Claims
- 1. A communication system acting to establish communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client coupled to an instant messaging server, the communication system comprising:
a interactive voice processing system operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; a messaging interface acting to communicate with the instant messaging server; a speech-to-text translator acting to convert audio information received from the first party via the telephone into corresponding textual information to be received by a second party using the instant communications client; and a text-to-speech translator acting to convert textual information received from the second party via the instant communications client into audio information to be received by the first party via the telephone.
- 2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first party is identified to the second party by at least one of an instant communications screen name, a telephone number, an email address, a physical address, an alias, a name and a personal identification number.
- 3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the second party is identified to the first party by audible presentation of an identifier for the second party comprising at least one of: an instant communications screen name, a telephone number, an email address, a physical address, an alias, a name and a personal identification number.
- 4. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising:
a presence-determining process for determining a presence state associated with the second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client, wherein the communication system establishes communications between the telephone and the instant communications client responsive at least to the presence state.
- 5. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising:
a capabilities-determining process for determining a capability attribute associated with the instant communications client and wherein communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive at least to the capability attribute.
- 6. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communication system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 7. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a billing function for determining billable usage of the communication system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 8. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the telephone and the instant communications client is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for the usage charges.
- 9. A communications system acting to establish communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client, the communications system comprising:
a interactive voice processing system operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; a presence-determining process for determining a presence state associated with a second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client; and a gateway control interface acting to cause a voice-over-packet gateway operably coupled thereto to establish voice communications between the first party using the telephone and the second party using the instant communications client.
- 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the gateway control interface causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to at least the presence state.
- 11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a capabilities process for determining a capabilities attribute relating to how communications may be conducted pertaining to at least one of the instant communications client, the second party and the first party.
- 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the gateway control interface causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to at least one of the presence state and the capabilities attribute.
- 13. The system of claim 11 wherein the capabilities process comprises an interface to a capabilities server.
- 14. The system of claim 11 wherein the capabilities attribute indicates at least one of whether the instant communications client supports voice communications and whether the second party elects to use voice communications.
- 15. The system of claim 9 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 16. The system of claim 9 further comprising a billing function for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 17. The system of claim 9 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the causing the voice-over-packet gateway to establish communications is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for the usage charges.
- 18. A communications system acting to establish communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client, the communications system comprising:
a interactive voice processing system operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; a presence-determining process for determining a presence state associated with the second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client; and a voice-over-packet gateway for establishing voice communications between the first party using the telephone and the second party using the instant communications client.
- 19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 20. The system of claim 18 further comprising a billing function for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 21. The system of claim 20 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the voice-over-packet gateway establishes voice communications between the first party and second party responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for the usage charges.
- 22. The system of claim 18 wherein the gateway control interface causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to at least the presence state.
- 23. The system of claim 18 further comprising a capabilities process for determining a capabilities attribute relating to how communications may be conducted pertaining to at least one of the instant communications client, the second party and the first party.
- 24. The system of claim 23 wherein the gateway control interface causes the establishment of the communications responsive to at least one of the presence state and the capabilities attribute.
- 25. The system of claim 23 wherein the capabilities process comprises an interface to a capabilities server.
- 26. The system of claim 23 wherein the capabilities attribute indicates at least one of whether the instant communications client supports voice communications and whether the second party elects to use voice communications.
- 27. A communication system for establishing communication among parties coupled to the communication system comprising:
request receiving means for receiving from a first party using a telephone device, a request to establish communications with a second party; means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party; and communications establishing means for establishing communications, comprising instant communications, between the first party and the second party responsive to whether instant communications may be established with the second party.
- 28. The system of claim 27 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 29. The system of claim 27 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 30. The system of claim 29 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 31. The communication system of claim 27 wherein said means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party comprises at least one of:
means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party; means for contacting the second party and obtaining an indication from the second party as to the acceptance of instant communications; means for determining whether the first party is eligible to establish instant communications with the second party; means for determining whether the second party is eligible to receive instant communications from the first party; and means for determining whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using instant communications.
- 32. The communication system of claim 27 further comprising:
means for determining whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using instant communications; and means for indicating to the second party whether communications with the second party involving instant communications is available, responsive to the determining whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using instant communications.
