by using a double arrow in the figure of illustrative reasons via which the user is in contact with the telephony services provided by the ITSP 1 over the Internet 6. There are connections from the fixed telephone 3, mobile telephone 4, or WiFi phone illustrated in figure 1 to the telephony service platform 2 both via VoIP technology clients and via SIP trunking 12 to illustrate alternatives from different phones and different registered users, but naturally the same telephone does not usually have both a more simple VoIP client 5 and a SIP trunk to communicate via.

Thus, the user devices are often fixed telephones 3 or mobile telephones 4, which are connected to telephone networks 11 , such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), mostly the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), or the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). PLMN is a combination of wireless communication services offered by a specific operator in a specific country. A PLMN typically consists of several cellular technologies like GSM/2G, UMTS/3G, LTE/4G, offered by a single operator within a given country, often referred to as a cellular network. Thus, a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) is any wireless communications system intended for use by terrestrial subscribers in vehicles or on foot. Such a system can stand alone, but often it is interconnected with a fixed system such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

An end user can also have a device 10 using Wi-Fi wireless networking technology for the Internet access. WiFi calling is also known as Voice over WLAN, being a packet-voice technology that allows public switch telephone network (PSTN) calls on mobile devices to be made over WiFi as opposed to the carrier cell network.

The telephony services of the telephony service platform can also be offered as a direct internet service to be used through a fixed internet connection or through Wi-Fi.

The telephony service platform 2 of the invention can be used through all these networks and with all these devices 3, 4, 10.

Thus, the telephony service platform 2 allows the user to use a fixed telephone 3, a mobile phone, or a WiFi phone.

The user telephones 3 and 4 can be VoIP phones or IP phones and use voice over IP technologies for placing and transmitting telephone calls over an IP network. Voice over Internet Protocol (also voice over IP, VoIP or IP telephony) is used as the technology for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. In VoIP telephony, the digital information is packetized, and transmission occurs as IP packets over a packet switched network instead of being transmitted over a circuit-switched network.

So, the VoIP protocol connects the voice calls using the internet protocol in form of digital data, instead of traditional telephone lines.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is another communication protocol, in practice an extension of VoIP, that relies on the internet for the exchange of data between parties. SIP can carry the voice in digital form along with other communication data, such as video. So, SIP trunking is a standard communication protocol for the unified communication needs.

The invention can work both through a simple VoIP client 5 or through a SIP trunk 12.

The VTSP 1 can thus use SIP trunking as a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

The SIP trunk 12 supports incoming and outgoing calls by means of a collection of assigned “channels”, which are virtual versions of telephone lines. SIP trunking works by first converting voice into IP packets. SIP trunks are basically virtual phone lines that enable users to make and receive phone calls over the internet to anyone in the world with a phone number. SIP trunks utilize a packet switch network, in which voice calls are broken down into digital packets and sent across a network to the final destination.

These IP packets are then sent over virtual phone lines instead of a traditional physical phone line. The SIP trunk can handle a set number of concurrent (happening simultaneously) incoming and outgoing calls. One incoming or outgoing call is equal to one SIP channel. The number of channels is installed according to needs.

SIP trunking is used in the invention for combining the communications in these services through different networks into a single system. For all these devices and applications, SIP assigns a single “address” to the user.

The SIP Trunk has not location-based restrictions on telecommunications, and regardless of geography, the same number can be kept. Furthermore, the SIP trunk links different methods of communication into one unified solution, including calls and texts, e-mails, 11 instant messaging and conferencing in a virtual way. Unified communications enabled by the SIP trunk contain all of possible communications channels, such as chat, file sharing, phone calls, video conferencing, e-mail and more) within one platform.

The SIP trunk 12 works as an intermediary between the telephone networks 11 phone system and the Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) 1 . Thus, the SIP trunk 12 is a virtual connection to e.g. the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or the PLMN utilizing an internet connection 6.

SIP trunking is thus a method of sending voice and other unified communications services over the internet. SIP Trunks remove the location-based restrictions on telecommunications, so international-based customers or suppliers can move office - even move country - and keep the same number.

The SIP trunk enables paying for data and voice transmissions across just one network, rather than separate ones. With the SIP trunk used in the invention costs are cut due to the fact that the internet is used to communicate instead of expensive physical phone lines. Long-distance and international calls will become local ones with SIP, making them cheaper.

Reference numbers 7, 8, and 9 are third party telephones or other third-party devices that also communicate over the Internet with the fixed telephone 3 or mobile telephone 4 and with the ITSP 1 . The third-party devices 7, 8, and 9 might be fixed or mobile as well and they can be e.g. VoIP devices, GSM phones or phones communicating over wired networks (the networks not shown in the figure). The calls from and to fixed telephones of third parties takes place over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), whereas the mobiles phones of third parties usually use the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications, which is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as tablets and mobile telephones.

