Verizon-Vonage Patent analysis Part Three: 6,359,880

Time for us to kick around the third in the three disputed Verizon Patents at the heart of the infringement claims against Vonage. (See my previous posts on patents 6,104,711 and 6,282,574.)

That's be Verizon Patent 6,359,880 - Public wireless/cordless internet gateway.

Abstract:

A localized wireless gateway system provides wireless telephone communication, and for at least interexchange communication, provides voice telephone access to a public packet data network, such as the Internet.

The wireless gateway system includes base station transceivers and a packet service gateway coupling the transceivers to the public packet data network. The packet service gateway compresses and decompresses voice frequency communication signals, and it sends and receives the compressed signals in packet form via the network.

The packet service gateway also provides for signaling through the network to establish two-way voice communication sessions. In the preferred implementation, the localized wireless gateway system includes at least one radio port control unit coupled to the base station transceivers for controlling calls through the transceivers.

The localized wireless gateway system also includes a telephone switch, such as a digital PBX, selectively providing telephone communication channels between the radio port control unit(s) and the packet service gateway. An access manager controls registration and validation of roaming wireless telephones to utilize the wireless gateway system. The access manager also transmits location information for registered wireless telephones to a home location register database via the network.

The communications of the access manager to the home location register database permit telephone authentication as well as maintenance of accurate location information in the home location register identifying the current gateway through which a caller can reach the roaming user's wireless telephone.

Amazingly, for reasons I totally don't get, the following arguable claims in this Patent were found to be in violation: 

1. A method comprising:

registering a wireless telephone terminal in a localized wireless gateway system;

transmitting registration data identifying the gateway system from the localized wireless gateway system to a home location register database through a public packet data communication network;

receiving a request from a calling computer coupled to the public packet data communication network for a call to the wireless telephone terminal;

in response to the request, accessing the home location register database and obtaining a packet data address for the localized wireless gateway system;

using the address to set up a voice communication through the public packet data communication network and the localized wireless gateway system between the calling computer and the wireless telephone terminal.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the public packet data communication network is a packet switched network.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the packet switched network comprises a system of interlinked data networks using TCP/IP protocol.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the system of interlinked data networks comprises the Internet.

 What do you think? Is there anything Vonage is doing that is in specific violaton of this Patent?