KR100426206B1 - Method and Apparatus for Conducting Computer Telephony - Google Patents

Abstract

The computer telephone system is configured to connect a call from the telephone network to the computer network. In one embodiment, terminal units connected to a computer network are assigned an identification code. When a call is received from a telephone unit connected to the telephone network, the requested identification code is obtained. The call is connected between the telephone unit and the terminal unit having an identification code that matches the identification code obtained from the call.

Description

Apparatus and method for realizing computer telephony {Method and Apparatus for Conducting Computer Telephony}

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for performing a computer telephone. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a computer telephone using a computer network such as the Internet.

Traditionally, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) have been used for telecommunications. Typically, a user places a call on the PSTN using a telephone that establishes an electrical connection with a local telephone company (central station). The central office answers with a dial tone. The user then dials a phone number that identifies the destination of gh. The switching system network then connects the call between the talker and the destination.

Over the years, much progress has been made in PSTN. For example, the signal transmitted on the PSTN is changing from analog to digital. In addition, data other than audio, such as images, faxes, and computer data, are transmitted on the PSTN. Physical transmission lines are also changing from coaxial cables to fiber-optic cables. The number of services provided by telephone companies is increasing, such as voice mail, call forwarding, and call waiting.

Another recent development is the development of computer phones. For computer telephones, the call is sent over the computer network in place of or in addition to the PSTN. This was partly due to the enormous increase in the number of computer networks across both commercial and residential districts worldwide. More specifically, the growth of the Internet has resulted in a surge in the number of public and private computer networks interconnected into one global network.

In general, conventional computer-telephone systems provide telecommunications between two computers via a computer network. Some conventional computer-telephone systems also provide telecommunications between the phone and the computer. However, these conventional computer-telephone systems only allow the talker to make a call from the computer. This allows the talker to call the computer from the phone.

The present invention relates to a computer telephone system configured to connect a call from a telephone network to a computer network. According to one embodiment of the invention, an identification code is assigned to a plurality of terminals connected to a computer network. When a call is received from a telephone connected to this telephone network, the requested identification code is obtained. The call is then connected between the phone and the terminal having an identification code that matches the identification code obtained from the call.

The subject matter of the invention is specifically indicated and clearly claimed at the end of the specification. However, in both the method of operation and the configuration, the invention can be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of the invention made in conjunction with the claims, in which like elements are referred to by the same reference numerals.

1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a screen screen of an aspect of the present invention.

3-5 are flow charts of various aspects of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is another flow diagram in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

8 is a block diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a computer-telephone system for realizing telecommunications over a computer network. To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention, the following detailed description sets forth specific configurations, parameters, and many specific details like this. It is to be understood, however, that the description is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention but instead is to enable a complete and complete description of the exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, computer-telephone system 100 includes a service server 102, a telephone unit 128, a facsimile unit 130, and multiple terminals 110. , 114, 118, 122). As will be described in more detail later, the service server 102 is configured to facilitate telecommunications between the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. The service server 102 is also configured to facilitate telecommunications between the telephone unit 128 and the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. Further, service server 102 is configured to facilitate facsimile transfer between facsimile unit 130 and terminals 110, 114, 118, and 122.

As implied above, in accordance with the present invention, service server 102 is configured to communicate with terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. More specifically, service server 102 communicates with terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 via computer network 126. In one exemplary embodiment, computer network 126 may include the Internet. However, it should be appreciated that computer network 126 may include any suitable communication link capable of providing interconnection of computer systems, including public and private.

In this embodiment, the service server 102 and terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 exchange data over data lines 136, 138 using a data exchange protocol. As will be described in more detail below, in one exemplary embodiment, the service server 102 and the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 exchange data using an Internet Protocol (IP) IP suite. Is configured to.

