TELEPHONE SYSTEM
This invention relates to a telephone system.
Currently, a person wishing to place a telephone call from a telephone, where the calling number is unknown, involves that the user searches for the number, either electronically or by use of printed directories, or places a call to an operator-assisted service which can help with locating the desired number. Once the number is obtained, the number has to be manually dialled up by the user, or connected by the operator.
According to one aspect, the present invention provides a telephone system having: telephone apparatus for receiving and sending telephone signals through a communications network; database means having stored therein call data for a call destination, the data including, for that destination, identity data as to the identity of the destination and telephone number data as to the telephone number of that destination; said telephone apparatus having communications means, a telephony interface, selecting means and intercept means; said communications means being operable for establishing a communications link with the database means; said selecting means being operable for user selection of the call data in the database means, to select the call destination; said database means being responsive to said selection to direct to the telephone apparatus via said communications link a call data signal representing said telephone number for the call destination; said intercept means being responsive to receipt of said call data signal to place the telephone apparatus in a condition for dialling by the telephony interface of the telephone number represented by the call data signal.
There may be stored in said database means call destination data for a plurality of call
destinations.
The selecting means may be arranged for searching the database means to identify a particular call destination, such that the call data signal represents the telephone number of the selected call destination.
The telephone apparatus may have means actuatable by a user, actuation thereof causing the dialling means to dial the telephone number corresponding to the call destination.
Preferably, the system includes display means for displaying data at the telephone apparatus. For example, at least part of the telephone number represented by the call data signal may be displayed.
The invention also provides a method of initiating a call from telephone apparatus in a communications network, wherein a remote data base means, having stored therein call data for a call destination, the data including, for that destination, identity data as to the identity of the destination and telephone number data as to the telephone number of that destination, is accessed from the telephone apparatus via a communications link established from the telephone apparatus, to enable a user of the telephone apparatus to select the call data in the data base means, the database means, responsive to the selection, directing to the telephone apparatus via the communications link a call data signal representing the telephone number for the call destination, and the telephone apparatus, responsive to receipt of the call data signal, placing the telephone apparatus in a condition for dialling the telephone number represented by the call data signal.
The invention is further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a diagram of a telephone system in accordance with the invention; and
Figure 2 is a diagram of software interaction in the system of Figure 1.
The telephone system 8 of Figure 1 includes a telephone apparatus 10 having a computer 12 which might for example comprise a standard personal computer. Computer 12 5 is connected to a modem 16 which provides communication to and from the computer via a communications port of the computer. A telephony interface 22 is also connected to a communications port of computer 12. Modem 16 is effective under control of software in the computer 12 to place a call via the public subscriber telephone network (PSTN) 15 through the Internet 14, such as via an Internet service provider 20, to a remote database host 10 18.
Computer 10 operates under control of software arranged whereby a user may, via the modem 16, PSTN 15, and the Internet 14, establish a communications link between the computer 12 and the host 18.
15
The database of host 18 has stored therein in electronic form call destination data for a plurality of call destinations, the data including, for each destination, identity data as to the identity of the destination, and telephone number data as to the telephone number of that destination. Under control of further software provided on the computer 12, the user may
20 search the database by entering suitable search criteria, and information concerning the search and its progress can be transferred back to the computer 12 via the Internet 14, PSTN 15 and modem 16. This back-transferred information is displayed on the screen of the computer 12 and means is provided to enable the user to make a choice concerning a call destination, from the displayed information. This may be done by, for example, operation of the computer
25 keyboard, and/or a pointing device such as a mouse. If a touch sensitive screen is employed for display, the user may touch the screen at the screen location of desired choice. A corresponding identification signal identifying the particular destination chosen is then transferred back through the modem 16, PSTN 15, and Internet 14 to the host 18. At the host 18, on receipt of that identification signal, the host 18 is effective to transmit via the Internet
30 14, PSTN 15 and modem 16 back to the computer 12 a data packet which has a unique
identifier and which contains information concerning the telephone number corresponding to the destination call which the user has chosen. Software in the computer 12 is effective to detect the unique identifier and to recognise this as indicating a desire by the user to make a call. The computer may be responsive to this data packet to immediately dial out the telephone number via the telephony interface 12 which is connected to the PSTN, or may do so on execution by the user of a particular initiating action. For example, a message may be placed on the screen of the computer requesting the user to lift the telephone handpiece associated with the telephone apparatus, and the dialling may be initiated on lifting of the telephone handpiece.
