Graphical proxy for less capable terminals

• US 20040114603A1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rao, Kashipati G., Suhail, Atiya, Labbe, Thierry
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A voice over IP (VOIP) network 8 includes a graphical proxy server 34 that allows “dumb” terminals (32) to act as SIP phones or H.323 phones; only the graphical proxy server (34) needs to support the underlying signaling protocol. The graphical proxy server (34) includes a graphical server (40) and a terminal management system (42). The terminal management system (42) handles the calls for each associated graphical terminal (32) and interacts with the graphical server (40) to provide a customized GUI for each graphical terminal (32) to display current call status. Each terminal (32) has a respective instance of a terminal controller program (56) in the terminal management system (42). The terminal controller for a terminal (32) controls the terminal'"'"'s GUI responsive to incoming SIP messages directed to the terminal and generates SIP messages responsive to user interaction with the terminal'"'"'s GUI.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a digital network;

a plurality of communication devices coupled to said network for enabling communications sessions responsive to commands conforming to a known protocol;

a plurality of processing devices coupled to said network, said processing devices having a display and being capable of communicating by sending and receiving packetized data over said network during said communications sessions; and

one or more graphical proxy servers coupled to a plurality of said processing devices for;

registering on behalf of associated processing devices, such that messages intended for said processing devices are received by said one or more graphical proxy servers;

in response to receiving messages in said known protocol intended for a particular processing device, generating user interfaces for said particular processing device, such that said particular processing device does not need to interpret messages in said known protocol;

in response to receiving control information regarding user interaction with said user interface, generating messages in said known protocol.

2. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said processing device comprises a personal digital assistant.

3. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said processing device comprises a personal computer.

4. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said graphical proxy servers include graphical server circuitry for generating a user interface responsive to capabilities of said processing devices.

5. The communications system of claim 4 wherein said graphical proxy servers further comprise terminal management circuitry for:

registering processing devices;

receiving and sending messages in said known protocol on behalf of registered processing devices;

requesting user interface data from said graphical server circuitry responsive to said messages.

6. The communications system of claim 5 wherein said terminal management circuitry further comprises circuitry for instantiating a terminal controller for each registered processing device, wherein each terminal controller controls communication between an associated processing device and the graphical proxy server.

7. The communications system of claim 6 wherein each terminal controller includes a user agent for receiving and sending messages in said known protocol.

8. The communications system of claim 7 wherein each graphical proxy server further comprises a super user agent for receiving messages from said communication devices and passing said messages to an identified user agent.

9. The communications system of claim 7 wherein each terminal controller further comprises a presentation manager for managing the user interface on the associated processing device.

10. The communications system of claim 9 wherein each presentation manager maintains information regarding multiple connections to the associated processing device in respective folders.

11. A communications system comprising:

a digital network;

a plurality of communication devices coupled to said network for enabling communications sessions responsive to commands conforming to a known protocol;

a plurality of processing devices coupled to said network, said processing devices having a display and being capable of communicating by sending and receiving packetized data over said network during said communications sessions; and

one or more graphical proxy servers each coupled to a plurality of said processing devices, said graphical proxy servers including;

user agents for generating user interfaces for respective ones of processing devices, such that said particular processing device does not need to interpret messages in said known protocol

a super agent for registering on behalf of said respective processing devices, such that messages intended for said processing devices are received by said super agent, where said super agent passes said messages to associated user agents.

12. The communications system of claim 11, wherein said user agents receive control information regarding user interaction with said user interface and pass messages in said known protocol to said super agent in response thereto.

13. The communications system of claim 11 wherein said graphical proxy servers further include graphical server circuitry for generating said user interface responsive to capabilities of said processing devices.

14. A method of communicating over a digital network, where the communication is between first devices which control communications using a known protocol and second devices which do not control communications using said known protocol, comprising the steps of:

associating said second devices with graphical proxy servers;

in each graphical proxy server;

mapping addresses of associated second devices to the graphical proxy server, such that messages intended for said associated second devices are received by the graphical proxy server;

generating user interfaces in response to said messages; and

transmitting said user interfaces to said associated second devices, such that said second devices have an interactive display responsive to said messages, without circuitry to interpret messages in said known protocol.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the step of:

in each said graphical proxy server, instantiating a respective terminal controller for each active second device, wherein each terminal controller controls communication between the active device and the graphical proxy server.

16. The method of claim 15 and further comprising the step of:

in each said graphical proxy server, receiving all messages intended for active second devices in a super agent module and passing each received messages to a user agent module in the terminal controller associated with the active second device for which the message was intended.

17. A graphic proxy server for controlling communications between first devices which control communications using a known protocol and second devices which do not control communications using said known protocol, comprising:

processing circuitry for;

associating the graphical proxy server with said second devices;

mapping addresses of associated second devices to the graphical proxy server, such that messages intended for said associated second devices are received by the graphical proxy server;

generating user interfaces in response to said messages; and

transmitting said user interfaces to said associated second devices, such that said second devices have an interactive display responsive to said messages without circuitry to interpret messages in said known protocol.

18. The graphical proxy server of claim 17 wherein said processing circuitry instantiates a respective terminal controller for each active second device, wherein each terminal controller controls communication between the active device and the graphical proxy server.

19. The graphical proxy server of claim 18 wherein said processing circuitry receives all messages intended for active second devices in a super agent module and passing each received message to a user agent module in the terminal controller associated with the active second device for which the message was intended.