Voice communication system and voice communication method

• US 6,240,085 B1
• Filed: 11/05/1996
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwami, Naoko, Matsui, Susumu, Takahara, Keiko
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US08/743,849
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/270, 370/360, 370/389, 370/396, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/405, 370/407, 370/395, 370/464, 370/465, 370/351, 379/94-98, 379/67, 379/93.09
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6454 Random, e.g. Ethernet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• 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 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet

Abstract

A voice communication system, which is connected to LAN to which communication terminals are connected and to a public network to which telephones are connected, is provided with a communication server between the LAN and public network having different protocols from each other. The communication server enables a voice communication between a telephone on the public network and a communication terminal connected to the LAN by performing processing similar to that for a voice communication between two communication terminals connected to the LAN. The communication server determines whether an address of the other party inputted by a user is a communication terminal address or a telephone number, and transmits a voice communication request to a communication terminal of the other party when the address is a communication terminal address. When the address is a telephone number, the user acquires the communication terminal address of the communication server, and transmits a voice communication request to the communication server. Thereafter, the voice communication processing is performed through the communication server.

Claims

1. A communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising:

means for establishing a connection for a voice communication between the communication server and one of the communication devices;

means for receiving a voice communication request including information specifying one of the telephones, the request being issued by said one of the communication devices and transmitted via the packet switching network;

means for establishing a call between the communication server and said one of the telephones specified by the information in the received voice communication request, while maintaining the connection between the communication server and said one of the communication devices; and

means for continuing the communication only when none of a call releasing request and a voice communication end notice is received via the line switching network and the packet switching network is received.

2. A communication server according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for converting the telephone specifying information and voice information sent from said one of the communication devices via the packet switching network into information transmittable via the line switching network.

17. A communication server according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for checking whether one of the call releasing request and the voice communicating end notice is received via the line switching network and the packet switching network.

3. A communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising:

means for receiving a call establishing request issued by one of the telephones;

means for determining one of the communication devices based on the received call establishing request;

means for sending a voice communication request to the determined communication device via the packet switching network;

means for receiving a voice communication response with respect to the voice communication request via the packet switching network;

means for setting a state between the call establishing request issuing telephone and the determined communication device in communication available state in response to the received voice communication response;

means for converting the voice information received via the line switching network into information transmittable via the packet switching network; and

means for indicating termination of voice communication by transmitting a voice communication end notice to said determined communication device.

4. A communication server according to claim 3, wherein said communication device determining means includes:

means for sending information for prompting the call establishing request issuing telephone to input an extension number for identifying the communication device via the line switching network;

means for receiving the extension number view the line switching network; and

means for determining an address of the communication device corresponding to the received extension number.

5. A communication server according to claim 3, wherein said communication device determining means includes:

means for sending a voice communication request via the packet switching network to one of the communication devices; and

means for setting a state between the request received communication device and the call establishing request issuing telephone in communication progressing state in response to the voice communication response answering to the voice communication request.

6. A communication server according to claim 3, wherein said line switching network is ISDN, and said communication device determining means includes:

means for extracting an extension number included in the received call establishing request as a parameter; and

means for determining an address of the communication device corresponding to the extracted extension number.

18. A communication server according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for checking whether one of the call releasing request and the voice communicating end notice is received via the line switching network and the packet switching network.

7. A voice communication method in a communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection for a voice communication between the communication server and one of the communication devices;

receiving a voice communication request including information specifying one of the telephones, the request being issued by said one of the communication devices and transmitted via the packet switching network;

establishing a call between the communication server and the telephone specified by the information in the received voice communication request, while maintaining the connection between the communication server and said one of the communication devices; and

indicating termination of the call by transmitting a voice communication end notice to said one of the communication devices.

8. A voice communication method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

converting the telephone specifying information and voice information sent from said one of the communication devices via the packet switching network into information transmittable via the line switching network.

19. A voice communication method according to claim 7, further comprising:

checking whether one of a call release request and a voice communication end notice has been received via the line switching network and the packet switching network.

9. A voice communication method in a communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call establishing request issued by one of the telephones;

determining one of the communication devices based on the received call establishing request;

sending a voice communication request to the determined communication device via the packet switching network;

receiving a voice communication response with respect to the voice communication request via the packet switching network;

setting a state between the call establishing request issuing telephone and the determined communication device in communication available state in response to the received voice communication response;

converting the voice information received via the line switching network into information transmittable via the packet switching network; and

indicating termination of voice communication by transmitting a voice communication end notice to said determined communication device.

10. A voice communication method according to claim 9, wherein said communication device determining steps includes the substeps of:

sending information for prompting the call establishing request issuing telephone to input an extension number for identifying the communication device via the line switching network;

receiving the extension number via the line switching network; and

determining an address of the communication device corresponding to the received extension number.

11. A voice communication method according to claim 9, wherein said communication device determining step includes the substeps of:

sending a voice communication request via the packet switching network to one of the communication devices; and

setting a state between the request received communication device and the call establishing request issuing telephone in communication progressing state in response to the voice communication response answering to the voice communication request.

12. A voice communication method according to claim 9, wherein said line switching network is ISDN, and said communication device determining step includes the substeps of:

extracting an extension number included in the received call establishing request as a parameter; and

determining an address of the communication device corresponding to the extracted extension number.

20. A voice communication method according to claim 9, further comprising:

checking whether one of a call release request and a voice communication end notice has been received via the line switching network and the packet switching network.

13. A communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising:

means for establishing a connection for a voice communication between the communication server and one of the communication devices;

means for receiving a voice communication request including information specifying one of the telephones, the request being issued by the communication device and transmitted via the packet switching network;

means for establishing a call between the communication server and the telephone specified by the information in the received voice communication request, while maintaining the connection between the communication server and the communication device;

means for determining whether a voice communication end notice of the communication device is received during the communication between the telephone and the communication device;

means for checking whether a call releasing request is received via the line switching network when the voice communication end notice has not been received; and

means for continuing the communication when the call releasing request is not received.

14. A communication server according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for decoding a voice packet sent from the communication device; and

means for outputting a decoded voice to the line switching network.

15. A communication server connected both to a line switching network to which a plurality of telephones are connected and to a packet switching network to which a plurality of communication devices are connected, comprising:

means for receiving a call establishing request issued by one of the telephones;

means for determining one of the communication devices based on the received call establishing request;

means for sending a voice communication request to the determined communication device via the packet switching network;

means for receiving a voice communication response with respect to the voice communication request via the packet switching network;

mean for setting a state between the call establishing request issuing telephone and the determined communication device in communication available state in response to the received voice communication response;

means for converting the voice information received via the line switching network into information transmittable via the packet switching network;

means for determining whether a voice communication end notice of the communication device is received during the communication between the telephone and the communication device;

means for checking whether a call releasing request is received via the line switching network when the voice communication end notice has not been received; and

means for continuing the communication when the call releasing request is not received.

16. A communication server according to claim 15, further comprising:

means for decoding a voice packet sent from the communication device; and

means for outputting a decoded voice to the line switching network.