Method and apparatus for establishing and facilitating a voice call connection from a client computer to a PSTN extension

• US 20020042826A1
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITXC IP Holdings SARL (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ITXC IP Holdings SARL (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kadinger, John R., Gaus, Jeffrey W., Karamechdu, Murali, Sponaugle, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,778,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing and facilitating a voice call connection from a client computer to a PSTN extension includes incorporating offers to participate in a voice communication session into a call invitation list providing convenient and persistent access to such offers for present and/or future acceptance by a user of the client computer.

Claims

1. In a client computer system, a method comprising:

receiving a first offer to participate in a voice communication session, which when accepted by the client causes an event notification denoting such acceptance of the first offer by the client to be transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session; and

incorporating the first offer into a call invitation list listing one or more previously received offers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice communication session is established between the client and an agent of an offeror of the first offer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the call invitation list includes graphical representations of at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first offer is represented in the call invitation list by a graphical representation visually identifying the offeror.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the call invitation list alphanumerically represents at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is selectively incorporated into the call invitation list based at least in part upon input from a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is automatically incorporated into the call invitation list upon the client receiving the first offer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first offer is incorporated into the call invitation list only if the voice communication session is established as a result of the acceptance of the first offer by the client.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the voice communication session is not established as a result of the acceptance of the first offer by the client, a graphical representation indicating such failure of the communication session to be established is incorporated into the call invitation list.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of programming instructions to receive a first offer to participate in a voice communication session, which when accepted by a client causes an event notification denoting such acceptance of the first offer by the client to be transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session; and

to incorporate the first offer into a call invitation list representing one or more previously received offers including the first offer; and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium to execute the plurality of programming instructions.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the voice communication session is established between the client and an offeror of the first offer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the call invitation list comprises a graphical representation of at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation visually identifies the offeror of the first offer.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the call invitation list comprises an alphanumeric representation of at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first offer is selectively incorporated into the call invitation list based at least in part upon input from a user.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first offer is automatically incorporated into the call invitation list upon the client receiving the first offer.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first offer is incorporated into the call invitation list only if the voice communication session is established as a result of the acceptance of the first offer by the client.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein if the voice communication session is not established as a result of the acceptance of the first offer by the client, a graphical representation indicating such failure of the communication session to be established is incorporated into the call invitation list.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the voice communication session is established between the client and an offeror of the first offer.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the call invitation list comprises a graphical representation of at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the graphical representation visually identifies the offeror of the first offer.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the call invitation list comprises an alphanumeric representation of at least one of the one or more previously received offers.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first offer is selectively incorporated into the call invitation list based at least in part upon input from a user.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first offer is automatically incorporated into the call invitation list upon the client receiving the first offer.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the call invitation list comprises a graphical representation of at least the select one or more of the at least one offer.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the call invitation list comprises an alphanumeric representation of the select one or more of the at least one offer.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the call invitation list comprises a graphical representation of at least the select one or more of the at least one offer.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the call invitation list comprises an alphanumeric representation of the select one or more of the at least one offer.

19. A computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to receive a first offer to participate in a voice communication session, which when accepted by a client causes an event notification denoting such acceptance of the first offer by the client to be transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session and to incorporate the first offer in association with a call invitation list representing one or more previously received offers including the first offer.

26. In a client computer system, a method comprising:

displaying a representation of at least one offer to participate in a voice communication session, wherein when one or more of the at least one offer is accepted by the client, an event notification denoting such acceptance by the client of the offer is transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session;

identifying a select one or more of the at least one offer as indicated by a user; and

incorporating the select one or more of the at least one offer into a call invitation list for future acceptance by the user.

29. A client apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of programming instructions to display a representation of at least one offer to participate in a voice communication session, wherein when one or more of the at least one offer is accepted by the client, an event notification denoting such acceptance by the client of the offer is transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session;

to identify a select one or more of the at least one offer as indicated by a user; and

to incorporate the select one or more of the at least one offer as indicated by the user in association with a call invitation list for future acceptance by the user; and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium to execute the plurality of programming instructions.

32. A computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to display a graphical representation of at least one offer to participate in a voice communication session, wherein when one or more of the at least one offer is accepted by the client, an event notification denoting such acceptance by the client of the offer is transmitted to a server to establish the voice communication session;

to identify a select one or more of the at least one offer as indicated by a user; and

to incorporate the select one or more of the at least one offer as indicated by the user in association with a call invitation list for future acceptance by the user.