Third party call control application program interface

• US 8,683,044 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage Business Inc (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Network LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Citron, Jeffrey, Wason, Andrew, Shah, Nilesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US11/081,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060210041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,296 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.2, 379/88.17, 379/114.03, 379/127.01, 379/126, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• 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 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A third party call control (3PCC) application program interface (API) permits for users to use a web browser or other Internet capable software to place a call. The third party call control application program interface includes a first uniform resource locator operable over the Internet to effect a call between first and telephonic devices to be completed. The first uniform resource locator includes identification of the first telephonic device and identification of the second telephonic device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for third party call completion comprising:

means for receiving a first uniform resource locator operable over a computer network to initiate a third party call between a first telephonic device and a second telephonic device, the first uniform resource locator comprising identification of the first telephonic device and identification of the second telephonic device;

means for initiating a call to the first telephonic device or the second telephonic device using a session initiation protocol (SIP) INVITE method; and

means for transferring the call, in response to an answer of the call, using a SIP REFER method to establish the third party call from the first telephonic device to the second telephonic device.

2. The of apparatus claim 1, further comprising:

a computer system communicatively connected to the computer network, wherein the first uniform resource locator is generated on the computer system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification of the first and second telephonic devices is operative to identify a telephone number of at least one of the first and second telephonic devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the identification of the first and second telephonic devices is further operative to identify an account to be billed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the account to be billed comprises identification of the telephone number of the first telephonic device.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the account to be billed comprises identification of the telephone number of the second telephonic device.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the account to be billed comprises identification of a telephone number of a third telephonic device.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

means for receiving a second uniform resource locator operable over the computer network to obtain information identifying an account to be billed.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information identifying an account to be billed comprises at least one telephone number.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first uniform resource locator identification of the first telephonic device and the first uniform resource locator identification of the second telephonic device comprise the at least one telephone number obtained by the second uniform resource locator.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first uniform resource locator further includes identification and password information that is authenticated and validated before the third party call is completed.

12. A method of call completion comprising:

(a) receiving information, transmitted at least partially over a public data communications network, indicating a unilateral call, the information comprising identification of a first telephonic device and identification of a second telephonic device wherein the received information is included in a uniform resource locator indicating a network address on a public data communications network;

(b) initiating a call in response to the received information to the first telephonic device or the second telephonic device using a session initiation protocol (SIP) INVITE method;

(c) transferring the call, in response to an answer of the call, using a SIP REFER method to establish the unilateral call from the first telephonic device to the second telephonic device; and

(d) monitoring the unilateral call at least partially over the public data communications network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the public data communications network is the Internet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the uniform resource locator is generated on a computer system that is communicatively connected to the Internet.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the identification of the first telephone device comprises a telephone number of the first telephone device and the identification of the second telephone device comprises a telephone number of the second telephone device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the received information further comprises identification of an account to be billed.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the identification of the account to be billed comprises a telephone number of the first and second telephonic devices.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the identification of the account to be billed comprises a telephone number of the first telephonic device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the identification of the account to be billed comprises a telephone number of the second telephonic device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the identification of the account to be billed comprises a telephone number of a third telephonic device.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the received information further comprises identification and password information.