Telephone apparatus used for computer network telephone system

• US 6,108,329 A
• Filed: 12/06/1996
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asai, Masahiro, Ozawa, Kazunori, Tone, Nobuhiro, Oyama, Akimasa, Watanabe, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US08/761,612
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/353-356, 370/428, 370/429, 370/401, 370/400, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/405, 370/406, 379/201, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/214, 379/93.17, 379/93.24, 379/88.11, 455/556, 455/557, 455/566
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security 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 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A telephone system including telephone terminals in computer networks connected via servers to transmit data containing at least audio data through the Internet. Upon receipt of information on a source terminal sent via a server, a destination terminal performs operations based on the information. For example, the destination terminal judges whether the source terminal is a previously specified terminal, and connects or does not connect itself to the source terminal in accordance with the judgement.

Claims

1. A telephone apparatus connected through a telephone network to an internet network including a server for transmitting data containing an audio signal, wherein said server comprises a data base for storing information on each of a plurality of telephone apparatuses including said telephone apparatus, and said information includes a public phone number for point-to-point protocol and an internet protocol address, and when another of said plurality of telephone apparatuses requests to be connected to said telephone apparatus, said server finds out information on said other of said plurality of telephone apparatuses from said data base and sends said information to said telephone apparatus, said telephone apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing a list of approved user-designated callers;

a modulator/demodulator circuit connected to said server by way of said telephone network;

means for receiving a call from said other telephone apparatus and for determining whether said call is through said modulator/demodulator circuit and for processing said data after establishing a point-to-point protocol connection for data communication with said other telephone apparatus through said server upon determining that said call is through said modulator/demodulator circuit;

means for establishing a standard telephone connection for communication with said other telephone apparatus using said telephone network upon determining that said call is not through said modulator/demodulator circuit;

means for judging whether said other telephone apparatus is an approved telephone apparatus by comparing said information on said other telephone apparatus to said list of approved user-designated callers stored in said memory means;

means for connecting and disconnecting said telephone apparatus to and from said other telephone apparatus in accordance with a result of said means for judging; and

means for receiving and storing an e-mail message from said other telephone apparatus when said call is not answered by a user of said telephone apparatus.

2. The telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for determining of said telephone apparatus further determines whether said call comes from said computer network based on a ring tone.