In this embodiment, the service server 102 is also configured to communicate with the telephone unit 128 and the facsimile unit 130. More specifically, service server 102 and telephone unit 128 and facsimile unit 130 communicate over telephone network 132. It should be appreciated that telephony network 132 may include numerous public and private voice and data communication services, such as a PSTN. Thus, telephone network 132 may include any number of public and private trunks, exchanges, and the like.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, service server 102 is a call-receive server (CRS) 104 and an IP-address-location server (ILS) ( 106 and a database server (DBS) 108. It should be appreciated that the CRS 104, ILS 106, and DBS 108 may be implemented as any number of separate servers interconnected. Alternatively, the CRS 104, ILS 106, and DBS 108 may be implemented in a single server partition.

In this embodiment, the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 may include personal computers such as desk-top computers, lab-top computers, workstations and the like. However, terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 may include any device configured to communicate with computer network 126, such as a teleconference system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet device, or the like. It should be recognized that it can. It should also be appreciated that the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 need not all be the same type of devices. For example, terminal 110 may be a workstation running a Unix operating system. Terminal 114 may be a Macintosh computer running a MacOS operating system from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, California. Terminal 118 may be an Intel-based computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system of Microsoft Corporation of Washington f Redmond. Terminal 122 may include a teleconferencing system.

As will be described in more detail below, each terminal 110, 114, 118, 122 may include a microphone 140 and a speaker 142 configured to record and play audio signals. It should be appreciated that the microphone 140 and speaker 142 may be integrated with the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. Alternatively, they may be added as accessories to the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. Furthermore, the microphone 140 and speaker 142 may be a headset having an integrated microphone.

As will be described in more detail below, the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 may include an interface program 112 as will be described in more detail below in each. Referring to FIG. 2, one exemplary embodiment of an icon 200 associated with interface program 112 (FIG. 1) is shown. In this example embodiment, the icon 200 is displayed on the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 when the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) is executed. It should be appreciated that the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) can be activated automatically at startup or manually by the user.

In this exemplary embodiment, the icon 200 includes a keypad 202, a call button 204, a clear button 206, and a redial button 208. In this respect, icon 200 resembles a canonical telephone set. Thus, a call is possible by using the keypad 202 to enter the appropriate number and selecting the originate button 204. The entered number can be erased using the clear button 206. And the last dialed call can be redialed by selecting redial button 208. However, it should be recognized that calls can be made using text-based interfaces, voice-activated interfaces, and similar user interfaces.

Icon 200 may also include a status indicator 210. As will be described in more detail below, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) communicates with service server 102 (FIG. 1) via computer network 126 (FIG. 1). When the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) establishes a connection with the service server 102 (FIG. 1), an " on-line " state appears in the status indicator 210. FIG. When the connection is terminated or not established, an " off-line " state appears in the status indicator 210. It should be appreciated that status indicator 210 may be used in a variety of alternative forms, such as status indicators, sounds, or the like.

The icon 200 further includes a state-scroll list 212, which indicates the connection state of the other terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 (FIG. 1). For example, assume that the icon 200 is displayed on the terminal 110 (FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the status-scroll list 212 may indicate whether the terminals 114, 118, 122 (FIG. 1) are connected to the computer network 126 (FIG. 1). As will be described in more detail below, this state information can be obtained from the service server 102 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 1, in one exemplary embodiment, the interface program 112 is implemented using a computer software program written using the C programming language. However, it should be appreciated that the interface program 112 may be implemented using various programming languages. For example, the interface program 112 may be implemented using JAVA or PERL programming language. Such a programming language has an advantage that a program written in them can be operated independently of an operating system of a terminal on which the program is executed.

In the present embodiment, the interface program 112 may be installed in the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 by downloading it from the website. However, it should be appreciated that the interface program 112 may be installed in the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 using various methods. For example, interface program 112 may be distributed on any convenient storage medium, such as diskette, compact disc, or the like.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the telephone unit 128 may include any telecommunication device connected to the PSTN, such as a standard telephone set, a cordless telephone, a mobile telephone, or the like. The facsimile unit 130 may include any facsimile device connected to a PSTN, such as a standard facsimile machine, a computer containing a facsimile card or software, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the CRS 104 is configured to communicate with terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. More specifically, as implied above, the CRS 104 communicates with terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 using standard data package exchange protocols. In one embodiment, computer network 126 includes a public communications network, such as the Internet. As such, an Internet Protocol (IP) collection may be used for data transmission between the CRS 104 and the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122.

