摘要:
When a calling party calls a called party on the public-switched telephone network (PSTN), a database common to both the PSTN and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, is accessed to determine whether the called telephone line is currently active on the IP network. That database maintains a record for each user who is currently active on the IP network through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In addition, each record contains information identifying the particular user logged into the network on that line, an indication whether the telephone line is IP telephony capable, an indication whether that line is currently active on an IP telephony call on an Internet Telephony network (ITN), and the IP telephony feature set subscribed to by the called party on that line. If the telephone line is active, IP telephony capable, currently active on an IP telephony call on the ITN, and the called party subscribes to a call waiting-on-IP feature, then the incoming call can be forwarded as an IP telephony call to the called telephone line over the ITN. Alternatively, the incoming call can be directed to an alternate destination on either the ITN network or the PSTN, such as a voice mail or message service. If the called party is engaged in a browsing activity and has an IP telephony capability, then the called party is alerted to the incoming telephone call via a message on his terminal. The incoming call is then completed through the ITN to the called party as an Internet telephony call. If the called party is currently active on the IP network through an ISP, but does not have an IP telephony capability, then the PSTN forwards a message to the ISP, which pushes a message to the called party to inform him or her of the incoming call. The incoming call is then be directed onto the IP network to a messaging service, or on the PSTN to a voicemail service, or to an alternate telephone number, such as a cellular phone, for pickup by the called party.
摘要:
In a multicast capable IP network implemented over an ATM network, each client terminal on a multimedia conference, for each media type it transmits, is assigned a multicast IP address and a port number (together known as a socket) on which to transmit packets, wherein each assigned multicast IP address is unique and different than the multicast IP address assigned to any other client for any media type. Each client terminal then selects, for each media type, which clients on the conference it wants to receive packets from. Only packets that are in fact requested by a client are routed over the multicast IP network to the requesting client. A single special purpose Multicast Address Resolution System (MARS) server is associated with the conference when the conference is established. Each client terminal uses that MARS server, whether on the same or different IP sub-networks, but on a common ATM network, for purposes of mapping the multicast IP addresses used in the conference into a set of unicast ATM endpoint addresses used by the ATM-connected client terminals. Similarly, when a specific conference uses a Multicast Server, a single special purpose Multicast Server is used for all clients on the conference, whether on the same or different IP sub-networks, for purposes of establishing point-to-multipoint ATM connections to the conference endpoints.
摘要:
A subscriber to alias telephone number e-mail system can retrieve both their voice-mail messages and e-mail messages by accessing only their e-mail system. Specifically, when a calling party calls the subscriber of an alias e-mail system who is unavailable to take the call, and leaves a voice-mail message on a network-based voice-mail system, the voice-mail system stores the message. The network-based voice-mail system then determines, through a network-based database retrieval, whether the called party is a subscriber to an alias telephone number e-mail system. In such a system, e-mail messages are addressed with a name portion including a subscriber's telephone number. A translation server then translates the alias telephone number e-mail address to the subscriber's actual e-mail address and forwards the message to the subscriber. If the called party is determined to be a subscriber to such a system, the voice-mail system converts the stored voice-mail message into a text or a .WAV file and includes the converted message in an e-mail message addressed to the called party/subscriber's alias telephone number e-mail address for transmission over the Internet. The translation server then converts the alias telephone number e-mail address to the subscriber's actual e-mail address and forwards the e-mail message to the called party/subscriber's e-mail repository server at that actual address for later retrieval by the called party.
摘要:
A network information delivery system automatically determines end-user information output requirements based on predetermined data corresponding to each requesting end-user terminal. A user profile is maintained in a database either associated with a network information delivery system or with the end-user terminal and is accessed by the network information delivery device. If the network information delivery device has authority to access the end-user terminal, a program may be downloaded to the end-user terminal to determine the exact end-user terminal configuration. The program executing in the end-user terminal returns to the network information delivery device a user profile containing the end-user terminal capabilities so that the requested information may be formatted and delivered to the end-user in an optimal manner. The information to be delivered to end-users may be pre-stored in predetermined formats. The predetermined formats may be determined based on a volume of requests and the characteristic of the information. The information may also be stored in a generic format so that packaging the information for a specific user may be efficiently and timely performed.
