Systems and methods for integrating route and rank information into call detail records

#The technology is related to voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony systems, and more specifically, to systems and methods for recording information about the route that a particular telephony communication traverses across a data network.

#In the present telecommunication environment, placing calls and transmitting information between telephony devices is more prevalent than ever. With the growing number of mobile telephones, communication networks have been continually striving to maintain pace with respect to cost, bandwidth, and communication quality. Call quality is a key factor for consumers when deciding which provider to subscribe to or over which network to place a phone call.

#In addition to placing calls over a cellular network, consumers are also presented with the option of placing calls over a data connection via a VOIP telephony service provider. VOIP telephony service providers now give consumers more flexibility in how the consumer can place a phone call.

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communications environment that can connect a VOIP telephony communication between two communication devices;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a controller that may be used to practice one or more embodiments of the present technology;

#FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a routing table that can be used to obtain the identity of devices capable of connecting a VOIP telephony communication to a destination telephony device;

#In the following description, references are made to a telephony device. The term “telephony device” or “communication device” is intended to encompass any type of device capable of acting as a telephony device. This includes a traditional analog telephone, an IP telephone, a computer running IP telephony software, cellular telephones, mobile telephony devices such as smartphones that can connect to a data network and run software applications, such as the Apple iPhone™, mobile telephony devices running the Android™ operating system, Blackberry™ mobile telephones, and mobile telephones running the Symbian® operating system.

#Moreover, certain devices that are not traditionally used as telephony devices may act as telephony devices once they are configured with appropriate client software. Thus, some devices that would not normally be considered telephony devices may become telephony devices or IP telephony devices once they are running appropriate software. One example would be a desktop or a laptop computer that is running software that can interact with an IP telephony system over a data network to conduct telephone calls. Another example would be a portable computing device, such as an Apple iPod touch™, which includes a speaker and a microphone. A software application loaded onto an Apple iPod touch™ can be run so that the Apple iPod touch can interact with an IP telephony system to conduct a telephone call.

#The following description will also refer to telephony communications and telephony activity. These terms are intended to encompass all types of telephony communications, regardless of whether all or a portion of the calls are carried in an analog or digital format. Telephony communications could include audio or video telephone calls, facsimile transmissions, text messages, SMS messages, MMS messages, video messages, and all other types of telephony and data communications sent by or received by a user. These terms are also intended to encompass data communications that are conveyed through a PSTN or VOIP telephony system. In other words, these terms are intended to encompass any communications whatsoever, in any format, which traverse all or a portion of a communications network or telephony network.