- 33. The communication system of claim 27 further comprising:
means for engaging information translation comprising at least one of: text-to-speech translating means for receiving textual information from the second party, translating the textual information into corresponding audio information, and providing the corresponding audio information to the first party; and speech-to-text translating means for receiving audio information from the first party, translating the audio information into corresponding textual information, and providing the corresponding textual information to the second party.
- 34. The communication system of claim 33 further comprising:
means for determining whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the intelligent information translator responsive at least to whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging.
- 35. The communication system of claim 34 further comprising:
means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the intelligent information translator responsive at least to whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 36. The communication system of claim 35 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises:
means for receiving indication from the second party as to whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 37. The communication system of claim 35 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises:
means for accessing profile information in a database, wherein the profile information indicates at least whether the second party desires to use text messaging and wherein the profile information is associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client being used by the second party.
- 38. The communication system of claim 34 further comprising:
means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communications; and means for conditionally performing said determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging responsive to whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communications.
- 39. The communication system of claim 38 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
means for receiving indication from the second party via the instant communications client as to whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication.
- 40. The communication system of claim 38 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
means for accessing profile information in a database, wherein the profile information indicates at least whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication and wherein the profile information is associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client.
- 41. The communication system of claim 27 wherein said means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party comprises:
means for determining a presence identifier associated with the second party; means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party, the presence identifier being used to specify the second party to the presence server; and means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party responsive at least to a presence state for the second party as indicated by the presence state information.
- 42. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the presence identifier is any one of a screen name, a logical address, an electronic pseudonym, a chat identifier and an instant messaging identifier.
- 43. The communication system of claim 41 wherein said means for determining the presence identifier comprises:
means for prompting the calling party for the presence identifier; and means for receiving the presence identifier via the telephone call.
- 44. The communication system of claim 41 wherein said means for determining the at least one presence identifier includes:
obtaining identifying information associated with the second party; and querying a database to obtain the presence identifier based on the identifying information.
- 45. The communication system of claim 44 wherein the identifying information comprises at least one of a telephone number, an email address, a physical address, an alias, a name and a personal identification number.
- 46. A communication system for establishing communication among parties coupled to the communication system comprising:
means for receiving a request from a first party to establish communications with a second party using a first mode of communicating; means for determining whether the second party is accessible via a second mode of communicating; and means for establishing communications between the first party and the second party using at least the second mode of communication responsive to whether the second party is accessible via the second mode of communicating.
- 47. The communication system of claim 46 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 48. The communication system of claim 46 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 49. The communication system of claim 48 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 50. The communication system of claim 46 further comprising:
means for determining whether the second party is accessible via the first mode of communicating, wherein the establishing the communications is selectively performed responsive to at least whether the second party is accessible using the first mode of communications.
- 51. The communication system of claim 46 further comprising:
means for indicating to the first party whether the second party is accessible via the second mode of communicating; and means for receiving indication from first party as to whether the second mode of communicating is acceptable to the first party; means for establishing communications responsive to the indication from the first party as to whether the second mode of communicating is acceptable.
- 52. The communication system of claim 46 wherein the first mode of communicating is a telephone connection and the second mode of communicating is a textual instant messaging session.
- 53. The communication system of claim 46 wherein the first mode of communicating is a telephone connection and the second mode of communicating is a voice-enabled chat session.
- 54. A communication system for establishing communication among parties coupled to the communication system comprising:
means for receiving from a first party a request to establish communications with a second party using a first mode of communication; means for determining whether the second party is accessible via the first mode of communication; means for determining a second mode of communicating with the second party responsive to whether the second party is accessible via the first mode of communicating; and means for establishing communications, comprising the second mode of communication, between the first party and the second party.
- 55. The communication system of claim 21 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 56. The communication system of claim 21 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 57. The communication system of claim 56 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 58. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said means for determining whether the second party is accessible via the first mode of communication includes at least one of:
means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party; means for contacting the second party and obtaining an indication from the second party as to the acceptance of communications via the first mode of communication;
means for determining whether the first party is eligible to establish communications with the second party via the first mode of communication; and means for determining whether the second party is eligible to receive communications from the first party via the first mode of communication.
