# US 7,609,830 B1 · Method and apparatus for access to dialing plans for users of distinct enterprise networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,609,830 B1 - Document ID: US7609830B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 10/951,136 - Filed: 2004-09-27 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-09-27 - Assignees: AT&T Corp. - Inventors: Marian Croak; Hossein Eslambolchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609830B1 ## CPC - H04M 3/4228: {in networks} - H04M 3/42314: {in private branch exchanges} - H04M 7/128: {Details of addressing, directories or routing tables} - H04M 7/006: {Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer (H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42)} - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract The invention comprises a method and apparatus for processing a call request from a first enterprise customer network to a second enterprise customer network using at least one dialing plan. Specifically, the method comprises receiving at least one dialing plan request from a first network endpoint in the first enterprise customer network for accessing a second network endpoint in the second enterprise customer network, retrieving at least one dialing plan mapping in response to the at least one dialing plan request, and responding to the at least one dialing plan request using the at least one dialing plan mapping. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for processing a call request from a first enterprise customer network to a second enterprise customer network using at least one dialing plan, comprising: receiving at least one dialing plan request from a first network endpoint in said first enterprise customer network for accessing a second network endpoint in said second enterprise customer network; retrieving at least one dialing plan mapping in response to said at least one dialing plan request, wherein said at least one dialing plan mapping is formed by mapping a first address mapping to a second address mapping, wherein said first address mapping is associated with said first enterprise customer network and said second address mapping is associated with said second enterprise customer network; and responding to said at least one dialing plan request using said at least one dialing plan mapping. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one dialing plan mapping is retrieved from at least one central dialing plan repository. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one central dialing plan repository comprises a plurality of private dialing plan repositories associated with a respective plurality of enterprise customer networks. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said first address mapping is retrieved from a first dialing plan repository and said second address mapping is retrieved from a second dialing plan repository. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein said first dialing plan repository and said second dialing plan repository are maintained independently. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein said first address mapping is formed by mapping at least one dialing plan to at least one address and said second address mapping is formed by mapping at least one dialing plan to at least one address. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one dialing plan is at least one of: a reduced number dialing plan or an international dialing plan. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said reduced number dialing plan enables said call request to be completed using less than seven digits of a phone number. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said international dialing plan enables said call request to be completed using less than seven digits of a phone number. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one address is an Internet Protocol address. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said responding to said at least one dialing plan request comprises completing said call request using said at least one dialing plan mapping. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein said call request is initiated using at least one of: at least one network endpoint in said first enterprise customer network or at least one network endpoint in said second enterprise customer network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one network endpoint comprises at least one of: a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) phone, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone, an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) phone, or a computer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: authenticating at least one network endpoint prior to allowing said at least one network endpoint to retrieve said at least one dialing plan mapping from at least one central dialing plan repository. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: registering at least one additional network endpoint for retrieving said at least one dialing plan mapping from at least one central dialing plan repository. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said responding to said at least one dialing plan request using said at least one dialing plan mapping is independent of any service plan associated with said at least one dialing plan mapping. ### Claim 17 A computer readable medium storing a software program, that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising: receiving at least one dialing plan request from a first network endpoint in a first enterprise customer network for accessing a second network endpoint in a second enterprise customer network; retrieving at least one dialing plan mapping in response to said at least one dialing plan request, wherein said at least one dialing plan mapping is formed by mapping a first address mapping to a second address mapping, wherein said first address mapping is associated with said first enterprise customer network and said second address mapping is associated with said second enterprise customer network; and responding to said at least one dialing plan request using said at least one dialing plan mapping. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein said responding to said at least one dialing plan request comprises completing at least one call request. ### Claim 19 An apparatus for initiating at least one call request from a first enterprise customer network to a second enterprise customer network, comprising: means for receiving at least one dialing plan request from a first network endpoint in said first enterprise customer network for accessing a second network endpoint in said second enterprise customer network; means for retrieving at least one dialing plan mapping in response to said at least one dialing plan request, wherein said at least one dialing plan mapping is formed by mapping a first address mapping to a second address mapping, wherein said first address mapping is associated with said first enterprise customer network and said second address mapping is associated with said second enterprise customer network; and means for responding to said at least one dialing plan request using said at least one dialing plan mapping.