In the IP collection, terminals 110, 114, 118 and 122 are each assigned an IP address. More specifically, when terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 are connected to computer network 126, unique IP addresses are assigned using any convenient IP addressing technique. These IP addresses can be assigned statically or dynamically. For example, assume that terminal unit 110 is a computer workstation connected to computer network 126. In dynamic IP addressing, each time terminal 110 is connected to computer network 126, a different IP number may be assigned to terminal 110. In static IP addressing, the same IP number is assigned to terminal 110 each time terminal 110 connects to computer network 126. However, even in static IP addressing, the IP address of the terminal 110 may change. For example, terminal 110 may be a portable computer that connects to computer network 126 at different locations.

However, this can cause problems for computer-phone systems. For example, if the terminal 110 calls the terminal 1140, the IP address of the terminal 114 is used to establish a connection between the terminal 110 and the terminal 114. However, as implied above, the IP address of terminal 114 may change each time terminal 114 connects to computer network 126.

In this case, as will be described in more detail below, in one embodiment of the present invention, a unique identification code is assigned to each user of the computer telephone system 100. In one embodiment, each user is assigned a unique personal communication number (PCN). It should be appreciated that this PCN may be associated with terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 that are not users. Furthermore, it should be recognized that this PCN may include codes of various formats and lengths.

For example, one PCN, for example 111, may be assigned to the first user. The second user may be assigned another PCN, for example 222. Now assume that first and second users connect to computer network 126 via terminals 110 and 114, respectively. Therefore, when the first user connects to the computer network 126, the PCN 111 assigned to the first user and the IP address assigned to the terminal 110 are transmitted to the service server 102. When the second user connects to the computer network 126, 222, which is the PCN assigned to the second user, and the IP address assigned to the terminal 114 are transmitted to the service server 102. Also in this manner, service server 102 may track when first and second users are connected to computer network 126 and service server 102.

More specifically, as described above, in one embodiment, the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 include an interface program 112. When the interface program 112 is first installed on the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122, the user is prompted to decide whether to open a new account. To establish, interface program 112 communicates with service server 102 to assign a new PCN. In this way, a new user can join the computer-telephone system 100.

Now assume that the user has an existing account. When terminals 110, 114, 118, and 122 connect to computer network 126, their respective interface programs 112 obtain and transmit their PCNs and IP addresses. These are received at CRS 104 and sent to ILS 106 and stored in DBS 108. Thus, when the first user calls the second user, the ILS 106 may access the DBS 108 to determine whether the second user is connected to the computer network 126. Further, the ILS 106 can determine where the second user is via the IP address stored in the DBS 108 in association with the terminal 114.

Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) outlined above is developed in more detail in the flowchart 300. As shown in FIG. For ease and clarity, the following description will describe the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) associated with the terminal 110 (FIG. 1). However, it should be appreciated that the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122 (FIG. 1) may also include an interface program 112 (FIG. 1).

When terminal 110 (FIG. 1) connects to computer network 126 in step 302, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) obtains the IP address assigned to terminal 110 (FIG. 1). As implied above, a different IP address may be assigned each time terminal 110 (FIG. 1) connects to computer network 126 (FIG. 1). In step 304, the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) sends the IP address and PCN to the service server 102 (FIG. 1). As implied above, steps 302 and 304 may be performed each time terminal 110 (FIG. 1) connects to computer network 126 (FIG. 1). Alternatively, they may be executed within a certain period of time based on the specific action or event occurrence indicated by the user. For example, steps 302 and 304 may be executed when the IP address assigned to terminal 110 (FIG. 1) is changed.

In step 306, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) waits for a call to be received or generated. Thus, in one embodiment, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) may be maintained to reside in terminal 110 (FIG. 1) until a call is made or received. However, it should be appreciated that interface program 112 (FIG. 1) may be activated or deactivated when a call is originated or received.