- 59. The communication system of claim 54 further comprising:
means for determining whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using the second mode of communication; and means for conditionally performing said establishing communications comprising the second mode of communication between the first party and the second party responsive to at least whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using the second mode of communication.
- 60. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said determining whether the second party is accessible comprises attempting to contact the second party through a instant communications session.
- 61. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said first mode of communication is a instant communications session.
- 62. The communication system of claim 54 wherein the second mode of communication is a telephone connection.
- 63. The communication system of claim 54 further comprising:
means for engaging an intelligent information translator comprising at least one of:
text-to-speech translating means for receiving textual information from the second party, translating the textual information into corresponding audio information, and providing the corresponding audio information to the first party; and a speech-to-text translating means for receiving audio information from the first party, translating the audio information into corresponding textual information, and providing the corresponding textual information to the second party.
- 64. The communication system of claim 63 further comprising:
means for determining whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the intelligent information translator responsive to at least whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging.
- 65. The communication system of claim 64 further comprising:
means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the intelligent information translator responsive at least to whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 66. The communication system of claim 65 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises:
means for receiving indication from the second party as to whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 67. The communication system of claim 65 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises:
means for accessing profile information in a database, wherein the profile information indicates at least whether the second party desires to use text messaging and wherein the profile information is associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client being used by the second party.
- 68. The communication system of claim 65 further comprising:
means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communications; and means for conditionally performing said determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging responsive to whether the instant communications client support more than one type of communications.
- 69. The communication system of claim 65 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
means for receiving indication from the second party via the instant communications client as to whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication.
- 70. The communication system of claim 68 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
accessing profile information in a database, wherein the profile information indicates at least whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication and wherein the profile information is associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client being used by the second party.
- 71. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party comprises:
means for determining a presence identifier associated with the second party; means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party, the presence identifier being used to specify the second party to the presence server; and means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party responsive based at least upon a presence state for the second party as indicated by the presence state information.
- 72. The communication system of claim 54 wherein the presence identifier is any one of a screen name, a logical address, an electronic pseudonym, a chat identifier and an instant messaging identifier.
- 73. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said means for determining the presence identifier comprises:
means for prompting the calling party for the presence identifier; and means for receiving the presence identifier over the telephone call.
- 74. The communication system of claim 54 wherein said means for determining the presence identifier includes:
means for obtaining identifying information associated with the second party; and means for querying a database to obtain the presence identifier based on the identifying information.
- 75. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the identifying information comprises at least one of a telephone number, an email address, a physical address, an alias, a name and a personal identification number.
- 76. A communication system for establishing communication among parties coupled to the communication system comprising:
means for detecting an unanswered telephone call from a first party to a second party; means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party; and means for establishing communications, comprising instant communications, between the first party and the second party responsive to whether instant communications may be established with the second party.
- 77. The system of claim 76 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 78. The system of claim 76 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 79. The system of claim 78 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 80. The communication system of claim 76 further comprising:
means for connecting the telephone call from the first party to a voice processing system; means for receiving, from the first party via the voice processing system, indication as to whether instant communications with the second party is desired by the first party; and means for conditionally performing said establishing communications responsive to at least whether instant communications with the second party is desired by the first party.
- 81. The communication system of claim 76 further comprising:
means for connecting the telephone call from the first party to a voice processing system; means for informing the first party, via the voice processing system, of whether instant communications may be established with the second party.
- 82. The communication system of claim 81 further comprising:
means for receiving indication from the first party, via the voice processing system, as to whether instant communications with the second party is desired by the first party; and means for conditionally performing said establishing communications responsive to at least whether instant communications with the second party is desired by the first party.
- 83. The communication system of claim 76 wherein said means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party includes at least one of:
means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party; means for contacting the second party and obtaining an indication from the second party as to the acceptance of instant communications means for determining whether the first party is eligible to establish instant communications with the second party, means for determining whether the second party is eligible to receive instant communications from the first party; and means for determining whether the first party desires to establish communications with the second party using instant communications.
- 84. The communication system of claim 76 wherein the means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party comprises attempting to contact the second party through a instant communications session.
- 85. The communication system of claim 76 further comprising:
means for engaging an information translating means comprising at least one of:
text-to-speech translating means for receiving textual information from the second party, translating the textual information into corresponding audio information, and providing the corresponding audio information to the first party; and speech-to-text translating means operable to receive audio information from the first party, translating the audio information into corresponding textual information, and providing the corresponding textual information to the second party.