The computer 12 may, in general, have three software programs illustrated by the pay phone module 30, interceptor module 32 and browser module 34 shown in Figure 2. Pay phone module 30 is effective to execute dialling via the telephony interface 22 and provides displays for guiding the user in use of the telephone apparatus. For pay phones, this module may also compute charges for telephone calls, based on the nature and destination of the call in question. This program module accepts dialling inputs from the user (such as to enable a user to manually call from the telephone apparatus). Alternatively the aforementioned chosen telephone number can be passed on as a parameter from any of the other program modules.
The module 32 accepts data coming back to the computer 12 from the host 18 via
Internet 14, PSTN 15 and modem 16, where that data is representative of the aforementioned call data. On receipt of this, the module 32 calls the pay phone module 30 and passes the corresponding telephone number to module 30 as a parameter.
Module 30 is an Internet web browser and is used for obtaining access to the directories host.
EXAMPLE BROWSER
This browser is used to look up a "providers" page, such as an electronic "White
Pages" directory. In the page a unique reference is made to the telephone number of the person of interest. This reference is done through the standard HTML tag. The tag being used for this is called PHONETO and FREEPHONETO.
A suitable form of HTML tag reference is:
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV = "Content-Type" CONTENT = "text/html; charset = windows- 1252" >
<META NAME= "Generator" CONTENT = "Microsoft Word 97" >
< TITLE > Simple HTML Page < /TITLE >
<META NAME- "Template" CONTENT = "D:\Program Files\html.dot" >
</HEAD> <BODY LINK=#ooooff" VLINK = "#800080" BGCIKIR=#ooffff" >
<B> <FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=4< > Simple HTML Page</P>
</FONT> <FONT FACE="Arial" > < P > Demonstrates the PHONETO:
Proprietory Tag < /P > < /B > < /I > < /FONT > < P > The link below contains a special tag used to pass information about the phone number to the screenphone application. Don't click on it in a normal browser - it will cause an error. < /P >
<P> <A
HREF = " PHONETO :% 2B61 + (02) + 9287 + 3139&BNAME + AT + TELSTRA + C ORPORATION + LIMITED&B ADDR = 255 + ELIZABETH + ST + SYDNEY + 200
0" > < FONT SIZE =5 > (02) 9287
3344 < /FONT >< /A >< /P >
<FONT SIZE=5> </FONT> </BODY>
</HTML>
The described arrangement has been advanced merely by way of explanation. For example, while the term "telephone number" is used herein to designate the number associated with a destination to which a call is to be placed, it is to be understood that this term is intended in a general sense, that is to say to encompass any data identifier which provides data for direction via a telephone line to establish a connection to an associated telephone apparatus. In particular, it includes alpha-numeric identifiers.
The described arrangement provides a relatively seamless method of interconnecting the user to the search call destination, thereby eliminating the need to provide operator- assisted services and in the case of public pay phones the need to maintain directory handbooks in telephone booths. In general, the system of the invention contemplates provision of a telephone system which has user-operable means for searching telephone numbers held in a database, to locate a particular telephone number, means to extract the desired number from the database, and means for automatically dialling out the desired number if the user chooses so to do.
While the described implementation accesses the host 18 via the Internet and PSTN, of course, access could be provided by other means, such as via a leased line or the like.
The described arrangement has been advanced merely by way of explanation any many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" , and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising" , will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.