System and method for viewing contents via a computer network during a telephone call

• US 20040213207A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Hong Thi, Silver, Edward Michael, Roberts, Linda Ann
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A method for enabling one or both parties of a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network during the telephone call. The method includes the following steps: (1) associating a telephone number of a telephone line with a network address of the source computer; (2) retrieving the network address when a call is received by or placed on the telephone line; and (3) establishing a data session between the source computer and one or more display devices associated with the telephone line during which contents of the source computer are displayed on the display devices.

Claims

1. A system for viewing contents of a source computer via a computer network comprising:

a telephone line in communication with a telephone network;

a display device associated with the telephone line; and

a communication link between the display device and the computer network,

wherein when a triggering event associated with the telephone line is detected, contents of the source computer are displayed on the display device during a data session via the communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is detected before a voice session is established between a calling party and a called party.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is detected after a voice session is established between a calling party and a called party.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a termination of the voice session ends the data session.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data session continues after the voice session is terminated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the telephone line is associated with one of a called party and a calling party.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the source computer is associated with one of a called party, a calling party, and a third party.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the telephone line is an integrated services digital network line that comprises a B-channel and a D-channel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication link is one of a second telephone line, a digital subscriber line, a cable modem line, a T1 line, a T3 line, and an integrated services digital network line.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication link is the D-channel.

11. A method for enabling a party of a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network comprising the steps of:

associating a telephone number of a telephone line with a network address of the source computer;

storing a result of the associating step in a memory accessible to an equipment associated with the party, wherein the equipment is associated with a display device;

detecting a triggering event on the telephone line;

retrieving the network address from the memory;

establishing a data session on a communication link between the display device and the source computer; and

displaying contents of the source computer on the display device during the data session.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol address.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the network address is an uniform resource locator.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the result of the associating step is stored in a database located within.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the triggering event comprises an acquisition of a telephone number of a calling party.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the triggering event comprises an acquisition of a dial string generated by the equipment.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the telephone line is an integrated services digital network line that comprises a B-channel for voice and a D-channel for data.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the source computer is associated with the party.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the source computer is associated with an entity other than the party.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication link is one of a second telephone line, a digital subscriber line, a cable modem line, a T1 line, a T3 line, and an integrated services digital network line.

21. A system for enabling a user to view contents of a source computer via a computer network comprising:

an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line associated with the user, wherein the ISDN line comprises a B-channel and a D-channel;

an equipment in communication with the ISDN line; and

a display device associated with the equipment;

wherein when an attempt is being made to establish a voice session using the B-channel, the equipment obtains a dialed string associated with the attempt, uses the dialed string to retrieve a network address of the source computer, and establishes a data session with the source computer using the B-channel, and

wherein contents of the source computer is displayed on the display device during the data session.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the attempt is made by the user, and wherein the equipment is adapted to collect digits dialed by the user.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the attempt is made by a calling party other than the user, and wherein the equipment is adapted to collect a telephone number of the calling party.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising a memory accessible by the equipment, wherein the memory comprises the dialed string and the network address of the source computer.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the data session uses TCP/IP.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the network address of the source computer is one of an Internet protocol address and a uniform resource locator.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the source computer is associated with a called party.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the source computer is associated with a third party unrelated to the voice session.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the attempt is made by the user.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the attempt is made by calling a party other than the user.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the source computer is associated with a third party not related to the voice session.

29. A method for enabling a user of an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line to view contents of source computers via a computer network comprising the steps of:

connecting an equipment of the user to the ISDN line, wherein the equipment comprises a display device;

associating one or more network addresses of one or more source computers with one or more dialed strings;

storing a result of the associating step in a memory that is accessible by the equipment,

detecting a attempt to establish a voice session using a B-channel of the ISDN line;

collecting a dialed string associated with the attempt;

determining whether the dialed string is associated with the one or more network addresses stored in the memory; and

establishing a data session between the equipment and a source computer that is associated with a network address that is associated with the dialed string; and

displaying contents of the source computer on the display device of the equipment during the data session.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the dialed string comprises a telephone number of a called party.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the source computer is associated with the called party.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the dial string is a telephone number of the calling party.