Method and system for communicating across telephone and data networks

• US 8,560,733 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sabse Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sabse Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Mobin, Farzad, Parang, Touraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thai
• Application Number:
  US13/149,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20110292930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249, 709/228, 709/229, 709/205, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks

Abstract

A method and system for communicating across telephone and data networks are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method, comprises receiving a first call from a first user phone that converts the first call from a format of a first local phone network to a first digital call. The first digital call is transmitted over a large area data network. The first digital call is converted to a format of a second local phone network to generate a second call. The second call is transmitted to a second user phone over the second local phone network. A real-time bi-directional voice communication session is established between the first user phone and the second user phone.

Claims

1. A service provider for allocating a URL to a callee that allows a caller to communicate with the callee, comprising:

a web server for interacting with the callee via a data network to receive callee information including a preferred direct inward dial (DID) number of the callee; and

a database for storing the callee information in association with the URL;

an origination provider for receiving a call to a local DID number from the caller, the origination provider indicating to the service provider via the data network that the caller has dialed the local DID number; and

a termination provider for receiving instruction from the service provider in response to an indication that the caller has dialed the local DID number to create a call to the callee using the preferred DID number;

wherein the service provider is performing the steps of;

generating the URL,

determining, upon receiving via the web server an indication of the caller clicking on the URL, the local DID number, based upon a location of the caller, to allow the caller to communicate with the callee,

sending the local DID number to the caller, and

establishing a real-time bi-directional voice communication session between the caller and the callee using the origination provider and the termination provider.

2. The service provider of claim 1, wherein the location of the caller is determined from a phone number of the caller provided to the service provider by the caller interacting with the web server via the data network.

3. The service provider of claim 1, wherein the communication session is implemented between the origination provider and the termination provider over the data network.

4. The service provider of claim 1, wherein the communication session is implemented between the origination provider and the termination provider over the data network and via the service provider.

5. The service provider of claim 1, wherein the service provider identifies the callee based upon the local DID number and the caller ID of the caller, the local DID number not being unique to the caller.

6. A service provider for allocating a URL to a callee to allow a caller to communicate with the callee, comprising:

a web server for interacting with the callee via a data network to receive callee information including a preferred direct inward dial (DID) number of the callee;

a database for storing the callee information in association with the URL; and

,

an origination provider for receiving a call to a local DID number from the caller, the origination provider indicating to the service provider via the data network that the caller has dialed the local DID number;

wherein the service provider is performing the steps of;

generating the URL,

determining, upon receiving, via the web server, an indication of the caller clicking on the URL, the local DID number, based upon a location of the caller, to allow the caller to communicate with the callee,

sending the local DID number to the caller, and

creating a VoIP call to a PC of the callee and establishing a real-time bi-directional voice communication session between the caller and the callee using the origination provider and the termination provider.

7. A service provider for allocating a URL to a callee to allow a caller to communicate with the callee, comprising:

a web server for interacting with the callee via a data network to receive callee information including a preferred direct inward dial (DID) number of the callee;

a database for storing the callee information in association with the URL;

an origination provider for making a first call to the preferred DID number of the callee; and

a termination provider for making a second call to a local DID number provided by the caller via the web server;

wherein the service is performing the steps of;

generating the URL;

determining, upon receiving via the web server an indication of the caller clicking on the URL, the local DID number, based upon a location of the caller, to allow the caller to communicate with the callee,

sending the local DID number to the caller, and

establishing a real-time bi-directional voice communication session between the caller and the callee by connecting the first call to the second call.

8. A service provider for allocating a URL to a callee to allow a caller to communicate with the callee, comprising:

a web server for interacting with the callee via a data network to receive callee information including a preferred direct inward dial (DID) number of the callee, wherein the service provider generates the URL;

a database for storing the callee information in association with the URL;

an origination provider for receiving a first call from the callee to a local DID number; and

a termination provider for making a second call to a DID number provided by the caller via the web server;

wherein the service provider is performing the steps of;

determining, upon receiving via the web server an indication of the caller clicking on the URL, the local DID number, based upon a location of the caller, to allow the caller to communicate with the callee,

sending the local DID number to the caller,

allocating the local DID number to the callee based upon the geographic location of the callee and stores the local DID number in the database in association with the information and the URL, and

establishing a real-time bi-directional voice communication session between the caller and the callee by connecting the first call to the second call.

9. The service provider of claim 8, wherein the communication session is implemented between the origination provider and the termination provider over the data network.

10. The service provider of claim 8, wherein the communication session is implemented between the origination provider and the termination provider over the data network and via the service provider.

11. A method for communicating between a caller and a callee, comprising:

receiving, at a web server of a service provider, indication of a caller clicking on a URL associated with the callee, the indication including a phone number of the caller;

allocating, within the service provider, a direct inward dial (DID) number based upon a geographic location of the caller;

storing within a database of the service provider, the DID number and the phone number of the caller in association with the callee;

sending the DID number to the caller;

receiving, from an origination provider, indication of a first communication from the caller to the DID number, the indication including a caller identification (CID) of the caller;

retrieving a callee DID number from the database based upon the DID number and the CID of the caller;

sending a communication request to a termination provider to configure a second communication to the callee using the callee DID number; and

joining the first and second communications to allow communication between the caller and the callee.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication is selected from the group comprising voice, text, chat, and data transfer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second communications are joined over a data network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data network is the Internet.