GB2355131A

GB2355131A - Online status monitoring for internet telephony

Info

Publication number: GB2355131A
Application number: GB9923404A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cheng-Shing Lai; Yong-Qian Gu; Qingyang Lu; Kai Yang
Original assignee: INVENTEC ELECTRONICS
Current assignee: INVENTEC ELECTRONICS
Priority date: 1999-10-04
Filing date: 1999-10-04
Publication date: 2001-04-11
Also published as: GB9923404D0

Abstract

An internet telephony network communication system where the online status of subscribers is stored and made available to users so that it is possible to search and select from a list of those subscribers currently on line, to make a internet telephony connection. It is also possible for the user to monitor and obtain notification of changes in status of those subscribers of particular interest to the user.

Description

2355131 NETWORK COMMUNICATION SYSTEM This invention relates to a network

communication system, and more particularly, to the information network system constructed on an internet-phone operation system, which is capable of managing the user's communication status instantaneously and 5 communicating with the selected online user directly.

Although the internet-phone (I-Phone) nowadays has the dialup function, people still do not know whether the other users are on line or not before they are connected. Further more, they need to call out to inform the other user for star-ting to talk by I-Phone on the network. On the contrary, the communication software of the computer system is more convenient. The popular communication software ICQ is an example. ICQ is the abbreviation of I Seek You. It is also called Internet-Pager. When ICQ is installed in the computer, the system will request the user to register personal information at the server and get a Universal Internet Number (UIN) as the user's ID. After the registration, the user can edit his own communication table for use later in the network, once both sides had installed the ICQ software, they can see the information and communicate to each other easily without having to search hardly. Besides, since the ICQ software is running in the background, it needs only few system resources; therefore, the user can perform their job and standby for the others to get online as usual. Once the other users are online, the user will be informed by the server then make communication with the other users such as chatting, e-mail, transferring message, files and internet address, etc.. However, the above mentioned communication method of the ICQ software is through the personal computer to connect the network. To those who don't have personal computer but only intemet-phone can't have the convenience that provide by the conu-nunication software running on the personal computer.

This invention relates to a method for manage the network communication to enhance the conventional coinmunication system. It is particularly for utilizing the Internet-Phone system to manage the network status including displaying the online status to whom one is going to communicate with, list the online status according to the communication table.

Further more users can identify the person whom he wants to communicate with to find if he or she is online or not and can notice the messa(ye immediately when it is sent by other 4:7 users.

This invention is by utilizing a personal computer as the server, intemetphones as clients and com-munication protocol between server and clients to provide the user to make registration on the server via the client node by the registration protocol and get an unique ID to build the personal communication table by the client list management protocol. Once setup procedure is completed and the communication list is ready, the user can communicate with other users at other client nodes by the communication management protocol between server and client.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is the hardware structure of this invention.

FIG. 2 is the communication flow of the client of this invention.

FIG. 3 is the communication flow of the server of this invention.

FIG. 4 is the chart of the client registers protocol.

FIG. 5 is the chart of the protocol between communication list management and server.

FIG. 6 is the chart of the protocol between client and server.

3 FIG. 7 is the data structure of the client.

FIG. I shows the hardware structure of the present invention including some internet phones as client nodes 10, an information network 20, a personal computer as server 30 and communication protocol between server and client nodes. Where each of the client nodes consists of an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a receiving/sending unit 13 to receive and sent a message and a record unit 14 (reference to FIG. 7) to store the communication table which consists of the user ID and internet address. By the present invention, the user A of the client node 10 utilizes the receiving/sending unit 13 to transform the communication protocol through the information network 20 to connect with the server 30, and communicate with another user B of the other client node. Where the communication protocol includes three modes:

1. Client registration protocol for adding a new user and recording his identification; 2. Client communication list management protocol for the user of the client node 10 to get the certification information of the new user or some user of the network; and 3. Communication management protocol between the clients and the server for monitoring the communication status of any two clients 10 and the status of every online user.

Through the communication protocol described above, the procedure for the user A at the client node 10 to communicate with user B at the other client of the network describe is as follows. With reference to FIG2, after the client 10 is started, the system executes the client registration protocol to check the status of the user A (step 101, 102). Then go forward to execute client list management protocol (step 103), waiting for user A to edit the personal communication table or checking whether user B is online or not. Finally execute the client and server communication protocol and let the user A connecting and communicating with user B at the other client node. When user A and user B are connected, the client nodes of user A and B must communicate with the server to keep the network connection normal (step 104, 105).

