Method and apparatus for originating voice calls from a data network

• US 6,337,858 B1
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Kapil, Vivek, Mistry, Dhansukh, San Martin, Raul, Petty, Douglas, Frank, Alan Stuart, Petras, Michael William
• Primary Examiner(s): YAO, KWANG BIN
• Application Number:
  US08/948,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/466, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/405, 370/410, 379/201, 379/209, 379/211, 379/212, 379/214, 379/215, 379/88.17, 379/93.01, 379/93.09, 709/704, 709/206, 709/227, 709/249
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing voice communications between two parties using computer controlled telephony hardware which is separate from the PSTN is described. The voice communications may be voice over Internet or PSTN voice connections, or any combination of the two. The apparatus includes a WEB server, a computer telephony server, a Voice over IP gateway and an operations, administration and maintenance server. The apparatus is suitably installed and operated by a service provider such as an Internet Service Provider. The advantage is unexcelled control over call setup, transfer and conference functions. A further advantage is the rapid, unfettered development of new services without compatibility issues with the PSTN.

Claims

1. A method of providing voice communications between two parties using computer controlled telephony hardware which is outside the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), one of the parties having access to a data network, comprising:

accepting a voice communication request initiated by the party having selected a voice button to initiate the voice communication request;

originating a first voice connection from the computer controlled telephony hardware outside the PSTN under control of a computer telephony server in response to the voice communication request made by the party having access to the data network, the voice communication request received from the data network including information to permit first and second voice connections to be established;

originating a second voice connection from the computer controlled telephony hardware outside the PSTN under the control of the computer telephony server in response to the voice communication request received from the data network using the information respecting the second voice connection; and

bridging together the first and second voice connections using the computer controlled telephony hardware outside the PSTN under the control of the computer telephony server to permit voice communications between the two parties.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first voice connection is a voice over Internet protocol connection and the second voice connection is a voice call placed through the PSTN.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second voice connections are voice calls placed through the PSTN.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the first an second voice connections are voice over Internet protocol connections.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of second voice connections are attempted after the first voice connection is established, and each of the plurality of voice connection attempts are cancelled except a first of the second voice connection attempts to be answered.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein if the first voice connection is originated but the second voice connection cannot be originated, the first voice connection is held while alternate communications options are downloaded over the data network to the called party of the first voice connection.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the communications options may include at least one of an option to leave a voice mail message, an option to leave a text message, and option to request a call back at a later time and an option to page the service subscriber.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein if the called party of the first voice connection selects the option of leaving a voice mail message, the computer controlled telephony hardware outside the PSTN is operated to establish a second voice connection to a voice mail system and the first and second voice connections are bridged together at the computer controlled telephony hardware.

9. A method of providing voice communication between a service subscriber and a user of a data network accessing an interactive information page available on the network using a data terminal, comprising the steps of:

a) accepting at a voice button server a voice communication request initiated by the user using a voice communication request button associated with the service subscriber and available on the interactive information page;

b) analyzing at the voice button server the voice communication request, or a preference file sent from the user'"'"'s data terminal, to determine a voice connection medium preferred by the user;

c) consulting a rule base using a code that identifies the subscriber to locate at least one rule that determines how a voice connection is to be established with the subscriber;

d) operating a computer telephony server to control computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN to place a first call to the user by the preferred voice connection medium;

e) operating the computer telephony server to control the computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN to place a second call to the subscriber in accordance with the at least one rule located in the rule base;

f) operating the computer telephony server to control the computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN to bridge the first and second calls;

g) monitoring the data network for an indication that a modification of a configuration of the voice communication is desired by either the user or the subscriber and changing the configuration of the voice communication if an indication for change is received; and

h) monitoring the first and second voice calls and disconnecting the other of the first and second calls when either of the first or second calls is disconnected.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the data terminal is a multimedia computer, the voice connection medium preferred by the user is voice over the data network and the first call is a voice over the data network connection to the data terminal.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the voice connection medium preferred by the user is a telephone call through the switched telephone network and the first call is routed by the computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN to the switched telephone network.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rule b indicates that the call is to be connected to any one of a plurality of subscriber terminations and a plurality of second call attempts are initiated to the plurality of subscriber terminations, the first call being bridged to a first subscriber termination to answer one of the second call attempts, the remainder of the second call attempts being cancelled by the computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN when the first of the second calls is answered.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the plurality of subscriber terminations are telephone numbers or IP addresses for different agents designated t accept the call.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein each of the subscriber terminations are different telephone numbers or IP addresses for the same agent designated to accept the call.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein a person answering a call to any of the subscriber terminations is prompted to enter a code to accept the call.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the different telephone numbers comprise a work number, a home number, a cellular number, and a pager number;

and the different IP addresses are for a work terminal and a home terminal.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the at least one rule dictates that the pager number is to be dialed only if the work number, the home number and the cellular number fail to answer after a predefined number of rings.

18. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the voice communication request button includes a menu of voice communication request targets and the rule base selects one or more voice connections for the second call based on the voice communication request target selected by the user.

19. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the information page or a subordinate page associated with the information page includes a second voice communication request button that may only be accessed or operated by users in possession of a predefined access code.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the rule base is structured to treat calls which originate from the second voice communication request button differently from those that originate from the first voice communication request button.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the second calls for call requests that originate from the first voice communication request button are directed to a different termination than the second calls that originate from the second call request button.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein second calls for call requests that originate from both the first and second voice communication request buttons are routed to the switched telephone network and terminate at the same address on the switched telephone network, but different numbers are used for each of the first and second voice communication request buttons and the switched telephone network is configured to apply a different ringing signal on the subscriber line for each number for the termination, the different ringing signal alerting the subscriber as to which voice communication request voice button was selected.

23. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein if the second call is not answered after a predefined number of rings, the user is presented with a menu of selections to enable alternate means for communication.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the menu includes selections for creating a voice message sending a typed message or entering a request for a call back at a designated time.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein if the user requests the voice message option, the user is automatically connected to the subscriber'"'"'s voice mailbox by initiating a second call to the subscriber'"'"'s voice mailbox and bridging the second call to the first call.

26. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the menu includes a selection for paging the service subscriber.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein when a request for paging the service subscriber is received, the voice connection of the user is held while a call to the service subscriber'"'"'s paging service is made and a call identification number is sent to the paged subscriber.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein the call identification number is used to connect the service subscriber to the user when the paged service subscriber calls the computer telephony hardware and enters the call identification number.

29. A system for providing voice communication between a service subscriber and a user of a data network accessing an interactive information page available on the network using a data terminal, comprising in combination:

at least one computing machine programmed with the functionality of;

a) a voice button server for accepting voice communication requests either directly or indirectly form a user accessing an interactive information page on a data network and selecting a voice request button;

b) an operations, management and maintenance server to permit the establishment and maintenance of rule bases for governing how the voice communication requests are completed to the service subscriber; and

c) a computer telephony server for controlling computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN;

a voice over data network gateway for converting voice data packets to voice telephony format; and

computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN which may be controlled by the computer telephony server to initiate voice connections on a switched telephone network or a voice gateway to a data network, to bridge calls and to respond to a set of predefined voice connection control commands that may originate from either the service subscriber or the user.

30. A system as claimed in claim 29 wherein the computer telephony hardware outside the PSTN comprises a controller and a switch fabric.