Method and system for releasing a voice response unit from a protocol session

• US 6,512,818 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1999
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hearty, John, Cannon, Matthew, Donovan, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui, Bing
• Application Number:
  US09/441,438
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/93.01, 379/93.09, 379/265.01, 379/900, 379/908, 379/909, 379/93.15, 379/93.12, 379/265.09, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 370/352, 370/356
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

An approach for processing voice calls over a packet switched network as to efficiently utilize the functionalities of a Voice Response Unit (VRU). According to one embodiment, a call originator, acting as a User Agent Client in accordance with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), issues messages to establish a first call-leg with the VRU. The VRU performs digit collection to obtain information to authenticate the call originator and to authorize the voice call. Based upon the issued messages from the call originator, the VRU establishes a second call-leg with the call terminator. The VRU is released from the voice call after binding the call-legs to connect the call originator to the call terminator.

Claims

1. A method for processing a voice call over a packet switched network between a call originator and a call terminator, the method comprising:

establishing a first call-leg between the call originator and a voice response unit (VRU) over the packet switched network using a menu router that provides call control services according to a signaling protocol;

establishing a second call-leg between the VRU and the call terminator over the packet switched network based upon the signaling protocol;

binding the first call-leg and the second call-leg to complete the voice call between the call originator and the call terminator over the packet switched network; and

releasing the voice call from the VRU based upon the signaling protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signaling protocol in the step of establishing the first call-leg is a Session Initiation Protocol.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

collecting digit information from the call originator by the VRU; and

performing authentication and authorization of the call originator by the VRU based upon the collecting step.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step of establishing the first call-leg comprises:

invoking menu scripts within the menu router based upon messages conveyed by the signaling protocol; and

providing media proxy and media mixing services.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packet switched network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packet switched network is the Internet.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call originator and the call terminator are personal computers with voice processing capabilities.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of establishing the first call-leg comprises locating the VRU by querying a location server that stores an address of the VRU.

9. A communication system for processing a voice call over a packet switched network, the communication system comprising:

a call originator configured to initiate and to receive the voice call over the packet switched network;

a menu router configured to perform call control services relating to the voice call;

a voice response unit (VRU) configured to process a call setup request from the call originator; and

a call terminator configured to process the voice call,

wherein the call originator, the call terminator, menu router, and the VRU communicate using a common protocol, the call originator establishing a first call-leg with the VRU over the packet switched network via the menu router, the VRU establishing a second call-leg with the call terminator over the packet switched network and dropping from the voice call upon binding the first call-leg and the second call-leg.

10. The system according to claim 9, the common protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the VRU is configured to collect digit information from the call originator and to perform authentication and authorization of the call originator based upon the collected information.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the menu router is configured to invoke menu scripts based upon messages that are conveyed by the common protocol, the menu router providing media proxy and media mixing services to the call originator and the call terminators.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the packet switched network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the packet switched network is the Internet.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the call originator and the call terminator are personal computers with voice processing capabilities.

16. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a first location server configured to provide addressing information of the VRU, the first location server being in a domain that includes the VRU;

a second location server configured to provide addressing information of the call terminator, the second location server being in another domain that includes the call terminator.

17. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a switch coupled to the VRU and configured to switch the voice call over a voice network; and

a voice station configured to initiate the voice call that is switched by the switch onto the packet switched network.

18. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for processing a voice call over a packet switched network between a call originator and a call terminator, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

establishing a first call-leg between the call originator and a voice response unit (VRU) over the packet switched network using a menu router that provides call control services according to a signaling protocol;

establishing a second call-leg between the VRU and the call terminator over the packet switched network based upon the signaling protocol;

binding the first call-leg and the second call-leg to complete the voice call between the call originator and the call terminator over the packet switched network; and

releasing the voice call from the VRU based upon the signaling protocol.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the signaling protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising performing the steps of:

collecting digit information from the call originator by the VRU; and

performing authentication and authorization of the call originator by the VRU based upon the collecting step.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein step of establishing the first call-leg comprises:

invoking menu scripts within the menu router based upon messages conveyed by the signaling protocol; and

providing media proxy and media mixing services.

22. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the step of establishing the first call-leg comprises locating the VRU by querying a location server that stores an address of the VRU.