Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
1996-11-05
2001-05-29
Ton, Dang (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C379S093090
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240085
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a voice communication system and method in communication terminals connected through a communication network.
As a conventional voice communication system, there is known a system which uses a line switching procedure through a line switching network such as a telephone network. For example, the standard thereof is indicated in CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consullative Committee) Recommendation, ISDN, Q. 937. In this system, a communication terminal (telephone) connected to the line switching network transmits a voice communication request to a switching center dedicated to line switching processing, and the switching center receiving the request performs voice communication control for communication with a communication terminal (telephone) of the other party. Voice information sent at a constant speed is continuously transmitted and received through the switching center even during the voice communication.
In a packet switching network such as LAN (Local Area Network), in turn, the communication control is directly performed between communication terminals for transmitting and receiving packets. For example, Etherphone using Ethernet is well known.
However, due to the difference in schemes between the packet switching network and the line switching network, conventional voice communication systems such as that using the telephone network and so on cannot be utilized for realizing voice communication between communication terminals connected to the packet switching network.
To cope with this problem, a system for editing voice information into packets for transmission and reception between communication terminals has been proposed for adapting the voice communication scheme for communications between communication terminals connected to the packet switching network to the line switching network. However, even if the line switching network is connected with the packet switching network, a direct voice communication is not permitted between a communication terminal supporting voice communications between communication terminals connected to the packet switching network and a telephone connected to the line switching network and supporting the conventional voice communication functions. This is due to the difference between the voice communication protocol of the packet switching network and the conventional voice communication protocol.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a voice communication system and a voice communication method which enable voice communication to be performed between a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network and a communication terminal connected to the line switching network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a voice communication system and a voice communication method which enable voice communication, even initiated by a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network to a telephone connected to the line switching network and supporting the conventional voice communication functions, to proceed in the same manner as a voice communication between communication terminals connected to the packet switching network.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a voice communication system and a voice communication method which can transmit a message in the form of an electronic mail instead of the voice communication in case a voice communication to a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network is prevented for some reason, without requiring a user to start another program or input a communication address.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a voice communication system and a voice communication method which allows a telephone connected to the line switching network and supporting conventional voice communication functions to request a voice communication to a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network.
To achieve the above objects, according to one feature of the present invention, when a voice communication request is issued from a communication terminal connected to a packet switching network, if the address of the other party to which a user desires to have a voice communication, inputted by the user, is a communication terminal address (telephone number) of a telephone connected to a line switching network, communication control is performed between the communication terminal and a communication server to establish a connection between the communication terminal and the communication server. The communication server performs the communication control for a telephone connected to the line switching network to set a communication available state between the communication server and the telephone. This control enables a communication between the communication terminal and the telephone through the communication server. Thereafter, the communication server receives voice information transmitted from the telephone, edits the voice information into packets, and transmits the packets to the communication terminal. The communication server also receives packets transmitted from the communication terminal, and transmits voice information in the packets to the telephone. In this way, communication is carried out.
When a voice communication request is issued from a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network, if the address of the other party to which a user desires to have a voice communication, inputted by the user, is the address of another communication terminal connected to the packet switching network, the communication control is performed for a communication terminal having the communication terminal address, conventionally, to carry out the communication.
When a communication request is issued from a telephone connected to the line switching network to a communication terminal connected to the packet switching network, each of communication terminals connected to the packet switching network has previously been assigned a unique extension number, such that when the telephone number of the communication server is inputted from a telephone, the communication control is performed between the telephone and the communication server to create a communication available state between the telephone and the communication server, and an inputted extension number is transmitted from the telephone to the communication server. The communication server finds a communication terminal address from the extension number transmitted from the telephone, determines a communication terminal to be connected, and transmits a voice communication request to the communication terminal to establish a connection with the telephone. This enables a communication between the telephone and the communication terminal through the communication server. Thereafter, the communication server receives voice information transmitted from the telephone, edits the voice information into packets, and transmits the packets to the communication terminal. The communication server also receives packets transmitted from the communication terminal, and transmits voice information in the packet to the telephone, thus carrying out the communication.
The communication server may comprise a table for finding a communication terminal address from an extension number. If a push-type telephone having ten-key and function buttons is used, the extension number may be inputted through the push buttons. For inputting an extension number, an oral guidance may be outputted from the communication server to the telephone, such that the user responsively inputs an extension number corresponding to a communication terminal with which the user desires to communicate.
When the line switching network is ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), a telephone may transmit a voice communication request including as a parameter an extension number for specifying a communication terminal to the communication server, such that the communication server
Iwami Naoko
Matsui Susumu
Takahara Keiko
Hitachi , Ltd.
Mattingly Stanger & Malur, P.C.
Ton Dang
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