Thus, IP telephony (Internet Protocol telephony) and Voice over IP (VoIP) phone is used within the telecommunications network of figure 1 when a phone 3 or 4 communicates with the Telephony service platform 2. The third-party user devices can also communicate with the telephony service over the Internet by some known internet access technology. The telephony service platform allows Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls between telephone numbers registered to it. This means that in case of an incoming call to the telephony service is coming from a registered user and directed to another registered user there is no need to route the call via a telephone network, instead it is directed directly through the internet via the VoIP client. Always in a case of an incoming call, the telephony service checks user data and service status from a user database.

Figure 2 presents a first use case of the invention, wherein a pre-defined function in a Value Added Service (VAS) provided by the telephony service platform is actuated by the telephony service platform as a result of a call forwarding function of a call from a caller to a callee being a registered user, who has such a VAS installed, subscribed or activated.

The pre-defined function is a sc white list function and is activated as a result of an automatic or manual forwarded call from said callee.

Thus, it is assumed that a caller tries to call a callee in signal 1 , the callee being a called party, who is a registered user having activated a call forwarding and a subsequent white list function to be performed by the telephony service platform.

The call of step 1 can be an ordinary call from a telephone and forwarded via a telephone network such as PSTN or PLMN.

The call of signal 1 to the callee is in this example forwarded automatically to the telephony service platform in signal 2 if the callee to which the calling party tried to call has ordered and installed the forwarded call and white list function in question.

Different scenarios are possible for the automatic call forwarding.

The call from the calling party to the called party, who is a registered user and who ordered the call forwarding service, can be forwarded in any case or if in a certain time the called party was not reached as a result of that the originating call was not answered in a certain time, the telephone of the registered number ( = number of the callee/called party) was off the hook, the telephone of the called party ( i.e. callee) was not in the network, or the telephone of the number of the callee, was busy.

The call forwarded from the called party is an incoming call to the telephony service platform e.g. received through a SIP trunk. In steps 3 and 4, the telephony service platform registers from the telephone number of the called party that the called party has installed a white list function and fetches the white list of allowed telephone numbers for this registered user (this callee) from a database. The telephony service platform can also figure out the telephone number of the caller from the incoming call of signal 2.

The white list function performed by the telephony service platform in step 5 consists of noting the telephone number of the caller from which the call was originating in step 1 and checking if the telephone number of the calling party is included in the fetched white list for allowed telephone numbers.

The call is forwarded to the telephone number of the callee that was the target for the call and initiated by the calling party if the calling party was in the white list (= SCENARIO 1 not shown in figure 2).

The call is blocked if the calling party was not included in the white list, as noted in step 6, like in this example of figure 2 (=SCENARIO 2), and sending a notification with signal 7 with information of the blocked call of the calling party to the callee since the calling party was not in the white list. The notification can be sent by SIP trunking by a selected channel of all possible communication channels enabled by the SIP trunk.

The call forwarding and white list function has an own telephone number also as a service number to the white list function and the calling party can in alternative call directly to that service number.

Figure 3 presents a second use case of the invention, wherein a pre-defined function in a Value Added Service (VAS) provided by the telephony service platform of the invention is actuated by the telephony service platform as a result of a direct call to the telephony service platform from a registered user platform for forming a conference call.

A telephone service number to a Value-Added Service (VAS) can be a group call function, such as a conference call function.

In figure 3, it is assumed that the telephony service platform receives a call with signal 1 from a caller to such a telephone service number of a conference call function. The caller is a registered user for which the telephony service platform has stored a conference call function with one or more subfunctions. The caller might have different member groups for invitation to a conference and the telephony service platform can see, from the call, the telephone number of the caller, and to which member group the conference call invitation is intended to be sent.

The different conference member user groups might have different telephone service numbers or then the intended group is indicated otherwise by the caller, such as in step 2, wherein the telephone service platform notes the telephone number of the caller and to which member group the conference call invitation is intended to be sent, which group the caller might have selected upon clicking on a certain preprogrammed touch button in his telephone. Thus, the caller’s telephone might have different buttons for different call groups and a given button is pressed depending on to which persons, i.e. to which call group or conference member group the caller wants the call to be forwarded to.

In signals 3 and 4, the telephone service platform fetches the telephone numbers of the members of the intended conference group from a database.

The telephone service platform then sets up a conference in steps 5 and 6 to be attended by the caller and said pre-defines parties 1 and 2.

An invitation to the caller to attend the conference is then sent in signal 7 after which the caller answers his telephone and attends the conference in signal 8.

The call from the caller is then forwarded to these pre-defined parties 1 and 2 in signals 9 and 10 being members in the intended conference group in order to attend to the conference call set up between the caller and said partiesl and 2.

It is assumed in this example of figure 3 that party 1 immediately replies and attends to the conference by answering to the call, which is indicated with reply signal 11 .

The conference call can now take place between the caller and party 1 , which is indicated with step 12.

