Proxy VAT-PSTN origination
First Claim
1. A method for enabling communications between a computer having a VAT application program installed thereon and a telephone via a combination of a wide area data network (WAN) and a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the method comprising:
- prompting a user at said computer to use said computer to enter a telephone number identifying said telephone;
responsive to entry of said telephone number, encoding said telephone number as a VAT control message;
providing the VAT control message to a first controller connected between said computer and said WAN,decoding the VAT control message in said WAN to retrieve the telephone number;
providing the decoded telephone number to a second controller connected between said WAN and the PSTN, the PSTN being connectable to said telephone;
originating, from said first controller, a call to said VAT application program installed on said computer; and
awaiting answer of said call by a user at said computer; and
responsive to said call being answered, completing said call to the PSTN and to the telephone.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
System and method for extending the use of a VAT telephony application to originate calls into a PSTN as well as a computer network are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, an adjunct application, referred to as a VAT signaling program ("VSP") running on the same host computer as a conventional VAT-based telephony application prompts a user to enter a destination telephone number and uses the entered number to generate a Q.931 SETUP message, which is encapsulated in a nonstandard, undefined, VAT control message (the "VAT Q.931 message") created to enable additional signaling information to be sent. A signaling interface to the PSTN serving the designated telephone number signals to the VAT application software exactly as if the signaling interface were actually another VAT application software originating a call to the naive VAT application. The signaling interface waits until the user at the computer "answers," and then originates the call into the PSTN network.
36 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for enabling communications between a computer having a VAT application program installed thereon and a telephone via a combination of a wide area data network (WAN) and a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the method comprising:
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prompting a user at said computer to use said computer to enter a telephone number identifying said telephone; responsive to entry of said telephone number, encoding said telephone number as a VAT control message; providing the VAT control message to a first controller connected between said computer and said WAN, decoding the VAT control message in said WAN to retrieve the telephone number; providing the decoded telephone number to a second controller connected between said WAN and the PSTN, the PSTN being connectable to said telephone; originating, from said first controller, a call to said VAT application program installed on said computer; and awaiting answer of said call by a user at said computer; and responsive to said call being answered, completing said call to the PSTN and to the telephone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. Apparatus for enabling communications between a computer having a computer telephony application program utilizing a VAT messaging protocol installed thereon and a telephone via a computer network, the apparatus comprising:
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means for prompting a user to use said computer to enter a telephone number identifying said telephone; means for encoding said entered telephone number; means for providing the encoded telephone number to a first signaling controller connected between said computer and said computer network; means for decoding the telephone number in said computer network means for providing the decoded telephone number to a second signaling controller connected between said computer network and a public switched network (PSTN) servicing said telephone; means for originating, at said computer, a call to said computer telephony application program installed on said computer; and means for completing said call into the PSTN responsive to a user at said computer answering said originated call. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a telecommunications system including a wide area network ("WAN") connected to a public switched telephone network ("PSTN") through a first network access device, a method for enabling communications between a computer connectable to the WAN and a telephone connectable to the PSTN, the method comprising:
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receiving a telephone number identifying the telephone into a proxy application program on the computer, the proxy application program utilizing a VAT messaging protocol; generating a setup message by the proxy application program, the setup message including the telephone number; sending the setup message to a second network access device in the WAN; locating the first network access device; originating a call from WAN to the computer utilizing the second network access device; and completing the call from the WAN to the telephone through the PSTN utilizing the first network access device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification