SYSTEM AND NETWORK TERMINAL FOR IP COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20090006554A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: FUJISHITA, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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

Abstract

A network terminal is capable of running a plurality of user environments in parallel and is connected to an interface device. The network terminal includes a plurality of communication units, a plurality of collaborating units, and a monitoring unit. The plurality of communication units are provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments. Each communication unit is configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment. The plurality of collaborating units are provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of communication units. Each collaborating unit is configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication unit and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the corresponding communication unit. The monitoring unit monitors whether any of the collaborating units is performing the collaborative control. One of the plurality of collaborating units performs the collaborative control when the subject collaborating unit receives: notification from the monitoring unit indicating that none of the plurality of collaborating units is performing a collaborative control; and notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating unit as a specified collaborating unit to perform the collaborating control.

Claims

1. A network terminal capable of running a plurality of user environments in parallel and being connected to an interface device, the network terminal comprising:

a plurality of communication units provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments, each communication unit being configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment;

a plurality of collaborating units provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of communication units, each collaborating unit being configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication unit and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the corresponding communication unit; and

a monitoring unit that monitors whether any of the collaborating units is performing the collaborative control,

wherein one of the plurality of collaborating units performs the collaborative control when the subject collaborating unit receives;

notification from the monitoring unit indicating that none of the plurality of collaborating units is performing a collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating unit as a specified collaborating unit to perform the collaborating control.

2. The network terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit that notifies the interface device that one of the plurality of collaborative units is unable to perform the collaborative control when the subject collaborating unit receives:

notification from the monitoring unit indicating that one of the plurality of collaborating units is performing the collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating unit as the specified collaborating unit.

3. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein each collaborating unit transmits to the interface device identification data for the corresponding user environment, the identification data identifying user of the corresponding communication unit.

4. The network terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device, and

wherein the monitoring unit stores start notification in the storage device when each collaborating unit starts performing the collaborative control.

5. The network terminal according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring unit stores end notification in the storage device when each collaborating unit ends performing the collaborative control.

6. The network terminal according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of collaborating units specifies the subject collaborating unit as the specified collaborating unit when the subject collaborating unit receives:

notification from the monitoring unit indicating that none of the plurality of collaborating units is performing the collaborative control; and

a request for communicating with the subject communication unit via the network from another Internet Protocol telephone call terminal device.

7. The network terminal according to claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of collaborating units notifies another Internet Protocol telephone call terminal device that the subject collaborating unit is unable to perform the collaborative control, when the subject collaborating unit receives:

notification from the monitoring unit indicating that one of the plurality of collaborating units is performing the collaborative control; and

a request for communicating with the subject communication unit via the network from the another Internet Protocol telephone call terminal device.

8. A network terminal connected to an interface device, the network terminal comprising a controller, the controller executing:

a multi-user operating system installed on the network device, the multi-user operation system capable of running a plurality of different user environments in parallel;

a plurality of communication applications installed on the network device, the plurality of communication applications being provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each communication application being configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment; and

a plurality of collaborating applications installed on the network terminal, the plurality of collaborating applications being provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of communication applications and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each collaborating application being configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication application and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the corresponding communication application, at least one of the plurality of collaborating applications running,

a monitoring application that monitors whether any of the collaborating applications is performing the collaborative control,

wherein one of the at least one running collaborating application performs the collaborative control upon receiving;

notification from the monitoring application indicating that none of the at least one running collaborating application is performing the collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating application as a specified collaborating application.

9. The network terminal according to claim 8, wherein each collaborating application transmits to the interface device identification data for the corresponding user environment, the identification data identifying user of the corresponding communication application.

10. The network terminal according to claim 8, wherein each collaborating application transmits the identification data to the interface device when the each collaborating application is launched.

11. The network terminal according to claim 10, wherein each collaborating application transmits the identification data to the interface device again when the each collaborating application is ended.

12. The network terminal according to claim 10, wherein each collaborating application repeatedly transmits the identification data to the interface device by a prescribed interval while the collaborating application is running.

13. A method executed by a network terminal capable of running a plurality of user environments in parallel and being connected to an interface device, the network terminal executing a plurality of communication applications installed on the network device, the plurality of communication application being provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each communication application being configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment, the method comprising:

monitoring whether any of a plurality of collaborating applications is performing the collaborative control, the plurality of collaborating applications being provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of user environments and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each collaborating application being configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication application and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the corresponding communication application; and

performing the collaborative control by one of the at least one running collaborating application when the subject collaborating application receives;

notification from the monitoring application indicating that none of the at least one running collaborating application is performing the collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating application as a specified collaborating application.

14. A computer-readable recording medium that stores a computer program for a network terminal capable of running a plurality of user environments in parallel and being connected to an interface device, the network terminal executing a plurality of communication applications installed on the network device, the plurality of communication application being provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each communication application being configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment, the computer program instructions for:

monitoring whether any of a plurality of collaborating applications is performing the collaborative control, the plurality of collaborating applications being provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of user environments and being configured to be capable of running in parallel, each collaborating application being configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication application and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the corresponding communication application; and

performing the collaborative control by one of the at least one running collaborating application when the subject collaborating application receives;

notification from the monitoring application indicating that none of the at least one running collaborating application is performing the collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating application as a specified collaborating application.

15. A system comprising:

an interface device;

a network terminal capable of running a plurality of user environments in parallel and being connected to the interface device, the network terminal comprising;

a plurality of communication units provided in one to one correspondence with a plurality of user environments, each communication unit being configured to implement an Internet Protocol telephone call in the corresponding user environment; and

a plurality of collaborating units provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of communication units, each collaborating unit being configured to perform a collaborative control on the corresponding communication unit and the interface device to thereby establish communications between the interface device and the communication unit; and

a monitoring unit that monitors whether any of the collaborating units is performing the collaborative control,

wherein the interface device specifies one of the running collaborating unit as specified collaborating unit, and

wherein one of the plurality of collaborating units performs the collaborative control upon receiving;

notification from the monitoring unit indicating that none of the plurality of collaborating units is performing a collaborative control; and

notification from the interface device specifying the subject collaborating unit as a specified collaborating unit.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the interface device comprises a storage device,

wherein each collaborating application transmits to the interface device identification data for the corresponding user environment when the each collaborating application is launched, the identification data identifying user of the corresponding communication application, and the interface device stores the identification data in the storage unit when the interface device receives the identification data from the collaborating application;

and

wherein each collaborating application transmits the identification data to the interface device again when the each collaborating application is ended, and the interface device deletes the identification data from the storage unit when the interface device receives the identification data from the collaborating application again.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the interface device comprises a storage device,

wherein each collaborating application repeatedly transmits to the interface device identification data for the corresponding user environment by a prescribed interval while the collaborating application is running, the identification data identifying user of the corresponding communication application, and the interface device stores the identification data in the storage unit, and

wherein the interface device deletes the identification data from the storage unit if the interface device receives no identification from the subject collaborating unit when the prescribed interval has elapsed after the interface device has received the identification data from the subject collaboration unit.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the monitoring unit is provided on the interface device.