Method and system of supporting abbreviated dialing between affiliated phones wherein at least one phone is associated with a non-affiliated network

Abstract

A method and system of supporting abbreviated dialing between phones include determining dialing by a first phone of an abbreviated number associated with a second phone. The first phone is in a circuit-switched network associated with a Centrex system and the second phone is in an Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched network disassociated from the Centrex system. The phones in the circuit-switched network are associated with the Centrex system. The Centrex system supports abbreviated dialing between phones associated with the Centrex system. A routing number for a phone call from the first phone to the second phone is determined as a function of the abbreviated number. The routing number includes IP addressing sufficient to support routing of the phone call through the packet-switched network to the second phone such as if both phones were associated with the Centrex system.

1 . A method of supporting abbreviated dialing between phones, the method comprising:
 determining dialing by a first phone of an abbreviated number associated with a second phone, wherein the first phone is in a circuit-switched network associated with a Centrex system and the second phone is in an Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched network disassociated from the Centrex system, wherein phones in the circuit-switched network are associated with the Centrex system, wherein the Centrex system supports abbreviated dialing between phones associated with the Centrex system; and   determining a routing number for a phone call from the first phone to the second phone as a function of the abbreviated number, the routing number including IP addressing sufficient to support routing of the phone call through the packet-switched network to the second phone such as if both phones were associated with the Centrex system.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 billing the phone call as if the phone call was routed between the same network and not between different networks.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining the phone call to be between different networks prior to determining the routing number.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein:
 the circuit-switched network is a TDM network.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 packetizing signals associated with the phone call from non-IP based signals to support IP based phone calls.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein:
 the packet-switched network is a VoIP network.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 routing the phone call between the phones as a function of the routing number.   
   
   
       8 . A system of supporting abbreviated dialing between phone lines, wherein a first one of the phone lines is in a circuit-switched network and a second one of the phone lines is in an Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched network, the system comprising:
 a Centrex system which supports abbreviated dialing between phone lines associated with the Centrex system, wherein phone lines in the circuit-switched network are associated with the Centrex system and phone lines in the packet-switched network are disassociated from the Centrex system;   a control point associated with the Centrex system and configured for determining dialing from the first phone line of an abbreviated number associated with the second phone line, wherein the control point is further configured for determining a routing number for a phone call from the first phone line to the second phone line as a function of the abbreviated number, the routing number including IP addressing sufficient to support routing of the phone call through the packet-switched network to the second phone line such as if both phone lines were associated with the Centrex system.   
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the control point is further configured for determining billing for the phone call as if the phone call was routed between the same network. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the circuit-switched network is a TDM network. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the control point is further configured for packetizing signals associated with the phone call from non-IP based signals to IP signals so as to support IP based phone calls. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the circuit-switched network is a TDM network and the packet-switched network is a VoIP network. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the control point is further configured for routing the phone call between the phones as a function of the routing number.