In the case where the call is originated at the terminal 110 (FIG. 1) at decision step 308, the interface program 112 (FIG. 1) at step 314 obtains a number to be called from the user. As described above, these can be performed using icon 200 (Figure 2). In step 316, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) transmits a number to service server 102 (FIG. 1). In step 718 the call is connected.

If a call is received at terminal 110 (FIG. 1) at decision step 308, then interface program 112 (FIG. 1) at step 310 recognizes the user for the call. As described above, these can be performed using icon 200 (Figure 2). In step 312 the call is connected.

Referring back to FIG. 1, after the connection is established between the terminals 110 and 114, the service server 102 supports telecommunication by relaying data packages between them. More specifically, in one exemplary embodiment, terminals 110 and 114 each include a microphone 140 and a speaker 142, respectively.

In this embodiment, the audio signal is received at the microphone 140 and then converted and compressed into a digital signal using any convenient coder / decoder (CODEC) of the terminal 110. In more detail, in one exemplary embodiment, the CODEC may be provided within the interface program 112. The digital signal is then transmitted to the CRS 104 via the computer network 126. Using the IP address of terminal 114 obtained from DBS 108, CRS 104 transmits data packages containing digitized audio signals to computer 114 via computer network 126. At the terminal 114, the digital signal is converted back to an analog signal using the CODEC of the terminal 114 and decompressed. After that, it is reproduced in the speaker 142 of the terminal 114.

As also described above, computer-telephone system 100 is configured to facilitate telecommunications between telephone 128 and terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. For ease and clarity, the following description will describe telecommunications between phone 128 and terminal 110. However, it should be appreciated that telecommunications may be performed between the phone 128 and one or more of any of the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122.

As described above, the talker can initiate a call from the terminal 110 using the interface program 112. In this case, the talker enters a phone number associated with phone 128. This telephone number is then sent to CRS 104 and the call is connected.

Once a connection is established between the phone 128 and the terminal 110, telecommunications can be facilitated by a CODEC located in the CRS 104. This CODEC converts the audio signal received from the telephone 128 into a digital signal and compresses the signal. This can then be transmitted to the terminal 110 and again decompressed and converted back into an analog signal. This signal is then reproduced in the speaker 142.

As described above, the audio signal received from the microphone 140 may be converted into a digital signal and compressed using the CODEC of the terminal 110. This may be sent to the CRS 104 via the computer network 126. The CODEC located in the CRS 104 then decompresses this signal and converts it into an analog signal. This can then be sent to phone 128 for playback.

In general, since the telephone number is not associated with the terminal 110, the caller cannot directly call the terminal 110 from the telephone 128. Rather, the talker calls the service server 102. In more detail, the talker calls the telephone number associated with CRS 104. This telephone number can be a local telephone number, a long distance telephone number or a toll free number.

Furthermore, in one exemplary embodiment, a call transfer service provided by the telephone company may be used. As discussed above, calls are made to the service server 102 at various points in time. For example, when a caller calls from phone 128, the caller may be discouraged from using this system if the call should be a long distance call. One alternative may be to have a service server 102 in each service area. However, this may not be optimal from a resource allocation and technical point of view. Alternatively, the telephone company and the local telephone number may be set as a call forwarding service to forward calls from the local telephone number to the telephone number of the service server 102. In this way, the service server 102 can be physically located in any desired area without the burden of the caller having to make long distance calls.

When the CRS 104 receives a call from the talker, it prompts the talker with a message requesting that the talker provide the PCN of the party he wants to talk to. The talker may be prompted to provide this information by pressing touch-tone keys on his or her telephone. It can be decoded and analyzed using any convenient Dual-Tone-Multi-Frequency (DTMF) decoding system. However, it should be recognized that this weight can be obtained by varying various systems. For example, a voice recognition system may be used to receive voice responses from the talker.

When a PCN is received, ICS 106 accesses DBS 108 to determine if the user associated with that PCN is currently on-line. If so, the ICS 106 accesses the DBS 108 from the most recent IP address associated with that user. The CRS 104 then connects the call between the phone 128 and the terminal 110.

