Process for controlling communications between a computer system and an external device

• US 6,256,680 B1
• Filed: 01/23/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, In-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US09/012,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310-332, 709/227, 379/165, 379/93.28, 379/265, 379/356, 345/330, 455/413, 455/433
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• 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 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08

Abstract

A process, for controlling computer communications using a control window in a Windows™ type of operating system. The process makes programming easier, provides a convenient interface, uses TAPI commands and makes the available functions more intuitively obvious to a user.

Claims

1. In a process for controlling communications between a computer system and an external device, said process comprising the steps of:

(1) displaying a graphical interface on a variable visual display device driven by said computer system running a Windows type of operating system, said graphical interface displayed in a control window of a communication application running on said computer system consisting of a central processing unit, a plurality of random access memory, a plurality of random operating memory, said display device, an input device, and a signal modulation device;

(2) receiving a plurality of commands from a user via any one of said graphical interface and an input device, said commands being translated into a plurality of telephony application programming interface commands;

(3) sending a telephony application programming interface line open command to an I/O interface to open a communication line;

(4) registering said control window;

(5) sending a telephony application programming interface dial command to said I/0 interface to generate dialing signals when a user enters a phone number;

(6) checking for further said commands entered by said user into said communication application, said communication application translating said commands into said telephony application programming interface commands and sending said telephony application programming interface commands to said I/O interface to process into a plurality of code specific for said Windows type of operating system;

(7) executing said commands via processing said code;

(8) checking for a plurality of status codes generated in a line callback function from said I/O interface;

(9) translating said status codes into messages and displaying said status codes in said control window of said communication application;

(10) determining whether a terminate connection command has been entered by said user;

(11) when said terminate command has not been entered;

returning to said sixth step of checking for further said commands; and

(12) when said terminate command has been entered;

closing said usable line;

the improvement comprising;

the additional steps of;

registering said control window in said line callback function;

(b) receiving a plurality of messages generated during communications with a modem in said line callback function; and

(c) executing a function corresponding to said plurality of messages of step b.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising said step of checking whether said message was displayed by said control window until said message is detected in said control window.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprised of said external device being any one of a telephone, a facsimile, and another computer system.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising

said graphical interface being a first image depicting a telephone having a handset and a call button, said commands enterable by said user by selecting any one of said handset and said call button using said input device;

said graphical interface changing to a second image when said user selects any one of said handset and said call button, said second image depicting said telephone having a touch tone dial pad and a disconnect button;

said commands entered via said graphical interface using an input device are translated into said telephony application programming interface commands by said communication application running on said computer system.

5. The process of claim 1, with said input device being any one of a mouse, a light-pen, a touch-sensitive screen, and a keyboard.

6. The process of claim 1, further comprised of checking for said plurality of status codes in a call back function generated by said I/O interface until said status codes are detected.

7. The process of claim 1, further comprised of said I/O interface being any one of a modem card, a fax card, and a digital signal processor card.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprised of said Windows type interface being a graphical interface using symbols and menus to allow a user to enter a plurality of instructions, said instructions are then converted into code specific for a operating system running on said computer system.

9. The process of claim 3, further comprised of said graphical interface depicting any one of said telephone, said facsimile, and another computer system.

10. A process for controlling communications between a computer system and an external device via a control window, comprising the steps of:

(1) opening a usable line using a line open command of telephony application programming interface provided by a Windows operating system;

(2) registering said control window in a line callback function of telephony application programming interface;

(3) performing dialup using a line dial command of telephony application programming interface to execute a command entered by a user;

(4) receiving a plurality of messages generated during communications with a modem in said line callback function in said control window; and

(5) executing a function corresponding to said plurality of messages of step 4; and

(6) closing said usable line using a line close command of telephony application programming interface when said user inputs a terminate connection command.

11. The process of claim 10, further comprised of said step of registering said control window is performed after said step of performing dialup.

12. The process of claim 10, further comprised of said step of receiving a plurality of messages generated during communications with a modem in said line call back function further comprises the steps of:

checking whether said messages were generated in said line callback function until a message has been detected;

transmitting said message to said control window;

checking whether said message was received in said control window until the display of said message has been verified; and

performing a function corresponding to said message received by said control window when it is determined that said message has been received.

13. The process of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a control window containing a handset graphic and a call button on a monitor when said user inputs an operation command;

displaying a telephone and a touch tone dial pad and a disconnect button on a monitor after a user selects said handset graphic or said call button;

making a phone call by pressing said touch tone dial pad; and

disconnecting said usable line by selecting said terminate connection command.

14. The process of claim 10, further comprised of said external device being any one of a telephone, a facsimile, and another computer system.

15. The process of claim 14, further comprised of said control window capable of depicting any one of said telephone, said facsimile, and said another computer system.

16. A computer system for communicating with an external device, comprising:

a display device, a central processing unit, a plurality of random access memory, a plurality of random operating memory, a signal modulator, and an input device;

said computer system running a Windows type of operating system and using a communication application to communicate with said external device;

a graphical interface displayed in a registered control window of said communication application on said display device, said graphical interface having a first image depicting a telephone having a handset graphic and a call button, said graphical interface having a second image depicting a touch tone dial pad and a disconnect button, said first image displayed until said user selects any one of said handset graphic and said call button;

a plurality of signals translated from a plurality of commands entered via said interface into said communication application by said user using said input device;

said signals translated into a plurality of telephony application programming interface commands by said communication application and sent to an I/O interface;

a usable line opened by said signal modulator in response to a telephony application programming interface line open command;

said signal modulator generating a plurality of dialing signals in response to a telephony application programming interface dial command;

a plurality of signals representing a plurality of status codes receivable by said signal modulator, said signals translated into a message and displayed in said control window;

said telephony application programming interface commands translated into specific language for said Windows type of operating system and then executed by said computer system; and

generating a telephony application programming interface close line command when a user selects a disconnect button on said graphical interface with an input device;

wherein said system further comprises;

a means for registering said control window in a telephony application program interface line callback function;

a means for receiving a plurality of messages via said signal modulator in said line callback function in said control window; and

a means for executing a function corresponding to said plurality of messages received in said line callback function.

17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprised of said user capable of dialing a phone number by selecting keys on said touch tone dial pad using said input device.

18. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

said first image of said graphical interface being said telephone having said handset and said call button, said commands enterable by said user by selecting any one of said handset and said call button using said input device;

said graphical interface changing to a second image when said user selects any one of said handset and said call button, said second image depicting said telephone having a touch tone dial pad and a disconnect button;

said commands entered via said graphical interface using an input device are translated into said telephony application programming interface commands by said communication application running on said computer system.

19. The computer system of claim 16, further comprised of said external device being any one of a telephone, a facsimile, and another computer system.

20. The computer system of claim 16, further comprised of said I/O interface being any one of a modem card, a fax card, and a digital signal processor card.

21. The computer system of claim 16, further comprised of said Windows type interface being a graphical interface using symbols and menus to allow a user to enter a plurality of instructions, said instructions are then converted into code specific for a operating system running on said computer system.

22. The computer system of claim 19, further comprised of said control window capable of depicting any one of said telephone, said facsimile, and said another computer system.