Methods, smart cards, and systems for providing portable computer, VoIP, and application services

An endpoint device for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

• a smart card reader device comprising a smart card protocol function that is operative to perform a smart card protocol handshake with a smart card plugged therein and to thereby receive information about a particular users telecommunication services account;
• a VoIP telephony device that is adapted to be coupled to a telecommunications network to at least receive incoming telephone calls;
• a location identification device that is configured to identify a physical location corresponding to a geographical vicinity in which the telephony device is physically located;
• a registration protocol function that is coupled to communicate via a packet switched network connection to a central telecommunications server and, at least partially in response to receiving information from the smart card protocol handshake, is operative to perform a registration protocol handshake with the central telecommunications server in order to register a packet switched network address on the packet-switched network where the smart card is plugged so that subsequent incoming VoIP telephone calls can be routed to the endpoint device;
• a deregistration protocol function that performs a deregistration protocol handshake with the central telecommunications server at a time later than the registration protocol handshake occurs in order indicate to the central telecommunication server to cease to redirect calls to the portable telephone number to the local telephony device;
• whereby incoming VoIP telephone calls to the portable telephone number that are received after the registration protocol handshake but before the deregistration protocol handshake are redirected to the telephony device;
• and
• wherein the identified physical location is used to convert at least one alphanumeric code to a packet switched network address of a local point presence associated with the alphanumeric code.

A smart card for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

• a storage medium that comprises:
• a user authentication code and information associated with a user telecommunications services account;
• a smart card protocol interface configured to transfer at least the user authentication code and the information to a card reader;
• wherein as a result of the smart card being plugged into a first smart card reader, telephone calls directed to a follow-me telephone number associated with the user telecommunications services account are received at a first telephony device associated with the first card reader, and as a result of the smart card being plugged into a second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the follow-me telephone number are received at a second telephony device associated with the second card reader;
• and
• wherein the first telephony device is a PSTN endpoint device coupled to the PSTN via a subscriber line and the second telephony device is coupled via a voice over IP (VoIP) gateway function to the Internet to provide VoIP telephony connectivity.

A system for providing portable telecommunication services, comprising:

• one or more telecommunication servers tat manages a plurality of subscriber telecommunication service accounts associated wit a plurality of users, the telecommunication service accounts including a particular telecommunication service account associated with a particular user who is assigned a particular telephone number to receive incoming telephone calls;
• a plurality of smart cards, each smart card associated with a corresponding user, each smart card including a storage medium including an application program, wherein the application program is configured to provide a set of information corresponding to an associated telecommunication service account, the plurality of smart cards including a particular smart card whose application program is configured to provide information corresponding to the particular telecommunication service account associated with the particular user;
• and
• a plurality of smart card reader devices, each being coupled to a local telephony device that is operative to receive incoming telephone calls, the plurality of smart card reader devices including a first smart card reader device coupled to a first telephony device and a second smart card reader coupled to a second telephony device;
• wherein as a result of the particular smart card being plugged into the first smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the particular telephone number are received at the first telephony device, and as a result of the particular smart card being plugged into the second smart card reader, telephone calls directed to the particular telephone number are received at the second telephony device;
• wherein the first telephony device is a first VoIP endpoint device coupled via a first voice over IP (VoIP) gateway function to the Internet to provide VoIP telephony connectivity and the second telephony device is coupled via a second voice over IP (VoIP) gateway function to the Internet to provide VoIP telephony connectivity;
• and
• when the smart card is plugged into a selected one of the first and second smart card readers, the selected one of the first and second smart card readers causes a handshaking protocol to be enacted with at Least one of the one or more telecommunication servers in order to register a packet switched network address on a packet-switched network where the particular smart card is plugged so that the incoming telephone call can be routed to the selected one of the first and second telecommunications device as a VoIP telephone call.