- 86. The communication system of claim 85 further comprising:
means for determining whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the information translating means responsive to whether an instant communications client used by the second party supports text messaging.
- 87. The communication system of claim 86 further comprising:
means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging; and means for conditionally performing said engaging the information translating means responsive to at least whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 88. The communication system of claim 87 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises receiving indication from the second party as to whether the second party desires to use text messaging.
- 89. The communication system of claim 87 wherein said means for determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging comprises accessing profile information in a database, the profile information indicating at least whether the second party desires to use text messaging and the profile information being associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client being used by the second party.
- 90. The communication system of claim 86 further comprising:
means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communications; and means for conditionally performing said determining whether the second party desires to use text messaging responsive to at least whether the instant communications client support more than one type of communications.
- 91. The communication system of claim 90 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
means for receiving indication from the second party via the instant communications client as to at least whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication.
- 92. The communication system of claim 90 wherein said means for determining whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication comprises:
means for accessing profile information in a database, wherein the profile information indicates at least whether the instant communications client supports more than one type of communication and wherein the profile information being associated with at least one of the second party and the instant communications client being used by the second party.
- 93. The communication system of claim 76 wherein said means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party comprises:
means for determining a presence identifier associated with the second party; means for obtaining presence state information pertaining to the second party, the presence identifier being used to specify the second party to the presence server; and means for determining whether instant communications may be established with the second party responsive at least to a presence state for the second party as indicated by the presence state information.
- 94. The communication system of claim 93 wherein the presence identifier is any one of a screen name, a logical address, an electronic pseudonym, a chat identifier and an instant messaging identifier.
- 95. The communication system of claim 93 wherein said means for determining the presence identifier comprises:
means for prompting the calling party for the presence identifier; and means for receiving the presence identifier via the telephone call.
- 96. The communication system of claim 93 wherein said means for determining the presence identifier includes:
means for obtaining identifying information associated with the second party; and means for querying a database to obtain the presence identifier based on the identifying information.
- 97. The communication system of claim 96 wherein the identifying information comprises at least one of a telephone number, an email address, a physical address, an alias, a name and a personal identification number.
- 98. A communications system for establishing communications among parties comprising:
communicating means for establishing communications among telephones and instant communications clients; means for receiving a telephone call from the first party by the action of the first party using a telephone to call a telephone number, the telephone number having been provided to the first party for communicating with the communications system; means for receiving a request from the first party to establish communications with a second party; means for identifying an instant communications client associated with the second party; and means for establishing communications, responsive to the request, between the first party and the instant communications client using the communication system.
- 99. The system of claim 98 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 100. The system of claim 98 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 101. The system of claim 100 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 102. The communication system of claim 98 wherein the calling of the telephone number by the first party signifies to the communication system the intent of the first party to preferably establish communications via the instant communications client associated with the second party.
- 103. The communication system of claim 102 wherein the communication system acts to effect at least one alternative form of communication between the first party and the second party and wherein the communication system, responsive at least to said calling of the telephone number by the first party, acts to establish communications via the instant communications client associated with the second party in preference-to establishing communications via the alternative form of communication.
- 104. The communication system of claim 98 wherein the communications via the instant communications client comprises text messaging.
- 105. The communication system of claim 98 wherein the communications via the instant communications client comprises voice-enabled chat.
- 106. The communication system of claim 98 wherein the communications via the instant communications client comprises Internet Relay Chat.
- 107. The communication system of claim 98 further comprising:
responsive to the request, providing information translating means comprising at least one of:
text-to-speech translating means for receiving textual information from the second party, translating the textual information into corresponding audio information, and providing the corresponding audio information to the first party; and speech-to-text translating means for receiving audio information from the first party, translating the audio information into corresponding textual information, and providing the corresponding textual information to the second party.
- 108. The communication system of claim 98 further comprising:
capabilities determining means for determining a capabilities attribute relating to how communications may be conducted pertaining to at least one of the instant communications client, the second party and the first party.
