Software-based solutions for telephone network bridging

• US 20070025338A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smartlink Limited
• Original Assignee: Smartlink Limited
• Inventors: Avrahami, Avi, Benditovich, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US11/326,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for communication includes coupling a computer to communicate over a circuit-switched telephone network via voice-band analog modem hardware. A communication terminal is coupled to exchange digital voice samples with the computer via a digital interface. A telephone call is established via the computer between the communication terminal and a telephone on the circuit-switched telephone network wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware transmits and receives voice signals corresponding to the digital voice samples over the circuit-switched telephone network to and from the telephone.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for communication, comprising:

coupling a computer to communicate over a circuit-switched telephone network via voice-band analog modem hardware;

coupling a communication terminal to exchange digital voice samples with the computer via a digital interface; and

establishing a telephone call via the computer between the communication terminal and a telephone on the circuit-switched telephone network wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware transmits and receives voice signals corresponding to the digital voice samples over the circuit-switched telephone network to and from the telephone.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein coupling the communication terminal comprises connecting a digital telephone terminal to a digital input/output (I/O) port of the computer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the digital I/O port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the digital I/O port comprises at least one of a computer bus connection and a digital audio connection.

5. The method according to claim 2, and comprising establishing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call via the computer between the digital telephone terminal and a remote communication terminal over a packet-switched network.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein establishing the VoIP call comprises receiving at the computer, via the digital I/O port, an input corresponding to one or more keystrokes input by a user of the digital telephone terminal, and processing the input, using the computer, so as to determine whether to establish the telephone call or the VoIP call.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein establishing the telephone call comprises driving the communication terminal, using the computer, to generate a first audible indication to indicate that the telephone call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network, and wherein establishing the VoIP call comprises driving the communication terminal, using the computer, to generate a second audible indication, different from the first audible indication, to indicate that the VoIP call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein coupling the communication terminal comprises setting up a link between the communication terminal and the computer via a packet network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein setting up the link comprises establishing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call between the communication terminal and the computer.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the telephone call comprises conveying the digital voice samples in the computer between a modem driver program that is used to control the voice-band analog modem hardware and a soft phone application program via an audio driver program.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein establishing the telephone call comprises controlling the telephone call using a soft phone agent, and wherein the digital voice samples are conveyed between the modem driver program and the audio driver program via the soft phone agent.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the telephone call comprises receiving a caller identification (CID) signal from the telephone over the telephone network, and outputting a message via the digital interface so as to cause the communication terminal to display information corresponding to the CID signal.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware is configured to operate in conjunction with a software modem.

14. Apparatus for communication, comprising:

a communication terminal; and

a computer, which comprises;

a digital interface, which is arranged to exchange digital voice samples with the communication terminal; and

voice-band analog modem hardware, which is arranged to communicate over a circuit-switched telephone network,

the computer being arranged to establish a telephone call between the communication terminal and a telephone on the circuit-switched telephone network wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware transmits and receives voice signals corresponding to the digital voice samples over the circuit-switched telephone network to and from the telephone.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the digital interface comprises a digital input/output (I/O) port of the computer, and wherein the communication terminal comprises a digital telephone terminal, which is connected to the digital I/O port.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the digital I/O port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the digital I/O port comprises at least one of a computer bus connection and a digital audio connection.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the computer is further arranged to establish a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call between the digital telephone terminal and a remote communication terminal over a packet-switched network.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the computer is arranged to receive, via the digital I/O port, an input corresponding to one or more keystrokes input by a user of the digital telephone terminal, and to process the input so as to determine whether to establish the telephone call or the VoIP call.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the computer is arranged to drive the communication terminal to generate a first audible indication to indicate that the telephone call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network, and to generate a second audible indication, different from the first audible indication, to indicate that the VoIP call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network.

21. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the digital interface is arranged to exchange the digital voice samples with the communication terminal via a packet network.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the computer is arranged to establish a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with the communication terminal over the packet network.

23. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the computer is arranged to convey the digital voice samples between a modem driver program that is used to control the voice-band analog modem hardware and a soft phone application program via an audio driver program.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the computer is arranged to control the telephone call using a soft phone agent, and wherein the digital voice samples are conveyed between the modem driver program and the audio driver program via the soft phone agent.

25. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the computer is arranged to receive a caller identification (CID) signal from the telephone over the telephone network, and to output a message via the digital interface so as to cause the communication terminal to display information corresponding to the CID signal.

26. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware is configured to operate in conjunction with a software modem.

27. A computer software product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to communicate over a circuit-switched telephone network via voice-band analog modem hardware, and to exchange digital voice samples with a communication terminal via a digital interface, and to establish a telephone call between the communication terminal and a telephone on the circuit-switched telephone network wherein the voice-band analog modem hardware transmits and receives voice signals corresponding to the digital voice samples over the circuit-switched telephone network to and from the telephone.

28. The product according to claim 27, wherein the digital interface comprises a digital input/output (I/O) port of the computer, and wherein the communication terminal comprises a digital telephone terminal, which is connected to the digital I/O port.

29. The product according to claim 28, wherein the digital I/O port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

30. The product according to claim 28, wherein the digital I/O port comprises at least one of a computer bus connection and a digital audio connection.

31. The product according to claim 28, wherein the instructions cause the computer to establish a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call between the digital telephone terminal and a remote communication terminal over a packet-switched network.

32. The product according to claim 31, wherein the instructions cause the computer to receive, via the digital I/O port, an input corresponding to one or more keystrokes input by a user of the digital telephone terminal, and to process the input so as to determine whether to establish the telephone call or the VoIP call.

33. The product according to claim 31, wherein the instructions cause the computer to drive the communication terminal to generate a first audible indication to indicate that the telephone call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network, and to generate a second audible indication, different from the first audible indication, to indicate that the VoIP call has been received from the circuit-switched communication network.

34. The product according to claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the computer to exchange the digital voice samples with the communication terminal via a packet network.

35. The product according to claim 34, wherein the instructions cause the computer to establish a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with the communication terminal over the packet network.

36. The product according to claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the computer to convey the digital voice samples between a modem driver program that is used to control the voice-band analog modem hardware and a soft phone application program via an audio driver program.

37. The product according to claim 36, wherein the instructions cause the computer to control the telephone call using a soft phone agent, and wherein the digital voice samples are conveyed between the modem driver program and the audio driver program via the soft phone agent.

38. The product according to claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the computer to receive a caller identification (CID) signal from the telephone over the telephone network, and to output a message via the digital interface so as to cause the communication terminal to display information corresponding to the CID signal.

39. The product according to claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to operate the voice-band analog modem hardware in conjunction with a software modem.