Method and apparatus for web direct-dialing connection

• US 20030048892A1
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Murai, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,072,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42331 Direct inward dialling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A Web server provides the following service when being accessed by a telephone with a browser via the Internet, the server transfers a list of extension groups and the persons in charge belonging to the groups to the telephone. After the desired person in charge is selected from the list on the telephone, the server notifies the telephone of an outside-line telephone number direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by the person in charge. The server informs a private branch exchange of information including the telephone number of the telephone and the extension number of the extension telephone used by the person in charge. Thereafter, the private branch exchange, when receiving an incoming call from the telephone, directly calls up the extension telephone with the extension number previously notified by the server.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a telephone with a Web browser to an extension of a private branch exchange, comprising:

transferring a list from said telephone to a specific Web server when said telephone requests extension telephone directory service from the specific Web server via the Internet, said list including extension groups and the persons in charge belonging to the groups, and said extension groups and said persons being managed by said private branch exchange;

transmitting data representing the number of an outside-line telephone, from said Web server to said telephone via the Internet, when a person in charge is selected from said list on said telephone, said outside-line telephone being one connectable, by direct dialing, to the telephone used by the person selected;

transmitting direct-dialing connection information from said Web server to said private branch exchange, said direct-dialing connection information including the telephone number of said telephone and the number of the extension telephone used by said person selected; and

causing the private branch exchange to call the extension telephone of the number transmitted from said Web server to said private branch exchange and to connect the extension telephone to said telephone, when said private branch exchange receives an incoming call from said telephone that has received said outside-line telephone number.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the direct-dialing connection information into said private branch exchange when said Web server transmits the direct-dialing connection information to said private branch exchange; and

retrieving the extension number from the corresponding direct-dialing connection information stored in said private branch exchange, when said private branch exchange receives an incoming call.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the direct-dialing connection information transmitted from said Web server to said private branch exchange includes a number of an outside-line telephone that is direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by the person selected.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

storing the direct-dialing connection information into said private branch exchange when said Web server transmits the direct-dialing connection information to said private branch exchange; and

retrieving the extension number from the corresponding direct-dialing connection information stored in said private branch exchange, by using a pair of said telephone of the calling party and the outside-line telephone number of the called party as a key, when said private branch exchange receives an incoming call.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing said Web server to acquire, from said private branch exchange, information about said extension groups and persons in charge belonging to the groups, the numbers of the extension telephones used by the persons in charge, and the numbers of the outside-line telephones direct-dialing-connectable to the extension telephones, and storing the information into an extension telephone directory storage unit; and

generating said list from the information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit, when said Web telephone accesses said Web server via the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the direct-dialing connection information transmitted to said private branch exchange by said Web server includes an outside-line telephone number direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by said selected person in charge.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the number of the outside-line telephone direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by said person selected and the number of the extension telephone used by said person selected, both included in the direct-dialing connection information transmitted to said private branch exchange by said Web server, are acquired from the information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the number of the outside-line telephone direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by said person selected, which has been transmitted to said telephone by said Web server, is acquired from the information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit contains state information which said Web server has acquired from said private branch exchange, for the number of each extension telephone managed by said private branch exchange, said state information indicating which one of communication states the extension telephone takes at present and being associated with the number of the extension telephone, said communication states including the idle and busy states of the extension telephone.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

causing said Web server to determine, from the corresponding state information in said extension telephone directory storage unit, whether a person in charge can communicate when the person is selected from said list on said telephone; and

transmitting the state indicated by said state information, from said Web server to said telephone via the Internet, when said person selected cannot communicate.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit contains state information which said Web server has acquired from said private branch exchange, for the number of each extension telephone managed by said private branch exchange, said state information indicating which one of person-in-charge states the extension telephone takes at present and being associated with the number of the extension telephone, said person-in-charge states including the presence and absence of the person in charge using the extension telephone.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

causing said Web server to determine, from the corresponding state information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit, whether a person in charge can communicate when the person in charge is selected from said list on said Web telephone; and