Once a connection is established between telephone unit 128 and terminal unit 110, telecommunications is facilitated by a CODEC located in CRS 104. This CODEC converts the audio signal received from the phone 128 into a digital signal and compresses the signal. In one embodiment, the audio signals are sampled using pulse code modulation (PCM) using the ITU-T G.729 standard speech coding algorithm. It should be appreciated that various sampling methods and speech coding algorithms may be used. The digitalized audio signal may then be transmitted to the terminal 110 to be decompressed and converted back to an analog signal. This is then played back through the speaker 142.

As described above, the audio signal received from the microphone 140 may be converted into a digital signal and compressed using the CODEC of the terminal 110. This may be sent to the CRS 104 via the computer network 126. The CODEC located in the CRS 104 then decompresses this signal and converts it into an analog signal. This is then sent to phone 128 for playback. Although both terminal 110 and CRS 104 are described as being configured as a CODEC, it should be appreciated that many different alternative configurations and devices may be used. For example, one central CODEC may be used.

Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the CRS 104 (FIG. 1) outlined above is developed in flow chart 400 in more detail. In step 402 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) receives a call from telephone 128 (FIG. 1). In step 404, CRS 104 (FIG. 1) requests input of the PCN of the side to receive the call.

After the PCN is obtained, in step 406 ILS 106 (FIG. 1) searches DBS 108 (FIG. 1) to find a matching PCN. In decision step 408 (FIG. 1), if there is no match, then CRS 104 (FIG. 1) again requires input of the PCN. This process may be repeated until a matching PCN is provided or the call is terminated or a predetermined number of attempts have been made.

If there is a match, then at step 410 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) determines whether the user associated with that PCN is currently connected. More specifically, CRS 104 (FIG. 1) communicates with ILS 106 (FIG. 1), where he searches for DBS 108 (FIG. 1) to determine if the current user is connected.

If at step 412 the user is not connected, then at step 418 the caller is notified that the user is not available. This is done by automated voice message. If the user is connecting, the user is notified of the call in step 414. In one embodiment, the user may be notified of this via the interface program 112. More specifically, visual and / or audio notifications may be provided via icon 200 (FIG. 2). After the user is notified, the call connects at step 416.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one alternative embodiment, the operation of CRS 104 (FIG. 1) in which service server 102 (FIG. 1) includes voice-messaging functionality is described. Beginning at step 410, CRS 104 (Figure 1) determines if a user is connected. If at step 412 the user is not connected, a voice message is recorded if the caller remains at step 506. Thereafter, in step 508, the voice message is stored for later retrieval by the user.

If the user is connected, the user is notified at step 414. In one exemplary embodiment, a user may be notified via interface program 112 (FIG. 1). More specifically, visual and / or audio notifications may be provided via icon 200 (FIG. 2).

In step 502 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) determines whether the user wants to receive the call. This may be accomplished by asking the sender to specify whether they want to receive the call. Alternatively, the user may be notified in advance that the user does not want to receive a call to CRS 104 (FIG. 1). For example, interface program 112 (FIG. 1) may include a setting that indicates that the user does not want to receive a call. If the user does not want to receive the call, a voice message is recorded if the caller remains at step 506. In step 508 the voice message is stored for later retrieval by the user. If the user receives a call, the call is connected at step 416.

Computer-telephone system 100 (FIG. 1) may also utilize the capabilities of various existing telephone services provided by the telephone company to provide additional functionality. For example, referring to FIG. 6, computer-telephone system 100 may be utilized in combination with a call-transfer-when-busy service provided by a telephone company. This service allows automatic forwarding of calls to a predetermined telephone number if the called number is busy. Thus, when phone 128 calls the telephone number at site 600, the service forwards the call to the designated number. In this case, the user may designate the number of the service server 102 as a forwarding number. Thus, if the phone number of the site 600 is busy, the call is forwarded to the service server 102.

More specifically, in one embodiment, the call is forwarded to CRS 104. As mentioned above, the CRS 104 requests the PCN of the called user. Assuming that the PCNs entered match, the CRS 104 connects the call to the terminal 110 via the computer network 126. In this way, the user can receive the forwarded call from the site 600.

