Method and apparatus for managing communications between a client and a server in a network

• US 5,896,444 A
• Filed: 06/03/1996
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Phillip Y., Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US08/660,087
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.35, 379/93.09, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/102.02, 379/215
• US Class Current: 379/93.35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/064 Data transmission during pauses in telephone conversation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 : Directory assistance systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 : Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered entirely from a remote control device using a television set as a display device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call. The incoming call includes Caller ID information. In response to such a disruption, communication with the server is terminated. After pausing for a predetermined period of time, the client automatically re-establishes communication with the server if the line is clear. Upon reconnecting to the server, the client accesses a "White Pages" telephone directory Web site on a remote server. Using the number provided in the Caller ID information, the client looks up the name of the caller from the directory and stores the number and the corresponding name. Each time an incoming call is subsequently received from that number, the client displays the name of the calling party to the user as the call is received.

Claims

1. In a first processing system communicating with a second processing system over a communication link, the communication link including a telephone line connected to the first processing system, a method of responding to a disruption in communication associated with a call waiting signal transmitted on the telephone line, the method comprising:

receiving a call waiting signal from the telephone line after communication has been established between the first processing system and the second processing system;

terminating communication with the second processing system in response to the call waiting signal;

monitoring the telephone line to determine when there is no incoming ring signal on the telephone line and when all of one or more extensions associated with the telephone line are on-hook; and

when it is determined that there is no incoming ring signal and all extensions are on-hook, initiating communication with the second processing system by transmitting a communication call from the first processing system to the second processing system.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a user to respond to an incoming telephone call associated with the call waiting signal.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the step of terminating the communication, the steps of:

receiving the incoming ring signal within a first predetermined period of time;

determining that an off-hook condition does not occur on the telephone line within a second predetermined period of time following initiation of the incoming ring signal;

establishing the off-hook condition on the telephone line; and

outputting an outgoing message onto the telephone line.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

recording an incoming message after outputting the outgoing message; and

re-establishing the on-hook condition after recording the incoming message.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the call waiting signal comprises the steps of:

detecting a disruption in the communication between the first processing system and the second processing system; and

within a predetermined period of time after detecting the disruption, detecting the call waiting signal.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the first processing system includes a memory, the method further comprising the steps of:

before the step of terminating communication, storing in the memory information representing a current status of the communication between the first processing system and the second processing system; and

after the step of initiating communication with the second processing system, automatically restoring said current status using the information stored in the memory.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the first processing system is configured for browsing the World Wide Web, and wherein the information representing said current status represents a Web browsing state of the first processing system when the call waiting signal was received.

8. In a client processing system communicating with a server over a communication link, the communication link including a telephone line, a method of responding to a disruption in communication, associated with a call waiting signal transmitted on the telephone line, the method comprising:

receiving a call waiting signal from the telephone line after communication has been established between the client processing system and the server;

terminating communication with the server in response to the the call waiting signal;

receiving a ring signal from the telephone line;

detecting an off-hook condition of the telephone line following initiation of the ring signal;

waiting until an on-hook condition of the telephone line is detected; and

upon detecting the on-hook condition, re-establishing communication with the server by initiating a communication call from the client processing system to the server.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

before the step of terminating communication with the server, storing in the client processing system information representing a current state of the client processing system when the call waiting signal was received; and

after the step of initiating communication with the second processing system, restoring said current state of the client processing system using the stored information.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the client processing system is configured for browsing the World Wide Web, and wherein the information representing said current state represents a browsing state of the client processing system when the call waiting signal was received.

11. In a client processing system coupled to a server by a communication link, the communication link including a telephone connected to the client processing system, a method of responding to a disruption in communication associated with a call waiting signal transmitted on the telephone line, the method comprising:

receiving a call waiting signal from the telephone line after communication has been established between the client processing system and the server;

storing, at the client processing system, information describing a browsing status of the client processing system;

terminating communication with the server in response to the call waiting signal;

pausing for a predetermined period of time;

after expiration of the predetermined period of time, monitoring the telephone line to determine when there is no incoming ring signal on the telephone line and when all of one or more extensions associated with the telephone line are on-hook; and

upon determining, by the client processing system, that there is no incoming ring signal on the telephone line and that all of the one or more extensions are on-hook, automatically re-establishing communication with the server by initiating a communication call from the client processing system to the server; and

retrieving data from the server based on the information describing the browsing status.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of monitoring the telephone line comprises the steps of:

sensing an impedance on the telephone line; and

determining whether the sensed impedance indicates that all of the one or more extensions are on-hook.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying information identifying a caller who has placed an incoming call associated with the call waiting signal.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the client processing system is configured for browsing the World Wide Web at the time of receiving the call waiting signal.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of automatically re-establishing communication is performed using a modem coupled to the communication link at the client processing system.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the step of automatically re-establishing communication is performed using an Integrated Services Digital Network adapter coupled to the communication link at the client processing system.