Telephone controller for VoIP

• US 7,103,032 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Seema S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHEIBEL, ROBERT C
• Application Number:
  US09/738,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20010004361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/401, 370/389, 370/475, 370352-356, 709/245, 709/238, 709/249, 709/250, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 telephone controller according controls a plurality of telephones connected to the Internet via a LAN. The telephone controller includes an IP address allocating circuit which allocates a private IP address to each of the telephones. A memory in the controller stores a table indicating a correspondence between IDs of the plurality of telephones and the private IP addresses. A control circuit controls communication between the plurality of telephones and the Internet using the private IP addresses, where the ID includes a domain name of the telephone controller and identification information.

Claims

1. A telephone controller controlling a plurality of telephones connected to the Internet via a LAN (Local Area Network), said telephone controller allowing an external telephone connected to the Internet to make a direct call to a telephone in the LAN comprising:

an IP (Internet Protocol) address allocating circuit which allocates a private IP address to each of the plurality of telephones;

a memory in which a table indicating a correspondence between IDs (Identifier) of the plurality of telephones and corresponding ones of the private IP addresses is stored; and

a control circuit which controls communication between the plurality of telephones and the Internet using the private IP addresses,

wherein each of the IDs includes a global domain name registered on the Internet of said telephone controller and identification information composed of a user name and an extension telephone number of the telephone, wherein said memory further stores therein a table indicating a correspondence among an ID, a private IP address, an extension telephone number, and a user name, and wherein said control circuit, in response to a registration request message including one of said IDs, extracts the identification information from said one of said IDs received via the Internet, searches said table with the identification information to obtain the private IP address, and executes communication between a telephone to which the private IP address is allocated and the Internet.

2. The telephone controller according to claim 1 wherein said control circuit notifies the allocated IP address to the telephone.

3. The telephone controller according to claim 1 wherein said memory further stores therein a table indicating communication history information for each ID.

4. The telephone controller according to claim 1 wherein said table is updated in response to a request from the telephone.

5. The telephone controller according to claim 1, further comprising means for receiving the ID, wherein said control circuit stores the ID received from said means for receiving into said memory.

6. The telephone controller according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer circuit which transfers information stored in said table to some other telephone controller.

7. A telephone communication unit composed of a LAN (Local Area Network) connected to the Internet, telephone controllers communicating each other via the LAN, and a plurality of telephones, wherein

each of said telephone controllers allowing an external telephone connected to the Internet to make a direct call to a telephone in the LAN and comprises:

an IP (Internet Protocol) address allocating circuit which allocates a private IP address to each of said plurality of telephones;

a memory in which a table indicating a correspondence between IDs (Identifier) and identification information of said plurality of telephones and corresponding ones of said private IP addresses is stored; and

a control circuit which controls communication between said plurality of telephones and the Internet using the private IP addresses,

wherein each of the IDs includes a global domain name registered on the Internet of said telephone controller and the identification information is composed of a user name and an extension telephone number of the telephone and wherein said memory stores therein a table indicating a correspondence among an ID, a private IP address, an extension telephone number and a user name; and

each of said plurality of telephones includes an input circuit which receives an ID and identification information and sends the ID and the identification information received from said input circuit to said telephone controller, said control circuit, in response to a registration request message including one of said IDs, extracts the identification information from said one of said IDs received via the Internet, searches said table with the identification information to obtain the private IP address, and executes communication between a telephone to which the private IP address is allocated and the Internet.

8. A telephone controller comprising:

a storage section configured to store an IP address allocated by an IP address circuit together with an extension telephone number of each of a plurality of telephones for every ID corresponding to each telephone in said plurality of telephones;

a control section configured to manage said IP address and said extension telephone number for every said ID, and to inform said IP address to a telephone corresponding to said ID; and

a receiving section configured to receive a registration request message from said telephone,

wherein said ID for each telephone includes identification data and a global domain name registered on the Internet, and the identification data of said ID includes a user identification section and an extension telephone number identification section for said extension telephone number of said telephone,

said registration request message includes said ID, and

said control section stores said registration request message received by said receiving section and said extension telephone number included in said ID in said storage section.