Method and system for integrating telephone voice communications into a client-server architecture
First Claim
1. A method for directing a received digitized representation of a telephone call having a call destination indicator, from a calling party, over a client-server network to a first user, the method comprising:
- maintaining, at a server, an association among a first-user identifier corresponding to a first user and a first-user call destination-identifier;
generating, at a first client within said client-server network, a first-user identifier in response to a user-identification event;
transmitting, from said first client to said server, said generated first-user identifier and a generated first-client identifier associated with said first client, without said first user explicitly identifying said client to said server;
receiving at said server said generated first-user identifier and said generated first-client identifier;
dynamically associating at said server said generated first-client identifier with said first-user identifier for a period temporally concurrent with the use of said first client by said first user;
in response to receipt at said server of a digitized representation of a telephone call initiated by said calling party and including said first-user call-destination identifier, establishing a real-time bi-directional voice connection between said server and said first client having said first-client identifier, said real-time bi-directional voice communication including first and second digitized voice communications in opposite directions;
forwarding from said server at least a portion of said first digitized voice communication to a telephone appliance communicably coupled to said first client; and
receiving at said server from said telephone appliance via said first client at least a portion of said second digitized voice communication.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for routing a telephone signal having a call destination indicator via a client-server network to a desired user, wherein a server contains an association between user identifiers and telephone destination identifiers, and the server associates each user having a user identifier with a client machine having a client identifier that is employed by the user. The server directs the telephone signal over the client-server network to a telephone appliance coupled to a client machine having a client indicator associated with the user call destination identifier that matches the call destination identifier of the telephone signal.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for directing a received digitized representation of a telephone call having a call destination indicator, from a calling party, over a client-server network to a first user, the method comprising:
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maintaining, at a server, an association among a first-user identifier corresponding to a first user and a first-user call destination-identifier;
generating, at a first client within said client-server network, a first-user identifier in response to a user-identification event;
transmitting, from said first client to said server, said generated first-user identifier and a generated first-client identifier associated with said first client, without said first user explicitly identifying said client to said server;
receiving at said server said generated first-user identifier and said generated first-client identifier;
dynamically associating at said server said generated first-client identifier with said first-user identifier for a period temporally concurrent with the use of said first client by said first user;
in response to receipt at said server of a digitized representation of a telephone call initiated by said calling party and including said first-user call-destination identifier, establishing a real-time bi-directional voice connection between said server and said first client having said first-client identifier, said real-time bi-directional voice communication including first and second digitized voice communications in opposite directions;
forwarding from said server at least a portion of said first digitized voice communication to a telephone appliance communicably coupled to said first client; and
receiving at said server from said telephone appliance via said first client at least a portion of said second digitized voice communication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
maintaining an association among a second-user identifier corresponding to a second user and a second-user call-destination identifier;
associating a default value with said second-user identifier in the event the second user is not logged onto said client-server network; and
in response to receipt at said server of said digitized representation of said telephone call initiated by said calling party, wherein said telephone call includes said second-user call-destination identifier, directing said digitized representation of said telephone call to a default answering system associated with said default value.
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3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing said real-time bi-directional voice connection includes establishing an ethernet connection between said server and said client.
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4. The method of claim 3, wherein said real-time bi-directional voice connection comprises a voice-over-internet-protocol connection.
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5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first client comprises a thin client.
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6. The method of claim 1, wherein said server is operative to execute at least some application invoked by said first client and said first client comprises a thin client.
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7. Apparatus for directing a received digitized representation of a telephone call having a call destination indicator, from a calling party, over a client-server network to a first user, the apparatus comprising:
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a server operative to maintain an association among a first-user identifier corresponding to a first user and a first-user call-destination identifier;
a first client comprising one of a plurality of clients, said first client operative in response to a user-identification event to generate a first-user identifier and to transmit to said server said generated first-user identifier and a generated first-client identifier identifying said first client without said first user explicitly identifying said client to said server;
said server being operative to receive said generated first-user identifier and said generated first-client identifier and to dynamically associate said generated first-client identifier with said first-user identifier for a period temporally concurrent with the use of said first client by said first user;
said server being operative in response to receipt of a digitized representation of a telephone call initiated by said calling party and including said first-user call-destination identifier, to establish a real-time bi-directional voice connection between said server and a selected one of said plurality of clients identified by said generated first-client identifier, said real-time bi-directional voice connection including first and second digitized voice communications in opposite directions;
to forward at least a portion of said first said digitized voice communication to a telephone appliance communicably coupled to said first client; and
to receive from said telephone appliance via said first client at least a portion of said second digitized voice communication.
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8. A method of forwarding a telephone call from a calling party to first user, the method comprising:
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at a server, associating the first user with a first-user identifier and a first-user call-destination identifier, at a client in communication with the server, receiving logon data associated with a logon of the first user onto the client, based on receiving the logon data, transmitting to the server the first-user identifier and a client identifier, without the first user explicitly identifying the client to the server, at the server, based on receiving the first-user identifier and the client identifier, associating the first-user identifier with the client identifier, receiving a telephone call from the calling party and associated with the first-user call-destination identifier, and forwarding the telephone call to the client. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
receiving a digitized representation of the telephone call.
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11. The method of claim 8, wherein forwarding the telephone call to the client includes:
establishing a connection between the server and the client.
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12. The method of claim 11, wherein establishing the connection between the server and the client includes:
establishing a bi-directional voice connection between the server and the client.
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13. The method of claim 12, wherein the bi-directional voice connection includes a voice connection based on one or more of:
- an Ethernet protocol and a Voice-over-Internet protocol.
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14. The method of claim 8, wherein forwarding the telephone call to the client includes:
forwarding the telephone call to a telephone appliance in communication with the client.
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15. The method of claim 8, wherein forwarding the telephone call to the client includes:
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determining whether a logout message has been received from the client, and based on the logout message not having been received, forwarding the call to the client.
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16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
based on the logout message having been received, forwarding the call to a default answer system.
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17. The method of claim 8, wherein the client includes a thin client.
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18. A system for forwarding a telephone call from a calling party to a first user, the system comprising:
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a server configured to associate a first user with a first-user identifier and a first-user call destination identifier, and a client in communication with the server and configured to;
receive logon data associated with a logon of the first user onto the client, and based on receiving the logon data, transmit to the server the first-user identifier and a client identifier, without the first user explicitly identifying the client to the server, the server being further configured to;
based on receiving the first user identifier and the client identifier, associate the first-user identifier with the client identifier, receive a telephone call from the calling party and associated with the first-user call-destination identifier, and forward the telephone call to the client. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
determine whether a logout message has been received from the client, and based on the logout message not having been received, forward the call to the client.
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26. The system of claim 18, wherein the server is configured to:
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determine whether a logout message has been received from the client, and based on the logout message having been received, forward the call to a default answering system.
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27. The system of claim 18, wherein the client includes a thin client.
Specification