Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-14
2002-10-29
Cangialosi, Salvatore (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C370S354000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473423
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for interactive communication between two users each furnished with a telephone apparatus of the switched telephone network, via the Internet network.
It also relates to a system implementing such a process.
It finds a particularly important although non-exclusive application in the field of low-cost voice telephone communications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Systems are known which make it possible to use the Internet network to send and receive voice communications in real time with an opposite party connected to the Internet network, thus simulating the telephone.
The attractions of these systems resides in their low cost of use for the parties.
Access to the Internet network or to an equivalent network in fact generally costs the price of a local connection, in order to call the local access provider, and a moderate monthly subscription, i.e. less than 100 F. a month in France in 1996.
If the connection is to a distant party, this represents a considerable saving relative to the price of a normal connection at the long-distance or international tariff.
However, such systems have drawbacks.
They require in fact the presence of a powerful microcomputer for each party, a modem and a sound card, thus considerably limiting the number of potential users of the system.
Moreover they allow only persons having a permanent connection with the Internet network to be called directly.
In other cases, it is therefore necessary to go through the following procedure.
The users firstly agree on a date and time of appointment, as well as on the Internet server which will serve as meeting point. At the prescribed moment, the users must subsequently connect to the Internet network and then to the predefined server.
Finally, the opposite party must be searched for in the list of users of this server. If his name does not appear, it is necessary to wait, it being possible for the communication to be set up only after the presence of the opposite party has been detected.
This is a complex procedure.
It can be explained since the users which are not permanently connected to the Internet network have no fixed network address (IP address). It is therefore impossible to call them directly. The called user must therefore be warned, beforehand, and must himself log on.
An improvement to this system is currently envisaged by various operators.
The caller logs on to the Internet network, then to a special server geographically close to his destination party.
He then provides this server with the telephone number of his destination.
The server subsequently calls the destination and the communication can then be set up. In certain cases, the destination need not have any Internet equipment, the server taking charge of the interface with the conventional telephone.
However, this process also has drawbacks.
Indeed, it requires a server or local access provider capable of calling a user, this posing technical problems and connection billing problems.
This process also requires that the Internet address of the server or local access provider of the destination party be known, which necessitates that a complex routing system be set in place, or else a system limited to a small-size destination table, of which the telephone number and address of the provider will have been configured by the caller.
Finally, if the destination party changes access provider or simply his point of local access to the same provider, the configuration of this destination has to be updated for all potential callers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a communication process and system which are better than the prior known ones at meeting the demands of practice especially in that it dispenses with the requirement to use a microcomputer and its accessories, replacing them with a small standalone interface device which connects between an ordinary telephone set of the switched network and the analog or digital ordinary telephone line.
This device thus makes it possible to supplement any telephone set with the possibility of operating through the Internet network in an extremely simple and user-friendly manner.
The complexity of the call procedure is also eliminated by virtue in particular of a novel way of tackling the problem.
Thus, the traditional way of ironing out a problem posed by an Internet application, is to search for what will enable this problem to be solved actually within the Internet, its protocols and its services.
Thus, currently existing software has solved the call problem by using a conventional Internet service: IRC (Internet Relay Chat).
This service enables any two Internet users to be put in contact via a server (called an IRC server). This is the call process described earlier.
A gateway, for example, will also be used between the Internet provider or server and the destination party.
In the case of the present invention, a novel approach has been used, by putting calling and called interface devices into direct telephone contact for a few seconds, these exchanging the information required to meet up subsequently on the Internet network automatically or semi-automatically.
For this purpose the invention proposes in particular a process for interactive communication between at least two users each furnished with a telephone apparatus of the switched telephone network, via the Internet network, characterized in that, each telephone apparatus being directly connected locally to an associated interface device,
a first user, the initiator of the communication, dials the telephone number of the second user on his telephone apparatus, for communication via the switched telephone network, while signalling to his associated interface device that he wishes a communication via the Internet network,
the interface device of the first user sets up the communication with the interface device of the second user via the Internet network, the telephone apparatuses of the two users being on-hook,
once the communication via the Internet network has been set up, each interface device signals this to its associated telephone apparatus,
each of the users then takes his telephone apparatus off-hook and communicates interactively with his opposite party via the Internet network.
In advantageous embodiments, recourse is had to one or other of the following provisions:
the first user hangs up his telephone apparatus immediately after having signalled to the associated interface device that he wishes a communication via the Internet network, the said communication being subsequently set up automatically by the first interface device with the second interface device;
the first user obtains the telephone communication with the second user via the switched telephone network, signals to his opposite party via the said switched telephone network that he will continue the communication via the Internet network, and hands over to the interface device associated with his telephone apparatus which then sets up the communication with the other device associated with the telephone apparatus of the second user via the Internet network, while the said users respectively hang up their telephone apparatuses;
in order to communicate with one another the two interface devices exchange a respective appointment code relating to a predefined server via the switched telephone network, subsequently cut direct communication via the said switched telephone network, connect to their respective Internet access provider and then to the said predefined server and search for their appointment code, obtain their respective addresses (IP) on the Internet network, disconnect from the predefined server and then set up the telephone communication between the users via the said Internet network;
in order to set up the communication, the first interface device connects to the Internet network, obtains its address (IP) on the said network and, whilst remaining connected to the said network, sets up the communication with the second device via the switched telephone network and tran
Constantini Eric
Lumbroso Philippe
Tebeka Henri
Cangialosi Salvatore
Net2Phone, Inc.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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