This aspect can be advantageous in many situations. For example, assume that the site 600 is a residence. Assume also that there is only one telephone line in the residence and that the user is currently using that line with the computer. Typically during this time the user cannot receive telephone calls. However, using the aforementioned function, the user can receive a call through the computer.

However, it should be appreciated that terminal 110 may also be located away from site 600. Assume that user and terminal 110 are located remote from site 600. The user can receive a call from site 600 if the phone number of site 600 is busy.

It should be appreciated that various additional services provided by the telephone company may be used in conjunction with the present invention. For example, in addition to a busy-call-forwarding service, a call forwarding service can be used with the present invention. For example, if site 600 is a business location and the user is traveling with a laptop (terminal 110), the phone number of site 600 may be automatically forwarded to CRS 104, which then calls the call. Forward to the terminal (110).

Referring to FIG. 1, as further described above, computer-telephone system 100 is configured to support facsimile transmission between facsimile unit 130 and terminals 110, 114, 118, 122. For ease and clarity, the following description will describe facsimile transmission between the facsimile unit 130 and the terminal 110. However, it should be appreciated that the facsimile may be transmitted between the facsimile unit 130 and any one or more of the terminals 110, 114, 118, 122.

When the facsimile is transmitted from the facsimile unit 130 to the terminal unit 110, the facsimile unit 130 calls the service server 102. In more detail, the facsimile unit 130 calls the telephone number associated with the CRS 104. This telephone number may be a local telephone number, a long distance telephone number or a toll-free telephone number.

When the CRS 104 receives the call from the facsimile unit 130, it requests the PCN number of the receiving side. When the CRS 104 detects a facsimile tone from the facsimile unit 130, it receives it and stores the incoming facsimile signal in a computer file. This file may then be sent to terminal 130 via computer network 126 for display or printing, storage, forwarding, or similar processing.

Referring to FIG. 7, the operation of CRS 104 (FIG. 1) outlined above is developed in flow chart 700 in more detail. In step 402, CRS 104 (FIG. 1) receives a call from facsimile unit 130 (FIG. 1). In step 404, CRS 104 (FIG. 1) requests the PCN of the side receiving the fax.

After the PCN is obtained, in step 406, ILS 106 (FIG. 1) searches DBS 108 (FIG. 1) to find a matching PCN. If there is no match at decision step 408, CRS 104 (FIG. 1) again requests the PCN. This may continue until a matching PCN is provided, the call is ended, or a predetermined number of attempts have been made.

If there is a match, then at step 702 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) receives the fax. In step 704 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) stores the facsimile in a computer file. In step 410 CRS 104 (FIG. 1) determines whether a user associated with that PCN is currently connected. If at step 412 the user is not connected, the facsimile may be stored. In more detail, the facsimile file may be stored in DBS 108 (FIG. 1).

If the user is connecting, at step 707 the user is notified that the fax has been received. In one embodiment, the user may be notified via the interface program 112 (FIG. 1). More specifically, visual and / or audio notifications may be provided via icon 200 (FIG. 2).

After the user is notified, in step 708 the CRS 104 (FIG. 1) determines if the user wants to receive a fax. Again, this may be provided via the interface program 112 (Figure 1).

If the decision 712 indicates that the user does not want to receive the facsimile, the facsimile may be stored at step 714. If the user indicates that he or she wants to receive the facsimile, then the facsimile file is transferred via computer-network 126 (FIG. 1).

Referring again to Figure 1, a single service server 102 has been shown and described so far. However, it should be appreciated that computer-telephone system 100 may include any number of service servers 102 interconnected. For example, referring to FIG. 8, multiple service servers 102 are interconnected to a service network 800. In one embodiment, the service servers 102 are interconnected via the Internet. However, it should be appreciated that the service servers 102 may be linked via any convenient communication medium. In this way, service network 800 can be a global network, which means that calls can be connected from any point in the world to any point in the world.