- 109. A communications system for establishing communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client, the communications system comprising:
interactive voice processing means operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; presence determining means for determining a presence state associated with a second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client; and gateway control interface means for causing a voice-over-packet gateway operably coupled thereto to establish voice communications between the first party using the telephone and the second party using the instant communications client.
- 110. The system of claim 109 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 111. The system of claim 109 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 112. The system of claim 111 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing voice communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 113. The system of claim 109 wherein the gateway control interface means causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to the presence state.
- 114. The system of claim 109 further comprising:
capabilities determining means for determining a capabilities attribute relating to how communications may be conducted pertaining to at least one of the instant communications client, the second party and the first party.
- 115. The system of claim 114 wherein the gateway control interface means causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to at least one of the presence state and the capabilities attribute.
- 116. The system of claim 114 wherein the capabilities determining means comprises capabilities server interface means for interfacing to a capabilities server.
- 117. The system of claim 114 wherein the capabilities attribute indicates at least one of whether the instant communications client supports voice communications and whether the second party elects to use voice communications.
- 118. A communications system operable to establish communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client, the communications system comprising:
interactive voice processing means operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; presence determining means for determining a presence state associated with the second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client; and voice-over-packet gateway means for establishing voice communications between the first party using the telephone and the second party using the instant communications client.
- 119. The system of claim 118 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 120. The system of claim 118 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 121. The system of claim 120 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing voice communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 122. The system of claim 118 wherein the voice-over-packet gateway means causes the establishment of the voice communications responsive to at least the presence state.
- 123. The system of claim 118 further comprising:
capabilities determining means for determining at least one capabilities attribute relating to how communications may be conducted pertaining to at least one of the instant communications client, the second party and the first party.
- 124. The system of claim 123 wherein the voice-over-packet gateway means causes the establishment of the communications responsive to at least one of the presence state and the capabilities attribute.
- 125. The system of claim 123 wherein the capabilities determining means comprises capabilities server interface means for interfacing to a capabilities server.
- 126. The system of claim 123 wherein the capabilities attribute indicates at least one of whether the instant communications client supports voice communications and whether the second party elects to use voice communications.
- 127. A communication system for establishing communications between a telephone of a telephone network and an instant communications client coupled to an instant messaging server, the communication system comprising:
interactive voice processing means operably coupled to the telephone network to provide interactive voice services to a first party using the telephone; messaging interface means for communicating with the instant messaging server; speech-to-text translator means for converting audio information received from the first party via the telephone into corresponding textual information to be received by a second party using the instant communications client; and text-to-speech translator means operable to convert textual information received from the second party via the instant communications client into audio information to be received by the first party via the telephone.
- 128. The system of claim 127 further comprising:
at least one presence-determining means for determining a presence state associated with the second party indicative of the second party's availability to communicate via the instant communications client, wherein the communication system establishes communications between the telephone and the instant communications client responsive to the presence state.
- 129. The system of claim 127 further comprising a capabilities-determining process for determining a capability attribute with the instant communications client and wherein communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive at least to the capability attribute.
- 130. The system of claim 120 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 131. The system of claim 120 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 132. The system of claim 131 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the establishing communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 133. In a communication system, a device for establishing communications, the device comprising:
telephony interface means for enabling communications with a first party via a telephone call; instant messaging interface means for communicating with at least one instant communications client; and intelligent information translator means for translating communications between the first party and the instant communications client.
- 134. The device of claim 133 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system by at least one of the first party and the second party.
- 135. The device of claim 133 further comprising billing means for determining billable usage of the system related to communications between the first party and the second party.
- 136. The device of claim 135 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the translating communications between the first party and the second party is selectively performed responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.
- 137. The device of claim 133 wherein the intelligent information translator means comprises at least one of:
text-to-speech translator means for receiving textual information via the instant messaging interface means, translating the textual information into corresponding audio information, and providing the corresponding audio information via the telephony interface means; and speech-to-text translator means for receiving audio information via the telephony interface means, translating the audio information into corresponding textual information, and providing the corresponding textual information via the instant messaging interface means.
- 138. The device of claim 133 further comprising:
at least one packet voice communications interface means for communicating with a packet data network.
- 139. The device of claim 138 wherein voice communications with the instant communications client are carried through the packet voice communications interface means.
- 140. The device of claim 138 wherein the telephone call from the first party is coupled to the device via the packet voice communications interface means.