摘要:
Real time delivery of multimedia information accessed either through the Internet, or otherwise, simultaneously, or sequentially time delayed to one more users, is enabled by delivering the multimedia information over a switched network via a multipoint control unit. A client establishes a connection with a server, or other remote location where desired multimedia information is resident, identifies the desired multimedia information and provides client information identifying the locations of the users. The client information may include the telephone numbers or other access numbers of each of the multiple users. The multimedia information is then delivered by a multimedia server to a bridging apparatus through a switched network guaranteeing high quality of service, secure connection and billing control. Connecting one or more users to a live agent is also made possible by providing the telephone numbers of the users and the live agent directly to the multipoint control unit. The delivery of the multimedia information can be secured by comparing the client information to a segmented "to call" list to determine whether the client is authorized to receive the requested multimedia information. Alternatively, or in addition, security can be implemented by mounting a video camera at the client's endpoint and connecting a database running face recognition software to the multimedia server. The multimedia server's call to the user triggers the camera to take a picture of the user. The selected content is restricted to authorized users by comparing the picture to pictures of authorized faces stored in the database.
摘要:
Real-time multimedia services are transmitted over a hybrid network including a nonguaranteed quality of service packet switched local area network and a circuit switched ISDN wide area network having a centralized multimedia bridge located within the wide area network. The local area networks and multimedia bridge are interconnected via ISDN routers. An algorithm executed by the multimedia bridge receives signals from the packet switched network and detects the absence of properties needed for real-time audio visual services. The data signals are processed to compensate for the absence of the properties and then are transmitted over the wide area network to enable real-time audio visual services.
摘要:
A multimedia telecommunications network provides telephone service which may involve one or more of audio, video, and data communications. In one example of the invention, the multimedia telecommunications network contains a virtual meeting services complex which provides multimedia telecommunications service to subscribers of the network. Multimedia telephone calls can be completed automatically by the virtual meeting services complex in a manner similar to that now used to complete conventional audio telephone calls. The multimedia telecommunications network containing this virtual meeting services complex is able to connect together users having diverse equipment and is able to handle integrated and nonintegrated network access mechanisms.
摘要:
A mobility support technique provides home agents and foreign agents in mobility aware access networks. Participating mobile hosts are assigned a home address that is used by other hosts as the mobile host's address. The home address actually addresses the home agent provided in the mobility aware access network. The home address provides additional privacy to the mobile host because it does not identify the mobile host's home premises network where the mobile host resides permanently absent any mobility of the mobile host. By providing home agents and foreign agents in a mobility aware access network, the agents may cooperatively establish optimal routing paths for data transmitted to a mobile host. The agents may identify a pseudo home agent, an agent in a mobility aware access network located near to a transmitting mobile host, that acts as the home agent of a destination mobile host. The pseudo home agent tunnels data directly to the destination mobile host without requiring the data to be routed first to the true home agent. In this regard, the pseudo home agent establishes a more direct routing path between the transmitting and destination mobile hosts.
摘要:
An action control point master gatekeeper for a communications network creates a hierarchical scalable signaling and transaction infrastructure for supporting carrier level deployment of, for example, IP telephony using H.323 terminals and gateways. The action control point master gatekeeper supports a plurality of H.323 zones in an administrative domain. Action control point master gatekeepers in an administrative domain can signal to other administrative domains via a hierarchical signaling infrastructure. A backup master gatekeeper can also be present in an action control point. A customer database, which can be distributed within zones or centralized within an administrative domain, allows for address resolution between a terminal alias and a terminal address. The customer database can also contain pointers to special purpose processes, such as network control points, to implement service specific transaction services.
摘要:
Cross-service connectivity between use of the telephone network and use of an e-mail data network is provided by enabling a recipient of an e-mail message to receive e-mail messages through an alias e-mail address which is directly associated with the recipient's telephone number. Thus, the alias e-mail address consists of the recipient's telephone number as the recipient name at a well-known and publicized common domain name server. A sender therefore addresses an e-mail message to the recipient to that alias e-mail address using the recipient's alias telephone number name. A message addressed to the alias e-mail address is sent to a translation server at that known domain name, where the alias telephone number-recipient name is translated to the actual e-mail address comprising the recipient's actual name and associated domain name server, and the message is then forwarded to that recipient at that actual e-mail address. Such aliasing capabilities are effected through a registration process in which the recipient registers for such a service and provides to the translation server his or her actual e-mail address and associated telephone number to which senders of messages to that recipient can use to address e-mail messages.