Communication system

• US 8,457,144 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaal, Madis
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US11/986,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/312, 370/356, 370/420, 370/401, 370/466, 370/467, 370/410, 370/389, 370/392, 379/207.13, 379/142.01, 379/142.04
• US Class Current: 370/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A communication session between a user of a communication network and a communication system is controlled. The communication network comprises a first network and a second network. The communication system operates on the first network. A session request packet is transmitted from a device of the user to a first node in the first network. The session is initiated with the communication system at the first node responsive to receiving the session request. During the session, a calling identity is provided from the first node to the device and used by the device during a communication event between the user and an entity. The calling identity is used to establish a connection between the device and a second node in the second network. The calling identity is associated with an address of the entity. Upon termination of the session, the calling identity is disassociated from the address of the entity.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a communication session between a user of a communication network and a communication system, wherein the communication network comprises a packet switched network and a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and wherein the communication system operates on the packet switched network, said method comprising:

receiving a session request packet associated with the user, from a mobile device, at a first node located in the packet switched network;

responsive to receiving the session request packet, determining whether establishing a connection associated with the session request packet should be handled by the first node;

responsive to determining that establishing the connection should not be handled by the first node, sending a redirect data packet to the mobile device effective to redirect establishing the connection to another node;

responsive to determining that establishing the connection should be handled by the first node, initiating a session for the user utilizing the communication system at the first node, wherein during the session associated with the first node, the method further comprises;

providing, from the first node to the mobile device, at least part of a calling identity of an entity for use by the mobile device during a call between the user and the entity via the communication system, wherein the calling identity of the entity is used to establish a connection between the mobile device and a second node located in the PSTN without using the packet switched network;

determining an address of the entity; and

associating the calling identity of the entity with the address of the entity by enabling mapping of, in a data store in the packet switched network, the calling identity of the entity to the address of the entity;

wherein upon termination of the session, the calling identity of the entity is disassociated from the address of the entity by enabling removal of from the data store in the packet switched network, the association of the address of the entity with the calling identity of the entity.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity of the entity is associated with the address of the entity at a third node located in the packet switched network.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity of the entity is provided to the mobile device in at least one data packet.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the calling identity of the entity comprises at least a first number.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the calling identity of the entity is determined from the first number and a contact identifier used to identify the entity.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the calling identity of the entity is determined from the first number and the contact identifier used to identify the entity according to a call method.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the call method is dependent on the location of the mobile device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the call method is dependent on the type of the mobile device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises sending, from the first node to the mobile device, a contact identifier data packet comprising a list of identifiers, wherein one of said listed identifiers is used to identify the entity.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first node is further configured to execute a communication instance configured to communicate with a client program executing on the mobile device.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communication instance is assigned to the user of the mobile device in response to receiving the session request packet from the mobile device.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein initiating a session for the user with the communication system operating on the packet switched network comprises assigning the communication instance to the user.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the redirect data packet further comprises update information for updating software of the client program.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the update information comprises a Uniform Resource Locator defining a location in the packet switched network from which updates for the client program are to be downloaded.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the entity is a user of the communication network, a voice mail record, or an application for carrying out a control command.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the session is terminated in response to receiving a logout request data packet from the mobile device associated with the user.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, the first node configured to run a plurality of sessions for a plurality of user devices.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, the determining whether establishing a connection associated with the session request packet should be handled by the first node comprising determining based, at least in part, on balancing a number of client programs being handled by each session node of a plurality of session nodes in the packet switched network.

19. A communication network arranged to control a communication session between a user of the communication network and a communication system, wherein the communication network comprises a packet switched network and a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and wherein the communication system operates on the packet switched network, the communication network further comprising:

a first node located in the packet switched network, the first node configured to;

receive a session request packet from a user associated with a user mobile device;

responsive to receiving the session request packet, determine whether establishing a connection associated with the session request packet should be handled by the first node;

responsive to determining that establishing the connection should not be handled by the first node, send a data packet to the mobile device effective to redirect establishing the connection to another node;

responsive to determining that establishing the connection should be handled by the first node, initiate a session for the user associated with the user mobile device utilizing the communication system to a calling identity of an entity for use by the mobile device during a call between the user and the entity via the communication system, wherein the calling identity is used to establish a connection between the mobile device and a second node located in the PSTN network without using the packet switched network; and

utilize a third node located in the packet switched network, the third node configured to associate the calling identity of the entity with the address of the entity by mapping, in a data store in the packet switched network, the calling identity of the entity to the address of the entity, wherein upon termination of the session, the third node is further configured to disassociate the calling identity of the entity from the address of the entity by removing from the data store in the packet switched network the association of the address of the entity with calling identity of the entity.

20. The communication network as recited in claim 19, the first node further configured to send a data packet to the mobile device in response to determining that establishing the connection should be handled by the first node, the data packet comprising:

an attribute configured to indicate a connected state associated with the session;

an attribute configured to indicate a latest version number of a client program that is available to run on the mobile device; and

an attribute configured to include a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that indicates from where said latest version of the client program is to be downloaded.