Telephony and data network services at a telephone

• US 7,068,641 B1
• Filed: 05/07/1999
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Orford, Kenneth M., David, Larry John, Kramer, Kris W., Morley, Robert S., Joly, Robert, Allan, William, Provencal, Paul, Otreba, Dariusz, Liang, Kenneth J., Star, Robert M., Blatherwick, Peter P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US09/307,356
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/351, 370/352, 370/356, 370/389, 370/401, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.06, 379/93.07, 379/93.14, 379/93.15, 379/220.01, 379/221.08, 379/221.11, 455/445, 455/450, 709/201, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/249, 709/250
• 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 3/42136 Administration or customisation of 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

Abstract

A packetised data network includes IP telephones (ITs) and a network intelligence (NI). All of the keys of each IT are “soft” keys (i.e., they have no fixed function). The NI associates a configuration data structure with the IT which correlates the keys with functions, and, based on this, may control the display of the IT to indicate the current function of certain of the soft keys. Some of the functions are requests for data services at the telephone (e.g., video or programmed audio over the internet). When a user requests such a service with a key press, the NI sets up the service between the data source and the telephone. This may require associating a new configuration data structure with the keys of the IT. The IT user may activate multiple data services through the NI.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating provision of services in an IP data network for a data network telephone, the apparatus comprising:

a network intelligence for communicating IP messages to said data network telephone over the IP data network and facilitating provision of services for said data network telephone; and

wherein said network intelligence comprises, at least one terminal emulator operable for emulating said data network telephone, a configuration data structure, and a first service proxy launched in response to a first input received at the data network telephone based upon information in said configuration data structure, and a second service proxy launched in response to a second input received at the data network telephone, said first service proxy operable for setting up a first service between a first data source and said data network telephone, and said second service proxy operable for setting up a second service between a second data source and said data network telephone.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said configuration data structure correlates user input elements from said data network telephone with functions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of terminal emulators each having a configuration data structure for each of said plurality of data network telephones, each configuration data structure correlating user input elements of said respective data network telephone with functions.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said user input elements comprise key press indications.

5. A computer readable medium, which when loaded into a processor connected to a data network to which at least one telephone is also connected, controls said processor to:

receive user input messages from said telephone over said data network, each user input message identifying a user input element actuated by a user;

where one or more user input messages from said telephone indicate a called station, establish a call between said telephone and said called station utilising a first service provider such that audio data may pass between said telephone and said called station, and update a state of said telephone to a state of busy with a voice call;

where, after establishment of said call, a further user input message is received and where a current function of a user input element identified in said further message indicates a service provided by a second service provider, if said state of said telephone is not incompatible with said function, send a control message to said telephone to establish said service provided by said second service provider.

6. A computer readable medium, which when loaded into a processor connected to an IP data network to which at least one telephone is also connected, controls said processor to:

based on one or more first user input messages from said telephone, launch a first service proxy in response to said one or more first user input messages received from said telephone to establish a voice call between said telephone and a first source, said one or more first user input messages from said telephone including IP messages received over the IP data network;

based on one or more second user input messages from said telephone received during pendency of said voice call, launch a second service proxy in response to said one or more second input messages received from said telephone based upon information in a configuration data structure to set up at least one non-telephony data service between said telephone and at least one data source, at least where said at least one non-telephony data service does not conflict with said voice call.

7. An apparatus for facilitating provision of services in an IP data network for a data network telephone, the apparatus comprising:

a network intelligence for communicating IP messages to said data network telephone over said IP data network and facilitating provision of a service for said data network telephone, said network intelligence including a messager for sending messages with audio parameters over said data network to said data network telephone for controlling audio at said data network telephone, said audio parameters including transmission and reception filters, receive loudness rating, send loudness rating, side tone masking rating, transmission and reception filter gain compensation, automatic gain control, and switched loss.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said audio parameters further comprise receive volume range, receive volume step size, and default volume level.