Methods and apparatus for providing communications services between connectionless and connection-oriented networks

• US 7,411,939 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Toga, James E., Petrack, Scott B., Slaughter, Frank G. III, Lamb, Christopher H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/842,234
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/401, 370/466, 379/219
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A telecommunications system uses software applications called user agents, that are preferably Internet-based and that operate on behalf of users in a telecommunications hosting server to control call connections under control of a telecommunications network server that interfaces with the telecommunications hosting server as well as a connection-based public telephone network. The telecommunications hosting server operates on a computer network on behalf of the user agents to provide call signaling in support of many advanced calling and telecommunications services. The functionality and performance (e.g., execution) of the user agent(s) preferably takes place primarily within the telecommunications hosting server, though user client computers can provide some and possibly all of the user agent functionality, depending upon the particular implementation chosen.

Claims

1. A method for managing call services in a server coupled to communicate over a connection-less network, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the server to be responsive to multiple users by providing multiple user agents that operate on behalf of the multiple users, each user agent provided by the server operating on behalf of a respective user of the multiple users;

receiving, at the server, at least one message including a request to create a call connection to a telephony device coupled to a public connection-based telephone network, each of the user agents programmed and configured by each of the multiple users, the programming and configuration permitting the agents to receive a state of the telephony device, associated with at least one of the user agents, from the server; and

forwarding a call signaling message from the server through the connection-less network to create the call connection to the telephony device on the public connection-based telephone network.

2. A method of providing communication services, the method comprising:

receiving a communication over a connectionless network from a client computer, the communication including a request to establish a connection between a first telephony device related to a first user and a first user agent and a second telephony device related to a second user and a second user agent, both the first telephony device and the second telephony device being configured to directly couple to and communicate over a public switched telephone network via use of a public switched telephone network communication protocol, each of the user agents programmed and configured by each of the users, the programming and configuration permitting the agents to receive a state of the telephony device, associated with at least one of the user agents, from a server;

in response to receiving the communication from the client, generating a message for controlling a public phone switch in the public switched telephone network; and

via use of the message, establishing a connection between the first telephony device and the second telephony device through use of the public phone switch.

3. A method as in claim 2 further comprising:

processing the communication from the client computer to identify corresponding identifiers associated with the first telephony device and the second telephony device, the first telephony device and second telephony device being independent of any corresponding telephony devices coupled to communicate over the connectionless network through the client computer.

4. A method as in claim 2 further comprising:

maintaining call status information associated with multiple users and corresponding call connections supported by the public switched telephone network; and

providing the call status information to the client computer to enable a corresponding user at the client computer to identify a calling status of the multiple users.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein maintaining the call status information includes tracking i) current status information of the multiple users and corresponding pending call connections as well as ii) future planned calling status information which indicates when the multiple users, if any, will be unable to accept future calls.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein maintaining the call status information includes receiving call status information from at least one resource in the public switched telephone network identifying a status of phone call information associated with the public switched telephone network.

7. A method as in claim 3, wherein establishing the connection includes outputting the message to a server coupled to the public phone switch, the server in turn initiating an initial call connect between the public phone switch and the first telephony device and, thereafter, a following call connect between the public phone switch and the second telephony device.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein establishing the following call connect between the public phone switch and the second telephony device is contingent upon a user picking up a phone handset of the first telephony device.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein initiating the initial call connection includes providing a ring indicator to a user of the first telephony device to indicate initiation of the following call connect between the public phone switch and second telephony device.

10. A method as in claim 2, wherein establishing the connection includes initiating a communication session between the first telephony device which is nearby a human user at the client computer and the second telephony device which is remotely located with respect to the client computer.

11. A method as in claim 2 further comprising:

outputting a message associated with the public phone switch to bridge a connection between the first telephony device and the second telephony device to create a single telecommunication session as a public switched telephone network call between the first telephony device and the second telephony device.

12. A method as in claim 2, wherein establishing the call connection includes:

encrypting the message at a telecom hosting server in communication with the client computer, and

transmitting the encrypted message from the telecom hosting server over the connectionless network to a telecom network server coupled to control the public phone switch.

19. A hosting server as in claim 8, wherein establishing the following call connect between the public phone switch and the second telephony device is contingent upon a user picking up a phone handset of the first telephony device.

