FR2800225A1 - Telephone terminal for connection to data network such as internet has device for searching in table of incoming calls which also controls calling - Google Patents

Abstract

The terminal is connected (11) to a telephone network for access to the data network. The terminal stores a telephone table, receives the telephone numbers of incoming calls, and connects the line (11) to a telephone terminal (20) of the access telephone network. The terminal includes a device (14) for searching for numbers in the table of incoming calls and controlling the connection. The device for searching in the table also controls the telephone calling device.

Description

 Terminal telephone equipment for computer network. The present invention relates to telephone communications in a computer network such as that of the INTERNET.

 The INTERNET presents very reduced communication costs so that, in addition to the transmission of data between computer terminals, is also used today for the routing of speech communications between telephone terminals.

A telephone user must then have a conventional telephone for the PSTN switched telephone network and a digital INTERNET telephone, able to process the INTERNET protocol.

As this user does not have a permanent INTERNET address, accesses the INTERNET through an access provider, to which he is connected by PSTN line. To limit subscription costs to the PSTN, the two stations, PSTN and INTERNET, are connected in parallel on this line.

In an INTERNET call entering this common line, there is then the problem of its referral to the INTERNET station, avoiding ringing the PSTN station. Otherwise, an untimely last call would risk aborting the INTERNET call.

The present invention aims to solve this problem.

To this end, the invention relates to telephone terminal equipment for a computer network, comprising means for connecting to a line of a telephone network for access to the computer network, characterized in that it comprises memory storage means for '' a telephone table, means for receiving telephone numbers of incoming calls, connection means for connecting the line to a telephone terminal of the access telephone network and means for searching the number table for incoming calls, controlling the means of connection.

Thus, an incoming call, the corresponding caller's number of which is found in the table, is processed by the computer telephone equipment without the conventional telephone terminal of the access network, such as an extension, ringing or so that his handset is not picked up unexpectedly.

The present invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the telephone terminal equipment of the invention, with reference to the appended drawing, in which - FIG. 1 schematically represents a computer network, here the INTERNET, to which in particular a telephone equipment according to the invention connected, through an access provider, and - FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the telephone equipment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 represents a computer network 3 for transmitting data, here the INTERNET, to which two telephone equipment 1, 2, '' of the stations are connected, arranged to process speech data transmitted here packets according to the INTERNET protocol .

The Internet stations 1 and 2 are connected to the INTERNET 3 by a line, respectively 11 and, of the switched telephone network PSTN, allowing them to connect to a respective provider 31, 32 for access to the INTERNET 3.

In addition to the Internet station 1, a conventional telephone terminal 20 for the PSTN is connected. This is a telephone set but, in another example, it could be a fax machine, an answering machine and others. A server 4 for bringing Internet stations 1, 2 connected, or integrated, to the INTERNET 3.

FIG. 2 represents the Internet station 1, connected to the Internet access line 11 through the PSTN and connected to the conventional PSTN station 20. Internet station 1 comprises circuits 12 for receiving a call from the line 11, and specifically for receiving line signals identifying, by its telephone number, a calling telephone set. These identification signals are here those of the CLIP service, provided by the in the idle time separating a first and a second train of call or ringing signals.

The reception circuits 12 thus have a modem function (demodulation) and are connected at the output to a calculation block 14 for searching for telephone numbers (CLIP) of incoming calls in a memory 13 connected to the calculation block 14 and containing a table of telephone numbers of selected Internet correspondents, such as Internet stations such as that referenced 2 or even the server 4.

reception circuits 12 also receive and detect the call ringing trains and provide a corresponding indication to the calculation block 14, so that, in this example, the latter starts a process of recognizing CLIP signals and searching for memory 13 only after the first train. This avoids the need for a permanent analysis of the signals of line 11, which reduces the task of the calculation block 14 all the more.

The calculation block 14 controls the link circuits 15, represented very schematically in the form of a switch relay contact, making it possible to connect or not the PSTN line 11 to the conventional station 20. For this purpose, the link circuits 15 are connected, line side 11, to a connection cord to line 11 of the receiver circuits 12, cord terminated by a male part of a connector 17 of which a part or fixed socket of female socket ends the line 11. Classical station side 20, the connection circuits 15 comprise a female socket of a connector 18, a removable male part of which is connected to a connection cord of the PSTN station 20.

The connectors 17 and 18 here form a pull-out telephone socket, the female part of the connector 18 mechanically reproducing the female part of the connector 17 and its contacts being at the same potential as their counterparts of the connector 17 when the link circuits 15 are closed.

The calculation block 14 furthermore controls circuits 16 for line seizure and telephone call, connected at the output to the cord of the connector 17 for line.

The circuit referenced 19 very schematically represents speech circuits with microphone and loudspeaker, of human-machine relationship, with codec, connected to line 11 through the modem of circuits 12 and under control of the calculation block 14.

The set of circuits of the Internet station 1 can be presented as a conventional telephone station or even be integrated into a PC, the calculation block 14 then being, to reduce the cost, a central unit of the PC used for time sharing or tasks between the functions Internet telephone and other PC functions.

The operation of the Internet station 1 will now be explained in more detail.

At rest, the link 17-18 is cut (link circuits 15 open) and any incoming call arrives only on Internet station 1.