transmitting the state indicated by said state information, from said Web server to said telephone via the Internet, when said selected person in charge cannot communicate.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said Web server communicating with a Computer Telephony Integration server acquires the state information indicating said person-in-charge state from the Computer Telephony Integration server.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising deleting the direct-dialing connection information when said direct-dialing connection information remains stored in said private branch exchange longer than a predetermined time.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each piece of the direct-dialing connection information stored in said private branch exchange further includes time information representing the time at which the information was stored, and in order to delete the direct-dialing connection information, the time information added to each piece of said direct-dialing connection information stored in said private branch exchange is referred to periodically, each time determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed from the time indicated by the time information.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code means embodied therein, the computer-readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising:

computer-readable program code means for causing a Web server computer to transfer a list to a telephone via the Internet when said telephone having a Web browser requests extension telephone directory service for direct-dialing connection via the Internet, said list including the extension groups managed by a private branch exchange and persons in charge belonging to the groups;

computer-readable program code means for causing said Web server computer to transfer a number of an outside-line telephone direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by a person in charge, to said telephone via the Internet, when the person in charge is selected from said list on said telephone; and

computer-readable program code means for causing, when a person in charge is selected from said list on said telephone, said Web server computer to transmit direct-dialing connection information to the private branch exchange, said direct-dialing connection information including the telephone number of said telephone and the number of the extension telephone used by said person selected, whereby when said private branch exchange receives an incoming call via a public switched telephone network from said telephone that has received the number of said outside-line telephone, said private branch exchange directly call the extension telephone and connects the extension telephone to said telephone upon receipt of the number of the said outside-line telephone from said Web server computer.

17. A Web server computer which has an extension telephone directory service function for direct-dialing connection and which is applied to a communication system for connecting a telephone with a browser to an extension of a private branch exchange, said Web server computer comprising:

an extension telephone directory storage unit which stores extension telephone directory data including extension groups, the persons in charge belonging to the groups, the numbers of the extension telephones used by the persons in charge, and the number of outside-line telephones direct-dialing-connectable to the extension telephones, each piece of the extension telephone directory data being managed by the private branch exchange;

means for, when said telephone requests extension telephone directory service via the Internet, generating a list including the extension groups managed by said private branch exchange and the persons in charge belonging to the groups on the basis of the contents of said storage unit and transferring the list to said telephone via the Internet;

means for, when a person in charge is selected from said list on said telephone which has requested said extension telephone directory service, retrieving an outside-line telephone number direct-dialing-connectable to the telephone used by the person selected and the extension number of the extension telephone used by the person selected;

means for transmitting said retrieved number of the direct-dialing-connectable outside-line telephone via the Internet to said Web telephone which has requested said extension telephone directory service; and

means for transmitting direct-dialing connection information to said private branch exchange and causing said private branch exchange to directly call the extension telephone having the notified extension number and connect the extension telephone to said telephone when said private branch exchange receives an incoming call from said telephone, said direct-dialing connection information including the telephone number of said telephone which has requested said extension telephone directory service and said retrieved extension number.

18. The Web server computer according to claim 17, further comprising storage means for communicating with said private branch exchange and for storing, into said storage unit, information about said extension groups, the persons in charge belonging to the groups, the numbers of the extension telephones used by the persons in charge, and numbers of outside-line telephones direct-dialing-connectable to the extension telephones.

19. The Web server computer according to claim 17, wherein said storage unit stores, for each of said extension numbers, state information indicating the present one of communication states including the idle and busy states of the extension telephone with the extension number, and the Web server computer further comprises:

means for determining whether a person in charge can communicate on the basis of the corresponding state information in said extension telephone directory storage unit, when the person is selected from said list on said telephone which has requested said extension telephone directory service, and

means for transmitting the state indicated by said state information, to said Web telephone of via the Internet when said person in charge cannot communicate.

20. The Web server computer according to claim 17, wherein said storage unit stores, for each of said extension numbers, state information indicating the present one of a plurality of person-in-charge states including the presence and absence of the person in charge who uses the extension telephone with the extension number, and the Web server computer further comprises:

means for determining whether a person in charge can communicate from the corresponding state information stored in said extension telephone directory storage unit, when the person is selected from said list on said telephone which has requested said extension telephone directory service, and

means for transmitting the state indicated by said state information, to said telephone of via the Internet when said person in charge cannot communicate.