13. A hosting server including:

a processor;

a memory unit that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the processor, and

an interconnect coupling the processor and the memory unit, enabling the hosting server to execute the application and perform operations of;

receiving a communication over a connectionless network from a client computer, the communication including a request to establish a connection between a first telephony device related to a first user and a first user agent and a second telephony device related to a second user and a second user agent, both the first telephony device and the second telephony device being configured to directly couple to and communicate over a public switched telephone network via use of a public switched telephone network communication protocol, each of the user agents programmed and configured by each of the users, the programming and configuration permitting the agents to receive a state of the telephony device, associated with at least one of the user agents, from a server;

in response to receiving the communication from the client, generating a message for controlling a public telephone switch in the public switched telephone network; and

via use of the message, establishing a connection, via use of the public telephone switch, between the first telephony device and the second telephony device through use of the public telephone switch.

14. A hosting server as in claim 13 further performing an operation of:

processing the communication from the client computer to identify corresponding identifiers associated with the first telephony device and the second telephony device, the first telephony device and second telephony device being independent of any corresponding telephony devices coupled to communicate over the connectionless network through the client computer.

15. A hosting server as in claim 14 further performing operations of:

maintaining call status information associated with multiple users and corresponding call connections supported by the public switched telephone network; and

providing the call status information to the client computer to enable a corresponding user at the client computer to identify a calling status of the multiple users.

16. A hosting server as in claim 15, wherein maintaining the call status information includes tracking i) current status information of the multiple users and corresponding pending call connections as well as ii) future planned calling status information which indicates when the multiple users, in any, will be unable to accept future calls.

17. A hosting servers as in claim 15, wherein maintaining the call status information includes receiving call status information from at least one resource in the public switched telephone network identifying a status of phone call information associated with the public switched telephone network.

18. A hosting server as in claim 14, wherein establishing the connection includes outputting the message to a server coupled of the public phone switch, the server in turn initiating an initial call connect between the public phone switch and the first telephony device and, thereafter, a following call connect between the public phone switch and the second telephony device.

20. A hosting server as in claim 18, wherein establishing the connection includes initiating a communication session between the first telephony device to indicate initiation of the following call connect between the public phone switch and second telephony device.

21. A hosting server as in claim 13, wherein establishing the connection includes initiating a communication session between the first telephony device which is nearby a human user at the client computer and the second telephony device which is remotely located with respect to the client computer.

22. A hosting servers as in claim 13 further performing an operation of:

outputting a message associated with the public phone switch to bridge a connection between the first telephony device and the second telephony device to create a single telecommunication session as a public switched telephone network call between the first telephony device and the second telephony device.

23. A hosting server as in claim 13, wherein establishing the call connection includes:

encrypting the message at the hosting server in communication with the client computer; and

transmitting the encrypted message from the hosting server over the connectionless network to a telecom network server coupled to control the public phone switch.

24. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon for providing enhanced telecommunications services, such that the computer program logic, when executed on at least one processing unit to perform the steps of:

receiving a communication over a connectionless network from a client computer, the communication including a request to establish a connection between a first telephony device related to a first user and a first user agent and a second telephony device related to a second user and a second user agent being configured to directly couple to and communicate over a public switched telephone network via use of a public switched telephone network communication protocol, each of the user agents programmed and configured by each of the users, the programming and configuration permitting the agents to receive a state of the telephony device, associated with at least one of the user agents, from a server;

in response to receiving the communication, generating a message for controlling a public telephone switch in the public switched telephone network; and

via use of the message, establishing a connection, via use of the public telephone switch, between the first telephony device and the second telephony device.

25. A hosting server that provides communication services, the hosting server including;

means for receiving a communication over a connectionless network from a client computer, the communication including a request to establish a connection between a first telephony device and a second telephony device, both the first telephony device related to a first user and a first user agent and a second telephony device related to a second user and a second user agent being configured to directly couple to and communicate over a public switched telephone network via use of a public switched telephone network communication protocol, each of the user agents programmed and configured by each of the users, the programming and configuration permitting the agents to receive a state of the telephony device, associated with at least one of the user agents, from a server;

means for generating a message for controlling a public telephone switch in the public switched telephone network in response to receiving the communication; and

means for establishing a connection via use of the public telephone switch, between the first telephony device and the second telephony device via use of the message.