Method and apparatus for establishing a voice call to a PSTN extension for a networked client computer

• US 6,661,878 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITXC IP Holdings SARL (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ITXC INCORPORATED (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mirashrafi, Mojtaba, Zuber, Mark D., Elliott, John D., Keeler, Kenneth L., Taylor, George L., Simon, Al J., Buondonno, Michael F., Sponaugle, Jeffrey B., Pirkl, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/418,763
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 379/70, 379/74, 379/76, 379/80, 379/88.04, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/900, 379/908, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.09, 379/67.1
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing a voice call to a PSTN extension for a networked client computer, and routing the voice call off of the network, is provided. In a first embodiment, the apparatus comprises a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions for implementing a set of communication services for facilitating establishment of the voice call to the PSTN extension, and an execution unit, coupled to the storage medium, for executing the plurality of programming instructions. The set of communication services include services for receiving a Push-To-Talk™ request from the networked client computer, requesting the voice call, and in response, determining the PSTN extension. The Push-To-Talk™ request includes identification information of an originating web server of the Push-To-Talk™ option, and the determination of the PSTN extension is made in accordance with the originating web server'"'"'s identification information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a web server making an offer through a data network to a client computer inviting the client computer to engage in voice communication;

the client computer accepting the offer, causing a notification of the acceptance to be sent from the client computer through the data network to a bridge server, without going through the offering web server, the web server'"'"'s offer including information identifying the bridge server;

determining by the bridge server, a PSTN extension associated with the web server, the notification including information identifying the web server;

the bridge server causing a voice connection to be established through a switched network to said PSTN extension; and

the bridge server bridging voice communication between the client computer and said PSTN extension.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

said information included in said notification identifying said web server includes one or more attributes of the web server, and

said determining of the PSTN extension by the bridge server, is performed by the bridge server, based at least in part on the one or more attributes of the web server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

said information included in said notification identifying said web server an URL of the web server, and

said determining of the PSTN extension by the bridge server, is performed by the bridge server, based at least in part on the URL of the web server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the method further comprises providing by the bridge server to the client computer, a network address of the bridge server, and receiving by the bridge server, a supplemental voice call request from the client computer, including a network address and one or more attributes of the client computer, and

said determining of the PSTN extension by the bridge server, is performed by the bridge server, based at least in part on the one or more included attributes of the client computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the one or more attributes of the client computer include a zip code of an area where the client computer is located, and

said determining of the PSTN extension by the bridge server includes taking into consideration the zip code.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein

the one or more attributes of the client computer include a telephone number associated with the client computer, and

said determining of the PSTN extension by the bridge server includes taking into consideration at least the area code of the telephone number. client computer.

7. A method comprising:

a web server receiving a request for information from a client computer through a data network;

in response, providing the requested information by the web server, through the data network, to the client computer, and including with said provided information an offer to engage in voice communication, wherein the offer includes identification of a bridge server allowing acceptance of the offer by the client computer to be automatically sent to the identified bridge server without go through the web server, such that the bridge server can facilitate the voice call between the client computer and a PSTN extension associated with the web server, on behalf of the web server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises including with said offer one or more attributes of the web server, to be included in said automatic notification of the bridge server, to enable the notified bridge server to determine said PSTN extension associated with the web server, based at least in part on the one or more attributes of the web server, and to establish a voice connection to said PSTN extension for the voice communication.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises including with said offer an URL of the web server, to be included in said automatic notification of the bridge server, to enable the notified bridge server to determine said PSTN extension associated with the web server, based at least in part on the URL of the web server, and to establish a voice connection to said PSTN extension for the voice communication.

10. A computer server comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to implement a set of information server functions on said computer server, including a function to receive a request for information from a client computer through a data network, and in response, provide the requested information, through the data network, to the client computer, wherein the function includes with said provided information an offer to the client computer to engage in voice communication, the function including with said offer an identification of a bridge server allowing acceptance of the offer by the client computer to be automatically sent to the identified bridge server, without going through the computer server, such that the bridge server can facilitate the voice communication between the client computer and a PSTN extension associated with the computer server, on behalf of the computer server; and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

11. The computer server of claim 10, wherein the function further includes with said offer one or more attributes of the computer server, to be included in said automatic notification of the bridge server, to enable the notified bridge server to determine said PSTN extension associated with the computer server, based at least in part on the one or more attributes of the computer server, and to establish a voice connection to said PSTN extension for the voice communication.

12. The computer server of claim 10, wherein the function further includes with said offer an URL of the computer server, to be included in said automatic notification of the bridge server, to enable the notified bridge server to determine said PSTN extension associated with the computer server, based at least in part on the URL of the computer server, and to establish a voice connection to said PSTN extension for the voice communication.

13. A method comprising:

a web server making an offer through a data network to a client computer inviting the client computer to engage in voice communication;

the client computer accepting the offer, causing a notification of the acceptance to be sent from the client computer through the data network to a bridge server, without going through the offering web server, the web server'"'"'s offer including information identifying the bridge server;

determining by the bridge server, a PSTN extension associated with the web server, the notification including information identifying the web server;

the bridge server causing a voice connection to be established through a switched network to said PSTN extension;

the bridge server bridging voice communication between the client computer and said PSTN extension;

wherein said causing of a voice connection to be established comprises;

soliciting by the bridge server, inputs from one or more other bridge servers, on one or more operating characteristics associated with establishing the voice call to said PSTN extension;

selecting by the bridge server, either the bridge server itself or one of the other bridge server, to place the voice call through a switched network to said PSTN extension, and

identifying by the bridge server, the selected one of the bridge servers to the client computer.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises registering by the bridge server, the voice call to said PSTN extension, when the bridge server itself is the selected one of the bridge servers to place the voice call to said PSTN extension.