Communication system

• US 20080144578A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaal, Madis
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• 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 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method of controlling a communication session between a user of a communication network and a communication system wherein the communication network comprises a first network and a second network, and wherein the communication system operates on the first network said method comprising: transmitting a session request packet from a device associated with the user to a first node located in the first network; initiating the session for the user with the communication system at the first node in response to receiving the session request, wherein during the session the method comprises the steps of: providing from the first node to the device a calling identity for use by the device during a communication event between the user and an entity via the communication system, wherein the calling identity may be used to establish a connection between the device and a second node located in the second network determining an address of the entity; and associating the calling identity with the address of the entity; wherein upon termination of the session the calling identity is disassociated from the address of the entity.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a communication session between a user of a communication network and a communication system wherein the communication network comprises a first network and a second network, and wherein the communication system operates on the first network, said method comprising;

transmitting a session request packet from a device associated with the user to a first node located in the first network;

initiating the session for the user with the communication system at the first node in response to receiving the session request, wherein during the session the method comprises the steps of;

providing from the first node to the device a calling identity for use by the device during a communication event between the user and an entity via the communication system, wherein the calling identity may be used to establish a connection between the device and a second node located in the second network;

determining an address of the entity; and

associating the calling identity with the address of the entity;

wherein upon termination of the session the calling identity is disassociated from the address of the entity.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity is associated with the address of the entity at a third node located in the first network.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity is provided to the device in at least one data packet.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity comprises at least a first number.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises providing from the first node to the device a contact identifier data packet comprising a list of identifiers wherein one of said identifiers is used to identify the entity.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the calling identifier for the entity is determined from the first number and the contact identifier used to identify the entity.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the calling identifier is determined from the first number and the contact identifier according to a call method.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the call method is dependent on the location of the device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the call method is dependent on the type of the device.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising transmitting a redirect packet to the device from a third node;

wherein the redirect data packet comprises an address for the first node.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the redirect packet is transmitted from the third node to the device in response to the device transmitting a session request packet to the third node.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user device executes a client program for communicating with a communication instance executed on the first node.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the communication instance is assigned to the user of the user device in response to the device transmitting the session request.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein initiating a session for the user with the communication system operating on the first network comprises assigning the communication instance to the user.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the redirect data packet further comprises update information for updating software the client program.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the update information comprises a Uniform Resource Locator defining an location in the first network from which updates for the client program may be downloaded.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising transmitting a communication event from the user device to the entity during the session.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein transmitting a communication event from the device to the entity comprises:

establishing a connection between the user device and the second node located in the second network;

wherein the connection with second node is established using the calling identity;

querying the third node with the calling identity to determine the address of the entity; and

transmitting the communication event to the entity using the address of the entity.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the entity is a user of the communication network, a voice mail record, or an application for carrying out a control command.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the session is terminated in response to a logout request data packet transmitted from the device associated with the user.

21. A call set up data packet comprising at least part of a calling identity for calling an entity via a packet switched network, wherein the calling identity may be used to establish a connection between a calling device and a node located in a circuit switched network.

22. A user device comprising:

means for providing a user interface to a user of the device; and

means for generating packets for transmission to a network node to implement calls over a network, said packets including any one of the packets described herein.

23. A communication network arranged to control a communication session between a user of the communication network and a communication system wherein the communication network comprises a first network and a second network and wherein the communication system operates on the first network, the communication network further comprising:

a user device associated with the user, arranged to transmit a session request to a first node located in the first network;

the first node arranged to initiate the session for the user with the communication system in response to receiving the session request;

to a calling identity for use by the device during a communication event between the user and an entity via the communication system, wherein the calling identity may be used to establish a connection between the device and a second node located in the second network; and

a third node located in the first network arranged to associate the calling identity with the address of the entity, wherein upon termination of the session the third node is further arranged to disassociate the calling identity from the address of the entity.