As implied earlier, each service server 102 includes one CRS 104 (FIG. 1), one ILS 106 (FIG. 1), and one DBS 108 (FIG. 1). can do. Alternatively, some service servers 102 may include only one or both of these servers. For example, DBS 108 (FIG. 1) may be provided only to one particular central service server 102. As shown in FIG. Other regional service servers 102 may then access these central service servers 102 to access DBS 108 (FIG. 1).

As described above, it is possible to integrate all voice calls, faxes, and e-mails into a single messaging box using a personal communication number using the integrated computer telephone system according to the present invention. Users can instantly access this Unified Messaging service via phone or computer anytime, anywhere. Even when the user is offline, it is possible for the talker to leave a voice mail in the virtual mailbox and the recipient confirm it. Furthermore, by storing fax messages integrated into personal communication numbers, it is possible to check and print fax messages anytime and anywhere and forward them to a file or fax.

The present invention is a progressive advantage in that it is possible to integrate all means of communication through a single personal communication number without the need for frequent business trips or the need to remember home telephones, office telephones, mobile phones and fax numbers. To provide.

In addition to the future IMT-2000 service, the present invention can be combined with a screen phone by adding a virtual video phone or a video conference function.

The invention has been shown and described in part with reference to various flowcharts. It should be appreciated that each step or combination of steps in these flowcharts may be embodied in computer program instructions. In addition, each step or combination of steps in these flowcharts may be implemented as a special purpose hardware-based computer system for performing a particular function or step, or by a combination of special purpose hardware and computer instructions This should be recognized.

In addition, while the invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the drawings or the specific forms described above.