- 141. The device of claim 138 wherein the packet voice communications interface means carries at least one packetized data stream representing at least one voice signal.
- 142. The device of claim 138 wherein the packet voice communications interface means is operably coupled to at least one voice-over-packet gateway.
- 143. The device of claim 138 further comprising:
network signaling interface means for coordinating with the packet data network in establishing communications through the packet data network.
- 144. The device of claim 133 further comprising:
presence-determining means for determining presence information associated with the instant communications client and whereby communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive to the presence information.
- 145. The device of claim 133 further comprising:
capabilities-determining means for determining at least one capability attribute associated with the instant communications client and whereby communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive to the capability attribute.
- 146. The device of claim 133 further comprising:
interactive response station means for conducting an interactive session with the first party via the telephone call, the interactive session affecting how the device establishes communications with the instant communications client.
- 147. The device of claim 133 further comprising:
at least one billing means for noting billable communications activity of the device.
- 148. In a communications system, a device acting to establish communications, the device comprising:
a telephony interface acting to enable communications with a first party via a telephone call; an instant messaging interface acting to communicate with an instant communications client; and an intelligent information translator acting to translate communications between the first party and the instant communications client.
- 149. The device of claim 148 further comprising a billing system interface for communicating, with a billing system, information about usage of the communications system involving the instant communications client.
- 150. The device of claim 148 further comprising a billing function for determining billable usage of the communications system related to communications between the first party and the instant communications client.
- 151. The device of claim 150 further comprising:
means for determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges pertaining to the billable usage, wherein the intelligent information translator acts to translate communications responsive at least to whether payment can be obtained for the usage charges.
- 152. The device of claim 148 wherein the intelligent information translator comprises at least one of:
a text-to-speech translator acting to receive textual information via the instant messaging interface, translate the textual information into corresponding audio information, and provide the corresponding audio information via the voice processing system interface; and a speech-to-text translator acting to receive audio information via the voice processing system interface, translate the audio information into corresponding textual information, and provide the corresponding textual information via the instant messaging interface.
- 153. The device of claim 148 further comprising:
a packet voice communications interface for communicating with a packet data network.
- 154. The device of claim 153 wherein voice communications with the instant communications client are carried through the packet voice communications interface.
- 155. The device of claim 153 wherein the telephone call from the first party is coupled to the : device via the packet voice communications interface.
- 156. The device of claim 153 wherein the packet voice communications interface acts to carry a packetized data stream representing a voice signal.
- 157. The device of claim 153 wherein the packet voice communications interface is operably coupled to a voice-over-packet gateway.
- 158. The device of claim 153 further comprising a network signaling interface for coordinating with a packet data network in establishing communications through the packet data network.
- 159. The device of claim 148 further comprising a presence-determining process for determining presence information associated with the instant communications client and wherein communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive at least to the presence information.
- 160. The device of claim 148 further comprising a capabilities-determining process for determining a capability attribute associated with the instant communications client and wherein communications are established between the first party and the instant communications client responsive at least to the capability attribute.
- 161. The device of claim 148 further comprising a interactive response station acting to conduct a interactive session with the first party via the telephone call, the interactive session affecting a aspect of how the device establishes communications with the instant communications client.
- 162. The device of claim 148 further comprising a billing system for recording billable communications activity of the device.
PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/369,271 (Atty. Docket CDR-02-002PR), filed Apr. 2, 2002, entitled “Chat-Accessible Services in a Communication System,” assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference its entirety.
[0002] The present application is also related to the following co-pending applications, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties:
[0003] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-012), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Billing System for Services Provided via Instant Communications;”
[0004] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-013), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Messaging Response System;”
[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-014), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Communications Gateway with Messaging Communications Interface;”
[0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-015), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Media Translator;”
[0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-016), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Billing System for Communications Services involving Telephony and Instant Communications;”
[0008] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______(Docket No. CDR-02-018), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Enhanced Services Call Completion;”
[0009] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-019), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Providing of Presence Information to a Telephony Services System;” and
[0010] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Docket No. CDR-02-020), filed concurrently herewith and entitled “Telephony Services System with Instant Communications Enhancements.”
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60369271 |
Apr 2002 |
US |