Extending mobile phone networks

In a gateway for a telephone network that comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines and telephones, each telephone connected to one of the individually addressable telephone lines, a method of routing calls, outbound from a telephone to any of a plurality of mobile phones that are connected to the gateway such that any of the mobile phones can be used for a call outbound from a telephone, the method comprising steps for:

• for a first outbound call received at the gateway from a first telephone connected to the gateway through a first telephone line of the individually addressable telephone lines, determining that a first mobile phone connected to the gateway is to carry the first outbound call;
• routing the first outbound call to the first mobile phone that was determined to carry the first outbound call;
• for a second outbound call received at the gateway from a second telephone connected to the gateway through a second telephone line of the individually addressable telephone lines, determining that the first mobile phone connected to the gateway is to carry the second outbound call;
• and
• routing the second outbound call to the first mobile phone that was determined to carry the second outbound call
• so that outbound calls from different telephones can be routed through the same mobile phone.

A gateway for bridging one or more mobile phone networks supporting one or more mobile phones and a telephone network that comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines and multiple telephones, each telephone connected to one of the individually addressable telephone lines, the gateway comprising:

• a plurality of mobile phone connectors that each connect a mobile phone to the gateway so that the gateway can receive and route calls using the mobile phones;
• a plurality of telephone line connectors that each connect an individually addressable telephone line and its connected telephone to the gateway so that the gateway can receive and route calls through the individually addressable telephone lines;
• a storage medium containing one or more routing rules that select from the mobile phones and the individually addressable telephone lines for routing calls received and placed through the gateway, such that a routing rule indicates that a first outbound call from a first telephone connected to a first individually addressable telephone line and a second outbound call from a second telephone connected to a second individually addressable telephone line are routed through the same mobile phone connected to the same mobile phone connector so that outbound calls from different telephones can be routed through the same mobile phone;
• and
• a processor that executes the routing rules and causes calls received and placed through the gateway to be routed according to the executed routing rules.

For a gateway connected to a telephone network that comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines and telephones, each telephone connected to one of the individually addressable telephone lines, a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of routing calls, outbound from a telephone to any of one of a plurality of mobile phones that are connected to the gateway such that any of the mobile phones and can be used for the calls outbound from a telephone, the method comprising acts of:

• the gateway receiving an outbound call from a telephone connected to the gateway through an individually addressable telephone line;
• the gateway applying one or more routing rules to the outbound call for selecting one of the mobile phones or landlines that are connected to the gateway through which the outbound call is to be routed;
• and
• connecting the outbound call to the selected one of the mobile phones or landlines
• wherein a routing rule indicates that outbound calls from different telephones can be connected through the same mobile phone.