Repeating device, telephone set, and recording medium

• US 7,149,301 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.), Telecom Kiki, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takahiro, Yoshida, Takahiro, Saito, Tadashi, Noji, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/964,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/218.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.02
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A repeating device 14 for relaying the call to a plurality of receiver telephones 12a–12c that are connected to a local area network, comprising a function for requesting a reply to the plurality of receiver telephones 12a–12c asking their availability to receive a call, a function for selecting the destination of the call out of the receiver telephones 12a–12c that responded, and a function for notifying the address of the selected receiver telephone 12a to the caller telephone 22a. Further, the present repeating device comprises a function for receiving the transfer request from a user.

Claims

1. A repeating device for relaying communication to a plurality of receiver-side telephones connected to a local area network;

said repeating device comprising a function, effected at a time of an incoming call to be connected, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of said plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive the incoming call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be connected, and a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated.

2. A repeating device according to claim 1, wherein said repeating device comprises a function for receiving a transfer request from a user.

3. A telephone/router pair capable of assisting a call to a plurality of receiver-side telephones connected to a local area network, without a caller-side telephone designating the address of a receiver-side telephone unit;

said telephone/router pair comprising a function, effected at a time of a call to be connected, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of said plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive the call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver-side telephone unit to which the call is to be connected, a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated, and

the caller-side telephone thereafter being enabled to effect a function for generating the call addressed to said selected receiver-side telephone unit.

4. A telephone connected to a local area network;

said telephone comprising a function, effected at a time of receiving a call transfer request from a user of a caller-side telephone, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of a plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive a call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver-side telephone unit to which the call is to be connected, and a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated.

5. A recording medium capable of being read by a machine and storing a program to be executed by said machine, to assist a caller-side telephone to make an incoming call without having to specify the address of a receiver-side telephone unit,

wherein said recording medium comprises programming to effect at least one of:

a virtual device for relaying communication to a plurality of receiver-side telephones connected to a local area network, for effecting a function at a time of an incoming call to be connected, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of said plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive the incoming call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be connected, and a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated;

a virtual telephone/router pair connected to a local area network, for effecting a function, a time of a call to be connected, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of said plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive the call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver-side telephone unit to which the call is to be connected, a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated, to thereafter enable the caller-side telephone to effect a function for generating the call addressed to said selected receiver-side telephone unit;

or

a telephone capable of generating a call to a plurality of receiver-side telephones connected to a local area network, for effecting a function at a time of receiving a call transfer request from a user of a caller-side telephone, for requesting that each receiver-side telephone unit of a plurality of receiver-side telephones then respond indicating their instantaneous operational capability to receive a call, a function for selecting, out of the plurality of receiver-side telephones that responded, a receiver-side telephone unit to which the call is to be connected, and a function for notifying the caller-side telephone of the address of the selected receiver-side telephone unit to which the incoming call is to be generated, before the incoming call to the receiver side telephone unit is generated.