System and method for using a portable information device to establish a conference call on a telephony network

• US 6,577,622 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Schuster, Guido M., Sidhu, Sagan S., Sidhu, Ikhlaq S., Belkind, Ronnen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US09/406,128
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357, 370/358
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for using a portable information device, such as a personal digital assistant, to establish a conference call on a telephony network. In one embodiment, a user of the portable information device may select communication partners from an address book application located in the portable information device. Communication information related to the communication partners is transmitted across a link from the portable information device to a voice communication device, such as a data network telephone. The data network telephone may then set up the conference call.

Claims

1. A system for establishing a conference call on a data network telephony system including a network providing data connectivity for a plurality of data communications channels using data transport protocols, the system comprising in combination:

a plurality of data network telephones connected to the network, each data network telephone operable to communicate a voice signal as voice-over-data packets on a voice-over-data channel, the voice-over-data channel being one of the plurality of data communications channels on the network, the data network telephones each operable to convert voice-over-data packets communicated on the voice-over-data channel to voice signals; and

a portable information device comprising a user interface and a data network telephone interface, the user interface operable to accept communication partner data from a user, the first data network telephone interface operable to communicate the communication partner data to a first data network telephone to enable the first data network telephone to invite at least one communication partner to a conference call, the at least one communication partner specified in the communication partner data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user

communicates voice data on the voice-over-data channel with the at least one communication partner.

3. The system of Claim 1 wherein each data network telephone includes a device identifier.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the device identifier includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication partner data includes at least one Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) address.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication partner data includes at least one E.164 telephone number.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one database accessible through the network to store a plurality of device identifiers and a plurality of user identifiers associated with the plurality of device identifiers; and

at least one network telephony connection server operable to access the at least one database to initiate the voice-over-data channel in response to the first data network telephone inviting the at least one communication partner.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference call is set up in accordance with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference call is set up in accordance with the H.323 Protocol.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference call is set up in accordance with the MEGACO protocol.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference call is set up in accordance with the MGCP protocol.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein:

the first data network telephone sends an invite message to invite the at least one communication partner, wherein the invite message includes a communication partner user identifier

the request message includes a callee user identifier; and

wherein the network telephony connection server accesses the database to determine a communication partner device identifier corresponding to the communication partner user identifier.

13. The system of claim 2 wherein the user communicates PID data on a PID data channel with the at least one communication partner, the PID data channel being one of the plurality of data communication channels on the data network.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conference server linked to the network, wherein the first data network telephone invites the at least one communication partner to the conference call by inviting the conference server, and wherein the conference server invites each at least one communication partner at corresponding data network telephones.

15. A method for enabling a user to initiate a conference call with a portable information device, comprising in combination:

accepting from the user at the portable information device at least one contact entry selection corresponding to at least one communication partner, wherein each of the at least one contact entry selections includes a user identifier; and

transmitting the at least one user identifier to a data network telephone linked to a data network, wherein the data network telephone establishes the conference call by inviting the at least one communication partner to the conference call, whereby the user may use the data network telephone to communicate voice data with the at least one communication partner via the data network.

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a processing unit to perform the method of claim 15.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the data network telephone invites the at least one communication partner by transmitting at least one invite message to a registration server, wherein the at least one invite message includes the user identifier, wherein the registration server accesses a registration database to determine a device identifier registered to the user identifier, and wherein the device identifier corresponds to a communication partner data network telephone linked to the data network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the portable information device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the portable information device is a wireless phone.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the data network is a public internet.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the conference call is established according to the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the conference call is established according to the H.323 protocol.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the conference call is established according to the MGCP protocol.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the conference call is established according to the MEGACO protocol.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the user makes the at least one contact entry selection using an address book application located on the portable information device.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

accepting PID data from the user at the portable information device; and

transmitting the PID data to the data network telephone, wherein the data network telephone communicates the PID data to at least one communication partner data network telephone to enable at least one of the communication partners to receive the PID data at a communication partner portable information device.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the PID data is non-voice data that is communicated concurrently with the voice data.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein at least two communication partners are invited, and wherein the data network telephone mixes the voice data to enable each communication partner to communicate voice data with each other communication partner and the user.

29. The method of claim 15, wherein at least two communication partners are invited, wherein each of the communication partners is associated with a communication partner data network telephone, and wherein at least one of the communication partners invites another communication partner to enable each communication partner to communicate voice data with each other communication partner and the user.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein the data network telephone invites the at least one communication partner to the conference call by inviting a conference server, and wherein the conference server invites each of at least one communication partner data network telephones corresponding to each of the at least one communication partner.

31. A data network telephone for use in establishing a data network telephony conference call, comprising in combination:

a network interface linking a first data network telephone to a data network, wherein the data network includes a plurality of data network telephones with which the first data network telephone may be used to communicate voice data-in a conference call;

a PID interface for accepting PID data from a portable information device associated with a_user, wherein the PID data includes at least one user identifier corresponding to at least one communication partner, and wherein the at least one communication partner is selected by the user via an address book application on the portable information device;

a processor for constructing at least one invite message containing the at least one user identifier, wherein the invite message is used to invite the at least one communication partner to the conference call; and

a user interface including an audio input and an audio output, wherein the user interface enables the user to communicate voice data with at least one communication partner associated with at least one of the plurality of data network telephones.

32. The data network telephone of claim 31, wherein the PID data additionally includes on-voice-data that may be communicated to the at least one communication partner to enable the at least one communication partner to receive the non-voice data on at least once communication partner portable information device.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the portable information device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the portable information device is a wireless phone.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the data network is a public internet.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the invite message is constructed according to the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the invite message is constructed according to the H.323 protocol.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the invite message is constructed according to the MGCP protocol.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the invite message is constructed according to the MEGACO protocol.