Telephony service system employing cable network and telephony service method

• US 6,490,274 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1998
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, In-hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US09/140,636
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352-356, 370/485, 370/486, 370/487, 370/400, 370/401, 725/74, 725/105, 725/106, 725/114, 725/143, 725/144
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN

Abstract

A telephony service system employing a cable network and a telephony service method. The system includes a directory unit, a plurality of network segment units each including a headend unit, and a plurality of routers respectively formed in each network segment unit. The directory unit stores the IP address corresponding to a telephone number of a first cable phone. The plurality of network segment units each having a headend unit read IP addresses stored in the directory unit based on a received telephone number of a second cable phone, and determine a connection audio session using an Internet protocol from the read IP address to set a call path with the first cable phone. The plurality of routers set a call path between the network segment units. According to the cable network of a packet type, unlike a PSTN network of a switch network, the local call charge is reduced. A wide bandwidth of the cable suppresses deterioration in quality of audio service of the cable network, which may be caused by compression or delay in the PSTN network.

Claims

1. A telephony service system, comprising:

a cable network;

a plurality of directory units each of which stores at least one internet protocol (IP) address corresponding to a telephone number;

a plurality of internet telephone gateways (ITGs); and

a plurality of network segment units, each segment unit comprising;

a cable phone,

a router, and

a head end unit which;

requests the at least one IP address from one of the plurality directory units based on the corresponding telephone number provided by the cable phone;

sets a call path via the cable network for peer to peer IP telephony between the cable phone and a cable phone in another of the plurality of network segments using the requested IP address if the requested IP address is stored in the one of the plurality of directory units, and

sets a call path through the router with one of the plurality of ITGs to connect a call path with one of a plurality of telephones on a public switched telephone network if the requested IP address is not stored in the one of the plurality of directory units.