Localized voice over internet protocol communication

• US 7,286,521 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tellme Networks Incorporated ([24]7.ai, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, Donald C., Giannandrea, John, Verber, Mark A., Epstein, Michael J. B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Man U.
• Application Number:
  US09/687,484
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 370/237, 370352-356, 370/401, 370/349, 370/468, 370/589, 370385-395, 709/238, 709/218, 709/227, 709219-224, 704/270, 704/275, 704/276, 379/88, 379/93, 379/211, 379/219, 379/221, 379/88.16, 379/88.18
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks

Abstract

An approach to abstracting the circuit switched nature of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) by using VoIP to provide voice actuated services is disclosed. By carrying a telephone call using VoIP technology for a short distance (frequently within a server room) significant benefits to call handling and capacity management can be obtained. Specifically, a PSTN-to-IP gateway is used to receive (and place) calls over the PSTN and route those calls internally to servers over an IP network in a packet switched format. A number of computer systems can receive and handle the calls in the IP format, including: translating the packets into an audio format suitable for speech recognition and creating suitable packets from computer sound files for transmission back over the PSTN.

Claims

1. A voice response system for servicing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting between the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium; and

a network server in communication with the IP network medium for automated interaction with a user participating in the call;

where the call is transmitted as a data stream of uncompressed data from the gateway to the network server.

2. The voice response system of claim 1, wherein the network server comprises a host computer for executing a voice application program, a grammar database corresponding to a set of recognizable utterances, and a voice recognition engine for comparing a speech input from the user against the set of recognizable utterances.

3. The voice response system of claim 2, wherein the voice application program is a VoiceXML program.

4. The voice response system of claim 2, further comprising a firewall in communication with the IP network medium for connecting the network server to an external IP network through the firewall, wherein the voice application program is remotely hosted on the external IP network.

5. The voice response system of claim 2, wherein the network server performs call control communications with the PSTN-to-IP gateway in accordance with a SIP protocol.

9. The voice response system of claim 1, further including a proxy server configured to perform call discrimination.

10. The voice response system of claim 9, wherein call discrimination can allow calls on an entity basis.

11. The voice response system of claim 9, wherein call discrimination can disallow calls on an entity basis.

12. The voice response system of claim 9, further comprising a configuration server to perform re-purposing of at least one of the proxy server or the network server.

13. The voice response system of claim 1, further including a proxy server, wherein if the proxy server detects that a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the proxy server follows at least one predetermined call routing rule to process the call.

14. The voice response system of claim 13, wherein the at least one predetermined call routing rule includes sending a busy signal to a first entity and allowing calls from a second entity.

6. A voice response system for servicing a plurality of calls received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the PSTN and an IP network medium;

a plurality of network servers, in communication with the IP network medium and located in close physical proximity to the PSTN-to-IP gateway, for automated interaction with a set of users participating in the plurality of calls; and

a proxy server in communication with the PSTN-to-IP gateway for load balancing the plurality of calls and providing differentiated and targeted service control for the plurality of calls amongst the plurality of network servers.

7. The voice response system of claim 6, wherein each network server of the plurality of network servers comprises a host computer having a distinct network identification number.

8. The voice response system of claim 7, further comprising a configuration server for automatically loading and configuring an initial software environment for the host computer during its initial bootup sequence based upon the network identification number.

15. A voice response system for servicing calls received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium;

a network server in communication with the IP network medium for automated interaction with users participating in the calls; and

a proxy server in communication with the IP network medium and the network server to allow or disallow the calls based on a telephone number associated with the calls.

16. The voice response system of claim 15, wherein if the proxy server detects that a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the proxy server is configured to process the calls based on predetermined call routing rules.

17. The voice response system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined call routing rules include sending a busy signal to a first one of the users and allowing calls from a second one of the users.

18. The voice response system of claim 15, wherein the network server and proxy server are dynamically reconfigurable.

19. The voice response system of claim 18, wherein dynamic reconfiguration includes mapping a new software configuration.

20. A voice response system for servicing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium;

a network server, in communication with the IP network medium and located in close physical proximity to the gateway, for automated interaction with a user participating in the call; and

means for providing differentiated and targeted service control over the call in operative relation to the IP network medium and the network server.

21. The voice response system of claim 20, wherein the differentiated and targeted service control can allow calls on a per client basis.

22. The voice response system of claim 20, wherein the differentiated and targeted service control can disallow calls on a per client basis.

23. The voice response system of claim 20, wherein if a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the means for providing the differentiated and targeted service control follows predetermined call routing rules.

24. The voice response system of claim 23, wherein the predetermined call routing rules include sending a busy signal to a first client and allowing calls from a second client.

25. The voice response system of claim 20, wherein the means for providing the differentiated and targeted service control can be dynamically reconfigured.

26. The voice response system of claim 25, wherein dynamic reconfiguration includes a new setup of a proxy server.

34. The voice response system of claim 20, wherein the call is transmitted as uncompressed data on the IP network medium between the gateway and the network server.

27. A voice response system for servicing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium;

a network server in communication with the IP network medium for automated interaction with a user participating in the call;

a configuration server for providing automated dynamic management of the network server; and

a proxy server, wherein if the proxy server detects that a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the proxy server follows at least one predetermined call routing rule to process the call.

28. The voice response system of claim 27, wherein the at least one predetermined call routing rule includes sending a busy signal to a first entity and allowing calls from a second entity.

29. A voice response system for servicing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium;

a network server in communication with the IP network medium for automated interaction with a user participating in the call; and

a proxy server in communication with the IP network medium and the network server, wherein the proxy server provides call discrimination,

wherein if the proxy server detects that a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the call discrimination includes following predetermined call routing rules.

30. The voice response system of claim 29, wherein the predetermined call routing rules include disallowing a call from a first client and allowing a call from a second client.

31. A voice response system for servicing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the voice response system comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway for connecting to the public switched telephone network and an IP network medium;

a network server in communication with the IP network medium for automated interaction with a user participating in the call; and

means for providing call discrimination over the call in operative relation to the IP network medium and the network server,

wherein if a number of calls exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the means for providing call discrimination follows predetermined call routing rules.

32. The voice response system of claim 31, wherein the predetermined call routing rules include sending a busy signal to a first client and allowing calls from a second client.

33. A system for processing a call received over a public switched telephone network (PSTN), comprising:

a PSTN-to-IP gateway connected to receive the call from the PSTN;

a network server in communication with the gateway for interacting with a user participating in the call; and

an IP communication path of approximately 100 meters or less in length for connecting the gateway to the network server.