Party 2 attends later by calling to the conference to the telephone number of this conference, which is indicated with signal 13. If the conference already has ended, when party 2 tries to attend, then signal 13 is sent to the caller.

Claims

1 . A telephony service platform with one or more Value Added Services, VAS, for registered users in wired and wireless telephone networks, characterized by each Value Added Services, VAS, being provided as a cloud service over a virtual link to a user of such a service, being associated with a telephone number-based service number and predefined functions defined in a database to be performed by the telephony service platform selectively for each registered user on the basis of one or more telephone numbers of the registered user at calls to the telephony service platform.

2. The telephony service platform of claim 1 , wherein the virtual links are set up by Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, connections or Signaling System 7, SS7, protocols.

3. The telephony service platform of claim 1 or 2, wherein the call to the telephony service platform is

■ a forwarded call originating from a caller to a registered user as an incoming call to the registered user, or

- an outgoing call from a registered user as a direct call to a service number of the telephony service platform.

4. The telephony service platform of any of claims 1 - 3, wherein the calls to the telephony service platform originate from a public telephone number, such as a call from a wired public switched telephone network, PSTN, or from a wireless Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, a call by the Voice Over Internet Protocol, VoIP, or an an internal telephone number.

5. The telephony service platform of any of claims 1 - 4, wherein the Value Added Service, VAS, can be a white list service, a black list service or a group call service, each being associated with a service number that is based on a public telephone number or an internal telephone number.

6. The telephony service platform of claim 5, wherein there is an individual white list for each user registered for the white list service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user, each individual white list containing a list of allowed telephone numbers from which calls are allowed to be terminated to the registered user or are allowed to be called by the registered user.

7. The telephony service platform of claim 5, wherein there is an individual black list for each user registered for the black list service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user, each individual black list containing a list of forbidden telephone numbers from which calls are blocked and not allowed to be terminated to the registered user. . The telephony service platform of claim 5 or 6, wherein the call to the service number of the white list service of the telephony service platform is received from a calling party informing, to the telephony service platform, a registered telephone number to be called to as the intended callee. . The telephony service platform of any of claims 3 - 6 and 8, wherein the call to the telephony service platform is received as an outgoing call from a caller, who is a registered user, the registered user being identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user or biometrically , such as on the basis of the voice of the registered user. 0. The telephony service platform of any of claims 3 - 6, wherein the call to the telephony service platform is received to the service number of the white list service of the telephony service platform as a forwarded call originating from an incoming call from a calling party to the registered user as an intended callee, whereby the telephony service platform can identify the intended callee from the incoming call. 1 . The telephony service of any of claims 3 - 10, wherein the received call to the white list service of the telephony service platform was forwarded from a telephone number of the registered user automatically, in any case, or if in a certain time the registered user was not reached as a result of that the originating call was not answered by the registered user in a certain time, the telephone of the registered user was not in the network, or the telephone number of the registered user was busy.

12. The telephony service platform of any of claims 3 - 8 and 10, wherein the pre-defined functions of the white list service comprises the following steps as performed by the telephony service platform: fetching an individual white list of a registered user from the database on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user at a forwarded call to the service number of the white list function of the telephony service platform, reading the telephone number of the caller from the call and checking whether the telephone number of the caller who called to the registered user is included in the individual white list, and terminating the incoming call to the registered user if the telephone number of the caller is included in the individual white list, or blocking the incoming call if the telephone number of the caller is not included in the individual white list.

13. The telephony service platform of claim 12, wherein the pre-defined functions of the white list service further comprises the step of sending a notification to the registered user with information of a blocked call whether a call from a caller to the registered user was blocked, the notification being sent as a Short Message Service, SMS, text message, a SIP message or an internal application message.

14. The telephony service platform of claim 12, wherein the blocked is a call back from a caller to a registered user, and the blocked call is only conditionally locked, whereby the call back is allowed if it takes place within a set time limit or is called by means of an access code.

15. The telephony service platform of claim 5, wherein there is an individual list of call groups for each user registered for the group call service to be fetched and identified on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user, or on the basis of a short number function activated by the registered user, each individual list of call groups containing telephone numbers of pre-selected members of different groups, and optionally a common telephone number for joining to a group call for the pre-selected members. The telephony service of claim 15, wherein there is a short number function for each individual call group being activated by the registered user by clicking on a dedicated button therefor, the user device of the registered user having different call groups to be selected. . The telephony service center of claim 15 or 16, wherein the pre-defined functions of the group call service consists in fetching an individual call group from a list of call groups of the database on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user at an incoming call to the telephony service platform from the registered user to the service number of the group call service, selecting on the basis of the telephone number of the registered user, the call group to which an invitation to a group call is to be sent, sending and invitation to each pre-selected member of the call group together with information of the common number for attending to the group call. The telephony service platform of any of claims 1 - 17 , wherein the telephony service platform has one or more telephone service numbers in one or more countries, from which the calls are forwarded or routed to the telephony service platform.