Method for switching data streams

• US 6,842,452 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Nimrod
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US09/712,185
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/264, 370/270, 370/356, 370/390, 370/400, 370/396, 370/701, 370/352, 370/397, 370/401, 370/265, 370/389, 709/241, 709/238
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1275 Methods and means to improve the telephone service quality, e.g. reservation, prioritisation or admission control

Abstract

A method of placing a first call to a designated number to retrieve a voice message over a packet switched network. The voice message is retrieved from a computer and a specific code is entered to prompt the computer to call an originator of the retrieved voice message. A second call is placed, via the computer, to the originator of the retrieved voice message. The call information of a packet carrying voice information of the first call is changed to correspond with call information of the second call when the packet is sent from the first call to the second call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

placing a first call to a designated number to retrieve a voice message from a computer over a packet switched network;

retrieving said voice message from said computer;

entering a specific code to prompt said computer to call an originator of said retrieved voice message;

placing a second call, via a said computer, to said originator of the retrieved voice message;

changing call information contained in a packet carrying voice information of said first call to correspond with call information of said second call when the packet is sent from the first call to the second call; and

changing call information contained in a packet carrying voice information of the second call to correspond to call information of the first call when the packet is sent from the second call to the first call.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting said first call to use an internet Protocol at said computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said converting comprises changing pulse code modulation continuous speech data to encoded audio packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a real-time transport protocol is used to send the packet over the packet switched network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the call information comprises:

a destination address; and

a synchronization source identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the destination address of a packet containing audio data is changed in an Internet Protocol header first.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein, the synchronization source identifier is changed in a real-time transfer protocol header.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said first call in a hold status when said second call is made via the computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said specific code to prompt the computer includes dual tone multi-frequency signals.

10. A computer, comprising:

a receiving portion to receive a first call, via a network, from a user to retrieve a voice message stored on the computer;

a voice message storage portion configured to store and transmit the voice message;

a playback portion to play the voice message stored for said user;

a listening portion to listen for a specific code entered by said user;

a holding portion to place said first call in a hold status in response to specific code entered by the user to initiate a second call from the computer to an organizer of said voice message;

a switching portion to bridge the first call and second call, the switching portion being configured to change call information contained in a packet carrying voice information of the first call to the second call; and

a releasing portion to release the bridge between the first call and the second call when a release signal is selected by the user to terminate the second call.

11. The computer of claim 10, wherein said switching portion is further configured to change call information contained in packet carrying voice information of the second call to correspond with the call information of the first call when the packet is sent from the second call to a first call.

12. The computer of claim 10, wherein said releasing portion releases the bridge between the first call and the second call when a dual tone multi-frequency signal entered to terminate the second call is detected at said listening portion.

13. The computer of claim 10, wherein a real-time transport protocol is used to send the packet over a packet switched network.

14. The computer of claim 10, wherein the call information comprises:

a destination address, and

a synchronization source identifier.

15. The computer of claim 14, wherein the destination address of the packet is changed in an Internet Protocol header field.

16. The computer of claim 14, wherein the synchronization source identifier of the packet is modified in a real-time transfer protocol header.

17. The computer of claim 10, wherein said specific code includes dual tone multi-frequency signals.

18. A computer-readable medium encoded with a program, said program comprising:

placing a first call to a designated number to retrieve a voice message from a server over a packet switched network;

retrieving said voice message from said server;

entering a specific code to prompt said server to call an organizer of said retrieved voice message;

placing a second call, via said server, to said originator of the retrieved voice message, and

changing call information of a packet carrying voice information of said first call correspond with call information of said second call when the packet is sent from the first call to the second call;

wherein said program further cause said server to change call information of a packet carrying voice information of the second call to correspond to call information of the first call when the packet is sent from the second call to the first call.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said program further comprising:

converting said first call to use an Internet Protocol at said computer.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the converting includes changing pulse code modulation continuous speech data to encoded audio packets.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein a real-time transport protocol is used to send the packet over the packet switched network.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the call information comprises:

a destination address; and

a source synchronization identifier.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the destination address of the packet is changed in an Internet Protocol header first.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the synchronization source identifier is changed in a real-time transfer protocol header.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said program further comprising placing said first call in a hold status when said second call is made via said server.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein said specific code to prompt the computer includes dual tome multi-frequency signals.