Internet switch box, system and method for internet telephony

• US 7,106,726 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1997
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fonefriend Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Vaziri, Faramarz, Wimsatt, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US10/621,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/401, 370/389, 370/466, 370/353
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6429 Terminal adapters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6443 Network Node Interface, e.g. Routing, Path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 : Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 : comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 : Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 : Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 : Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 : comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 : where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An Internet switch box connects between a telephone set and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) line, the latter of which is used both for PSTN telephone conversations and for connection to an Internet service provider (ISP). The switch box contains hardware and embedded software for establishing a connection to an ISP and for Internet telephony. When two users, each having an Internet switch box connected to the telephone set, wish to have an Internet telephony conversation, one calls the other over the PSTN. When they agree to an Internet telephony conversation, they signal their Internet switch boxes, by pressing either buttons on the switch boxes or certain keys on the telephone keypads, to switch to Internet telephony. The switch boxes disconnect the PSTN call and connect to their ISPs. Once the switch boxes are on the Internet, they contact each other through a server which supplies Internet protocol (IP) addresses of switch boxes, and the users continue their conversation by Internet telephony. The users can also prearrange to call each other solely by Internet telephony, in which case they do not need to talk to each other over the PSTN.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a telephony call, comprising:

associating a telephone number provided by a first terminal with a first Internet protocol (IP) address;

establishing an Internet communication link in a communication path between the first terminal and a second terminal using the associated first IP address;

communicating information across the established Internet communication link;

associating a telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second IP address, wherein;

the Internet communication link is established using the first and second IP addresses,

communicating the telephone numbers provided by the first and second terminals to an IP server, wherein;

the IP server associates the respective telephone numbers with the first and second IP addresses and enables the establishment of the Internet communication link based on the first and second IP addresses;

communicating the second IP address, provided by a first device interconnecting the first terminal with a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server; and

communicating the first IP address, provided by a second device interconnecting the second terminal with a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein;

the IP server associates the telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device.

2. A method of establishing a telephony call, comprising:

correlating a first destination telephone number provided by a first terminal with a first origination telephone number provided by a second terminal to associate a first Internet protocol (IP) address with the first destination telephone number;

correlating a second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second origination telephone number provided by the first terminal to associate a second IP address with the second destination telephone number;

establishing an Internet communication link in a communication path between the first and second terminals using the associated first and second IP addresses;

communicating information across the established Internet communication link;

communicating the second IP address, provided by a first device interconnecting the first terminal with a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to an IP server; and

communicating the first IP address, provided by a second device interconnecting the second terminal with a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein;

the IP server associates the first destination telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device.

3. A system for establishing a telephony call, comprising:

an internet switch box (ISB) terminal and a second terminal;

an Internet protocol (IP) server that associates a telephone number provided by the ISB terminal with a first IP address; and

first and second devices, in a communication path between the ISB terminal and the second terminal, that establish an Internet communication link using the associated first IP address and communicate information across the established Internet communication link, wherein;

the IP server associates a telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second IP address;

the first and second devices establish the Internet communication link using the first and second IP addresses;

the ISB terminal and the second terminal communicate the respective telephone numbers to the IP server;

the IP server associates the respective telephone numbers with the first and second IP addresses and enables the establishment of the Internet communication link based on the first and second IP addresses;

the first device communicates the second IP address to the IP servers;

the second device communicates the first IP address to the IP server; and

the IP server associates the telephone number provided by the ISB terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device.

4. A system of establishing a telephony call, comprising:

first and second Internet service box terminals;

an Internet protocol (IP) server that;

correlates a first destination telephone number provided by the first ISB terminal with a first origination telephone number provided by the second Internet service box terminal to associate a first Internet protocol (IP) address with the first destination telephone number; and

correlates a second destination telephone number provided by the second ISB terminal with a second origination telephone number provided by the first Internet service box terminal to associate a second IP address with the second destination telephone number; and

first and second devices, in a communication path between the first and second Internet service box terminals, that establish an Internet communication link using the associated first and second IP addresses and communicate information across the established internet communication link, wherein;

the first device communicates the second IP address, of a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server; and

the second device communicates the first IP address, of a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein

the IP server associates the first destination telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device.