When an incoming call is detected by the reception circuits 12 (CLIP signals), the calculation block 14 scans the memory table 13 for reading in order to find the number of the caller thus received.

In the event of coincidence between the number of the caller, received between the first and the second ringing train, and a number from the table in memory 13, the calculation block 14 closes the link circuits 15 to connect the connectors 17 and 18 and thus connect to line 11 the PSTN station 20. As the ringing trains are spaced 3.3 seconds apart, the possible decision to close the link circuits 15 is taken either after a time delay of approximately this value, depending on the end of the first train, ie after effective detection of the start of the second train. It will be noted that the switch relay diagramming the link circuits 15 could alternatively be a switch, and not a simple switch, placed at the head of line 11 to switch it to the other circuits of the Internet station 1 or else switch it, or send back, to extension 20.

In the event of coincidence between the received calling number and a number from the memory table 13, the calculation block 14 keeps open the circuit 15 which isolates the PSTN station 20 from line 11. There is thus preemption on the incoming call by Internet set 1 and the set therefore does not ring incorrectly.

In this example, the calculation block 14 does not respond directly to the incoming call, that is to say that it does not immediately command a line for answering the call by the circuits 16. On the contrary, the calculation block 14 waits for the end of the call, this' detects with certainty when the reception circuits 12 do not provide it with a ringing detection signal for 4 seconds (time delay mentioned above). As a variant, provision could be made for a fixed value timeout, 30 s to 1 min for example, armed at the start of a call entering the calculation block 14, to provide an indication that the call has probably stopped.

After the end of the incoming call, the calculation block 14 controls the call circuits 16 to take the line 11 and transmits to them the telephone number, which it has in memory, of the access service provider 31 The latter is then called by circuits 16 and the service provider 31 responds by supplying the Internet station 1 with a provisional INTERNET IP1 address. The calculation block 14 then transmits to the access provider 31, by the circuits 12 then operating as a transmitting modem, the telephone number CLIP which has just been received.

The access provider 31 then extends the PSTN link of line 11 by an INTERNET link to the presence server 4, which thus receives the computer address IP1. If it is the Internet station 2 which has just called the Internet station 1, the user of the Internet station 2 likewise calls the server 4 through its access provider which provides it with an INTERNET IP2 address.

To bring together, or connect, the two INTERNET links of the respective Internet stations 1 and 2 leading to two inputs of the server 4, in dotted lines in FIG. 1, the two Internet stations 1, 2 identify themselves with the server 4, l '' (1, 2) of the Internet stations identifying themselves by transmitting to the server 4 their own telephone number <B> NI, </B> N2 and the other Internet station (2, 1) by transmitting the telephone number <B> NI, </B> N2 of the correspondent (1, 2) whom he wants to reach. However, to avoid this asymmetrical exploitation of the calling-called telephone numbers and to avoid poor coordination in the sending of these two numbers, it can be provided that each Internet station 1, 2 systematically sends the two numbers <B> NI, < / B> N2.

The server 4 then searches, in all of the incoming links, during establishment, for one whose caller's telephone number corresponds to that which is requested by another incoming link. In the event of success, server 4 transmits on each of the two links thus paired the IP address 1, IP2 of the correspondent sought 1, 2 and these, thus brought into contact (knowledge of the address of the other), can then communicate directly through the INTERNET 3 without having to go through server 4.

As a variant, the Internet station 2 making the initial call can initially call the Internet station 1 through the server 4. The server 4 then puts communication from the Internet station 2 on hold, without cutting it, and also calls Internet station 1 by the RTC. The Internet station 1 therefore receives the telephone number of the server 4 from the CLIP service and then proceeds as previously explained, calling back to the server 4.

The server interrupts its call after 5 to 10 seconds of reception of call return signals, which guarantees sufficient time for the transmission of its telephone number N4 by the CLIP service to Internet station 1. The callback of this latter to the server 4 through the access provider 31 thus intervenes quickly, without excessive waiting for the calling Internet station 2. The latter can be similar to Internet station 1.

 The establishment of the telephone link between Internet stations 1 and 2 can be carried out fully automatically from the moment when the user of the Internet station calling 2, or a voice mail equipment, orders the transmission online. 21 of the telephone number of the Internet station 1. In particular, the calculation block 14 receives the number IP2 through the reception circuits 12 to manage INTERNET communication and it then activates, in this example, an arrival warning circuit d call not shown, such as indicator ringing circuit. The user of the Internet station 1 is thus notified of the call only when the INTERNET communication is established, and not the moment of the arrival of the initial PSTN telephone call, which avoids making this user wait during the entire phase d establishment of INTERNET communication.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1.- Telephone terminal equipment for a computer network (3), comprising means (15) for connection with a line (1) of a telephone network for access to the computer network (3), characterized in that it comprises memory means (13) for storing a telephone table, means (12) for receiving telephone numbers of incoming calls, connection means (17) for connecting line (11) to a telephone terminal (20) of the telephone access network and means (14) for searching in the table (13) of incoming call numbers, controlling the connection means (15). - Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the means (14) for searching the table (13) also control means of telephone call (16). 3.- Equipment according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the connecting means (15) comprise a pull-out telephone socket (18) for connection of the telephone terminal (20).