Vonage Wins Second Virtual Number Patent

The new patent focuses on its Session Initiation Protocol-based network to allow more customers to establish virtual numbers outside a Vonage customer's local calling area to call for the price of a local call.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Vonage Holdings a second patent for virtual telephone numbers. Vonage's first patent involving virtual phone numbers-No. 7,386,111-was granted on June 10, 2008.

Virtual phone numbers allow people outside a Vonage customer's local calling area to call for the price of a local call, allowing customers to establish a "virtual" presence. Vonage offers virtual phone numbers across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and in more than 14 other countries.

The new patent (No. 7,680,262) is titled "Method and Apparatus for Placing a Long Distance Call Based on a Virtual Phone Number."

"We continue to drive innovation that translates into unique products and services for our customers," Nick Lazzaro, senior vice president of product development and information technology, said in a statement. "This breakthrough takes advantage of our Session Initiation Protocol-based network and enables our customers to save significantly when they communicate with their friends and families across the country or around the world."