Initiation of communication between network service system and customer-premises equipment

• US 6,526,131 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McBride, Brian W., Zimmerman, Gary D., Banks, David, Wiley, Anthony J., Skaggs, Terrence L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/303,395
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 379/106.09, 379/106.03, 379/106.05, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/106.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Customer premises equipment (11B) connected to a telephone line (13B), is arranged to be woken up remotely and then to initiate communication with a network-based service system. (20). In order to avoid the cost involved in having a dedicated phone line for the equipment, the equipment (11B) needs to be able to be woken up in a selective manner that does not have significant impact on the operation of other apparatus that may be connected to the same phone line (13B). Several different techniques are provided for waking up the equipment (11B) and initiating communication with the service system (20). In one embodiment, equipment wakeup is effected by a call with particular characteristics, the equipment (11B) once woken up calling a network access point (18) to establish communication with the service system (20). In another embodiment, a wakeup call is placed via a network access point (18) and the equipment picks up the call and uses it to establish network access. In other embodiments, the equipment is woken up by means of a wakeup indicator transmitted independently of a normal call on the line connected to the equipment, such as by signalling passed over the phone line or by radio paging.

Claims

1. A method of initiating communication between a service system connected to an IP network at a known address, and customer-premises equipment connected to a telephone line to which other customer-premises apparatus may also be connected, the telephone line being part of a telephone system through which said equipment can connect to a network access point to access said IP network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

initiating, from the service system, the placing of a wakeup call to said telephone line, the wakeup call being a ringing telephone call with particular characteristics;

monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment and upon detecting said wakeup call by its particular characteristics, accessing said IP network from the equipment by placing a telephone call through telephone system to the network access point and establishing an IP link between the equipment and said network access point;

establishing contact from the customer premises equipment over the IP network with the service system at said known address; and

passing from the customer-premises equipment to the service system, the current network address of said equipment, wherein the equipment and service system, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating the placing of a wakeup call involves associating a characteristic caller ID with the wakeup call, and monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment involves determining, for each incoming telephone call on said telephone line, whether the call is a wakeup call on the basis of the presence or absence on said line of said characteristic caller ID.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating the placing of a wakeup call involves associating with said wakeup call a distinctive ring characteristic of wakeup calls at least for said telephone line, and monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment involves determining, for each incoming call on said telephone line, whether the call is a wakeup call on the basis of whether or not the call has a ring pattern corresponding to said distinctive ring that is characteristic, at least for that line, of wakeup calls.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating the placing of a wakeup call involves transmitting as part of said wakeup call upon pickup of the latter, an in-band signal characteristic of wakeup calls, and monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment involves determining, for each incoming call on said telephone line, whether the call is a wakeup call on the basis of the presence or absence on said line of said in-band signal characteristic of wakeup calls following pickup of the call.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating the placing of a wakeup call involves terminating said wakeup call upon pickup of the latter, within a predetermined short period characteristic of wakeup calls, and monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment involves determining, for each incoming call on said telephone line, whether the call is a wakeup call on the basis of the call being terminated within said short period characteristic of wakeup calls following pickup of the call.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein initiating the placing of a wakeup call involves including in said wakeup call within an initial period following call pickup, a period of silence characteristic of wakeup calls, and monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment involves determining, for each incoming call on said telephone line, whether the call is a wakeup call on the basis of the occurrence, within an initial interval following call pickup, of said period of silence characteristic of wakeup calls.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said wakeup call is initiated as a Voice over IP call to a gateway providing access to said telephone system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the event of wakeup call pickup, a message is played over the line indicating that the call is a wakeup call.

9. A method of initiating communication over an IP network between a first end system and a second end system using the services of an intermediary service system connected to the network at a known address, at least the second of said end systems being connected to a telephone line that is part of a telephone system through which the second end system can connect to a network access point to access said network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

passing from the first end system, over the network, to said intermediary system, a network address through which the first end system can be contacted,

establishing contact between the intermediary system and the second end system over the network according to the method of claim 1 where said second end system forms the customer-premises equipment of that claim; and

passing from the intermediary system, over the network, to one said end system, the network address of the other said end system, and passing the network address of said one end system, from said one end system or said intermediary system to the said other end system whereby the end systems, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.

10. A method of initiating communication between a service system connected to an IP network at a known address, and customer-premises equipment connected to a telephone line to which other customer-premises apparatus may also be connected, the telephone line being part of a telephone system through which said equipment can connect to a network access point to access said IP network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

initiating, from the service system, the sending of a wake-up indicator over said telephone line to the customer-premises equipment, the wakeup indicator being transmitted independently of a ringing telephone call;

monitoring said telephone line at the customer-premises equipment and upon detecting said wake-up indicator, accessing said IP network from the equipment by placing a telephone call through the telephone system to the network access point and establishing an IP link between the equipment and said network access point;

establishing contact from the customer premises equipment over the IP network with the service system at said known address; and

passing from the customer-premises equipment to the service system, the current network address of said equipment, wherein the equipment and service system, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said wakeup indicator is a VMWI-based indicator.

12. A method of initiating communication over an IP network between a first end system and a second end system using the services of an intermediary service system connected to the network at a known address, at least the second of said end systems being connected to a telephone line that is part of a telephone system through which the second end system can connect to a network access point to access said network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

passing from the first end system, over the network, to said intermediary system, a network address through which the first end system can be contacted,

establishing contact between the intermediary system and the second end system over the network according to the method of claim 10 where said second end system forms the customer-premises equipment of that claim; and

passing from the intermediary system, over the network, to one said end system, the network address of the other said end system, and passing the network address of said one end system, from said one end system or said intermediary system to the said other end system whereby the end systems, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.

13. A method of initiating communication between a service system connected to an IP network at a known address, and customer-premises equipment connected to a telephone line, the telephone line being part of a telephone system through which said equipment can connect to a network access point to access said IP network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

initiating, from the service system, the sending of a wake-up indicator over a predetermined communications channel independent of said telephone line to the customer-premises equipment;

monitoring said predetermined channel at the customer-premises equipment and upon detecting said wake-up indicator, accessing said IP network from the equipment by placing a telephone call through the telephone system to the network access point and establishing an IP link between the equipment and said network access point;

establishing contact from the customer premises equipment over the IP network with the service system at said known address; and

passing from the customer-premises equipment to the service system, the current network address of said equipment, wherein the equipment and service system, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined channel is a radio paging channel.

15. A method of initiating communication over an IP network between a first end system and a second end system using the services of an intermediary service system connected to the network at a known address, at least tie second of said end systems being connected to a telephone line that is part of a telephone system through which the second end system can connect to a network access point to access said network with an address that is assigned each time connection to the network is established, said method comprising:

passing from the first end system, over the network, to said intermediary system, a network address through which the first end system can be contacted,

establishing contact between the intermediary system and the second end system over the network according to the method of claim 13 where said second end system forms the customer-premises equipment of that claim; and

passing from the intermediary system, over the network, to one said end system, the network address of the other said end system, and passing the network address of said one end system, from said one end system or said intermediary system to the said other end system whereby the end systems, knowing each others network addresses, can inter-communicate.