4 With reference to FIG 3, the server 30 manages the network appropriately according to the message from the client 10 as steps through 201 to 20'). Where the server 3) 0 is always I standby for the message from the client 10 and executes the correspondent subroutine accordin- to the message received. There are five steps as described in following:

ID L- 1. Register to the server 30 from client 10. Once the user register to the server from client 10. the server ')0 adds the user in the table, renew the database (including the users' ID and their internet address), and return a unique ID to the client 10 (step 204,205).

2. User inquires the user table for the server '10 from client 10. The server 3)0 queries the user database and return the matched records to the client (step 206, 207).

10.33. User requests to connect the network from client 10. The server 30 renews the database and marks the user at the client 10 as online (step 208).

4. User inquires the online status of the user who is in the conimunication table to the server 30 from client 10. The server 30 queries the database and return the correspondent data, including the online status and network address of the users who is inquired (step 209, 210).

Once any procedure described above was accomplished, the server 30 checks the status of the client to decide whether to keep on waiting the message or not (step 2 11 to 2 13).

With reference to FIG. 4, FIG.5 and FIG 6, the first three procedures about the communication protocol between client 10 and server 30 represented above will describe more detail as follow.

The client registration process:

With reference to FIG. 4, when a new user is communicated through the client 10, the system first starts up a user registration process to check whether the user is registered or not. It is done by step through 301 to 303. If the user is not registered yet, he will be asked to fill the data including the personal information on the input unit 11, where the data structure was described as table I. Then the message including the user's data is sent by the sending/receiving unit 13 to register to the server 30. Once the message is received, the server will renew the database by filling the new user's data to a new record and return an unique ID to the new user. The ID will shows in the display unit 12 of the client 10 where the data structure was described as Table H.

Table I. Data structure of user message Data Type Length Comments 1 N Register User detailed Information Fields Number (1 -8): 1 byte

Field ID: I byte

Name OX00 HomeNo OxO 1 Office No OxO2 Mobile No OxO3 Pager No OxO4 Company OxO5 e-Mail OxO6 Address OxO7 Field Length: 1 byte

Field Contents: Field Length bytes

6 User ID: 4byte All: (Field ID + Field Length + Field contents) Fields Number + I byte (Fields Number) + 4bytes (User ID

Table H. Data structure of the ID message Data Type Length Comments Response to user registration Return a valid User ID Error code: I byte User ID given by server: 4 bytes The client communication list management process:

With reference to FIG. 5, when user starts to communicate at client 10, the system starts the client list management procedures to check whether the user adds or inquires the user message (step 401 - 403). If neither adding nor inquiring the user message, then the user has to fill the inquiring condition at the input unit I I of the client 10 and send the inquire message by the receiving/sending unit 13 to the server 30 (step 404). Where the inquiring message is formed as the format described at table M. Once the inquire message is received, the server 30 queries the database and returns the message with the matched records to the client 10 (step 405), where the return message is formed as the format 7 described at table IV. Once receiving the return message from the server 30, the return message will show at the display unit 12 of the client 10, hence the user knows that the inquired user is confirmed and stores the return message to the communication list of the client 10 (step 406). If the user is neither adding nor inquiring the user message then the tn client communication list management procedure will stop immediately.

Table III Data structure of the inquire condition message Data Type Length Comments Search user to contact with Fields Number (1.9): 1 byte

Field ID: I byte

N Field Length: I byte

Field Contents: Field Length bytes

All: (Fields ID + Field Length + Field Contents) Fields

Number + I byte (Fields Number)

Table IV Data structure of the inquire return message Data Type Length Comments Response to contact list manager search the matched user Information follows:

I N Error code: I byte Matched Number: 2bytes 8 Matched contents:

User ID: 4 bytes Fields Number (1 -8): 1 byte

Field ID: I byte

Field Length: I byte

Field Contents: Field Length bytes

Each Field: User ID +Fields Number (Field ID + Field Length + Field Contents)

All: Matched Number Each Field + I byte (Error code) + 2 bytes (Matched Number)

