Soft Phone IP Address Switching via Relay MAC Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

VoIP telephony systems face challenges with soft phones, including delayed startup times, limited functionality, inconvenience in wearing headsets, and instability due to software mismatches, which hinder seamless integration with IP-only phones and gateway servers.

Innovation Solution

Allocating an identical telephone number to both IP-only and soft phones, with the soft phone requesting IP address changes based on its position relative to the IP-only phone, utilizing relay devices and MAC addresses to manage connections through an IP gateway server, allowing for smooth switching between devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a soft phone is used to eliminate IP-only phones, then costs and space are reduced, but startup time is delayed and functionality is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of physical phonesVSAvoidstartup time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The soft phone registers its presence and claims the telephone number in advance before the user actually needs to make a call. The system pre-establishes the connection state with the gateway server, so when the user initiates a call, the phone is already ready and can immediately start communicating without waiting for startup or registration delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If a soft phone is used, then space is saved, but stability is reduced due to software mismatches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of physical phonesVSAvoidsoftware stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway server acts as an intermediary between the soft phone and the telephony network. It provides a standardized interface that abstracts the complexity of software variations, ensuring stable and reliable communication regardless of the specific soft phone implementation or underlying operating system. The gateway server handles protocol conversion and connection management, isolating potential software compatibility issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If IP address is fixed to a specific device, then connection stability is improved, but adaptability is reduced when devices move

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoiddevice mobility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically assigns IP addresses based on the current physical location and connection state of the device rather than using fixed assignments. When a device moves to a different location or connects through a different network interface, the system automatically updates the IP address assignment to match the new position, maintaining both stability through proper address binding and adaptability through dynamic reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors the physical location and connection status of devices and uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust IP address assignments. The gateway server receives location information from the soft phone or network infrastructure and automatically updates the IP-to-device mapping accordingly, ensuring that the IP address always corresponds to the current physical location of the device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

4Adaptability or versatility

If soft phone functionality is expanded to match IP-only phone, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvephone functionalityVSAvoidsoft phone complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway server serves as an intermediary that provides advanced telephony features and functionality to the soft phone without requiring these features to be built into the soft phone itself. Complex functions like call routing, conferencing, and integration with the telephony network are handled by the gateway server, keeping the soft phone design simple while maintaining full functionality through the server's mediating services.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8316119B2Method for switching connections between an IP-only phone and a soft phone to a server

Publication Date: 2012.11.20 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

A method for switching connections between an IP-only phone and a soft phone to an IP gateway server is disclosed. An identical telephone number is allocated to the IP-only phone and the soft phone. When the soft phone has been moved such that a connection destination to a local-area network changes from a first connector to a second connector, a relay device is also changed from a first relay device to a second relay device. After recognizing its present position by a MAC address of the relay device to which it is currently connected, the soft phone issues a request to an IP gateway server to change an IP address to the soft phone when it is determined that the soft phone is located far away from the IP-only phone. When it is determined that the soft phone is located near the IP-only phone, the soft phone issues a request to the IP gateway server so that the IP address is changed to the IP-only phone.