Method and apparatus to simplify replacing existing ip phone with new ip phone using headset

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021234904-A1
Application number	US-202016774330-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2020
Priority date	Jan 28, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A call control entity communicates with Internet Protocol (IP) phones. The call control entity creates a mapping between a headset identifier of a headset connected to a registered first IP phone, and an identifier associated with the first IP phone. Upon receiving a request from a second IP phone that is not registered, the call control entity determines there is no existing IP phone record for the second IP phone. Responsive to the determining, the call control entity acquires from the second IP phone the headset identifier, and accesses an first IP phone record of the first IP phone based on the headset identifier and the mapping. The call control entity creates a second IP phone record for the second IP phone, copies existing configuration information from the first IP phone record to the second IP phone record, and configures the second IP phone with the existing configuration information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
at a call control entity configured to communicate with Internet Protocol (IP) phones: creating a mapping between (i) a headset identifier of a headset connected to a first IP phone registered with the call control entity, and (ii) an identifier associated with the first IP phone and by which an existing first IP phone record for the first IP phone is accessible; upon receiving a configuration request from a second IP phone not registered with the call control entity, determining there is no existing IP phone record for the second IP phone; responsive to the determining, acquiring from the second IP phone the headset identifier when the headset is connected to the second IP phone; accessing the first IP phone record based on the headset identifier and the mapping; creating a second IP phone record for the second IP phone, and copying existing configuration information from the first IP phone record to the second IP phone record; and configuring the second IP phone with the existing configuration information.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating the mapping includes creating the mapping between the headset identifier and one or more of a user identifier of a user to which the first IP phone is assigned and a first device identifier of the first IP phone.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
acquiring from the first IP phone the user identifier, wherein the creating the mapping includes creating the mapping between the headset identifier and the user identifier.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the acquiring from the first IP phone the user identifier includes:
receiving from the first IP phone a headset onboarding request when the headset is connected to the first IP phone, wherein the headset onboarding request includes the headset identifier; responsive to the headset onboarding request, sending to the first IP phone a user interface to be displayed by the first IP phone and that requests entry of the user identifier; and responsive to receiving from the first IP phone the user identifier as entered at the first IP phone, performing the creating the mapping.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the acquiring from the second IP phone the headset identifier includes:
sending to the second IP phone a default configuration file including a user interface to be displayed by the second IP phone and that requests entry of the user identifier; establishing with the second IP phone a secure connection over a network; and receiving the user identifier from the second IP phone over the secure connection.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the acquiring from the first IP phone the user identifier further includes acquiring from the first IP phone a personal identification number (PIN) for the user; and the method further comprises conditioning access to the first IP phone record using the PIN.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
acquiring from the first IP phone the first device identifier of the first IP phone, wherein the creating the mapping includes creating the mapping between the headset identifier and the first device identifier of the first IP phone.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the configuration request from the second IP phone includes a second device identifier of the second IP phone; and the determining there is no existing IP phone record for the second IP phone includes searching IP phone records of a call control database based on the second device identifier, wherein the IP phone records include respective device identifiers of respective IP phones.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the accessing the first IP phone record includes:
searching the IP phone records based on the headset identifier from the acquiring and the mapping.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to the accessing the first IP phone record for the first IP phone, sending to the second IP phone a user interface to be displayed by the second IP phone, wherein the user interface indicates that the second IP phone record for the second IP phone will be created and be based on the first IP phone record for first IP phone.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the existing configuration information includes one or more of an IP phone button template, an IP phone soft-key template, IP phone default parameters, an IP phone profile, an IP phone recording profile.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after the configuring the second IP phone, performing session initiation protocol (SIP) registration of the second IP phone.

13 . An apparatus comprising:
a network interface unit configured to communicate with Internet Protocol (IP) phones over a network; and a processor coupled to the network interface unit and configured to perform:
creating a mapping between (i) a headset identifier of a headset connected to a first IP phone registered with a call control entity, and (ii) an identifier associated with the first IP phone and by which an existing first IP phone record for the first IP phone is accessible;
upon receiving a configuration request from a second IP phone not registered with the call control entity, determining there is no existing IP phone record for the second IP phone;
responsive to the determining, acquiring from the second IP phone the headset identifier when the headset is connected to the second IP phone;
accessing the first IP phone record based on the headset identifier and the mapping;
creating a second IP phone record for the second IP phone, and copying existing configuration information from the first IP phone record to the second IP phone record; and
configuring the second IP phone with the existing configuration information.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to perform the creating the mapping by creating the mapping between the headset identifier and one or more of a user identifier of a user to which the first IP phone is assigned and a first device identifier of the first IP phone.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:
acquiring from the first IP phone the user identifier, wherein the processor is configured perform the creating the mapping by creating the mapping between the headset identifier and the user identifier.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to perform the acquiring from the first IP phone the user identifier by:
receiving from the first IP phone a headset onboarding request when the headset is connected to the first IP phone, wherein the headset onboarding request includes the headset identifier; responsive to the headset onboarding request, sending to the first IP phone a user interface to be displayed by the first IP phone and that requests entry of the user identifier; and responsive to receiving from the first IP phone the user identifier as entered at the first IP phone, performing the creating the mapping.

17 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to perform the acquiring from the second IP phone the headset identifier by:
sending to the second IP phone a default configuration file including a user interface to be displayed by the second IP phone and that requests entry of the user identifier; establishing with the second IP phone a secure connection over a network; and receiving the user identifier from the second IP phone over the secure connection.

18 . A non-transitory compute

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Gupta Ajay Kumar

Classifications

• H04L65/1094

  Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing · CPC title

• H04L65/1104

  Session initiation protocol [SIP] · CPC title

• H04M3/229

  Wire identification arrangements; Number assignment determination · CPC title

• H04M7/0087

  Network planning or provisioning · CPC title

• H04M1/2535

  adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network (Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16) · CPC title