Claims (55)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A method for carrying out a computer-telephone between a telephone unit connected to a telephone network and a terminal unit connected to a computer network, the method comprising: Receiving, from each terminal unit, an internet protocol address for computer network connection and a personal communication number (PCN) of the user and storing it in a database; Receiving a call from a telephone unit of a predetermined caller; Receiving a called party's personal communication number (PCN) from the caller's telephone unit; Searching whether each personal communication number (PCN) stored in the database and the corresponding internet protocol address for a computer network connection is searched, and whether the called party of the received personal communication number (PCN) is connected to the computer network; Checking the location of the called party's terminal unit from an internet protocol address corresponding to the personal communication number (PCN); And Connecting a call between the caller's telephone unit and the called party's terminal unit; Computer-telephone performing method comprising a. delete delete The method according to claim 16, The audio signal of the caller received through the telephone network is processed and transmitted to the called party's terminal through the computer network, and the data packages of the called party are processed through the computer network to the caller's telephone unit through the telephone network. Do more steps, Processing for the audio signal, Converting the audio signal into a digital signal; Compressing the digital signal; And Packaging the digital signal into the data packages; It is configured to include, Processing for the data packages, Decompressing the data packages; And Converting the decompressed data packages into an audio signal; Computer-telephone performing method comprising a. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A computer-telephone system configured to support computer-telephone between a telephone unit connected to a telephone network and a terminal unit connected to a computer network, the system comprising: Receives from each terminal unit an Internet protocol address for connecting to a computer network and a personal communication number (PCN) of the user and stores it in a database, receives a call from a telephone unit of a predetermined caller, and receives a personal communication of the called party from the telephone unit of the calling party. Receives a PCN, retrieves each PCN stored in the database and a corresponding Internet protocol address for accessing a computer network, thereby receiving a PCN from a computer network. A service server for checking the location of the called party's terminal unit from the Internet protocol address corresponding to the personal communication number (PCN), and for connecting a call between the calling party's telephone unit and the called party's terminal unit. ; And A database for storing an Internet protocol address for computer network connection of each terminal unit and a personal communication number (PCN) of the user; Computer-telephone system, characterized in that comprises a. delete The method according to claim 31, The service server, An audio signal of a caller received through the telephone network is converted into a digital signal, the converted digital signal is compressed, and the compressed signal is packaged into data packages and transmitted to the called party's terminal through the computer network. and, Performing further operations on the called party's data packages received through the computer network to decompress and convert them into audio signals and to transmit them through the telephone network to the calling party's telephone unit; Computer-phone system, characterized in that. delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 31, The service server, Receiving a call from a facsimile, receiving a called party's personal communication number (PCN) from the facsimile, receiving facsimile data from the facsimile, and transmitting the facsimile data to the called party's terminal unit ; Computer-phone system, characterized in that. The method according to claim 31, The service server, If the called party of the received personal communication number (PCN) is not connected to the computer network, the voice message of the caller is recorded, Thereafter, when the called party connects to the computer network, further performing the operation of transmitting the recorded voice message to the corresponding terminal unit to which the called party connects; Computer-phone system, characterized in that. delete delete delete delete delete delete A computer-telephone system configured to support computer-telephone between a telephone unit connected to a telephone network and a terminal unit connected to a computer network, the system comprising: Sends the Internet Protocol address for the computer network connection and the personal communication number (PCN) of the user to the service server, notifies the called party when a computer-phone incoming call is received from the service server, and sends the telephone unit of the caller via the service server. A terminal unit for performing a computer-phone call operation through a call connected between the mobile station; Send a caller's call to the service server, transmit a personal communication number (PCN) of the called party to the service server, and operate a computer-phone call via a call connected between the called party's terminal units via the service server A telephone unit for performing; Receives from the terminal unit the Internet protocol address for the computer network connection and the personal communication number (PCN) of the user and stores it in a database, receives a call from the telephone unit of the caller, and receives the individual of the called party from the telephone unit of the caller. Receives a communication number (PCN), retrieves each personal communication number (PCN) stored in the database and the corresponding Internet protocol address for a computer network connection, so that the called party of the received personal communication number (PCN) A service for checking the location of the called party's terminal unit from the Internet protocol address corresponding to the personal communication number (PCN) and connecting a call between the calling party's telephone unit and the called party's terminal unit server; And A database for storing an Internet protocol address for computer network connection of each terminal unit and a personal communication number (PCN) of the user; Computer-telephone system, characterized in that comprises a. The method of claim 46, The service server, An audio signal of a caller received through the telephone network is converted into a digital signal, the converted digital signal is compressed, and the compressed signal is packaged into data packages and transmitted to the called party's terminal through the computer network. and, Performing an operation of decompressing, converting into an audio signal and transmitting to the caller's telephone unit through the telephone network, the data packages of the called party received through the computer network; Computer-phone system, characterized in that. delete The method of claim 46, The service server, Receiving a call from a facsimile, receiving a called party's personal communication number (PCN) from the facsimile, receiving facsimile data from the facsimile, and transmitting the facsimile data to the called party's terminal unit ; Computer-phone system, characterized in that. delete delete A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for executing steps for performing computer-telephone communication in a computer-telephone system, comprising: Receiving, from each terminal unit, an internet protocol address for computer network connection and a personal communication number (PCN) of the user and storing it in a database; Receiving a call from a telephone unit of a predetermined caller; Receiving a called party's personal communication number (PCN) from the caller's telephone unit; Searching whether each personal communication number (PCN) stored in the database and the corresponding internet protocol address for a computer network connection is searched, and whether the called party of the received personal communication number (PCN) is connected to the computer network; Checking the location of the called party's terminal unit from an internet protocol address corresponding to the personal communication number (PCN); And Connecting a call between the caller's telephone unit and the called party's terminal unit; Computer-readable media, characterized in that configured to include. The method of claim 52, wherein The audio signal of the caller received through the telephone network is processed and transmitted to the called party's terminal through the computer network, and the data packages of the called party are processed through the computer network to the caller's telephone unit through the telephone network. Further includes transmitting, Processing for the audio signal, Converting the audio signal into a digital signal; Compressing the digital signal; And Packaging the digital signal into the data packages; It is configured to include, Processing for the data packages, Decompressing the data packages; And Converting the decompressed data packages into an audio signal; Computer-readable media, characterized in that configured to include. delete The method of claim 52, wherein Receiving a call from a given facsimile; Receiving a called party's personal communication number (PCN) from the fax; Receiving facsimile data from the facsimile; And Transmitting the facsimile data to the called party's terminal unit; Computer-readable media, characterized in that it further comprises.