Com.munication management process between the client and server With reference to FIG. 6, when user A is communicating at the client 10, the system start the client management procedures. A message formed as described at table V (including the user ID and IP address) is sent to the server 30 to request connecting with the server 30 (step 501, 502). Once receiving the message, the server 30 renews the database and marks the user A as online (step 503). Therefore, user A can select and communicate with user B at the other client by the steps describes below. First, user A selects user B from the conununication table which shows at display unit 12 by operating the input unit 11. The client 10 sends the data of the selected user B to the server 30 (step 504) to inquire the status of user B. The data was fonned as the fonnat described at table V1. When the inquire message is received from the client 10, the server queries the database to gets and returns the online status and the IP address of user B to user A is in the format described at table Vff. If user B is online, then user A can communicate with user B, such as sending message, 9 making call or chatting etc. When user A and user B are communicating, the client node 10 of user A has to keep on inquiring the online status of user B from server 3) 0 with the format described in table VI regularly. Similarly, when the server 3) 0 receives the inquiring message from client 10, it will renew the database and return the status of user B to client 10 with the format described in table Vff (step 507, 508).

Table V data structure of the sending message Data Type Length Comments Connect to server 1 8 User ID: 4 byte User IP Address: 4 byte Table VI data structure of the inquire message Data Type length Comments Get User Log Information:

User ID array sizes: 2 bytes User ID array:

I N User ID 1: 4 byte User ID2: 4 byte All User ID array sizes 4bytes + 2bytes Table VII data structure of the user online status message Data Type Length Comments User Log Information given by server:

User ID array sizes: 2 bytes User ID array:

User ID 1 4 byte ID I Log I byte N User IP Address 4 byte User ID2 4 bytes ID2 Log I byte User IP Address 4 bytes All User ID array sizes 9 bytes + 2 bytes The effects of this invention:

1. The communication sets of this invention let the users to list the name and online status of the persons who is in the communication list.

2. The communication sets of this invention let the users to select the name directly from the communication table to communicate with each other, and it does not need to search the IP address from the network.

The communication sets of this invention let the users to get the message of the other internet-phone users.

I I The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

12

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A network communication system for a information network constructed by an internet-phone, comprising:

a receiving/sending unit for bi-directional connection with the network by a communication protocol, wherein the communication protocol including a client registration protocol, a client list management protocol and a communication management protocol between client and network; a display unit for displaying users online status of the network; an input unit capable of selecting the mode of the communication protocol and inputting personal data of users; a recording unit having a communication table stored therein; and a server for connecting any two receiving/sending units.

2. The network communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of sending the personal data of users to another receiving/sending unit by the client registration protocol.

3. The network communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaining a user ID by the client registration protocol from the server.

4. The network communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaining the user conformation information by the client list management protocol from the server.

5. The network cornmunication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user conformation information including a user ID and a user network address.

13

6. The network communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user conformation information is recorded in the communication table.

7. The network communication system as claimed in claim 3), wherein the server further includes a database in which is stored a plurality,of user II)s and user network addresses.

8. The network communication system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data of the database is refreshed according the user ID and the user network address.

9. The network communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaining the users online status by the communication protocol from the server.

10. A network communication apparatus connected to each other by a server, comprising:

a receiving/sending unit for bi-directional connection with the network by a communication protocol, wherein the communication protocol including a client registration protocol, a client list management protocol and a communication management protocol between client and network; a display unit for displaying users online status of the network; an input unit capable of selecting the mode of the communication protocol and inputting personal data of users; and a recording unit having a communication table stored therein.

11. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of sending the personal data of users to another receiving/sending unit by the client registration protocol.

12. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the 14 receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaininc, a user ID bv the client recyistration protocol from the server.

13. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaining the user conformation information by the client list manacrement protocol from the server.

14. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim I'), wherein the user conformation information includincr a user ID and a user network address.

15. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the user conformation information is recorded in the communication table.

16. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the server further includes a database in which is stored a plurality of user IDs and user network addresses.

17. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the data of the database is refreshed accordino, the user ID and the user network address.

18. The network communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the receiving/sending unit is capable of obtaining the users online status by the communication protocol from the server.

19. A network communication system or apparatus substantially as hereinbefore descnibed with reference to and/or substantially as illustrated in any one of or any combination of the accompanying drawings.