Using Secondary Channels to Communicate IP Addresses for Point-To-Point Communication

• US 20070147399A1
• Filed: 12/30/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ArcSoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ArcSoft, Inc.
• Inventors: Deng, Hui, Tu, JianMing
• Application Number:
  US11/618,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20070147399A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A first device uses a secondary communication channel to send its public IP address to a second device to setup point-to-point communication over a primary communication channel, such as a public computer network. The secondary channel may be a public switched telephone network, a circuit-switched voice channel in cellular network, a packet-switched voice channel in cellular network, a conventional VoIP service, a text or multimedia channel in a cellular network, a data channel in a cable television or a satellite television network, or a radio frequency channel. Once the connection over the pubic computer network has been established, the first and the second devices exchange data packets carrying text, voice, video, or other data.

Claims

1. A method for using a secondary communication channel to exchange a public computer network address for point-to-point communication between a first device and a second device over a public computer network, comprising:

communicating the public computer network address between the first and the second devices over the secondary communication channel;

establishing a network connection between the first and the second devices over the public computer network using the public computer network address; and

exchanging data packets between the first and the second devices over the public computer network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary channel is selected from the group consisting of a circuit-switched voice channel in a cellular network and a packet-switched voice channel in a cellular network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said communicating the public computer network address comprises:

the first device calling the second device over the secondary channel; and

the first device sending touch-tones representing the public computer network address to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary channel is selected from the group consisting of a text channel in a cellular network and a multimedia channel in a cellular network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said communicating the public computer network address comprises the first device sending a message to a telephone number associated with the second device, wherein the message includes the public computer network address and the second device parses the public computer network address from the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary channel is a Voice over Internet Protocol service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said communicating the public computer network address comprise:

the first device calling the second device over the secondary channel; and

the first device sending touch-tones representing the public computer network address to the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary channel is selected from the group consisting of a data channel in a cable television network and a data channel in a satellite network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said communicating the public computer network address comprises the first device sending a data packet to the second device, wherein the data packet includes the public computer network address and the second device parses the public computer network address from the data packet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary channel is a data channel in a radio frequency channel.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, prior to said communicating the public computer network address:

scanning radio frequencies for peer devices; and

determining the second device from the peer devices.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating the public computer network address comprises the first device sending a data packet to the second device, wherein the data packet includes the public computer network address and the second device parses the public computer network address from the data packet.