Telephone controller for VoIP

• US 7,269,161 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• 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:
  US09/745,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/389, 370/475, 709/245, 709/238, 709/249, 709/250, 709/227, 709/229
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• 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 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• 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

The invention relates to a telephone controller that controls plural telephone sets via LAN connected to the Internet and the telephone controller is composed of a receiver that receives a message sent by a telephone set for requesting an IP address, a control circuit that generates the ID and the extension of the telephone set in case the message for requesting the IP address is received, an IP address allocation circuit that allocates the IP address of the telephone set, a memory that stores the ID, the extension and the IP address and a notifying unit that notifies the telephone set of the ID, the extension and the IP address.

Claims

1. A telephone controller in a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system that controls plural telephone sets via a LAN connected to the Internet, comprising:

a receiver that receives a message containing a predetermined header sent via the LAN by one of the telephone sets which, when connected to the LAN, requests an IP address to be allocated for the requesting telephone set;

a header analysis circuit connected to the receiver and which analyzes the message to determine that the received message contains the predetermined header;

a control circuit connected to the header analysis circuit and receiving notification from the header analysis circuit that the received message contains the predetermined header and, in response, the control circuit checks a set of extensions stored in a table of available extensions and assigns a domain name of the telephone controller to a selected extension and generates an ID comprising the domain name of the telephone controller and the selected extension for the requesting telephone set;

an IP address allocation circuit connected to receive from the control circuit the ID and, in response, the IP address allocation circuit allocates an IP address for the requesting telephone set; and

a memory including a table, the control circuit receiving the allocated IP address from the IP address allocation circuit and storing the IP address and the ID, comprising the domain name and the extension, in the table;

said control circuit notifying the requesting telephone set of the ID, the extension and the IP address for the requesting telephone set, whereby the telephone set automatically acquires its ID, its IP address, and its extension from the telephone controller only by connecting the telephone set to the LAN.

2. The telephone controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the ID includes, in addition to the domain name of the telephone controller and the selected extension for the requesting telephone set, a name of a user of the telephone set.

3. The telephone controller as recited in claim 2, wherein the ID includes plural user names assigned to a same extension.

4. The telephone controller as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuit selects the extension.

5. The telephone controller as recited in claim 1, wherein a user of the telephone set selects the extension subject to the selected extension not already being registered in the table when the table is checked by the control circuit.

6. A telephone communication system, comprising:

a telephone controller, a plurality of telephone sets, and a local area network (LAN) which is connected to the Internet and to which each of the telephone controller and the plurality of telephone sets are connected;

wherein the control circuit includes;

a receiver that receives a message containing a predetermined header sent via the LAN by one of the telephone sets which, when connected to the LAN, requests an Internet Protocol (IP) address to be allocated for the requesting telephone set;

a header analysis circuit connected to the receiver and which analyzes the message to determine that the received message contains the predetermined header;

a controller control circuit connected to the header analysis circuit and receiving notification from the header analysis circuit that the received message contains the predetermined header and, in response, the controller control circuit checks a set of extensions stored in a table of available extensions and assigns a domain name of the telephone controller to a selected extension and generates an ID comprising the domain name of the telephone controller and the selected extension for the requesting telephone set;

an IP address allocation circuit connected to receive from the controller control circuit the ID and, in response, the IP address allocation circuit allocates an IP address for the requesting telephone set; and

p1 a memory including a table, the controller control circuit receiving the allocated IP address from the IP address allocation circuit and storing the IP address and the ID, comprising the domain name and the extension, in the table;

said controller control circuit notifying the requesting telephone set of the ID, the extension and the IP address for the requesting telephone set;

and wherein at least one of the plurality of telephone sets includes;

a telephone set control circuit which generates a message containing the predetermined header to the telephone controller requesting an IP address be allocated to said at least one said plurality of telephone sets; and

a memory to which the telephone set control circuit writes the ID, the extension and the IP address as notified by the controller control circuit,

whereby said at least one of the plurality of telephone sets automatically acquires its ID, its IP address, and its extension from the telephone controller only by connecting the telephone set to the LAN.

7. The telephone communication system as recited in claim 6, wherein said at least one of the plurality of telephone sets further comprises a display circuit connected to and responsive to the telephone set control circuit for displaying the extension of the telephone set when the control circuit receives notification from the controller control circuit.

8. The telephone controller as recited in claim 6, wherein the ID includes, in addition to the domain name of the telephone controller and the selected extension for the requesting telephone set, a name of a user of the telephone set.

9. The telephone controller as recited in claim 8, wherein the ID includes plural user names assigned to a same extension.

10. The telephone controller as recited in claim 6, wherein the control circuit selects the extension.

11. The telephone controller as recited in claim 6, wherein a user of the telephone set selects the extension subject to the selected extension not already being registered in the table when the table is checked by the control circuit.