Telephony and data network services at a telephone

• US 7,660,295 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Kramer, Kris W., Morley, Robert S., Provencal, Paul, Liang, Kenneth J., Blatherwick, Peter P., David, Larry John, Joly, Robert, Allan, William, Star, Robert M., Otreba, Dariusz, Orford, Kenneth M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US11/300,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20070297394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/389, 370/401, 379/88.17, 379/93.07, 379/93.14, 379/221.08, 709/203, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A packetised data network includes IP telephones (ITs) and a network intelligence (NI). All of the keys of each IT are “soft” keys (i.e., they have no fixed function). The NI associates a configuration data structure with the IT which correlates the keys with functions, and, based on this, may control the display of the IT to indicate the current function of certain of the soft keys. Some of the functions are requests for data services at the telephone (e.g., video or programmed audio over the internet). When a user requests such a service with a key press, the NI sets up the service between the data source and the telephone. This may require associating a new configuration data structure with the keys of the IT. The IT user may activate multiple data services through the NI.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating provision of services in an IP data network for a data network telephone, the apparatus comprising:

a network intelligence for communicating IP messages to the data network telephone over the IP data network and facilitating provision of services for the data network telephone; and

wherein the network intelligence comprises a first service proxy launched in response to a first input received at the data network telephone based upon information in a first configuration data structure associated with the data network telephone, the first service proxy operable for setting up a first service between a first data source and the data network telephone, and wherein the first configuration data structure correlates user input elements from the data network telephone with functions.

2. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the network intelligence is provisioned with software for implementing a one of an H.323 protocol and a Session Initiation Protocol.

3. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the network intelligence is arranged for connection to a plurality of data network telephones of a first data network running under a first protocol and wherein the network intelligence is arranged for connection to a second network running under a second protocol.

4. The network intelligence of claim 3 wherein the first data network is an internet protocol network.

5. The network intelligence of claim 4 wherein the second network is a wireless network.

6. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a one of an audio streaming service.

7. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a directory number locating service.

8. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a map navigation service.

9. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a weather information service.

10. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a Short Messaging service.

11. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up an event notification service.

12. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for setting up a speech recognition service.

13. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is arranged for providing an e-mail service.

14. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the first service proxy is provisioned with HTML capability.

15. The network intelligence of claim 1 wherein the network intelligence further comprises a second service proxy launched in response to a second input received at the data network telephone based upon information in a second configuration data structure associated with the data network telephone, the second service proxy operable for setting up a second service between a second data source and the data network telephone.

16. An apparatus for facilitating provision of services in an IP data network for a data network telephone, the apparatus comprising:

a network intelligence for communicating IP messages to the data network telephone over the IP data network and facilitating provision of services for the data network telephone;

wherein the network intelligence comprises a first service proxy launched in response to a first input received at the data network telephone based upon information in a first configuration data structure associated with the data network telephone, the first service proxy operable for setting up a first service between a first data source and the data network telephone; and

a plurality of configuration data structures for each of a plurality of data network telephones, each configuration data structure for a given one of the plurality of telephones correlating user input elements of the given telephone with functions.

17. The network intelligence of claim 16 wherein the user input elements comprise key press indications.

18. A method for facilitating provision of services in an IP data network for a data network telephone, the method comprising:

communicating IP messages to the data network telephone over the LP data network; and

facilitating a first service between a first data source and the data network telephone, comprising launching a first service proxy in response to a first input received at the data network telephone based upon information in a first configuration data structure associated with the data network telephone, and wherein the first configuration data structure correlates user input elements from the data network telephone with functions.