Gateway for internet telephone

• US 20050008008A1
• Filed: 08/05/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitoshi Ohura
• Inventors: Ohura, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A gateway for an internet telephone system manages calls to and from personal computers and enables the personal computers to use the internet telephone system with an IP address assigned by a DHCP server or a private IP address. The gateway has a LAN receiver for processing an incoming call from the Internet or a personal computer, a line transmitter for processing an outgoing call to a telephone according to a request from the LAN receiver, a line receiver for processing an incoming call from a telephone, a LAN transmitter for processing an outgoing call to the Internet or a personal computer according to a request from the line receiver, and a logger for logging information about calls according to requests from the LAN transmitter and line transmitter. If the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies an IP address as a receiver address, the LAN receiver requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call, and the LAN transmitter requests the logger to log information about the call.

Claims

1. A gateway for an internet telephone system, comprising:

a LAN receiver for processing an incoming call from the Internet or a personal computer;

a line receiver for processing an incoming call from a telephone;

a LAN transmitter for processing an outgoing call to the Internet or a personal computer according to a request from the line receiver;

a line transmitter f or processing an outgoing call to a telephone according to a request from the LAN receiver;

a retrieval unit for retrieving the address of a receiver gateway according to a request from the line receiver; and

a logger for logging information about calls according to requests from the LAN transmitter and line transmitter, wherein, if the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies a receiver IP address,;

the LAN receiver requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call; and

the LAN transmitter requests the logger to log information about the call.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein, if the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies a receiver telephone number that is outside the domain of the gateway,:

the LAN receiver retrieves an IP address assigned to a gateway corresponding to the receiver telephone number from the retrieval unit and requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call and retrieved IP address.

3. The gateway of claim 1, wherein:

the LAN receiver has a first table for registering IP addresses assigned to personal computers that are within the domain of the gateway, telephone numbers related to the personal computers, and reception enabled/disabled states of the personal computers; and

if the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies a receiver telephone number that is within the domain of the gateway, the LAN receiver retrieves an IP address from the first table according to the receiver telephone number, and if a personal computer having the retrieved IP address is in a reception enabled state, requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call and retrieved IP address.

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein:

the LAN transmitter has a second table for registering IP addresses assigned to personal computers that are within the domain of the gateway and telephone numbers related to the personal computers; and

if the LAN transmitter receives a call request from the LAN receiver and if the call request accompanies a caller IP address that is not a global IP address, the LAN transmitter retrieves a telephone number corresponding to the caller IP address from the second table and replaces the caller IP address with an IP address assigned to the gateway plus the retrieved telephone number.

12. The gateway of claim 3, wherein, if the personal computer is in the reception disabled state or fails to receive the call, the LAN receiver requests the line transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call and accompanied receiver telephone number.

21. The gateway according to claim 12, wherein the private IP address of the terminal is provided by implementing a DHCP.

5-11. -11. (Cancelled)

13-18. -18. (Cancelled)

19. A gateway for an internet telephone system to which one or more terminal having respective telephone numbers are connected within the domain of the gateway, comprising:

a means for converting between a voice signal from the terminal and the corresponding IP packet;

a first table for translating between a telephone number and a global IP address to be assigned to the terminal;

a means, if the terminal sends a call outside of the domain, for assigning one global IP address obtained by retrieving the first table based on a telephone number of the call to the IP packet sent by the sending terminal;

a means for including the telephone number of the sending terminal in the IP packet to be sent; and

a means for specifying the destination terminal based on the telephone number included in the IP packet received.

20. The gateway according to claim 19, to which one or more terminals having respective private IP addresses are further connected within the domain of the gateway, further comprising:

a second table for translating between a private IP address of the terminal and a global IP address to be assigned to the terminal, and

a means, if the terminal sends data outside of the domain, for assigning one global IP address obtained by retrieving the second table based on a private IP address of the data to the IP packet sent by the sending terminal.