Apparatus and method for integrated voice gateway

• US 7,280,530 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Ltd. (DKR Capital Partners LP), DKR Soundshore Oasis Holding Fund Limited With Copies To Its Investment Manager, StarVox Communications, Inc., Trinad Capital Master Fund Ltd. (Trinad Management LLC)
• Original Assignee: StarVox Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Barry, Richard J., Harbison, Robert W., Raab, Stephen R., Chang, Gordon K., Lo, Ming C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Steven HD
• Application Number:
  US10/086,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-356, 370/401, 379/265.02, 379/88.17, 379/900, 379/142.07, 379/210.01, 379/225, 379/231, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2022 Path replacement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/545 with loop avoiding arrangements
• 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: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

An integrated voice gateway system for use within a company which can route a voice telephone call between parties at two different locations over an IP network or over the PST NETWORK. The system can route a voice telephone call from a first location within the system to a second location within the system via the IP network, and then from the second location to a third location via the PST NETWORK. The integrated voice gateway system includes a gateway server which serves as an intranet/Internet telephony gateway. The gateway server routes intra-company voice or facsimile (fax) calls, over the company'"'"'s intranet or the public Internet. The gateway server provides an alternate voice network to the PST NETWORK for a company. This alternate network is provided at a much lower cost. The gateway server is a combination of hardware and software components which reside on a PC server platform. The gateway server is coupled to a customer premise telephone system, i.e. a PBX via a T1 or E1 trunk for larger systems, or an analog trunk for smaller systems. The gateway server is coupled to the company'"'"'s intranet via industry standard connections. The gateway servers in a multi-site company are coupled together via the company'"'"'s intranet or wide area network (WAN) into a gateway network. The gateway server uses PBX call status links to provide many unique and useful features which are otherwise unavailable. The gateway server uses T1 inband ANI, PRI, QSIG or industry standard CTI applications programming interfaces (API) and works with any PBX which supports any of these call status links. The gateway server is equipped with a database of user and gateway objects and attributes, and provides many unique features including caller'"'"'s name based on caller phone number, address translation, gateway network routing information, user authentication, etc. This database can be integrated with industry standard enterprise directory services systems including any directory which supports the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (X.500) (LDAP) interface.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising, a public switched telephone (PST) network;

an Internet protocol (IP) network;

a plurality of private branch exchanges (PBXs) at a plurality of locations, the PBXs coupled to the PST network for routing telephone calls over the PST network;

a plurality of telephones coupled to the plurality of PBXs;

a plurality of voice gateways, each voice gateway coupled to one of the plurality of PBXs through a call status-call control link and coupled to the IP network for routing telephone calls over the IP network; and

feature networking means for providing voice communication features among the plurality of locations over the IP network;

wherein the feature networking means comprises callback on busy means to automatically setup a call between a calling party and a called party after the calling party attempts to call the called party while the called party'"'"'s telephone is busy, the call being setup when the called party hangs in, and said communication system further comprising, coupled to a plurality of voice gateways, a respective plurality of desktop workstations, wherein the callback on busy means comprises means to display a message on the calling party'"'"'s desktop workstation if the calling party'"'"'s telephone is busy when the called party hangs up.